Hi zexpress, I too am a side sleeper, just a few pounds more at 146, so I imagine we are having the same experience, though I havenāt had any temperature issues. Nest just opened a store in NY, so I thought that I might go look at their Select, but right now Iām wondering if itās worth the effort. I never notified them of the misaligned seams because of their lack of interest in my reporting the shipping damage.
Iām thing of BBBME, but I remember your experience with them. Do you think if you had ordered a medium instead of soft, it might have been better. I just want a supportive but comfortable sleeping experience which is proving problematic.
I am very sensitive to heat when I sleep so that might be more of why I have noticed it.
I imagine the BBBME would have been better if I had gotten the medium although I donāt think latex is for me. You might want to check out the Nest store in NYC anyway and check out the LoveBed. While itās not the same you might get a basic idea of how the BBBME will feel in regards to latex over foam. I wanted to check out the Nest store in NYC when I was there last month but I was there a couple weeks before they opened. If you do go Iād be interested to hear how you find the regular Alexander compare to the hybrid in terms of edge support and feel.
I will try & make it to their shop next week. Thanks for the suggestion to check out the Love bed as well, to see how the latex compares. If you have any specific questions, post them here & I can ask them at the store.
A mattress is inspected before it is roll packed for shipping by the manufacturer but it canāt be inspected after roll packing and boxing until you open it again so any damage that happened during shipping wouldnāt be noticed until you open it.
If you can see any clear evidence of damage on a picture then I would doubt that they would be denying it and if your mattress is damaged then they would just replace it. You are certainly welcome to post a picture on the forum as well. In any case they have a great return policy so if there is anything about the mattress that you arenāt happy with then you can return it for a refund anyway and you donāt need to āproveā anything to them.
If there was damage before the mattress reached you that went through and ripped all the plastic layers then the mattress would also have expanded during shipping and if a mattress is still compressed then that would indicate that the inner wrapping was still intact.
Iām also sorry to hear that your mattress isnāt working out as well for you as you hoped for but again the good news is that you had the foresight to choose an online mattress that has a great return policy so you could test it in your bedroom instead of a showroom without any risk.
Each person can also have very different needs and preferences in a mattress so a mattress that works well or even is āperfectā for one person may be unsuitable for someone else to sleep on even if they have the same body type and sleeping style as someone else so the only way to know for certain whether any mattress will be a good āmatchā for you in terms of PPP (regardless of whether the same mattress works well for anyone else or even a larger group of people) will be based on your own personal experience. This is just part of the āriskā of an online purchase and is the reason that a good return/exchange policy can be a more important part of the āvalueā of an online purchase.
I agree that if youāre looking for a medium firm and/or youāre 200+ lbs this mattress isnāt for you. They really should introduce different firmness options because a hybrid really is the best of both worlds. Iām hoping that soft mattresses donāt wear out faster because this mattress is so plush and soft I donāt want to get out of bed in the morning.
They also have their honest beds hybrid collection (with either memory foam or latex) which has different firmness levels. Sometimes the number of options that a retailer has available can be limited by floor space and in some cases having too many options available can sometimes do more to confuse customers than help them as well.
Softness can have some bearing on the durability and useful life of a mattress but the most important factor in durability is the quality/density of the materials (particularly in the comfort layers).
While there is no way to quantify how long any mattress will last for a specific person or predict exactly when you will decide to replace it because it is no longer suitable or comfortable for you (this is the only real measure of durability or the useful life of a mattress that really matters) because there are too many unknowns and variables involved that are unique to each person ā¦ if a mattress is well inside a suitable comfort/support range and isnāt close to the edge of being too soft when it is new (see post #2 here) and you have confirmed that it meets the minimum quality/durability specs that are suggested in the guidelines then it would be reasonable to expect a useful lifetime in the range of 7 - 10 years and with higher quality and more durable materials like latex or higher density memory foam or polyfoam (in the comfort layers especially) it would likely be in the higher end of the range or even longer and the chances that you would have additional ābonus timeā would be higher as well.
There is also more detailed information about the many variables that can affect the durability and useful life of a mattress in post #4 here as well.
Hi Phoenix, thanks for your comments. I think my mistake was not waiting for the Nest Bedding store to open, where I could have checked out their various types before ordering. I intend to visit their store & also check out Casperās store as well, & maybe Helix too, though Iām not really sure I believe a mattress can be ācustomizedā based on a few questions. I am going to try & post a screenshot of the issues I discussed in prior posts. Apparently I can only add a current image, the damage I mentioned prior to unrolling is in my gallery,seems I canāt add that shot
You can attach any image on your computer to your posts. There is more about adding attachments to your posts in the help section here but if you have any trouble adding an attachment then you can also email it to me (at the contact email at the top right of the page) and I can attach it to your post for you.
I resized the pictures (images from a cell phone are generally too large to post on the forum and need to be reduced to a maximum of 800 x 800 pixels) and attached them to your previous post.
The first two pictures donāt show any damage or any broken stitches that I would have any concern with but the second two pictures do show that the welting is misaligned. This is only a cosmetic issue and it certainly wonāt affect the feel, performance, or durability of the mattress but since you havenāt let them know about this I would send them these pictures and then call them to see what they say about resolving your issues.
Phoenix, thanks so much for posting the photos, & resizing them. I am definitely going to the Nest Bedding store so I can discuss the misaligned welting & perhaps see if another Alexander product meets my needs better. The main issue is still not finding the hybrid supportive enough, the cosmetic issue is just annoying.
So I made it to the Nest Bedding store in NYC. Prior to this I had exchanged several emails with Joe Alexander about my situation, the misaligned welting, the softness. I checked out the Love mattress & the Alexander Signature but did not find them meeting my needs. The weird thing is that the Alexander hybrid in the store was still the most comfortable & supportive. It was placed on a platform much lower to the ground, than the one I currently sleep on. It also did not have a mattress pad on it, something I also use. Daniel from the store suggested removing the pad & using a mattress cover instead. At this point, Iām just so perplexed by the whole thing, how could the same mattress present such as different experiences. Could the foam in my mattress have had a different consistency than the one in the store, though the store rep thought this unlikely.
Was there really that different of a feel between the regular and hybrid? I am still struggling with mine, I honestly just wish it was a bit less soft. Also I am coming from a foam mattress so I might be more used to that feel.
I will say one thing that has really turned me off is I posted a mostly positive 4 star review of the hybrid to the Nest site a week ago and it still isnāt on the site. It almost looks like they are withholding the review since I didnāt give it 5 stars. My comments were basically around it having good edge support and being very soft. I didnāt say it was bad, just that people should be aware itās a soft mattress. Hopefully this is just in error but it definitely raises a bit of a red flag especially as I decide what to do with my 30 day period coming to a close very soon.
There was definitely a difference between the two. The signature just did not have the edge support of the hybrid. It was firmer but just wasnāt as comfortable. I tried the Love soft & even that also seemed firmer than my hybrid at home. As I previously stated the store hybrid felt perfectly fine, great support & no sagging. Also from an aesthetic point of view, the hybrid is just a better looking mattress. I am throughly confused by my vastly different experience. Iām going to try it for the full 30 days & see how it is without the mattress pad, then I will make a final decision, though the misaligned welting still needs to be addressed, the store model had perfect seams. Rather surprised that they didnāt post your review, I would write to customer support & ask for an explanation.
If your mattress feels different from the one in the store then outside of any differences in the materials and components themselves which would be a manufacturing error and would be unlikely ā¦there are several possible reasons that could account for the difference in your experience between the showroom and sleeping on the mattress in your bedroom.
The mattress in the store may have been broken in more than your mattress. There will be a break in and adjustment period for any new mattress or sleeping system as the mattress loses any of itās āfalse firmnessā and the cover stretches and loosens a little and the materials settle and your body gets used to a sleeping surface that is different from what it is used to (see post #3 here). This would typically be a few weeks but it can be shorter or longer depending on the specifics of the person and the mattress (higher density materials can take longer) and it can be surprising to many people how much their sleeping experience can change over the course of the first month or so and I would tend to sleep on a new mattress for a minimum of 30 days or so if possible before deciding on whether the mattress will be suitable for your needs and preferences in terms of PPP over the longer term.
The support systems underneath the mattresses could be different. The most suitable support system for a foam mattress should have a firm, flat, and evenly supportive support surface underneath it that has minimal to no flex under the mattress and for larger sizes with at least one center support beam that has good support to the floor to prevent any sagging in the middle of the mattress. It should provide similar support to having your mattress on the floor. If the support system under your mattress has more or less flex than the support system under the mattress in the store or it allows your mattress to sag into any gaps in the support surface then this can change the feel and performance of your mattress.
Temperature and humidity can both affect the feel and firmness of memory foam so itās possible that any significant temperature differences between your bedroom and the showroom could have some effect on the firmness of your mattress.
The mattress pad or mattress protector, or even the sheets you are using can also have a significant effect on the feel and performance of your mattress and as Daniel mentioned this could be the most likely reason for the difference. A thicker mattress pad or to a lesser degree your mattress protector or your sheets can affect the ability of the top foam layers to contour to the shape of your body which can affect the feel, firmness, pressure relief, and secondary support (the type of support that āfills inā the gaps in your sleeping profile) of your mattress and it can also reduce the amount of body heat that reaches the memory foam which can firm up the memory foam underneath it or at least slow down the rate that it gets softer as you sleep on it.
The pillow you are using at home could be different from the pillow that you used when you tested the mattress and this can also make a difference in how a mattress feels as well (particularly in the upper body).
Outside of any differences in the mattress or āsleeping systemā itself ā¦ there are other variables that could account for the difference as well.
Human memory for softness, firmness, and āfeelā is very short term, subjective, and relative to more recent experience and is often unreliable. A mattress that feels different to what someone āremembersā a mattress feels like may end up being more similar than they remember (or vice versa) if they were to compare them side by side in āreal timeā. Most people have had the experience of testing mattresses say in the morning and then testing mattresses somewhere else and then going back to test the first mattresses again later in the day and finding they feel different from what they remember because their frame of reference has changed with the other mattresses they have tested.
It could also be related to āhowā you tested the mattress in the store. With a local purchase and for the majority of people ā¦ careful testing using the testing guidelines in the tutorial rather than just testing for the more subjective ācomfortā or āshowroom feelā of a mattress and some good guidance from a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer will usually result in a mattress choice that is well inside a suitable comfort/support range and will generally be āclose enoughā so that if any fine tuning is necessary it would be relatively minor and involve different mattress pads, sheets, mattress protectors, or perhaps even a topper if a mattress is too firm.
Careful and more objective testing is different from the more limited or more āsubjectiveā testing that most people do when they choose a mattress based on āshowroom feelā which generally isnāt a reliable way to predict how well you will sleep on a mattress or how it will āfeelā when you sleep on it at home and can have a lower chance of success than random chance alone ā¦ see this study.
Many people donāt spend enough time on a mattress in all their sleeping positions to really be able to predict what it will feel like or how they will actually sleep on it once they have fully relaxed (like they would be when they are going to sleep at night) which can lead to an impression that a mattress that you purchase is different from the one you tested in the store or result in a sleeping experience that is different from your experience in the store. There is more about more āsubjectiveā testing vs more careful and āobjectiveā testing that has a much better chance of predicting how you will sleep on a mattress in post #4 here and post #10 here).
Having said all that ā¦ there are certainly some people who are exceptions and are much closer to the āprincess and the peaā end of the sensitivity scale than they are to the āI can sleep on anythingā end of the scale and because of this or because they may have a more challenging physiology or health conditions that can make choosing a suitable mattress more difficult or because of a history of choosing a mattress that isnāt the best match for them they may not be as confident that even careful testing will be able to predict whether they will sleep well on a mattress. In this case then the options you have after a purchase would become a more important part of your personal value equation and purchase decision so if a mattress you choose doesnāt turn out as well as you hoped for you have the ability to make changes to your mattress either by changing individual layers or exchanging the mattress or even having the option to return the mattress for a refund after a purchase.
Iām not sure why you are using a mattress pad but it may be an idea to replace it with a thinner and more flexible mattress protector that has the least possible effect on the foam layers in your mattress.
There is more about the pros and cons of different types of mattress protectors and some examples of each of them in post #89 here.
Hi Phoenix, I have always used a mattress pad on all my mattresses, I always thought it was necessary to protect the mattress. As for my platform bed, it is considerably higher than the store bed. Mine is a storage bed with drawers resting in the base & a solid piece of wood resting on that base. I am eventually going to replace it, but I thought to make the mattress purchase firstā¦ I will remove the pad & replace it with some kind of protector. Thanks again for your insight & I will update you on any differences I find with these changes.
A mattress protector is important to protect your mattress from stains and the body fluids, skin cells, and oils that we release each night, to protect against spills and accidents, and to keep your sleeping surface in a clean and hygienic condition. It will also protect your warranty because most mattress warranties are usually voided with any type of stain on a mattress. They can be easily removed for washing and are usually designed to have the least possible effect on the feel and performance of the mattress itself.
A mattress pad is generally thicker than most mattress protectors and can have a more significant effect on the feel and performance of a mattress. While there is some overlap between them ā¦ there is more about mattress protectors and mattress pads and mattress toppers (which are thicker yet) in post #10 here.
It sounds like your base would be similar to using your mattress on the floor so itās unlikely that it would be the cause of any issues you may have with a foam mattress.
The height of a platform bed or support system is just a preference choice and will make no difference to how a mattress feels.
Zexpress, are you still sleeping on the Nest Hybrid? I read through your posts and it looks like youāre having similar experiences to me. Iām also a side sleeper. I tried the BB BME in soft and it did not work. Iām trying a Bear now and I think it is too firm. Iāve been sleeping on the Bear for almost 30 days and my shoulder pain is getting worse every night. I think that means that the mattress is too firm. I;m considering the Alexander Signature Select in medium. Iāve also looked at the Luxi website and that looks interesting. Iām frustrated.
I am still sleeping on it. I am pretty much right at my 30 day point now. I donāt love the hyrbrid but I donāt hate it either. It doesnāt sleep as hot as it did when I first got it so many I adjusted although it still doesnāt sleep as cool as many other mattresses I have slept on. I think at least for me the main problem isnāt even that itās too soft as much as the top quilted layer with the deep indents are driving me nuts. Itās such a terrible design decision. Also Nest still wonāt post my mostly positive 4 star review on their site so that is also factoring into my decision to likely return.
I was going to consider the Bear next. Is your only major complaint the firmness or are there other issues too? I really do love the edge support of the hybrid which was something sorely lacking in the BBME, how does the Bear compare?
I think the Bear is a well constructed mattress and the customer support at Bear is very good. They are very responsive to questions. The edges look rounded like other foam mattresses that I am familiar with. The edge support is fine as far as I can tell. The mattress does not sleep hot in my opinion. My first few nights on the Bear were fine, but for the last week Iāve been waking up every night with shoulder pain and upper back pain. This pain has gotten gradually worse over the last 3 weeks. After trying a few mattresses and reading the Mattress Tutorial on this site a few times, Iām thinking that the shoulder pain is a pressure point issue and is caused by the mattress being too firm. I tried 2 mattresses that were too soft and caused my arms to fall asleep and go numb in addition to lower back pain. It seems there is a fine line between too soft and too firm for side sleepers perhaps?
The mattress that worked best for me was my old TempurCloud Supreme. We moved that to the guest room when my husband and I moved and upgraded to a King Split bed with Twin XL mattressesā¦ My husband is using a Dreamfoam Ultimate Dreams Gel 13" mattress and really likes it. I returned mine because it was too soft and caused my arms to fall asleep and go numb repeatedly throughout the night. So I am on my third mattress now and not happy. The Bear worked best for me of the 3. I still really want to love it, but Iām not loving the shoulder pain!.
When I ordered the Bear I also considered the Leesa. I went with the Bear because it was advertised to be good for athletes and I am a tennis player and active person.
Zexpress, what made you pick the Alexander Hybrid over the Alexander Signature? Iām about ready to pull the trigger on an Alexander Signature Select medium.
