Free Mattress Buying Guide

TAKE OUR MATTRESS QUIZ

Mattresses for someone who has back problems / aches and pains

Kristina asked
17th July 2018

My husband and I have always been sure we like very firm mattresses, but the one we have now (some sort of ‘Orthopaedic’ one from Sealy – no idea what the filling is) is definitely past its best – it’s 16 years old – and we’re feeling a bit overwhelmed trying to find a new one. When we last bought a mattress we were both in our early 30s and didn’t suffer from any aches and pains of any kind! The only beds either of us had ever noticed as being uncomfortable were soft, saggy ones, so we went for a very firm one, and have actually been pretty happy with it (though I did get hip aches lying on it when I was pregnant).
Anyway, we’re now mid 40s and unfortunately I have various health issues going on – disc degeneration in my lower back and cervical spine, and an autoimmune condition that causes general muscle aches and pains. I’m having problems with my shoulders now. My husband also gets back pain sometimes. So we think maybe going for the firmest available mattress is no longer the best course.
We’ve been into various bed shops and spent quite a while lying on different beds, but are still confused about what we want. We basically want a balance of comfort and support that won’t exacerbate aches and pains, and a mattress with good longevity. We both agree we don’t want one that goes squidgy at the edges as we both sometimes end up sleeping near the edges of the bed; or one where you end up rolling together in the middle, as once happened in a Premier Inn bed (I was told they’re hypnos mattresses). So does that mean we should still be looking for something firm?
We both hate the feel of memory foam and my husband’s not keen on latex either, though I would be more open minded there as I like my latex pillow; so we’re probably looking at a pocket sprung mattress, up to about £1000 in price. We will be keeping our existing divan base which seems to be in good condition.
We’ve liked the feel of some of the Vispring models we’ve lain on but can’t afford anything above the entry level ones. Confusingly with these (we’ve tried the Herald Superb, the Exeter Superb and a cheaper one from Furniture Village called Vispring Aspire) we liked the feel of both firm and medium ones. We also liked a Myers naturals one I tried a few months ago (in Bensons I think) but can’t remember the exact model. It had about 2000 pocket springs, was medium / firm, said it included cashmere and that the fillings were 100% natural but didn’t specify all the mattress ingredients in the way that you do. This one was cheaper than any of the Visprings at about £600 I think. Do you know if this range is good quality?
I’ve also read lots of good things about your mattresses and service on Mumsnet threads and reviews. Do you have anything that would fit the bill for us? I worry a bit that your mattresses look so deep that they might make our bed way too high and I’m not actually sure that we could get a king size one up our stairs, as the ceiling is lowish at one point. Do your customers often have issues getting the mattresses into the house?
Lots of questions and issues there, sorry! We’d really appreciate any information / ideas you can give us. Thanks in advance. Oh, and I forgot to add our weights: I’m 10 stone at the moment but am usually nearer 9 1/2. My husband is about 12 stone.

1 Answer
Lee Lelant
answered 6 years ago

Good Morning Kristina, 
 
Thanks for your question. 
 
You’re correct in what you say that you should be now avoiding anything too firm feeling as it will only exacerbate those aches and pains. 
 
Customer’s having an issue getting the mattress into a property is a bit too vague to answer to be completely honest as there can be many different reasons it might not fit. If you think there is an issue then I’d advise going for a Zip and Link mattress. In a King Size this would give you 2 mattresses measuring 2ft 6″ x 6ft 6″. They sit side by side and are zipped together to form the one overall mattress. This also might help to rectify your concern over rolling together in the middle as you can’t transfer movement between the springs of the 2 separate entities. 
 

 
You can have a Zip and Link mattress in our Origins and Artisan range of mattresses; Both are traditional pocket sprung mattresses but the Artisan range has the benefit of being constructed using natural fillings, similar to the Vi-Spring range, and these fillings provide a cool sleep surface. 
 
My concern here would be that the starter model of the Artisan range (Artisan 1500 King Size Zip and Link) sits outside your budget at £1,375.00. 
 
It might be worth looking at something like our Origins Pocket 1500 in a Zip Link instead. This has a medium spring tension as standard and will comfortably cover both of your body weights. This model is then a true medium feeling model in the top layers providing a slight sink in sensation but not too much. Going for a medium feel should give some pressure relief compared to your current firm mattress but you might have to add a mattress topper after 4-6 weeks if you are finding it too firm at that stage. 
 
Alternatively, you could keep a check on our Outlet section. These are items that have been produced and used previously under our 60 day love it or return it guarantee. Once they are returned to us they are graded and discounted accordingly. Below are the grading guidelines vs discount;
 

GradeDiscountDescription
B20%Will have been used by a customer and returned under the 60 night love it or return it guarantee, it may have a few marks from transit and courier handling.
C40%Will have been used by a customer and returned under the 60 night love it or return it guarantee, it will have quite a few marks and could even have a small tear, nothing detrimental to the life or use of the mattress.

 
I hope this has answered your questions fully but if you do have any further queries please don’t hesitate to contact our office on 0161 437 4419. Our office is open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am to 4pm. 
 
Kind Regards, Lee. 

Trustpilot