Advice needed please.

Hello, My wife and I are looking to buy our first mattress together and I was hoping to get an expert opinion. I have read and researched vigorously for the past two weeks about what mattress would be best for us. This website has very educational! Hesitant on blind buying off the internet, we went to our local mattress store and tried a few out. The one we think we enjoyed the most was https://www.mathisbrothers.com/mattresses/lady-americana-mattresses/lady-americana-elite-gracie-mattress/LA-327511.html . It is a pocketed coil hybrid. My hesitation with it was how warm it felt to lie on, even for the short amount of time in the store. I am a hot sleeper so I was a little turned off by that. After we left I went on their website to see that they have a more expensive bed in the same series and comfort level. https://www.mathisbrothers.com/mattresses/lady-americana-mattresses/lady-americana-elite-luxury-resplendent-mattress/LA-331002.html It uses some latex in the comfort layer and has a cashmere cover. I also wasn’t sure if the materials/brand were of good quality. It is a little above what we would like to spend, but if it uses quality materials, will be cooler than the one we tried in the store, and will last us a long time, then I want to make sure we get something that will be right for us.

I was wondering what your thoughts are on the linked mattresses, quality of materials, and brand. I was also curious if you had any other hybrid mattresses that you could recommend? I was thinking about maybe trying the Alexander Hybrid from Nest. How does it compare materials wise?

In case it helps at all. I am 175lbs and sleep on my stomach mostly with a little side/back. My wife is 130lbs and is a side sleeper mostly. We would like a king size in a medium comfort level, the one we liked at the store was their ‘Plush Medium’ comfort level.

Thank you for all your hard work and information on the website. It is much appreciated!

Hi Lostkeys,

While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

I’m not sure what you’ve read since you found the site but just in case you haven’t read it yet … the first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

Outside of PPP (which is the most important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it (see this article) regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label (or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new).

I would also keep in mind that there are no “standard” definitions or consensus of opinions for firmness ratings and different manufacturers can rate their mattresses very differently than others so a mattress that one manufacturer rates as being a specific firmness could be rated very differently by another manufacturer. Different people can also have very different perceptions of firmness and softness compared to others as well and a mattress that feels firm for one person can feel like “medium” for someone else or even “soft” for someone else (or vice versa) depending on their body type, sleeping style, physiology, their frame of reference based on what they are used to, and their individual sensitivity and perceptions. There are also different types of firmness and softness that different people may be sensitive to that can affect how they “rate” a mattress as well (see post #15 here) so different people can also have very different opinions on how two mattresses compare in terms of firmness and some people may rate one mattress as being firmer than another and someone else may rate them the other way around. This is all relative and very subjective and is as much an art as a science.

In other words … if two mattresses have different designs and materials then your own careful testing or personal experience is the only reliable way to compare two mattresses in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP.

While it’s also not possible to quantify the sleeping temperature of a mattress for any particular person with any real accuracy because there are so many variables involved including the type of mattress protector and the sheets and bedding that you use (which in many cases can have just as significant an effect on sleeping temperature as the type of foam in a mattress) and on where you are in the “oven to iceberg” range and because there is no standardized testing for temperature regulation with different combinations of materials … there is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress or sleeping system in post #2 here that can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.

In very general terms … the layers and components and fabrics in a sleeping system that are closer to your skin will have a bigger effect on airflow and temperature regulation than layers and components and fabrics that are further away from your skin and mattresses that are softer will tend to be more “insulating” and for some people can sleep warmer than firmer mattresses that use the same materials.

Latex in general is the most breathable (and durable) of all the foam materials so a mattress that has latex comfort layers (without using other types of foam above the latex) will tend to sleep more “temperature neutral” than other types of foam materials.

Unfortunately the descriptions of both of the Mathis Brothers mattresses you listed don’t include all the information I would need to identify any lower quality materials or “weak links” in either mattress that could compromise the durability and useful life of either mattress.

If you can find out and provide all the specifics listed here about all the layers and components in each mattress (especially the thickness and density of any polyfoam or memory foam layers and the type and blend of any latex layers in both mattresses) and post them on the forum I’d be happy to let you know if there are any lower quality materials or weak links in either mattress that could be a cause for concern.

You can see some comments about the new design of the Nest Bedding Alexander Hybrid mattress in post #26 here.

If you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.

If you are also looking at online options then the mattress shopping tutorial includes several links to lists of many of the better online options I’m aware of (in the optional online step) that include many different types and categories of mattresses in a wide range of designs, budgets, firmness levels, and with different return/exchange policies that may be worth considering.

When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.

Phoenix