October_30th's Journal: Tempur and futon mattresses [UPDATE]

For some time I have had problems with pain in my lower back.

It is an annoying ache and stiffness that is concentrated not on the spine but on the Erector Spinae radiating towards the Obliques.

It goes away if I exercise regularly - especially weight lifting seems to work - and it is aggravated by prolonged immobility such as sleeping. Soft mattresses seem to make it worse. Right now it's pretty bad - enough to disturb my sleep - because I didn't get much exercise last week (the 16-18 hour days and night shifts at the synchrotron don't leave you with much extra energy) and the bed at the hotel was just horrible.

I have heard good things about hard mattresses in the prevention of back pains and I've been considering buying a stiff cotton futon or a Tempur-Pedic bed.

Do any of you have experiences in either? I like the cotton futon concept - simple and very organic - but the Tempur-Pedic has received a lot of praise on the net, too.

Update: I just came back from a visit to a futon store where I got to try what a futon feels like. While it is difficult to say anything definitive without actually sleeping on the thing, the full cotton mattress felt pretty nice and I'm sure I can sleep on it. Since I was planning to buy a better and larger bed anyway soon, I placed an order for the mattress. The delivery will take 3-4 weeks and when it arrives I'll have a better look at the bed frames which should be available immediately. My two favourites so far: this and this.

simple answer

[Mantorp]

stop sleeping ;) maybe you should try out one of those alternate sleepschedules that are floating around online, you'd never sleep for more than a few minutes at a time.

Re:

[October_30th]

Heh. I've thought about that, too, but somehow I don't think people would appreciate it if I kept nodding off for a few minutes at a time during a meeting or while I'm lecturing.

Re:

[Mantorp]

you're a scientist, it just adds to your eccentricity. I think developing traits like that would be a great careermove.

Foam mattress top

[Degrees]

I don't know if you have a Costco [costco.com], but they sell a ten cm thick foam mattress top. My wife and I have one. It does make the bed nice and soft - but that might not be what would help your back.

I have no idea if the Tempur-Pedic has more support or not. The foam topper doesn't have any - but it adds comfort through its elasticity.

Re:

[October_30th]

My back doesn't really like soft beds (that was actually the problem with the hotel bed I mentioned), so what I'm looking for is actually more stiffness from the mattress.

It shouldn't be too hard, because you get numb that way, but it can't be that soft either. Too soft means that your spine doesn't get proper support and it results in stiff and aching back muscles.

Re:

[StalinsNotDead]

I don't know if they had them where you went to school. But try to get a couple of those mats they'd put on the floor for PE whenever there was wrestling or whatnot.

Re:

[Degrees]

Yes - that was my worry about the Tempur-Pedic - it might be too soft. But I could be all wrong - until I actually get to touch one, I won't know if they use a dense foam or not. The mattress tops are not a dense foam - so they are great for adding a small cushion to a too hard bed; but if I were laying on 30 - 40 cm of that material, I'd think my back would ache.