I give up, just can't decide on my next mattress. I've been through a few..

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

I think I am more picky than the average person, so that makes a mattress search even harder for me. I have had about 3-4 mattresses in the last 10 years. I want to see if I can find any receipts to get you more accurate information on the exact beds I have owned.

I am 160 lb, 5’9, not neccessarily a big guy. wife is closer to 185, 5’5, dont tell her i posted here…

Price point is between 2000-3000 shipped to my door with old mattress pickup.

Our favorite was a NxG foam one, I think it was Stearns and Foster? but maybe not. It lasted about 6-7 years before the foam topped formed valleys from our body weight. This was about 2-3 years ago when the foam topper finally got valleys and we got rid of it.

Then we had a beautyrest middle line which i will have to come back to. I cant remember that one much. i will try and find out the mattress type we had.

Then we tried a tempur pedic cloud supreme, neither of us liked it. too sinky for us, not enough support. Also ran much hotter than all our other ones.

I traded that Tempur-pedic supreme in on sleep trains 100 day swap guarantee and ended up with a “top line” Beautyrest Black Plush Firm i think. We still feel this one is too sinky on the top as far as the pillowtop goes, yet too firm on the mattress under it. Hard to explain. My shoulders get sore after an hour when sleeping on my side on it. Every hour all night long I swap sides.

So I had a sleep number bed ordered last week and chickened out at the last minute and cancelled the order. I really want something I can adjust to find my perfect settings, but the reviews of the bad middle and weak foam borders scared me away from the sleep number for now.

What am I looking for in a bed? A comfortable side sleeper for me, but my wife is mostly a back sleeper. We both have sore backs too. I really thought a sleep number was the final perfect answer during their 50% off sale, but then i read about how unsupportive the edge foam is and how it can bulge out.

Anyone have any thoughts even to just get me started in the right directtion?

2

Hi placcy,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! … and it sounds like you could use a complete “reset” in how you are looking for a mattress this time around :slight_smile:

The first place I would start is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice this time around … and perhaps even more importantly avoid the worst ones including all the manufacturers you mentioned in your post (see the guidelines here).

Two of the more 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 buy a suitable mattress that is the best “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and 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 that are involved in each of them 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 comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability, durability, and value.

You can also read more about airbeds in this article and I would agree that for most people they wouldn’t be the best choice.

When you get to step 3 (of 5) in the tutorial if you let me know your city or zip code I’d also be happy to let you know about any of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area as well.

Phoenix

3

thanks, i have read the tutorial a couple times today.

my back only hurts when i wake up. never during the day or before bed. I will get my exact bed names tonight to add to this thread so i can better learn what direction i need to go in. i would love a bed which is changable, so if i dont like it i can swap out for a different firmness later on.

i found a couple local places near my zip 94404, such as palo alto and burlingame:

www.thenaturalmattressstore.com/index.html Factory direct manufacturer in Los Gatos, Palo Alto, San Rafael, Walnut Creek, San Francisco. Makes a range of high quality latex and latex over innerspring hybrids that can be customized. Worth a visit.

The above store has a lot of poor recent reviews on Yelp. The good reviews are all from 2012. I guess you can find poor reviews any where you look these days…

naturallyorganicsleep.com/index.html Burlingame. Local manufacturer that makes various “choose your own” layered latex mattresses with various different types of zip covers. Good quality and value. They also carry PalmPring, Pure Latex Bliss, REM Sleep Solutions, Restonic, Natura, Magniflex, Easy Rest, and Savvy Rest mattresses
ADMIN NOTE:Retired Website | Archived Footprint: naturallyorganicsleep.com/index.html

sleephavenbedding.com/mattress.html Redwood City, San Mateo, CA. Carries Natura, Easy Rest, Englander, Diamond, OMI (Organicpedic) as well as some mainstream brands I would ignore. I would also make some careful value comparisons here with their more premium latex mattresses.

4

Hi placcy,

You may have seen these already but the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the larger Bay area region (subject to the “value” guidelines I linked in my last reply) are listed in post #2 here and for the area in and around San Jose are listed in post #2 here. These would include all the better options I’m aware of that are in reasonable driving distance of San Mateo.

The most common cause of a sore lower back in the morning is choosing a mattress that is too soft.

There are several component mattress choices in the lists I linked that would give you good options after a purchase to fine tune the support and/or comfort of a mattress by either rearranging or exchanging layers or components and these can certainly be a good idea … especially for those that are closer to the “princess and the pea” than the “I can sleep on anything” end of the scale and who are more likely to need some fine tuning after a purchase.

Phoenix

5

dang… cuz my Beautyrest black is 2nd from the most firm they make… if that’s too soft i dont know what to do… its already too firm for my shoulders, i can’t go “ultra firm”. I will be studying all this for the next few days, and reading a lot of this site. Thanks for your tips.

i think its a luxury firm pillow top. with the only higher level being “extra firm” in that particular line.

6

Hi placcy,

I would keep in mind that a mattress that is too soft is the most common cause but certainly not the only cause for alignment issues that can cause back pain (see the diagram here). A mattress that is too soft can allow the hips/pelvis to sink in too far and put the spine out of alignment but a mattress that is too firm can also cause lower back issues because you won’t sink in enough and it won’t support the recessed parts of the body very well (the waist if you sleep on your side or the small of the back if you sleep on your back) or it can cause twisting away from pressure points which can also cause rotational alignment issues which can lead to back pain.
ADMIN NOTE: Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: sleeplikeabear.com/files/2689726/uploaded/buyersguide_firmness_guide.jpg

The key is to find a mattress that is a good “match” for all your specific needs and preferences so you know you are buying a mattress that is the most suitable for you in terms of PPP, uses good quality and durable materials (you can’t “feel” the quality of the materials in a mattress because lower quality materials can feel the same as higher quality materials in a showroom … they just don’t last as long), and compares well to your other finalists based on all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

The knowledge and experience and transparency of the retailer/manufacturer you buy from and whether they put your legitimate best interests above their profit can be one of the most important parts of a successful mattress purchase so you won’t have to go through the long learning curve to learn what they would already know and be happy to share.

Phoenix

7

from the Simmons NXG back in about 2005, (about $3000?)

to a Recharge 800 Luxury Firm ($900 after tax)

to a Tempur Pedic Cloud Supreme Breeze ($4068 after tax)

to now a Beautyrest Black Plush Firm Pillowtop ($2375 after tax)

8

Hi placcy,

All of these except the Tempurpedic use lower quality materials in the comfort layers that would tend to soften, break down, and compress prematurely and that would be a weak link in the mattress.

The Tempurpedic at least uses higher quality materials but it’s also much more costly than other similar memory foam mattresses that use similar quality materials.

The good news is that if you follow the guidelines in the tutorial then you will be able to avoid choosing these types of major brand mattresses that are much more likely to need replacing much too quickly relative to the price you pay for them.

Phoenix

9

the most confusing thing of all is the terms and how they string them all together in random ways…

luxury
plush
firm

10

Hi placcy,

There is no “standard” definition or consensus of opinion for firmness ratings and different manufacturers can rate their mattresses very differently than others. Different people can also have very different perceptions of firmness and softness compared to others as well and a mattress that is firm for one person may feel like “medium” for someone else or even “soft” for someone else depending on their body type, sleeping style, physiology, what they are used to, and their individual sensitivity and perceptions. This is all relative to each person’s perceptions and with good testing your body will tell you much more about how firm or soft a mattress feels to you (regardless of how firm or soft it may feel for someone else) than any firmness ratings.

Phoenix

11

I am going through the same process in the bay area. I came across palmpring and liked the firmness, but not sure how long the coconut husks will last. Also I am considering Tuft and Needle, any thoughts? Lastly, what did you decide on?

12

ha… this was a long time ago…

i have been running a Sleep Number P6 california king for about 6 months now. It seems to be better than most of the spring beds I had. My (and her) sleep number is right about 45. My shoulders can get sore if I sleep on the same side all night, but if i make the bed any softer it would lose the back support. Additionally, I added my bamboo topper to the mattress which is really thick, like 1 -2" It makes it much softer on top. It was an expensive bed, probably $4500. I still owe $3500, and will be paying for a while. Especially since I am out of work for 2 months now, so I am just paying a hair over the minimum monthly for now.

13

Hi placcy,

I would always keep in mind that the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to 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” or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate 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).

While other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be helpful … I would be very cautious about about using other people’s experiences or reviews on a mattress (either positive or negative) as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you and in many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (see post #13 here).

I’m assuming that you’ve read the mattress shopping tutorial here but two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you 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 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).

The rubberized coir in the Palmpring mattresses is a good quality material and wouldn’t be a weak link in the mattress in terms of durability.

You can see my thoughts about airbeds in general this article. While any mattress can be a good match for a specific person because each person’s needs and preferences or the criteria that are most important to them can be very different … in general terms I would tend to avoid them unless there is a very compelling reason that an airbed would be a better choice for you in “real life” (outside of the many “marketing stories” that you will hear about them) than the many other options or types of mattresses that are available to you.

If for some reason you are committed to an airbed and you are convinced that there are no other types of mattresses that will meet your criteria then there are some other airbed options available to you that are listed in post #3 here that may be in a much better quality/value range than Sleep Number.

There is also more about choosing one of the online “simplified choice” mattresses in post #1 here and there are some comments about Tuft & Needle and many of the other simplified choice mattresses in post #2 here in the same topic.

If you are looking at online choices then the tutorial includes several links to lists of many of the better online choices I’m aware of (in the optional online step)

You also have some very good choices available to you in the Bay area and the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the area (subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines I linked earlier in this reply) are listed in post #2 here.

Phoenix

14

this dude obviously doesnt even read peoples replies before pasting all his canned answers. I stated I got my new bed a while ago and it is working fine.

15

Hi placcy,

I’m glad to see that your mattress is “working fine” (although I didn’t exactly read your comments as a wholehearted endorsement of the mattress you purchased) but if you had read the information on the site or what you are calling “canned answers” you would also realize that there are many better quality/value and more durable options available even for airbeds much less other types of mattresses that may be an even better choice.

I read every post that is posted here (sometimes several times) and it almost sounds like you would prefer that I didn’t reply at all to people that are coming to this site and asking for help in finding a suitable mattress that is good quality and good value and want to learn how to make the best possible choice.

I’m sure you realize that many of the questions that are asked here have been asked many times before over the 5 years that the site has been in existence so it’s somewhat difficult to use different words to say the same thing each time a similar question is asked … and I’m not sure why it would even be necessary as long as the information is helpful and related to the questions that are being asked.

Each person is also free to read what they believe is helpful and to ignore what they believe isn’t.

Your comment is very strange to say the least :unsure:

Phoenix