Bed felt great in showroom and I kept going back to it after trying others but feel it sinks too much around the waist and hips overnight as it warms and softens. I have the idea of removing a layer or two to tighten it up. My theory is the less layers in it, the less layers that can add to the amount of overall sinking. So Iâm thinking since I mainly need more support, maybe remove one of the thicker support layers first (looks like there might be two) so that thereâs less squashy mattress between me and the solid foundation underneath.
My main concern before I open it up and void the warranty is are these layers all glued or joined together and will it be possible to remove a layer or two? I like the idea of trying to remove at least one support layer and possibly either the 2" ES foam or the 2" regular Tempur memory foam to see if I can get a combination that wont leave my lower back in shambles by the morning. I love the initial feeling of this mattress, the other Tempur mattresses felt like solid blocks with the exception of the Luxe so I want to try to fine tune what I have if possible. Someone out there has to have dissected on of these beds before to give me some insight of what to expect.
Your âtheoryâ is certainly valid. Thinner comfort layers would put you closer to the support layers of the mattress and lead to both a firmer sleeping surface (which may not be comfortable given your experience with the other Tempurpedics) but would also âstopâ the heavier parts of your body from sinking in as much and possibly tilting the pelvis which can put the spine out of alignment.
Thinner support layers would also become firmer faster with compression than thicker support layers but they would also not be as adaptable to changing positions because they wouldnât have as much âroomâ to progress from softer to firmer as you sink into the material (see post #14 here). If I had to guess I would say that the softness/thickness of the comfort layers would be more likely to be the issue although it can depend on your body type and sleeping positions and identifying the underlying cause of back issues can take some detective work.
The layers in the Tempurpedic are glued so it would be difficult to remove them.
I havenât dissected a Tempurpedic and I donât think it would be something that most people would try or how likely it would be to find someone who has (hopefully someone who has will see your post). Iâm not sure which of the other Tempurpedic models you tried but if you remove one of the layers of memory foam you may find that it feels more like the mattresses you didnât like in the store (solid blocks).
If I was in your shoes I would probably first try a mattress pad that would reduce the amount of heat reaching the memory foam and may prevent it from softening as much and reduce the amount your pelvis is sinking in to see if this helps at all before going with more drastic measures.
How long have you had your mattress and are you able to return or exchange it?
I had it for a year and two months. When I sleep on my back, no problem, mattress is nearly perfect. Side, lower back pain will kick in within an hour (I have a lower back issue), stomach sleeping, forget about itâŚvery painful. Itâs weird but I was at a Sleepyâs today trying out all the beds and once again I liked the Cloud Supreme the best. Even tried a Latex along with a plethora of traditional spring mattresses. The weird thing is, I donât know if itâs room temperature related but, the Cloud Supreme in the showroom felt firmer than mine. Mine almost feels like itâs in between a Supreme and Luxe.
I tried a model I never tried before- The Cloud Select. Feels about what I was thinking about accomplishing with my Supreme (firm it up) but yet itâs still softer than the regular Cloud or Rhapsody which I felt like they where solid blocks. The salesmen said that stomach sleeping isnât good for you and I could even ask a doctor? So maybe Iâll try to get used to sleeping on my back but still think itâs weird that my Supreme feels much softer than the showroom model. The salesmen said that Tempur-Pedics donât normally vary that much from bed to bed as they have pretty tight manufacturing methods and tolerances or something to that effect. Anyhow, I doubt Iâll bother with taking mine apart since the layers are glued together it would probably be impossible to separate the layers without ripping or damaging the foam. I like the idea of adding a insulation layer to try to keep some body heat away from it, how about a thick comforter?
Itâs quite possible that the showroom model was newer and not yet broken in or it could also be a difference in temperature. Softness and âfeelâ are also quite subjective so outside of side by side real time testing smaller differences between mattresses are difficult to assess.
As you mentioned the Cloud Select is a little firmer than the Supreme.
The Select has 1.2" of 4.1 lb memory foam and 2.8" of 5.3 lb memory foam over a 6" polyfoam core.
The Supreme has 2" of 4.1 lb polyfoam and 2" of 5.3 lb memory foam over two polyform cores that total 7".
It can be quite surprising how much of a difference fairly small differences between mattresses can make.
Stomach sleeping is the riskiest of all the sleeping positions and can lead to issues with your neck (twisting) and the pelvis can easily sink into the mattress too far which can lead to hyperextension of the lumbar and sleeping in a swayback position. both of these in turn can lead to back or neck pain and soreness. Stomach sleepers generally need comfort layers that are thinner and firmer so they are closer to the support layers of the mattress and do best with a very thin pillow or no pillow at all. Most health professionals will tend to suggest avoiding stomach sleeping as much as possible.
A comforter isnât as densely filled as a mattress pad and isnât really designed to be used under the body but it would be a good place to start to see if it makes any difference before you spend any money. What you may find is that the mattress surface will be less conforming and you will sink into the material a little less.
Ok, I picked up this mattress pad here. Iâll try it out, and report back. Do you think the Cloud Select would be better for me since the supreme seems to feel great at first but turn to mush overnight as it warms up? The Cloud Select definitely doesnât feel as good as the Supreme initially, but definitely better than the regular Cloud. Even though it doesnât âinitiallyâ feel as good, perhaps where mine will turn to mush, the Select might turn to just the right amount of softness and support for me?
I would like to stick with Tempur-Pedic as they do feel the most comfortable to me in the showrooms. I think I just need a âslightlyâ firmer one than I bought? BTW, when I bought mine I donât think the Select was out and all the stores I went to only had the regular Cloud and laying on them for a few minutes in the showroom, the Supreme was the obvious winner. I also wasnât aware they got dramatically softer as your body warms them up. Iâll try the pad for now though⌠Think the pad I bought should be adequate? It seems real heavy.
I would probably start off with the comforter just to see if it makes a difference and changes things in the right direction. If it helps then I would buy the mattress pad which would probably have a little more effect yet.
The Cloud Supreme is rated as extra soft and the Select is rated as soft so in theory it would be one step up in terms of firmness but only your own experience can know with any certainty how well it would work for you.
Memory foam becomes softer with temperature and with higher humidity levels but it also has a property called creep and can become softer with continuous pressure even if temperatures remain the same. The âshowroom feelâ of a mattress often doesnât translate into how well a mattress matches your unique needs and preferences in terms of PPP when you actually sleep on it.
Ok, I tried the mattress pad and woke up at 3am hot and sweaty. I guess the water proof layering keeps it from breathing. Although it did firm the bed a bit, I canât say it made the bed feel better. Best I can describe it is that the Tempur-Pedic by itself feels really high quality, the material, the plushness, and the conforming and the pad kinda made it feel like an overall lower quality mattress (from a material standpoint, and I loathe the sound and feel of water proof plasticy layer).
Taking the pad off with just the bare mattress I got down eye level with the top of the mattress and I can see a minor sagging and body impression area where I lay right in the middle. Itâs very slight and you can only see it if you get down with your eyes level with the top of the mattress, but it is there. Is it normal to have a very small impression on a Tempur-Pedic? I would say itâs between 1/8th to 1/4" depression. Even though I was under the impression Temper-Pedic memory foam mattresses didnât need to be rotated, I rotated the mattress anyway to see if laying at the other end where itâs not sagging to see if I feel more comfortable on it (where the sagging is, is actually where I feel the least support).
Again, the mattress is about a year and a few months old and I weigh around 175 to 185lbs.
Also, in your opinion, if I was dead set on jumping to a different model Tempur-Pedic, which model(s) do you think I should consider first?
As youâve discovered ⌠the advantage of a mattress pad is that you sink into the memory foam less because it reduces the amount of heat that reaches it. The disadvantage is that it doesnât allow the memory foam to contour to your body as well.
Yes ⌠this is normal for any mattress. Lower density foams will soften or impress more than higher density foams (and the Cloud line uses 4 lb memory foam which is less durable than 5 lb memory foam).
All mattresses can benefit from rotating (or flipping if they are two sided) which will even out the wear on the mattress to some degree.
See mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here. I personally wouldnât consider any of the Tempurpedic mattresses but if you are dead set on choosing one your own testing is the only way to decide on which mattress is the best match for you in terms of PPP and âtheory at a distanceâ provided by someone (me or anyone) that canât see you on the mattress or feel what you feel isnât an effective method of choosing a mattress. Given that the Supreme seems to be too soft for you though the Select is a step up in firmness and still has the 4 lb memory foam in the top layer so it would seem to me to be the next logical choice for testing. The Tempur Cloud may also be worth testing as well (it has thinner layers of memory foam which would put you in closer contact to the support layers to help prevent the pelvis from sinking down as far).
Ok so I happened to be driving past a Sleepyâs today and curiosity out of desperation couldnât keep me from stopping in to do some more mattress testing. The regular Cloud does conform very good after a few minutes but still feels like a solid block even after conforming - not too comfortable. The Cloud Select does feel more comfortable than the Cloud and does better with posture than the Supreme for me but still not the comfort level and feeling of luxury that I initially fell in love with the Supreme. The Weightless felt too much like a traditional mattress or bouncy latex and long story short, I didnât like it. Tried the Luxe⌠OMG instant painâŚway too soft and sinky!! Way out of alignment! Can you say insane hammock effect?
Now the only other model this particular store had was the Rhapsody⌠I did lay on a Rhapsody at another store but got off it right away because I thought it felt way too hard/firm like the regular Cloud (solid block) but this time I wanted to lay in all positions for at least 15 minutes on every mattress to give each one an equally fair chance. I was shocked at how much I fell in love with it! Yes it does initially feel very hard compared to a Cloud Supreme and very similar initial feel to a Cloud but that changes within a few minutes. Out of all of them this one gave me the least pain when laying on my right side while still feeling very comfortable. The foam felt firmer, denser, and much more supportive, but at the same time still feeling even more luxurious than any of the Cloud lineup! Yea, jumping over to the Supreme which sat right next to it made the Supreme feel like some cheaper knockoff brand! Thatâs how good the Rhapsody felt too me!
Itâs hard to explain because firmer and denser feeling might relate to feeling like a solid block and less luxurious like the regular Cloud does compared to a Supreme but I really donât know how to put it in words how it made all the Clouds feel like some cheap knockoff brand, lol! But in other words, it was firmer and more supportive while not making it feel uncomfortable and rock-like but actually feeling even more luxurious than any of the CloudsâŚif you can understand what Iâm trying to say. They had every model all on a ergo frame or at least an adjustable frame from another company and I really liked lifting my legs and back just a mere few inches which really seemed to help my back. Iâm going to consider getting one of these adjustable frames.
Now about going with a cheaper alternative that tries to replicate the Tempur feel, Iâm sorry I just donât have much faith in it because the salesmen always try to show me ones that are suppose to be a Tempur-Pedic alternative and they never wind up having the same feel of luxury and comfort as the Tempur-Pedics (although firmness is similar) and 2) with how picky my back is anymore while trying to maintain good comfort and feel even within the same brand lineup of the ones I seem to like the feel for, I would be really scared to buy anything without first trying it out in a showroom first. You are talking about the online only companies why you wouldnât consider any of their beds?
Well Iâm all ears⌠If you want to link me to ones that try replicate the feel of a Tempur-Pedic Rhapsody Iâll check them out if I canât get a credit swap for mine towards a Rhapsody (already have a warranty claim in motion but doubt mine is sagging enough to warrant a claim going through but if it does, Tempur-Pedic said I could upgrade no problem and just pay the difference). So if I canât get some type of credit for what I already paid, I would be willing to try an alternative online only brand if theyâre a lot cheaper, hell, for the right price Iâd buy one just for testing purposes. I know itâs easy to replicate a certain firmness, but what about the actual feel? Because the firmness of the Cloud Select and Rhapsody feel nearly identical for the first 30 seconds but then after a few minutes the Rhapsody keeps getting better and better and feels so much more luxurious. I donât want a bouncy latex type feel that other memory foams seem to be trying to imitate or giving up a lot of comfort for firmness like the Select and Cloud does compared to the Supreme. I want as close as possible to all the aspects of a Rhapsody right down to the response time of the foam. My luck I would get a Rhapsody and wind up in aches in pains by morning anyway, lol. I guess Iâll never know for sure until I actually own one and have some real time on it. But seriously, if you think thereâs a true alternative to a Rhapsody, please link me and Iâll check it out if my warranty claim falls through. Thanks in advance.
They are one of the members of the site which means they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of quality and value and they use similar or higher quality materials than the Rhapsody and have a similar design as well but âfeelâ is relative and subjective so each person would need to decide for themselves how close a âmatchâ any mattress is compared to another one and different people may have different perceptions and opinions.
The good news is that they have an excellent return policy for those who for some reason donât agree that the mattress is closely comparable to the Rhapsody or is otherwise a good match for their needs and preferences in terms of PPP.