Hi there, Phoenix I’ve been lurking for about a week or two now, making my head spin with all of the info here! Short story, my current mattress [innerspring] is sagging too much and I’m waking up with back pain every day.
I just went to a local mattress retailer yesterday to test a few, mainly to see what kind of softness/comfort level I preferred. My parents bought a Tempur a few weeks ago after having friends rave (and rave) about them. I’ve napped on it a few times and found it heavenly, and after testing maybe eight or so mattresses, both innerspring and memory foam, essentially decided that I’d like to go the memory foam route instead of an innerspring this time.
On the Tempur “scale,” I’m about a 7. Funnily enough, the most comfortable mattress for me in the store happens to be the same one my parents now have. :lol:
Now, getting down to why I’m posting: My budget is about $1000 max; as far as longevity goes, if it’s lower on the price range, I’m not terribly concerned about it lasting more than 5 or so years.
I’m primarily a side-sleeper although I do sleep on my back as well. I also tend to do this weird “twist” at times, where my upper body is facing upward (back-sleeper position) while my lower body/legs are rotated in a side-sleeper position. Obviously, this is not a good thing, and I’m pretty sure it’s developed from my current mattress having reached its demise.
So! Given that information, are there any recommendations you can think of, or your thoughts on where I should start looking? I know from reading here that you’re not a fan of Costco buying, and while I understand the issues you point out, I don’t have reservations about ordering from them given their return policy. I live in Southern Oregon and we have a very limited selection of mattresses, most places carrying the Big S brands, in addition to the Tempurs. I point that out as a reference to having fewer qualms about online ordering, as long as the return policy is very generous.
My second line of questioning involves foundations for memory foam: I keep hearing conflicting information about whether or not a slatted platform bed is acceptable, or if a solid foundation is better (solid being the “new box-spring” type, where it is more or less slatted, just inside a frame and covered in a fabric). Any clarity you can provide?
Thanks for all of your work here; I’ve spent hours upon hours scouring sites and information, and I really appreciate how comprehensive this place is. I await comments!
Just in case you haven’t read it yet … the best place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and 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 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, durability, and value.
I would use the foam quality/durability guidelines in post #4 here to reasonably assess the durability and useful of a mattress because there isn’t much difference between a mattress that is likely to last you for 5 years and a mattress that is likely to last you for 7 - 10 years and if you use lower quality/density materials than the guidelines your mattress may not be durable enough to have a useful life of 5 years and you may need to replace it much more quickly than you hope to.
[quote]I’m primarily a side-sleeper although I do sleep on my back as well. I also tend to do this weird “twist” at times, where my upper body is facing upward (back-sleeper position) while my lower body/legs are rotated in a side-sleeper position. Obviously, this is not a good thing, and I’m pretty sure it’s developed from my current mattress having reached its demise.
So! Given that information, are there any recommendations you can think of, or your thoughts on where I should start looking? I know from reading here that you’re not a fan of Costco buying, and while I understand the issues you point out, I don’t have reservations about ordering from them given their return policy. I live in Southern Oregon and we have a very limited selection of mattresses, most places carrying the Big S brands, in addition to the Tempurs. I point that out as a reference to having fewer qualms about online ordering, as long as the return policy is very generous.[/quote]
I don’t make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or materials 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 would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate than your own careful testing (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).
I can certainly help you to narrow down your options, help you focus on better quality/value choices that are available to you either locally or online, help you identify any lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you may be considering, act as a fact check, answer any specific questions you may have along the way that I am able to help with, and help with “how” to choose but only you can decide which specific mattress, material, or manufacturer/retailer is the best match for you based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
There are also no “standard” definitions or consensus of opinions for firmness ratings and different manufacturers can rate their mattresses very differently than others so a mattress that one manufacturer rates as being a specific firmness could be rated very differently by another manufacturer. Different people can also have very different perceptions of firmness and softness compared to others as well and a mattress that feels firm for one person can feel like “medium” for someone else or even “soft” for someone else (or vice versa) depending on their body type, sleeping style, physiology, their frame of reference based on what they are used to, and their individual sensitivity and perceptions. There are also different types of firmness and softness that different people may be sensitive to that can affect how they “rate” a mattress as well (see post #15 here) so different people can also have very different opinions about the firmness of a mattress or how two mattresses compare in terms of firmness as well and some people may rate one mattress as being firmer than another and someone else may rate them the other way around. This is all relative and very subjective and is as much an art as a science.
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 who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses 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 that they are familiar with, any special considerations you may have, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs or firmness options to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences or even to other mattresses that they are familiar with than anyone else.
If you have tested the Tempurpedic Cloud (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) and are confident that it’s the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) then the mattress shopping tutorial also includes a link to a list of the better online memory foam options I’m aware of (in the optional online step) and many of them sell memory foam mattresses that are designed to be reasonable approximations of some or all of the Tempurpedic mattresses but are in lower budget ranges. Off the top of my head I know that the Dreamfoam here and the Christeli here are both similar to the Tempurpedic Cloud Supreme but you would need to check their websites or call them to see if any of the others fit your criteria as well.
There is also more about the different ways that one mattress can approximate another one in post #9 here.
You can see my thoughts about buying from Costco in post #4 here. As long as a mattress you purchase there uses good quality and durable materials and you are comfortable with their lack of knowledge and guidance about the mattresses they sell then some of their mattresses would certainly make a reasonable choice … although they usually wouldn’t be the best quality/value choice for most of the members here that are aware of the many other options that are available to them including many that have very good return policies as well.
Some of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Medford/Ashland/Central Point areas are listed in post #4 here.
I’ve been lurking for about a week or two now, making my head spin with all of the info here! Short story, my current mattress [innerspring] is sagging too much and I’m waking up with back pain every day.