I AM So So Soo confused....Now on my 5th Mattress Since August

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

To anyone who can put me at ease or give me a piece of mind. I know in life I need to do that, but I am asking for help

I had a 10 year old BJ’s Serta(?) Mattress, only about $250 then
I looked for a new mattress 2 years ago, and when I found that there was a memory foam in my budget, I got the Space Age 10" from Mattress Discounters
Upon seeing a lump in the cover in August, I unzipped it to find nothing causing a lump, but rather a hole in the middle of the mattress, as well as the poorly constructed seams.

It was replaced under the Warranty with no inspection, just a picture. It was replaced with some other new brand they were carrying

Upon sleeping, or not, for a week and a half, I felt like I was sinking in. I called my salesman who I have delt with on everything, and we talked about replacing it because it was not up to standards…no where near as good as the first.

I must have got in a rut thinking I totally loved or had to have a memory foam. I then paid more money for the Tempurpedic Contour with low profile foundation. I was sweating like a pig

I contacted corporate mattress discounters, and they had the area mgr call me. He was very friendly but very matter of fact. People don’t know how I got him to agree to an exchange, but he did. I simply explained the previous mattresses were first, the one I bought, second the one you had me take, third the one I bought again, and the last would be on the one time 60 day exchange

He directed me away from foam beds. I do in fact think that I wanted a regular bed. But I was still considering a E-gel once I heard they were cooler, and also the Sealy Optimum…until I felt the innerspring beds. Besides one review article said there is basically NO proof that any of those cooling systems work

I liked the Stearns and Foster, Mattress Discounters higher end mattress. Specifically the Myra. I really hope you can help because the companies having different models at each store make it extremely frustrating and hard to understand

So I told Dan my salesman I am a side sleeper. I also have golfers and tennis elbow, and wake in the a.m. with either sore or burning shoulders. When I told him that I had been on mostly all firm matresses, he said I need a softer. I dont think I have seen anyone RECOMMEND anyything less than a 5 (my scale if you will) but he said I don’t need a 9 or def not a 10. He said he would go with a plush firm or something like that. I said if I pick two beds I like and one is pillow top and one is box top which would you go with. Now I thought he was on my side. He recommended the pillow top if I had such a choice Maybe becasuue he was getting more money? I don’t think so. I got what I believed to be the lowest they can go (although I am not naive)

They only had Firm there in the S&F and it was harder than the Contour so it scared me away. I picked out the Myra Queen pillow top. I said this is soft I thought you said not totally firm but not soft

he said the base is firm with a softer pillowtop on top

I think I saw posts in forums where this can occur

I am sleeping on it. I have no problems. Funny. I guess I am not used to something fluffy on top
I noticed after 2 days that my side (single) of the bed was forming impressions. Then I read on 2 pages that that means the bed is working They clearly described sinking as being more like a v

My questions are: trust me I have no problems going as low as I need to for a piece of miind.

  1. should I get rid of this or was he right this is what I need, and the mattress will settle in in a month or two. just rotate it every 2-3 weeks for the first year

  2. should I sell it and go back and get a tight top (I would lose money so which one would you recommend 600-900
    that is firm, believign that the one I felt to be firm was not, it was just different than my memory foams

  3. Or get what I saw a plush firm mattress. at least Mattress Discounters S&F line did not have this

I did read that a good mattress should have 850 coils… ok…to do what. To be an excellent bed. To be a good firm bed. With that question, they have 651x2 titanium double (?term) coils So does that mean it does not meet that standard, or it does. Is it infact 1302 coils. its coil gauge is 13.5-14

I have all of these orthopedic problems from surving cancer thru chemo.

I actually believe there is an answer here from how kind people are and help people
either say I am fine, it will get better and better, and dont worry about foam being no good because it is a good brand
Or telling me a good way to sell it, maybe cheaper, and getting as good of a mattress as I have now for cheap

I am not working due to all of that stuff

2

Hi eric0tt8,

I think the best thing is to start at the very beginning and “unlearn” much of what you have “learned” :slight_smile:

First of all a mattress is designed to do two things. First of all it needs to keep your spine in its natural alignment in all your sleeping positions so that you don’t get back aches and discomfort. This is mainly the job of the support core of the mattress.

Second it needs to relieve pressure on your pressure points like hips and shoulders (if you slept directly on the firm support layers then it wouldn’t be very comfortable and you would find parts of your body going numb and falling asleep).

Everything else after than is about your preferences (such as warm it sleeps, how it feels, how lively it is, how well it isolates motion, and all your other preferences)

So a mattress has

1.) A support system (which can be innersprings, polyfoam, latex, air, or water, or other firm materials) and what it is doesn’t matter as much and is a matter of preference as long as it keeps your spine in alignment in all your sleeping positions).

2.) Comfort layers which are the padding over the support system to relieve pressure (this can be latex foam, polyfoam, memory foam, or any of the other pressure relieving materials that can be used in a mattress and again as long as it relieves your pressure points, the type of materials doesn’t matter so much and are a matter of preference).

3.) A ticking (cover) around it to enhance humidity and temperature control, protect the contents of the mattress, and keep the shape of the mattress and the contents together.

Every type of material has better and worse quality and the better quality materials will generally last longer and be more durable which is a big part of why some mattresses and materials are more expensive than others. This is why it’s so important to know exactly what is in every layer of your mattress and only deal with people who can tell you this. this is especially true of the layers near the top of the mattress which are usually the weak link of a mattress and the most important place to make sure you use higher quality materials.

So if a mattress provides you with what I call PPP (Pressure relief, posture and alignment, and Personal preferences) … that works for your unique body shape and sleeping style and what you have paid fairly reflects the cost and durability of the materials in the mattress … then you have the perfect mattress for you.

So to begin at the beginning … I would start by reading this post which will link you to lots of good information that will help you to cut through some of the confusion and misleading information you have come to believe.

One step at a time … and when you’ve read the post and all the links in it … then if you let me know the city or zip that you live in I’d be happy to let you know about any manufacturers or better retailers in your area and if you have specific questions feel free to post them.

Phoenix

3

Before I do that, I must say thank you for all of your help given to me and everyone one here. Also for not beginning with “ok, let’s not be neurotic!”

LOL

I will read that link and get back

Eric

4

Thanks Again, Phoenix

I read that article and the pages within it. I am probably not as adept at holding the knowledge as some.

But I did learn some things that I didn’t know.

I didn’t know that Outlets or Online would be a better place than the local places. I thought it was best to shop around.
I do have to say, where I got my Mattress at Mattress Warehouse, the salesman was nice, however, when I was looking afterward, while the salesman at Value City Furniture were quick to jump on me because they rely heavily on commission I assume, they were very handy in pointing out when I asked, “for each mattress, you have to compare each layer…etc.”

I believe Latex is my friend now. My seller informed me that the one above mine had latex thus was more expensive. Was he doing that to keep me in budget, or to tell me that so I didn’t go to a lower line and get a latex in my budget

I took those tests on my mattress. Found out my pelvic and shoulder area were fine.

I am not sure what else to write now. But you can see I am a little less frantic now. Maybe because I put everything in its place and have priorities, I dont know

So where I stand is I have the Stearns & Foster Myra (which is not exchangable due to the one exchange already)
Here is the link to that mattress. http://www.mattressdiscounters.com/products/stearns-and-foster-mayra-pillowtop-mattress-set/ I see that both of my layers of foam are HD Foam So I should have had Latex

I also, while passing those tests, feel it may be a bit too soft. But my gut says if I have never had a bed like that, and am having no problems, then all must be well.

But if it is too soft, I am still optionless

My only hope would be that because the maker of my mattress is Stearns & Foster, one in that group of reputable ones on that page, that the foam would be a higher grade and not wear as fast… In any case when people speak of wearing fast, they don’t mean a year, they mean 5-10 don’t they.

I probably feel that I should have gotten a non-pillowtop so I dont have those impressions that I just dont like the look of, thats all. And maybe it would feel a little less plush

So I guess I am here to say thanks, I learned a little

I do live in 21236 in MD , you said to tell you. But do you have any alternatives to sellling a 5 day old mattress?

Again,
Thank You
Eric

5

Hi eric0tt8,

[quote]I also, while passing those tests, feel it may be a bit too soft. But my gut says if I have never had a bed like that, and am having no problems, then all must be well.

But if it is too soft, I am still optionless[/quote]

If your mattress is currently giving you no problems and provides good pressure relief and alignment then it seems to me that for now at least your mattress is working well so I’m not sure what you are wanting to do?

[quote]So where I stand is I have the Stearns & Foster Myra (which is not exchangable due to the one exchange already)
Here is the link to that mattress. http://www.mattressdiscounters.com/products/stearns-and-foster-mayra-pillowtop-mattress-set/ I see that both of my layers of foam are HD Foam So I should have had Latex.[/quote]

I think the description you linked is incomplete and this one is probably more complete but since you don’t have any other options and it’s working for you for now … it’s a moot point anyway.

I’m not sure which page you mean but Stearns and Foster (Sealy) is one of the manufacturers I would tend to avoid. Now that you have one though … how long it may last for you will depend on many factors including your height/weight and the density/quality of the foams in the mattress but this too is a moot point unless you have other options. I’m not sure why you are considering taking a huge loss by selling a mattress that appears to be working. You will know when any issues start to happen by how you are sleeping. I have seen quite a number of people who have issues around the three year mark or so but each case is individual and depends on how you and the mattress interact and how much foam softening you can tolerate before you are outside the range of pressure relief and alignment that is acceptable for you.

The better options in and around the Baltimore area I’m aware of are listed in post #2 here but again I’m not clear why you are considering selling it. I would probably at least wait until it develops issues where you either need to fix or replace it.

Am I missing something? I’m just not clear on exactly what is wrong with the mattress you have that would warrant selling it at a loss.

Phoenix

6

Thanks again.

I think I am thinking I got the wrong one because it is so soft and different than what I am used to, but also because of the impressions that are on my side of the bed. I began thinking I needed a tight top to fix these things

I believe the link I gave was correct…did I give the link to the Myra. I know it had a different name at another store

But you are right. I should ride it out especially if it iis fine now.

I thought that Stearns & Foster were on that page with the link that said “are a member of this group” But as you said it may be moot

Fwiw I am a male 5’ 10.5" 189
I guess I should still rotate the mattress every so many weeks especially the first year

7

One last thing…as I lay here I guess it isn’t perfect

It is ok at the shoulders and feet. But at the butt it feels like a dip
Is that due to being plain foam and not latex or memory foam

Have you heard of a lot of people being successful at selling a week old Mattress
Would you have any suggestions. I am thinking not eBay because I would ha e to ship
But Craigslist. Any other place or method.

8

Hi eric0tt8,

Yes … the link you gave was correct but I believe the description was incorrect or at least incomplete. The Mayra is the same as the Twila (only the name is different) and the description I linked to is a little more complete (it shows some of the layers that are missing in the link you provided).

I’m not sure which page you are referring to but if anything Stearns & Foster (which is owned by Sealy which in turn has just been bought by Tempurpedic) would be a member of the group of major manufacturers that I strongly caution against buying.

Yes … it’s always a good idea to rotate your mattress to extend it’s life and even out the wear. Generally this is done every 2 weeks or so for the first 3 months and then every 2-3 months or so afterwards. In addition to this … if the impressions exceed 1.5" then it would become a warranty issue (the impressions are measured with no weight on the mattress).

Since your mattress is so new and you are feeling the dip when you are on the mattress … it generally indicates that the mattress is too soft for you rather than the foam is softening that quickly. No matter what material you use … if the mattress you choose is too soft and isn’t appropriate for your body type and sleeping positions then this can happen. If you are feeling symptoms of back pain or discomfort then it may be worth considering replacing your mattress but this would involve a substantial loss and I would personally only do this if your symptoms warranted it and if the tradeoff between a more suitable mattress would be worth the substantial loss you would incur.

Lots of people sell their mattresses on Craigs List but it’s like a car … as soon as you’ve slept on it (or driven it off the lot) it’s value is only a fraction of what it was when it was new. Floor models and comfort exchanges are usually sold at liquidators at substantial discounts and if you sell it on Craigs List it would need to be even less than this. I think you would be very lucky to get 50% of what you paid.

Again … I would tend to keep it unless you developed symptoms of pain and discomfort that justified the loss you would take by selling it and starting all over again.

Phoenix