I live in the Auburn Alabama area and would like to know if there is anywhere within a 50 mile radius to purchase a good mattress from a reputable company. We purchased a Simmons Beauty Rest pillow top about 3 years ago and within a month there were deep body impressions on both sides. We were able to exchange it to a euro top and within 6 months it had impressions too. We don’t really know what to do now. We are afraid of making another mistake so we continue to suffer with this one. I have lower back pain and wake up with back and neck pain almost daily.
From what I have read, people are most satisfied with memory foam and I have been considering it, but I am concerned about it sleeping hot. I am at the stage of life where I already suffer from hot flashes and do not want any added heat. I am also concerned about mold because I have asthma with mold and dust mites being the top triggers. Currently we have the mattress & foundation covered with protectors which prevent the dust mites from escaping. This has helped the allergy situation. Would I still be able to use the protectors on memory foam or would that cause the mattress to mold?
I would appreciate any suggestions or helpful information. Thank you.
Hi crfuhrmann,
The first place I would start is the mattress shopping tutorial here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choices … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones. These types of issues are common with the major manufacturers because of the lower quality of the materials that they tend to use in the comfort layers of their mattresses (which are the weak link of most mattresses).
The better options or at least “possibilities” I’m aware of in your area are listed in post #2 here that is centered around Columbus, GA but also includes the Auburn, GA area. There is also a list for Montgomery, AL in post #2 here but there are not many options there.
The type of material that you choose is a personal preference and there are certainly people who prefer memory foam over other types of materials and there are also many who don’t like it at all. The tutorial post links to more information about the different types of materials that are most commonly used in mattresses so in combination with your own personal testing you can decide which ones you prefer. There is more about the different factors that can affect sleeping temperature in post #2 here but you’re right that there are more people who tend to sleep hot on memory foam than on other types of foam. Regardless of which type of materials you prefer … I would always make sure that it’s a good quality and more durable version of that material because there are higher quality/density memory foams that are durable materials and many lower quality/density memory foams that aren’t durable at all and which I would avoid.
As long as it’s somewhat breathable then it would normally be fine (although I would make sure that your foundation also allowbut some protectors can sleep warmer than others because they restrict airflow. There is more about the pros and cons of different types of mattress protectors in post #89 here and more about dust mites and allergies in post #2 here and more about mattress encasements in post #2 here.
Phoenix