Stacking Memory Foam Mattress Pads - Good Idea or Dumb Idea?

[Gritches]

So, I did my research on what kind of bedding is best for people with lower back pain. I found that a memory foam mattress would be my best option (feel free to dispute that; I don't care if I sleep on a mattress, a hammock, a pile of blankets, whatever keeps my back healthy).

Memory foam mattresses aren't horribly expensive, but they're not cheap and I'm pretty broke. What is cheap, however, is memory foam mattress pads, like what that you would put on top of a traditional mattress.

You-Know-Who has such mattress pads for $10/each. My idea is: what if I bought 7 of them bad boys and stacked them up like pancakes to make a sort of ghetto-memory-foam-mattress?

I don't see any reason why that wouldn't work, but my more unusual ideas tend to look good on their face but usually don't pan out because of some obvious flaw in my plan that I'm too excited to see.

So is this a good idea, or a dumb idea? I need you people, you natural outside-the-box thinkers to see if you can poke holes in this plan.

 

[tducey]

They are good to have for back pain but not sure 7 is a good #. 3 or 4 would suffice, up to you though.

 

[LucyPurrs]

I always found that they develop valleys just like regular foam despite the assertion that they don't. Had a Tempurpedic mattress for several years and finally just gave it away it had such a deep valley where I slept and I got tired of flipping it. They are also quite soft. But I'm not sure what kind of mattress you need for the back pain. My favorite is pure latex, they NEVER wear out, have one I bought in 1992 and it is like brand new. But they are expensive unless you can find a clean used one on Craigslist and put it on a platform bed or the floor. They are also resistant to mold and dust mites.

 

[AO1501]

I have a memory foam mattress - a fairly firm one. It sleeps a bit warm, and conforms to my body very comfortably, but doesn't dip or sag. I'm not sure I'd say it I terribly good for lower back pain, though it is very good for lumbar support, and if I am sleeping on my side, it seems to keep my spine pretty straight.

I would typically recommend it.

However, I am not sure that a number of toppers used together would work at all well. Memory foam mattresses typically only have a layer of memory foam over other foam structures, so some of the weight distribution and body-conformity come from deeper in the mattress than the memory foam layer. I would be inclined to suggest one or two toppers at most, used on top of an existing mattress. That would, I would think, provide a better solution - at least to try out the idea.

Whatever you do, don't buy cheap memory foam solutions. Go for a mid-price option because these are likely to be more robust and resilient.

 

[LucyPurrs]

I should have mentioned that one of the best and most comfortable mattresses I've ever slept on was a thick self-inflating aero bed. The advantage to them is that you can make them as firm or soft as you need to, plus they are cheap. If you can find one that keeps fitted sheets in place then it might be a really good cheap way to go. You could always put a memory foam topper on that if you want.

 

[Tom]

I'm envisioning a $75.00 Marshmallow that will absorb you like the blob.

 

[SusanLR]

I have an I-Comfort memory foam bed.
It is very comfortable and I keep one of those thick zoned toppers on it.
One thing I liked about this particular mattress is it comes with a support that the mattress lays on for firmness.
Sometimes I wake to find a dip in the centre when I've slept in the same place all night, but, it fluffs
back out by the end of the day. And I give the topper a little tug which makes it all air fluff out easily.

I know a chiropractor with a bad back that just couldn't seem to find a comfortable bed
and he told me his mom had a like new mattress with a Euro topper built in, (she had to go to a nursing home) and left it in the house. He tried it and still found it too soft.
Finally he decided to cut the topper half off and encased it like an upholstered pillow and started sleeping on it on the floor. Said it really helped. Support and softness at the same time.
Don't think I would like sleeping on the floor though.

 

[Progster]

Memory foam mattresses sound like a good idea, but I'm not sure if they would work for me because I move around so much and never sleep on just one part of the bed. I Have a fairly firm mattress and it works for me.