If you’re one of those people who love to jump into bed, curl up on your side and snuggle in for the night, then you’re what’s called a side-sleeper and as you and your mattress get older, you may find that mornings begin with stiff, achy muscles and joints. If that’s already the case, its time to not only start looking for a new mattress but for one that is much better suited to your special sleep style. That’s where Memory Foam Doctor can help.
You may not know it, but side sleepers need a mattress that delivers medium-firm support to help alleviate the weight on heavier pressure points like your shoulders and hips while at the same time maintaining neutral spinal alignment. And ideally, they need to do all this without sacrificing that cozy, contour-hugging comfort that memory foam is known for.
As a rule of thumb, you’ll want to look for a mattress with a firmness level that lands somewhere in the 3-6 range (with 10 being super-firm) and if you’ve already begun the search, you’ll know there are dozens if not hundreds of memory foam mattress brands on the market that deliver in this regard. To help narrow the choices, we’ve reviewed many of the top manufacturers and sorted their products by sleep style, materials and special features to produce comprehensive comparisons that are consumer friendly and always helpful when making this pricey purchase.
Below we’ve focused on side sleepers and are looking at two brands that deliver a great product with just the right amount of support and some special features unique to each: Loom & Leaf’s Relaxed Firm model and TEMPUR-Pedic’s Flex design.
Background
An off-shoot of luxury mattress company Saavta, Loom & Leaf is a fairly recent entry into the on-line bed-in-a-box market and is manufactured entirely in the United States. It’s actually Saavta’s latest addition to their collection of superior grade mattresses and as such, is constructed entirely from premium quality materials with the big differentiator between it and other brands being that it uses a plant-based memory foam for zero off-gassing.
Why is Loom & Leaf’s Relaxed Firm a Great Mattress for Side Sleepers?
Side sleepers need a “medium-firm” mattress that not only delivers superior support of key joints and neutral spinal alignment but will hug your natural curves in cozy comfort. Loom & Leaf ‘s 12-inch thick Relaxed Firm memory foam mattress delivers this and more, with an extra level of support that runs the entire length of your body. It instantly adapts itself to cushion your neck, shoulders, hips and back regardless of how frequently you move in the night.
Construction
Cover
Loom & Leaf’s mattress cover is made from 100% pure organic cotton with natural thistle for a soft buffer that is highly breathable for a continually cool sleep surface. The manufacturer further adds to the cover’s comfort quotient by bonding it to a plush 5/8-inch layer of quilted foam.
Top Layer
Loom & Leaf uses a 2-inch thick layer of gel-swirl memory foam in the top layer to ensure the cooling gel is evenly distributed across the entire mattress top. This new technology effectively eliminates hot spots where body heat can collect and result in an uncomfortable, too-warm sleep surface. What makes this feature ideal for side sleepers is that in addition to convoluted construction that promotes enhanced air movement, their proprietary Spinal Zone Gel panel is strategically placed to target your lower spine and hip area, where heat can build up.
Second Layer
For the main core of this mattress, Loom & Leaf uses a 2.5-inch thick layer of dense, 5-pound visco elastic memory foam. This type of super-dense foam provides deep compression support that not only lightly cradles the curves of your body but helps to prevent that sinking feeling that can often occur with standard memory foam mattresses.
Third Layer
By using a slab of 2-inch thick foam in this transition layer, Loom & Leaf’s Relaxed Firm mattress is able to provide uniform buffering between the stiffer, high-density base and the softer, top layers of comfort foam.
Fourth Layer
A thick, 5.5-inch thick layer of high-density poly foam delivers consistent, superior support to the upper layers and guarantees optimal alignment and mattress longevity. Better still, because of it’s comprised of breathable air channels, this layer also delivers a cool sleeper due to enhanced air movement.
Additional Benefits
Minimal Off-Gassing
Off-gassing is a common complaint with new memory foam mattresses however because Loom & Leaf constructs their mattresses using organic cotton and plant-based foam, there is no off-gassing – an important feature for allergy sufferers.
Motion Isolation
Because of the thick, multiple layers of specialty foams, Loom & Leaf’s Relaxed Firm mattress effectively distributes your body weight across the entire sleep surface to isolate motion and eliminate the sleep disturbances that can come from partners who toss and turn in the night.
Trial Period / Warranty
Both the generous, 120-night trial period and the 15-year warranty (with 100% money back guarantee) on the Loom & Leaf Relaxed Firm memory foam mattress are substantially longer than most mattresses, including TEMPUR-Pedic’s 90-night trial period and 10-year warranty.
Background
This iconic memory foam mattress veteran brings more than 25 years of manufacturing experience to the table and is always looking for ways to improve and refine their sleep product. As a result, they have developed proprietary materials and advanced construction methods that are guaranteed to deliver a more restful night regardless of the individual’s sleep style. For comparison purposes with Loom & Leaf’s Relaxed Firm model we’re going to look at TEMPUR-Pedic’s Flex collection.
Why is TEMPUR-Flex a Great Mattress for Side Sleepers?
TEMPUR’s Flex collection delivers three levels of support that range from ultra-soft to medium-firm and it’s their 10.5-inch medium-firm model that is ideal for side sleepers. Designed to deliver advanced, all-round comfort this innovative hybrid uses both memory foam and micro-coil construction to deliver exceptional support with a little extra bounce that you don’t typically get with memory foam. And because its individually pocketed coils can instantly adapt to your contours and redistribute your body weight across the entire sleep surface, it provides continual support to heavier joints and neutral spinal alignment no matter how often you turn in the night. our body, and individually encased springs support and react to your movements.
Construction
Cover
TEMPUR’s Flex mattress cover features their innovative high-loft advanced fabric with phase change material for a cooler, more comfortable sleep. This fabric even wicks moisture away from your body so regardless of how hot a night, your bedding will remain dry and you will enjoy a comfortable, restful night.
Top Layer
It’s TEMPUR’s innovative formulations and manufacturing methods that help deliver the support and curve-hugging comfort their mattresses are renowned for. With the Flex, that includes the brand’s patented top layer of TEMPUR-ES material made from open-cell visco elastic that delivers not only soft, supportive comfort but enhanced breathability.
Second Layer
TEMPUR’s Flex mattress uses TEMPUR-Response material to eliminate that sinking feeling often associated with standard memory foam mattresses. This material not only rapidly adapts to your key pressure points for continual support, but it allows you to move around on your mattress, engage in intimate activities and get out of bed a little more easily than with some of the other mattress brands.
Third Layer
TEMPUR’s innovative, Dynamic Support Layer is made up of precision micro-coils that continually adjust to your shape throughout the night. Whether you sleep soundly or toss and turn, this layer of coils instantly adapts to your shape to provide consistent support at key pressure point joints.
Base Layer
The TEMPUR-Flex’s base layer delivers uniform, long-wearing support to the upper comfort and transition layers. Comprised of dense poly foam it provides additional strength to the sides and upper layers of your mattress and because it’s highly breathable, it also helps to disperse excess heat for a cooler, more comfortable sleep.
Additional Benefits
Motion Isolation
The Flex’s proprietary TEMPUR-Response material helps to reduce motion transfer meaning that means no matter how often your partner tosses and turns, you won’t lose out on a great night’s sleep.
Pressure Point Support
The TEMPUR-Flex collection is ultra-responsive, rapidly adapting itself each time you move in the night for non-stop support. TEMPUR material uses millions of open cells to instantly hug your curves, deliver continual support and relief at key pressure points.
Trial Period / Warranty
While Loom & Leaf offers a 100-night money-back / replacement guarantee with 15-year warranty, TEMPUR-Pedic provides a 90-night trial period and 10-year warranty (with full replacement limited warranty). If you’re unhappy with your mattress at any time during the trial period, you can return for a full refund however unlike Loom & Leaf, you are responsible for all shipping costs.
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