So we started in our search for a new mattress in November 2016 and now in September of 2017 we are on our fifth mattress that has broken down with body impressions after only days!! Sealy, Simmons and Serta. All have felt like sleeping in a trench. My shoulders are lower than my hips, there is an uphill hump in the middle. It’s absolutely ridiculous amd I may have a nervous breakdown! The one we have now is a Sealy King size tight top extra firm amd we bought an expensive 3 inch natural latex topper for over it thinking the extra firm wouldnt be so lumpy and trench like. We have tried it off the bedframe and also just the mattress on the floor. Nothing is better. I need some serious help where to turn next.
These mattresses have been varying layers of memory/gel/latex foam. All have had 1200+ pocket coils. One even had a double layer of pocket coils. All were on a standard metal bed frame and split lower height box springs. All new. Could the foundation somehow be the problem or is it just the terrible foam on the mattress? The first 4 were from Sears and we were able to make our case each time and finally just got our money back and walked away. Our mattress currently is from Costco which we bought from intentionally so we could return if a problem. Well…here we are. My hips are hurting and it’s worse than sleeping on Grandma’s lumpy couch.
We are in Nova Scotia. I am very open to trying a smaller business with a good product but I need help. I’m so overwhelmed at this point.
Hi Marenmarmstrong,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum! 
I’m sorry you’re having a difficult time finding a new mattress.
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).
The best advice I can provide is to perform a “reset” and start your research by reading 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”, firmness, 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 (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
Outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), 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 regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you find out the information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
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.
In its simplest form … choosing the “best possible” mattress for any particular person really comes down to FIRST finding a few knowledgeable and transparent retailers and/or manufacturers (either locally or online) that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in that are in a budget range you are comfortable with and that you have confirmed will provide you with the all the information you need about the materials and components inside the mattresses they sell so you will be able to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …
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Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.
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Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight/BMI range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.
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Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
Unfortunately, the major brands you’ve sampled, such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta, all tend to use lower quality and less durable materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors that will tend to soften or break down prematurely relative to the price you pay which is why I would generally suggest avoiding all of them completely (along with the major retailers that focus on them as well) regardless of how they may feel in a showroom along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here).
I would make sure that you have checked out your foundation and bed frame, as while some body impressions are normal, what you’re describing is not in such a short period of time, even with lower density foams.
Placing a topper on top of a mattress that is sagging will not solve the issue, but only result in a slightly softer sag within your mattress.
There are no business members of the site in Nova Scotia, but you can perform a forum search on Nova Scotia (just click on the link) and you can see some previous discussions about Nova Scotia that have previously taken place on the forum.
I have discontinued the provision of listings of potential retailers in various geographic regions (unless they are already approved site members), because of the difficulty in maintaining such lists in a retail landscape that is constantly changing, and most importantly the confusion it was creating with the consumer members who incorrectly assumed that these businesses had indeed gone through the strict qualification process and were approved as members of The Mattress Underground. Such an assumption is unfair to both the consumers seeking assistance, as well as the very businesses and manufacturers who have indeed qualified the be members here of The Mattress Underground.
Aside from that, I would always confirm that any retailer or manufacturer that you wish to visit is completely transparent (see this article) and also make sure that any mattress that you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines here.
If you have any questions about specifications or certain products, feel free to post back on the forum and I’ll do my best to provide answers.
Phoenix
Our box springs and our bedframe were all brand new and we tried this last mattress on the floor as well to see if it made a difference. It didnt.
Also, we put the latex topper on a brand new mattress, supposedly without sags, hoping the extra firm new mattress would not develop impressions.
Thank you for all the info provided. I have read quite a bit but will continue. I may end up going with an all latex mattress which I asked about in a separate post.