Mattress recommendations - How well do you all sleep? Sleep # Beds???

RayseM

RayseM

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Feb 18, 2010
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Fed up with too many years of not so restful sleep attributed to an assortment of failed mattresses. Good for a year or two and then... :( We are light weights so don't cave in a mattress but still after a while we are back to wondering what to do. AND we have not been cheap (I know that's relative) about replacements - $800.00 to $ 1,600.00 with no long term appreciable differences.

I recently built a very nice platform bed. No more box springs.

THE BIG QUESTION - Sleep Number Beds - all hype or are they transformative? Care to share your real world experience? Please!

Any other recommendations based on SUCCESS stories?

Thank you very much for solid experienced based advice, on behalf of my wife and I. :thumbsup:

Ray
 
My success story was to keep my 30 year old mattress.

I was about to ditch it 5 years ago until my mother visited and said she hadn’t slept so comfortably in ages.

She can afford the best and most expensive mattresses, tried many, and hadn’t slept well til she tried mine…That got me thinking I might regret replacing it.

I’m looking forward to other replies.

BTW, what’s wrong with your platform bed?

Have you tried sleeping on the floor? (Not joking.)
 
IMO, it's related to how well the mattress retains lumbar support. Some old, stiff mattresses might leave you with some sore spots, but if your back (particularly your lumbar region) droops, you will feel whole body achiness and generally suffer a poor sleep.

Many newer mattresses are designed to not be flippable. Its the flipping that's kept my old matress usable. It's relatively stiff, and I put a memory foam layer on top. There are nicer new matresses out there that give decent back support. However, I don't know how well they hold up after a couple years of use.

Another option might be to try a nice futon... no, not the cheapies at IKEA. There used to be some knowledgable and quality mom and pop futon stores where I did my undergrad. They were able to set me up with a quality futon mattress after my first futon (cheap Wmart style) left me unsatisfied. Whether you are going futon or traditional mattress, expect to pay significantly more.

Generaly speaking, I want a mattress that is stiff enough to support my back, while having a soft top to reduce pressure point against the pointy areas of my body. Definitely go in and try different mattresses at the store.
 
I’ve had a sleep # for several years and quite like it. It took a couple of months to get the pressure dialed in the way I like it. Since then it’s been perfect. That experience makes me think that buying a fixed firmness mattress is a complete crapshoot.
 
I've spent only a couple nights on a sleep number. There are a few things about the company that I don't much like (they do, or did a personal marketing thing to owners that seemed very much like trying to convince people they had made the right choice) and the cynic in me says its just a very expensive air mattress. That said, the adjust-ability and being able to slightly raise the head end makes life really good for a lot of people. Also for a lot of people the temp control would be very useful. We didn't get time to adjust it much, but I can see how that would be very nice.

Right now we have one of the "matress-in-a-box" units (Eva) and it does pretty well, and before that we liked our Ikea king set-up with differing bases. (international move got rid of the bed)
Another overlooked thing is pillows. I have not slept with a pillow in years, and my wife is very specific about hers.

Good luck in your hunting.
 
We had a Temperpedic for 10 years it was comfortable but got extremely hot at night, a complaint with a lot of memory foams. We have been sleeping on a Purple with “ cool technology “ for the last 60 days and so far it’s fantastic.
 
I have chiropractic issues, same with my better half. Beds were to soft and I had no support with the usual beds. I bought a 12 inch green tea king mattress on the mazon .

It's considered medium firm, some say it's more firm. Anyway for about $300 for the mattress and a little over $100 for the frame, the bed is great.

I am surprised I figured I'd have to shovel out a couple $1000 to get the support this bed supplies.
It's definitely worth it.

I've had it for over two years and it's just as good as the day I bought it.
 
I had a double sized sleep number when I was single. I loved it.

Bought a king sized sleep number when I got married. We hated it.

The king size has a barrier of foam between the two sides. So it keeps you seperated from your partner. No more cuddling. Also if you are sleeping alone you can’t spread out.

That was 20+ years ago Incase the models have changed.

The modularity of the sleep number mattress is pretty neat. You could actually carry a king sized mattress and box spring up a spiral staircase if you had to. Or move it in the trunk of a car.
 
Thank you all. S Scott321 - you are right about having lost the flippability, I too think that was a good thing. We are now on a SATVA - flipping not an option - with a pricey Green topper and still we keep looking for better.

P pwest , G gadgetgeek , eveled eveled - The Sleep Number is intriguing enough that we might just try it out. Can't go wrong with the trial period. They are way too expensive - especially when they can have a sale going on -
SAVE $ 1,000.00 :eek: I think the dual sided factor could prove to be its flaw for couples - as well as it highest benefit o_O Another compromise ahead?

The pillow is absolutely key to a good night sleep for us - me especially. I have all cotton with feathers that mushes down to barely an inch thick and a little Tempurpedic travel pillow that I can't be without.

Still, PMCsoldier PMCsoldier - have tried Tempurpedics mattresses at friends and traveling and will pass for just the reasons you state. Will look into the Purple.

Krav Krav - will look into your suggestion too. The price makes it worth a shot. Have studied air mattresses too - thinking that for the price you could toss one out very year or two and start over. Tempting but seems such a waste.

I'll keep listening to suggestions. If more give a decent rating to the Sleep# we just might do that - when they next go on sale. Still hanging...

Ray
 
Mattresses seem to be a crap shoot even with the more expensive name brands. Years ago, we purchased two sets of mattresses from a local mattress company and have been using them since around 1990. When we have visitors who might sleep on one of these beds, they always say that the mattresses are very comfortable, even after 25 years of constant use.

I suspect that I would be more comfortable just choosing a mattress in a store that seems to work for me rather than some dial-in firmness mattress that I consider a lot of advertising hype.
 
I always wonder what they do with the returned mattresses that were out on trial.

If they decontaminate them, with what? Or destroy them (Doubtful.)

And how do you know you are getting an unused mattress?
 
A spring mattress is all about the quality of the springs. Cheaper models have cheaper springs.
With a foam mattress, it's the quality of the foam.
I like my tempurpedic, but it has a foam topper to help with the heat retention issue.
On my guest bed I have a firm good-quality futon with a foam topper, which is a cheaper solution and guests seem to like it.
The problem is that mattress feel is so subjective. First you have to find one that feels good to you personally, then do research on the quality of the construction and see if you can find long-term reviews.
 
Where are mattresses made these days? Versus 20–30 years ago?
 
I believe a lot of the mattress materials are made in China now. They are shipped compressed in rectangular boxes and then assembled by either a distributor, "mattress company", or retailer. The boxes are smaller than you would ever believe if you have never seen one. Box springs are made here, I believe as shipping them built would be counter productive.

I think you can essentially get the top brand name type mattress for much less in one of the smaller mattress companies that often have outlets.

We have a queen sized set from a local mattress company. We purchased some twin beds for a guest bedroom and I mentioned some of the threads were coming loose on the original queen. They looked, removed and replaced them at no cost.
 
Last edited:
22-rimfire said:
I believe a lot of the mattress materials are made in China now.
Click to expand...

This is another reason I'm dubious about the new mattresses. Chinese-made goods have done the opposite of earn my trust for quality, integrity, and longevity--and this is a product that I would use 1/3 of my day.

Also, some of the building materials of foam and other mattresses may or may not be suspect, depending on whom you believe, what is known about the product, what your tolerance is, and what you are susceptible to.
 
I've had the newer foam (temperpedic) mattresses and old spring and even the hybrid mattresses.
I sleep hot, so the springs work best for me.

The hybrid mattresses are VERY comfortable but I find myself tossing at night due to the heat buildup.

I've seen that they have cooling sheets but those are not enough.
 
Thanks all. We have passed up on the memory foam options - heat control being the primary reason. We lived in one place that had a few local mattress makers and so at that time we went local and 2 piece. That went well for about 7 years. Big disappointment considering the cost and the WEIGHT of that set up (OMG that was one heavy mattress) that it didn't last longer. I'm beginning to think that the problem isn't the mattresses as much as our aging bodies. :( No matter what we decide, likely in 5 years, we'll be looking again. :rolleyes:

Ray
 
I was looking at these a couple years ago, never owned one or know anyone who owned one. I see mixed reviews? The cost was 3 to 4 times the one I bought, that's the main reason I didn't get it.
Just another mattress to look at.

https://purple.com/
 
Just get something with a 100 night return policy. In general they just ship it to a shelter or similar charity, and you get your money back. Try a few and see what you end up liking. Most mattress companies rely on the fact that there really is no competition most people never try out two mattress side by side for more than a few minutes in a showroom, and the pricing is bonkers with perpetual sales.
 
I have had to memory foam beds, and my current is a hybrid.

Let me tell you, buying at a physical store is a rip-off.

While my $3800 iComfort by Serta was a nice bed, it was good, but not the best, and was a rip-off.

My current bed, which is amazing, was $1100 for mattress, $599 for the adjustable frame.

It's made by Brentwood Home, and it's phenomenal. It's their Crystal Cove model.

I'm a side sleeper.

It's dual sided, the soft side about 4-4.5 out of 10 firmness, the firm a 7.

Soft side up:

1" of their proprietary "flow" foam
2" of charcoal infused memory foam
8" pocketed coil springs
2" of latex.

It's green, vegan, and made in the USA.
 
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