In person mattress testing

Hi

My back is so tight and aching every morning and every day lately. Crap “S” brand mattress if offering little support these days. I’ve done the reading and ‘think’ I have some idea what I’m looking for. We’re planning to head out this weekend to several locations that I’ve narrowed down to (Buis Mattress, Jonathan Stevens, Capitol Bedding) to do some in person testing. Two questions at this point, what minimums should I be considering in comfort layers pertaining to materials types, gauge and thicknesses? And, what specifically can you suggest for how to properly test out comfort and alignment during an in-person visit. Obviously it needs to feel good immediately otherwise it’s ruled out, but I know some junk mattresses can feel good even at first.

Suggestions?

Hi motomegal,

I wouldn’t consider the thickness of the layers or use mattress specs to decide on whether a mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) and instead I would focus on your own careful testing instead. Mattress specs that are about the durability of the material or component are important for assessing the durability of a mattress (see this article) but not the suitability or the comfort/support of a mattress. The type of materials or components or the type of mattresses you wish to consider would be a preference choice not a better/worse choice and some people prefer some types of mattresses or materials and some prefer others.

There is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here that can help you make more meaningful comparisons between the “value” of the different mattresses you are considering.

There is also more about the different types of innersprings in this article and in post #10 here and there is more about the most common types of materials and components used in mattresses in the “mattresses” section of the main menu under the the “mattress comfort layers” and “mattress support cores” submenu items but your own personal testing and experience is the most reliable way to know the types of mattresses and materials you tend to prefer.

Step 4 of the mattress shopping tutorial includes several links with the suggestions I would use to test a mattress for PPP.

Phoenix