Hi. I’m looking for a durable mattress that will support my lower back and relieve pressure points. I fall asleep on my side but often wake up on my back with lower back pain. Bought a Beautyrest World Classic Luxury Firm (Lucetta from Sleepy’s) a year ago and it is causing lower back pain by morning. Suspect my hips don’t sink enough into it. I’m in my 50s, weighing 138, standing 5’4". Previously I had a Serta Perfect Day Pillowtop that was great for the first 2-3 years but then felt like I was sleeping in a hammock and caused pain and tingling.
Sleepy’s sales is now suggesting the same Beautyrest in the Super PillowTop version. My spine/hips felt great on it in the showroom but I’m afraid it will breakdown quickly and become another hammock bed.
Any recommendations for mattress brands/models, construction, and retailers in New England (NH, MA, ME) would be most appreciated. Are Jordan’s Mattress Factory mattresses worth considering?
The first place to start your research is the tutorial post here which includes all the basic information you will need to make the best possible choices … and avoid the worst ones (including the chain stores and major brands you mentioned).
Post #2 here includes links to the forum lists in the areas you mentioned.
You have some good options in the general areas you mentioned … particularly in the Boston area.
Thanks for all the great info! I knew there had to be better options than the major manufacturers but didn’t know where or how to find them. Am going to visit Gardner Mattress and Yankee Mattress. They are a few hours drive from here, but I hope it will be worth the time. I’m actually excited about mattress shopping now!
There really is a big difference between dealing with a knowledgeable and experienced manufacturer and salesperson that focuses on “educating” their customers and sells higher quality/value mattresses and shopping for a mattress in the “mainstream” industry. As you are mentioning it can make the difference between an exercise in frustration and “blind purchases” and a great experience and IMO it’s well worth some extra travel time.
I’m looking forward to any feedback you have the chance to share
Hi Phoenix. I think I’m narrowing down my search. I visited Gardner Mattress, but found their mattresses to be too firm for me (either 2" or 3" latex over Bonnell coil unit). They were obviously quality mattresses but didn’t fit my needs (hips were still being pushed up too high). Couldn’t feel a difference between the 2" and 3" latex.
Next, went to Yankee Mattress. After trying several medium-firm that weren’t giving me the spinal alignment, I kept moving softer and found one that just felt right: the ultra plush Yarmouth model with 2" of high density foam sewn to the quilt and 2" Talaley latex below that on top of a double pocketed coil unit (4.5 coils on top of 2.5 coils?). This mattress provided good spinal alignment on my side and was pleasantly plush. My only concern is whether it will be too soft when I sleep on my back. I fall asleep on my side but often wake up on my back with lumbar pain.
Do you have any reservations about this particular mattress for my needs? (female, 135 pounds) Am I right in thinking that the coil unit combined with the latex is enough to ensure good support when on my back while the foam quilting will alleviate pressure on my side? If I go back to test it again, any tips?
I’m not familiar with the details of the mattress you are looking at but if you can post the specs on the forum (see post #4 here) I’d be happy to make some comments. From the limited information you posted … it seems that all the layers and components are good quality materials but I would want to know the density of the quilting foam (or any “unknown” layers that total more than “about an inch or so”).
I do think highly of Nick and Yankee mattress and I believe that they use 1.8 lb density polyfoam (or higher) in their quilting layers which would be good quality and wouldn’t be a “weak link” in the mattress but it’s always a good idea to make sure you know all the layers inside any mattress you are considering just to make sure. (NOTE ADDED: They are also now a member of this site)
The only way to know whether a mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP is your own personal testing and experience because each person can be very different. What is suitable for one person may not work well for the next (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). I would make sure you’ve read and use the testing guidelines that are included in the tutorial post (there are three links about testing mattresses) so your testing will be a reasonable approximation of your experience when you sleep on it.
Hi Phoenix. After more testing, I’ve ended up at Portland Mattress Makers. (NH readers may be interested to know they have a new showroom in Portsmouth.) I bought a pocketed coil mattress based on my alignment and comfort. The first 2 nights, I felt more pressure points than anticipated and tossed and turned. I slept better after a few more nights, but am still noticing pressure points on hips and thighs. Could be just my body getting back into alignment, but PMM has a 30-day comfort exchange so I’m comparing the following options.
Pocketed Coil with HD Polyfoam(the one I have)
532 Medium pocketed coil (14 gauge)
2" of 1.8 density polyfoam (ILD 29)
1" of 1.5 density polyfoam sewn into quilting
Pocketed Coil with Memory Foam
same as above but substitute 2" of 3# memory foam for the 2" of polyfoam
Latex Hybrid
809 Firm pocket coil (13.75 and 17 gauge assorted vertical coils)
1" of 1.8 density polyfoam
2" Dunlop c1 latex foam (from MountainTop in PA)
1" 1.5 density polyfoam sewn into quilting
The one I bought is one of few mattresses I’ve tried over the past 2 months that gave me correct alignment and filled the gap in my lumbar area. The memory foam model does the same but I know you’re not a fan of 3# memory foam and I’m not a fan of the off gassing. I couldn’t get comfortable on Talalay latex models elsewhere so had ruled out latex. But I’m curious if you think the Dunlop latex hybrid here with the different (firmer) coil unit would be worth giving another test and why. The pocketed coils are not zoned, but placed side by side. What is the purpose of that? Wouldn’t it tend to feel lumpy? (PPM offers a 10-year non-prorated warranty and they have been very willing to talk about the construction and materials. They say all of these are equal quality with different price points based on materials, so it’s a question of which one feels best to me.)
Thanks for your thoughts. The forum has been tremendously helpful.
I would give things a few weeks to give the mattress time to break in and for you to adjust to a new sleeping surface as well. When you have a new mattress it’s usually a good idea to “do nothing” for the first few weeks but post #2 here also has some suggestions that may be helpful.
None of these have any obvious weak links except 2" of 3 lb memory foam may be on the “risky” side in terms of durability. It’s not so thick that it would be way “over the line” but I would be very cautious before choosing a mattress with 3 lb memory foam where the thickness of the memory foam layer in combination with any other polyfoam comfort layers that were less than 1.8 lbs were 2" or more.
In terms of quality it would be well worth considering because there are no weak links in the design but only you can feel what you feel on a mattress so I can’t speak to whether it would be a good match for you in terms of PPP (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
This is typically done to have two different spring rates in the mattress so that one can “help” the softness and pressure relief of the comfort layers and one can be more for support/alignment and to “stop” the heavier parts of the body from sinking down too far once the softer coils are compressed. Coil systems like this can also be different heights where the softer coils are taller than the firmer coils (you can see an example here) so that there is some initial softer compression and then the firmer coils “kick in”. It wouldn’t tend to feel lumpy because the layers above it will even out any of the feel of the coils themselves but again your own personal testing will be the best way to assess how it feels with the specific layers that are used above the coils.
***ADMIN: This was originally a reply to post #8 here but was switched to a new topic of its own ***
Hello!
While this is an older thread, I wanted to add this because the topic line describes me perfectly. And, after lots of time scouring this site and absorbing as much information as possible, we’re headed off to Yankee mattress tomorrow to hopefully choose a mattress. The last mattress we bought was a disaster, and now I understand why. I feel grateful to this site for so much info (not least of which is pointing the way to manufacturers). I don’t think they make the Yarmouth any longer, but I’ll aim to update with any feedback I have after trying (and buying!) a mattress.
As you know Yankee Mattress is a member of this site which means that I think highly of them (and Nick the owner) and I believe that they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency and you will certainly be in good hands.
I’m looking forward to your comments and feedback after your visit and of course to finding out what you end up deciding :).
Well, we did it! We drove out to Yankee Mattress last week and, after about two hours in the showroom lying on beds, trying to figure out if our spines were straight, etc., we bought a mattress.
Here are the things I loved about Yankee Mattress:
You can get a really good idea of the mattress specs on their website
In the showroom, every material used inside the mattress is specified on an info sheet right on the mattress. You have a full account of what makes up the innards of the mattress, just by glancing at the info sheet.
The factory is integral to the business, so they can provide very specific information about their materials and why they choose them. (For example, I was curious about whether the material on the underside of the mattress was also knitted.) We were at the Agawam location while the factory was open, so Bob (who was on the floor with us) popped back there to ask a question when needed. I imagine in another location, they would be willing to pick up the phone to get the info if needed.
The materials used in their mattresses are generally excellent.
We felt totally comfortable trying out the mattresses as we needed to. It was a reasonable, friendly, relaxed environment. That’s hard to create I think. It’s not habitual or easy to lie down and relax in a public area. But you need to do it to test a mattress, and Yankee Mattress makes that work. We weren’t the only ones there either, and it was a friendly environment.
They customized the mattress for us - and treated that as just a sensible thing to do. That made the difference between us leaving having bought a mattress and us having to continue the hunt.
I see now that they say on the website that they’re happy to customize if needed, if it’s a reasonable change. So this is an available business practice to everyone who shops there, if the many existing mattresses don’t work for you. It helped that we were informed and knowledgeable about what to look for, and that I could articulate what I liked and didn’t like about the two mattresses we eventually narrowed it down to. Bob got what I was saying and rather than trying to talk me into something that wouldn’t work for me, he really listened to what I said and suggested a material change that I have every reasonable confidence is going to be a great mattress for us. They’re making it now, and we’ll go back to pick it up later this week. I’ll update more then. For now, I left feeling great about having made the time to drive out to Yankee Mattress, and just really happy with our purchase and the business we’re doing with them.
Thanks for taking the time to share such detailed comments and feedback your visit to Yankee Mattress … I appreciate it!
It’s also great to hear that you had such a good experience at the showroom and that the trip was well worth it for you.
Most importantly … congratulations on your new mattress
As you know i think you made a great quality/value choice and I’m looking forward any updates you have the chance to share once you’ve received it and have had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.
Phoenix
PS: I switched your posts and my replies to a new topic with a more related title so that others that are considering a purchase from Yankee Mattress will have an easier time finding it.
Well, I’ve had updating my Yankee Mattress experience on my to-do list for about four months now. And I have only good things to add.
Our mattress was ready just when they said it would be. We drove out to pick it up and they were great about helping us get it in the van.
And once the mattress was home - bliss! It’s a wonderful mattress and it’s almost magical how much our sleep and comfort has improved since getting it.
That’s it really. We’re so happy with our decision to get this mattress, and love sleeping on it every night. And we’re looking to many, many more years of enjoyment. I highly, highly recommend checking out Yankee Mattress.
Thanks for taking the time to share an update … I appreciate it
It’s great to hear that your choice worked out so well for you and now that you are past the break in and adjustment period it would be reasonable to expect that you will be sleeping well for many more years!
