Why is my sofa more comfortable than any mattress I've tried?
Sep 30, 2010 1:27 AM
Location: North Jersey (NYC metro)
Joined: Aug 13, 2010
Points: 22
My wife gets back pain from every mattress we've had over the past 5 or 6 years.  We've gone through three innerspring models, and now we're experimenting with an expensive, top-of-the-line Flobeds latex mattress in various configurations.  But no matter what we try, her back pain persists.

Through it all, one thing has consistently worked for her. The living room sofa. A modern-looking Galerkin piece with a single cushion that spans its full width.  Every time she sleeps on it she wakes up without back pain.  In fact, that's what prompted us to try a latex mattress, because we thought the latex foam would most closely resemble the feel of the sofa. But so far it doesn't seem to be working out that way.
 
Maybe we can still come up with the right combination of latex layers for the Flobed but we've already tried numerous combinations, with and without the convoluted layer, with no luck. Is there any way to scientifically measure the firmness level of our sofa cushion so we can try to match it up with a specific ILD level of latex?
 
Or...maybe we should just head on down to the one of the bulk foam stores in town with our sofa cushion, pick up a 6-inch thick piece of polyurethane furniture foam that matches it as closely as possible, throw it on top of a box spring and call it a night.  I know everyone here is negative on PU foam but if that's what works then that's all that matters.  And it's a lot cheaper than latex too.
 
My biggest questions are, why would the sofa work so much better for back pain than any mattresses?  And is there any way I can accurately measure the firmness of that sofa cushion in terms of ILD, to match it up with some latex or PU foam of the same firmness level for the mattress?
This message was modified Sep 30, 2010 by InsoManiac
Re: Why is my sofa more comfortable than any mattress I've tried?
Reply #14 Oct 1, 2010 6:35 PM
Joined: Jun 12, 2010
Points: 51
Regarding your P.S. love gasoline, for years I slept on a japanese foam trifold futon on the floor. It was basically a 6" slab of pu foam. Felt great. Would love to recreate that feeling, only haven't a clue what the ILD of it was.
Re: Why is my sofa more comfortable than any mattress I've tried?
Reply #15 Mar 13, 2019 5:13 PM
Joined: Mar 13, 2019
Points: 1
@InsoManiac it's 9 years later, haha, but I just found this thread and have the exact same issues (can't find anything as comfortable as my sofa). What did you end up settling on?

Thanks,
sicromoft
Re: Why is my sofa more comfortable than any mattress I've tried?
Reply #16 May 8, 2019 4:43 PM
Joined: May 8, 2019
Points: 5
hahahaha I think you just get couch locked, just kidding, I honestly can say that I like couches better than beds as well, I don't sleep on couched but they are super comfy so I can relate
Re: Why is my sofa more comfortable than any mattress I've tried?
Reply #17 May 14, 2021 8:59 AM
Joined: May 14, 2021
Points: 1
Same issue after 2 years...Fan of Homelegance sofas btw.
This message was modified May 14, 2021 by Frankmcguire

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