New Alexander Hybrid Mattress from Nest Bedding

[abbygrant]

[quote=“zexpress” post=61535]
How is the mattress going for you? Still happy with it? I am strongly considering this one as a replacement for my Nest Hybrid. Would you say the firmness is comparable to your Cloud Supreme or would you say it’s a bit firmer or softer?[/quote]

Well, I’ve been sleeping on the Novosbed soft for a week now. I am cautiously optimistic that this is “the one”. So far, I would consider it firmer than the Cloud Supreme. It has that tempurpedic type feel, meaning the foam feels dense and you sink into it a bit. I think it is also cooler than the Cloud Supreme. As I mentioned before I’m not a hot sleeper. But I always noticed that the Cloud Supreme retained heat and felt warm to the touch for quite awhile after I got out of bed in the mornings. The Novosbed does not retain heat like the Cloud Supreme did. I will report back again in another week or so.

[abbygrant]

@Tyco

Hi Abbygrant,

How do you like the Novosbed? My wife and I have a Bear mattress but after 2 months were just not happy with it. I find it too firm and sometimes wake up in the night with my arm numb (side sleeper) and have been experiencing shoulder and back pain. I am leaning towards the Novosbed Soft and see that’s what you purchased. Having owned the Bear mattress yourself, how does the Novosbed compare? Is it significantly softer? I am about to pull the trigger on the Novos, but would like to hear your opinions first. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Tyson

Hi Tyson,

My Bear Mattress was too firm for me and I also woke up with shoulder and upper back pain. I liked it for the first week, but I gradually got more and more pain and stopped sleeping on it after about 3 weeks. I know they recommend 30 days but I couldn’t take it.

I ordered a Novosbed soft, which was recommended by Gaille at Novosbed. I was leaning toward a Novos medium, but after I explained my likes and dislikes to Gaille she strongly recommended the soft. I’m glad she did. It is a good deal softer than the Bear mattress, yet it feels supportive. I have been sleeping on it for a week, have not had shoulder pain and am sleeping soundly. It definitely works better for me than the Bear. I can give you another report in another week if interested. If you do order a Novosbed soft I’d like to hear your comments as well.

[Loiroi]

They never responded to my initial inquiry about the composition of their product, despite my having given them my phone number.

[phoenix]

Hi Loiroi,

Thanks for letting us know.

I hope that at some point someone will be more successful than you were in finding out the specifics of the materials inside it but of course it’s also possible that they are just choosing not to disclose this information as well.

Phoenix

[Magialisk]

Abbygrant,
If you’re still around now a couple months later, I’ll add my voice to the crowd requesting your updated opinions on the Novosbed Soft.

My wife and I tried many beds at the local big brand store and ended up finding the Cloud Supreme Breeze 2.0 as our favorite. The Cloud Luxe Breeze 2.0 was too much sink in for my wife, and another that she liked didn’t have hardly any sink in in my opinion, but the Supreme was just enough in the middle to seem right to both of us.

Until this morning I had been considering going with the NovosBed Medium and adding the Soft Comfort+ layer if necessary, but the common thread among the NovosBed reviews is that they’re a bit firmer than most people expect. I talked with Gaille and based on what I said above, she strongly recommended the Soft mattress. She separately told me that it’s generally better to start with their medium bed and make it softer than to try to make their soft bed firmer, but based on our preferences she said we’d want the Soft anyway.

Along those lines, in case anyone is wondering, I got the specs on the Comfort+ layers from Gaille as well. First they are a “high grade foam” instead of a memory foam. Second, they are both 2.0lb density. Last, the Soft Comfort+ has an ILD of 8 while the firm’s ILD is 32. I know that doesn’t mean much in absolute terms, but just for reference if anyone else is considering the combinations…

Finally, I did stumble across a screenshot from 2013 when they had the 4 beds (Aria, Harmony, etc.) and their website used to compare the Harmony (now called Soft) directly against the Cloud Supreme Breeze. Here’s the site where I found the screenshot: Sleep, Dream, and Feel Good : NovosBed.com. I know that comparison doesn’t mean much objectively about how the beds actually feel, but I take it as a good sign that we’re making the right choice on the Soft over the Medium.

So with all that said, now that you’ve had yours for a few months, and owned both the Cloud Supreme and the Novos Soft, I’m sure many of us would love to hear your updated impressions. Even (especially!) if it turns out you ended up returning the mattress for some reason. We’ll be taking the plunge on the Soft in about 2 weeks! Thank you!

[phoenix]

Hi Magialisk,

If you’re still around now a couple months later, I’ll add my voice to the crowd requesting your updated opinions on the Novosbed Soft.

Until this morning I had been considering going with the NovosBed Medium and adding the Soft Comfort+ layer if necessary, but the common thread among the NovosBed reviews is that they’re a bit firmer than most people expect. I talked with Gaille and based on what I said above, she strongly recommended the Soft mattress. She separately told me that it’s generally better to start with their medium bed and make it softer than to try to make their soft bed firmer, but based on our preferences she said we’d want the Soft anyway.

Hopefully abbygrant will see your post and share their comments but I would always keep in mind that while other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful, you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and I would be cautious about about using anyone else’s suggestions, experiences or reviews on a specific mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you. In many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own personal preferences) may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range). In other words … reviews or other people’s experiences in general won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here).

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 on how two mattresses compare in terms of firmness 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 and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) 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 or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you (which you have already done). They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else and their guidance will give you the best chance of success.

Like many of the other simplified choice mattresses … Novosbed also has a great return policy that lets you try the mattress in your bedroom without any risk so you can decide for yourself based on your own perceptions of firmness and softness whether the mattress is a good match for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP without relying on other people’s experiences which may be very different from your own.

You are certainly looking at a great quality/value choice.

Phoenix

[abbygrant]

Magialisk,

Well, I’m not 100% happy with the Novosbed. It is definitely firmer than the TempurCloud Supreme. Sadly, I am still experiencing shoulder pain. I ordered the comfort kit soft and that did not work for me. It made the mattress too soft and caused lower back and shoulder pain. I took the comfort kit off for a few nights, and the back pain subsided but the shoulder pain came back. I added the comfort kit back for 2 nights and the back pain came back. The last few nights I have slept on the mattress without the comfort kit. I also added some stuffing to my Nest Bedding easy breather pillow, thinking that some of the shoulder pain could be caused by the pillow being too flat.

So this leaves me still thinking about trying another mattress while I’m still in the trial period. I’ve had my eye on the Alexander Signature Select soft. I may go ahead and order one, sleep on it for awhile and see how it compares to the Novosbed. I’m really frustrated and not understanding why I’m getting shoulder pain from every mattress except my old TempurCloud supreme.

[phoenix]

Hi abbygrant,

Thanks for taking the time to share your update.

I’m sorry to hear that your Novosbed also isn’t working out quite as well as you hoped for although based on your previous comments I was hopeful that you would have better success than you did with the previous 3 online mattresses that you tried.

It seems to me that you are more sensitive to smaller differences in a mattress than most people and since you have already tried 4 online mattresses that didn’t work out for you it may be worthwhile considering a local choice that you can test in person and compare to many other mattresses before making your next purchase.

While there is little financial risk in continuing to try online mattresses that have a good return policy … I do understand that trying and returning many mattresses and starting all over again each time can certainly be both time consuming and frustrating.

Phoenix

[Magialisk]

Thanks Abbygrant for sharing your updated thoughts. I’m sorry to hear about all the trouble you’ve been having with the different mattresses.

My wife and I are going to take the plunge with NovosBed in a couple weeks, and keeping my fingers crossed that after all this research we’re doing the right thing :). Our current bed is a eurotop innerspring, roughly 10 years old, and there are two depressions where we each sleep, a little over an inch deep. So I’m really hopeful that just about any mattress we get will be an improvement, but I really want the NovosBed to work out.

Best wishes to you in finding that perfect mattress. From what I’ve seen, both the Alexander and the Brooklyn Bedding (Latex) seem to be pretty popular in terms of a “soft” option, instead of the universal medium-firm that most companies are offering…

[Novosbed]

Hi abbygrant,

I’m sorry to hear that your shoulder pain is continuing despite trying 4 different mattresses. I can sense your frustration - I’ve been there myself: I suffer from Ankylosing Spondilytis and have had many frustrating nights sleeping on beds that aggravate my condition. I also found that there were many other potentially aggravating factors, such as:

1. Room temperature
2. Nature/duration of my physical activity (or lack thereof) during the day
3. Changes to my duvet/comforter (and even sheets)
4. Stability of my bed frame
5. Changes in weather (this is highly subjective and unscientific, but definitely noticeable)

In some of your earlier posts you suggested that the Novosbed was working well for you, but that now (~2 months later) your pain has returned. Has every night been uncomfortable for you, or are you still having some comfortable nights?

Thanks,
Sam

President

Memory Foam Mattresses Made For Better Sleep | Novosbed

[abbygrant]

Hello Sam,

The Novosbed has been better than other mattresses I’ve tried, but it is causing shoulder pain. My shoulders are sore and tender every morning. The difference between this and firmer beds is that the pain and tenderness is not as bad with the Novosbed. I don’t want shoulder pain all the time so the Novosbed must be too firm for me.

Other factors that you mention are not an issue for me. We keep our bedroom cool at night. 64 in the winter and around 72 in the summer. I am an active person so I usually sleep well. We use a Legget and Platt adjustable frame so bed frame is not an issue. My husband does not snore near as much or as loud because he now sleeps with his side of the bed slightly elevated. His snoring used to be my main problem sleeping!

[Novosbed]

Hi abbygrant,

Can you describe the nature of your shoulder pain? Is it on the outside of your shoulder? Inside? Back? Front? What movements are causing you discomfort?

I know that the Comfort+ seemed to cause you back stiffness, but did it definitively solve your reduce your shoulder pain?

Memory foam can soften up over time, so it could be that you are comparing your brand new Novosbed to a used and softened TempurCloud Supreme: how old was your TempurCloud Supreme?

Thanks,
Sam

[abbygrant]

The pain is on the outside of my shoulders. Movement doesn’t bother me, it’s simply sore on the outside from pressure. I sleep on my side and usually turn over once or twice during the night. I did not ever get that soreness on the TempurCloud Supreme. The TempurCloud is about 6 or 7 years old. The novosbedhas a similar feel to the TempurCloud, but the TempurCloud is softer and has more of a “hug” feel to it.

The comfort+ kit did relieve the shoulder pain, but gave me terrible lower back aches.

[phoenix]

Hi abbygrant,

Based on your comments and feedback I’ve noticed a few “patterns” in your sleeping experience on the different mattresses you’ve tried so perhaps they can provide some “clues” about what may be happening.

BestMattressEver soft:

You were experiencing shoulder pain with this mattress so you added a memory foam topper (I’m guessing 3"?). With the memory foam topper you mentioned that you experienced lower back pain which would generally indicate that the topper made your mattress too soft. You didn’t mention how the topper affected your shoulder pain. Did it go away or were you still experiencing shoulder pain with the topper as well?

Dreamfoam Ultimate Dreams Gel 13" gel memory foam:

For the first two weeks your comments indicated that you were sleeping well on this mattress but then about 3 weeks later you mentioned that you were having upper back pain, lower back pain and your arms were falling asleep and going numb. This also seems to indicate a mattress that could be too soft.

Your old Tempurpedic Cloud Supreme:

In the time you slept on this (in between other mattresses) you mentioned that you had “some” shoulder pain but not enough to wake you up. This appears to be “close” even though it doesn’t sound “perfect”.

Bear Mattress:

This was a little firmer than your previous 2 mattresses. You mentioned that you slept great on the Bear for the first 2 nights but after 2 weeks you you were still having “some” shoulder pain, a little upper back pain, and a little hip and knee pain. You mentioned that the Bear was OK but not quite right. You mentioned later that as you slept on it longer your shoulder pain was becoming worse and you had some upper back pain. This would also seem to indicate a mattress that is too firm.

Innerspring mattresses (like visiting your Mom or sleeping in an hotel):

You indicated that you always wake up with aching shoulders and upper back and that it feels like your shoulders are being pressed together by a giant vise-grip but your arms almost never went to sleep and became numb on those mattresses. This would also seem to “point to” mattresses that are in a more “average” firmness range being too firm

Novosbed:

After a week you mentioned that you were sleeping soundly and that you had no shoulder pain. After two weeks you still seemed to be sleeping well on the mattress and you mentioned that it felt similar to your Tempurpedic Cloud Supreme but perhaps a little firmer (although that would be somewhat subjective). About a month and a half later you mentioned that you were experiencing shoulder pain. You also mentioned that you had tried their soft comfort kit but that you experienced lower back and shoulder pain when you tried it. This sounds like the initial mattress was close but that the comfort + topper made your sleeping system too soft.

Based on all of this (although it’s probably not a complete “list” of all your symptoms on each mattress or how they changed relative to each mattress or mattress topper combination you slept on) and based only on some general observations … it seems fairly clear that with the mattresses you tried that were too firm you experienced shoulder pain and that with the mattresses you tried that were too soft (or where you added an additional soft topper) you experienced lower back pain … and possibly a “different kind” of shoulder pain that may have been more related to postural issues than pressure points.

It also seems that your experience can change over time because how you sleep when you first try a mattress appears to be different from your experience weeks later but it’s not clear to me if this is the result of the initial break in and adjustment period (where the mattress goes through some initial softening) or whether this is the result of other more external “influences”.

It certainly appears that you may be very sensitive to smaller changes in a mattress and the toppers you tried may have “jumped over” your sweet spot and resulted in going from a mattress that was too firm to a mattress/topper combination that was too soft. In these cases a thinner topper that has a smaller effect on the firmness of your sleeping system may be worth considering.

It may also be worth looking more closely at some of the comments that Sam made to see if there are any external influences that you can relate to changes in your sleeping experience. This could include the type or intensity of physical activity you are engaged in and any muscle soreness when you experience any “symptoms”. It could also the type of mattress protector, mattress pad, or even the sheets you are using which in some cases can affect the ability of the foam layers to contour to the shape of your body and affect pressure relief (you may experience “symptoms” more on some sheets than on others). Any correlation you can make to any other “external” influences could be helpful.

It would also be worthwhile checking whether the support system under your mattress could be contributing to the issues you are having. What type of support system do you have under your mattress and under your Tempurpedic?

It also seems that you are somewhat prone to shoulder pain on all the mattresses you have slept on including your Tempurpedic but that it’s just a matter of degree so once again this points to some very small changes having an unusually significant effect on your sleeping experience.

Mattresses that have a different firmness can also affect how much you sink into the mattress and the distance of the “gap” between your head and neck and your sleeping surface so it may also be a good idea to experiment with a different pillow profile when you make any changes to your mattress or mattress topper combination because your pillow can also make a difference in shoulder and upper back issues as well.

You also mentioned that you are generally a side sleeper but it’s also possible that you also sleep in other positions as well which could also affect your experience on a mattress. When you are sleeping over the course of the night your body can usually deal with relatively short time frames where you may be sleeping out of alignment or experiencing smaller amounts of pressure and will normally make position changes when they become too much but if you are out of alignment or experiencing pressure points for longer periods of time then it can usually lead to symptoms. In some cases it’s also possible that it can take a number of weeks for you to experience “symptoms” that are the result of very slight alignment issues that may not be noticeable over the course of a shorter period of time. It’s also possible that your symptoms are “cyclical” and that your needs and preferences change over time so that a mattress that works well “some of the time” may not work well “all of the time”. In these cases it can be helpful to have a “suitable” topper that works well on your mattress for those times where you need a softer sleeping surface and that you can remove for those times where you need a firmer sleeping surface.

As Sam also mentioned … it is also a good idea to see if you can identify the specific “changes” in your symptoms when you make changes to your sleeping system so you can identify which changes lead to a reduction or increase of any symptoms even if they cause a different set of symptoms.

You also mentioned that you tend to sleep with your arms around a pillow and it may also be worth considering a body pillow which can sometimes help with postural or pressure issues for side sleepers as well.

Phoenix

[abbygrant]

BME Soft:
Both my husband and I had lower back pain after we added the memory foam topper. I also had upper back pain if I layed on my back for any length of time. Without the topper my husband said he was fine, but I had the issue of shoulder pain plus arms falling asleep & going numb. In hindsight, I think the mattress was too soft and a medium may have worked…but hindsight is 20/20. At the time we had this mattress we were using a regular box springs. We were looking into an adjustable frame but had not purchased one yet.

DreamFoam Ultimate Dreams Gel 13":
This mattress was simply too soft for me. I had all kinds of back pain (upper, lower) after about 2 weeks. I started having mild lower back spasms when I played tennis and this had never happened before. As an FYI, we started with this on slats and this was when we bought the legget & platt adjustable frame.

TermpurCloud:
I slept on this for about 1.5 weeks between the Dreamfoam and the Bear. All symptoms went away and I woke up without pain. I don’t remember having any outside shoulder pain on this mattress.

Bear:
The Bear seemed OK for about 1.5 to 2 weeks, but the pressure points on the outside of my shoulders got progressively worse the longer I slept in this bed. It seemed like the pressure points got worse and worse and when I laid down at night I could feel them right off the bat. The outside of my shoulders felt sore all the time during this time frame so after about 3.5 weeks I went back to the Tempurcloud. I did not try a topper on the Bear,

Novosbed:
I’ve had this for over 2 months. My shoulder pain is not as bad as the Bear and my arms are not falling asleep. This is the best I’ve tried so far, but still not quite right. If I touch the outside of either shoulder right now they feel sore. The best explanation of my shoulder pain is that it’s more of a sore spot/pressure point on the outside of both shoulders that does not go away. I didn’t use the comfort+ kit on this for very long because lower back pain and upper back pain started almost immediately. It was exactly like the pain from the Dreamfoam that was too soft. When I laid on my back the upper back pain was pretty bad. I removed the comfort+ kit and the pain was gone after a couple of days.

As I mentioned before, I mostly sleep on my side, mostly the left. I sleep on my back some. I almost never sleep on my stomach because it twists my neck and I had a herniated disc in my neck a few years ago. My dr and PT told me not to sleep on my stomach anymore. I don’t have a body pillow, but when I am on my side I sleep with a pillow between my knees and I hold another pillow in a hug. When I roll over to the other side I have to adjust all of the pillows.

I use 100% cotton sheets and 100% cotton flannel sheets in the winter. I haven’t changed the type of sheets I use, but I did have to buy new ones for the king sized bed. I don’t think sheets are the problem. I do use a mattress protector. SafeRest Premium Hypoallergenic Waterproof Mattress Protector - Vinyl free.

I no longer have a desk job so I am a little more active then I used to be, but not that much. I play tennis 3-4 times per week and do some Yoga/stretching and body weight exercises at home. These activities don’t cause pressure points on the outside of my shoulders.

I can’t think of anything that would cause this shoulder issue other than the Novosbed mattress being a little too firm.

[phoenix]

Hi abbygrant,

I can’t think of anything that would cause this shoulder issue other than the Novosbed mattress being a little too firm.

While a mattress that is too firm can certainly cause shoulder issues … there can be different types of shoulder issues that can each have different or even multiple causes and some of the suggestions that both I and Sam made may be well worth exploring.

While it’s not possible to “diagnose” mattress comfort issues on a forum with any certainty because there are too many unique unknowns, variables, and complexities involved that can affect how each person sleeps on a mattress in terms of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) or any “symptoms” they experience … there is more about the most common symptoms that people may experience when they sleep on a mattress and the most likely (although not the only) reasons for them in post #2 here.

There is also more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support” and “pressure relief” and “feel”.

These posts are the “tools” that can help with the analysis, detective work, or trial and error that may be necessary to help you learn your body’s language and “translate” what your body is trying to tell you so you can identify the types of changes that have the best chance of reducing or eliminating any “symptoms” you are experiencing … at least to the degree that any symptoms are from your mattress rather than the result of any other circumstances or pre-existing issues you may have that may not be connected to a mattress.

A more detailed conversation with Novosbed on the phone may also be helpful because you can cover more ground and deal with more detailed issues much more effectively in a more “real time and interactive” phone conversation than you can with written communications (see post #4 here)

Phoenix

[SAH]

abbygrant,
i came across this thread and it sounds like we both love the Tempurpedic Cloud Supreme. I alternate, due to work, in two different cities. In one city, I have the Cloud Supreme. It IS wonderful!!! I was hoping to find one online for my place in the other city I travel between that approximates the feel of the Cloud Supreme for a little less $. I’m trying out the Novosbed Soft right now, and yes, it’s more firm than the Cloud Supreme. (I tried the Medium first, and it was far more firm). I had some questions, based on your similar experience.

I’ll preface my questions with a general note that I really like Novosbed and everyone I’ve spoken with there has been, without exception, beyond accommodating and helpful. I’m impressed with this company and the quality of its products, customer service and systems!

1. Why didn’t you purchase another Cloud Supreme? To try to find something similar for less??
2. I’m considering the Comfort Plus Soft Add-on layer – but you said it didn’t work well for you?
   My understanding is their Soft Comfort plus layer is two inches of 1.8 lb density foam (not sure if that’s polyfoam or memory foam?) – and the Cloud Supreme top layer is two inches of memory foam of 4.1 lbs density. Those layers seem pretty different if I’m hoping this added layer will make it feel more like the Cloud Supreme.
3. Have you found the right mattress that works well for you yet and/or others that you’d recommend I try?

Before I bought the Tempurpedic Cloud Supreme, I bought the Cloud Select (a little more firm). The first night, I felt it may be too firm, but I needed to complete the trial before I exchanged and thought it might “soften up” or break-in. Meanwhile, a friend of mine bought the Cloud Supreme, and she loved it. When I could exchange, I traded mine for the Cloud Supreme and loved it from the first night.

Novosbed rates its Soft as an 8 out of 10, if my recollection is correct. Tempurpedic rates the Cloud Supreme at a 6 out of 8 on the soft scale. Yet, the Tempur Cloud Supreme definitely has a softer feel.

[phoenix]

Hi SAH,

Hoopefully abbygrant will see your post and share their comments but I can make a few comments that may also be helpful.

2. I’m considering the Comfort Plus Soft Add-on layer – but you said it didn’t work well for you?
   My understanding is their Soft Comfort plus layer is two inches of 1.8 lb density foam (not sure if that’s polyfoam or memory foam?) – and the Cloud Supreme top layer is two inches of memory foam of 4.1 lbs density. Those layers seem pretty different if I’m hoping this added layer will make it feel more like the Cloud Supreme.

I would keep in mind that the “feel” of a mattress is very subjective and is different from the softness of the top few inches that primarily provides pressure relief or the firmness/softness of the transition and support layers that primarily provide support. Their Comfort Plus layer is polyfoam which would provide additional softness and pressure relief to the mattress but would have a different and more resilient “feel” from a memory foam top layer. Describing “feel” is like describing taste … everyone may have a very different opinion.

I don’t know how long you’ve been sleeping on your mattress but I would keep in mind that there will be a break in and adjustment period for any new mattress or sleeping system as the mattress loses any of it’s “false firmness” 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 and post #2 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 like latex 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.

3. Have you found the right mattress that works well for you yet and/or others that you’d recommend I try?

I would also keep in mind that while other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful, you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and I would be cautious about about using anyone else’s suggestions, experiences or reviews on a specific mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you. In many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range). In other words … reviews or other people’s experiences in general won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here).

Novosbed rates its Soft as an 8 out of 10, if my recollection is correct. Tempurpedic rates the Cloud Supreme at a 6 out of 8 on the soft scale. Yet, the Tempur Cloud Supreme definitely has a softer feel.

There are 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 on how two mattresses compare in terms of firmness 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.

In other words … the only way to know for certain whether another mattress would feel softer or firmer to you and “how much” it would feel softer or firmer (particularly if it’s rated in a similar firmness range) and whether it would be a good “match” for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) will be based on your own personal experience … regardless of any other person’s experience on the same mattress. This is alsowhy a good return/exchange policy can be a more important part of the “value” of an online purchase so you can base your assessment on your own experience rather than anyone else’s experience which may be very different from your own.

When you can’t test a mattress in person (or a mattress/topper combination) 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 and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) 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 or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.

Phoenix

[SAH]

Thanks for your responses, Phoenix. Yeah, I hope to hear from abbygrant. While the feel of a mattress is subjective, it does seem that abbygrant and I have the same relative subjectivity when it comes to mattresses. So, as opinions go, hers would be valuable to me in my search.

Sometimes there can be a “break-in” period, but as my specific example notes from the first night’s sleep, I suspected the Tempur Cloud Select to be too firm, and from the first night’s sleep, I also felt the Cloud Supreme was perfect. Both turned out to be accurate for me. As well from the first night, I suspected the Novos Medium to be too firm and the Novos Soft to still be too firm. So far, all my first night impressions have matched my break-in experience conclusions.

It’s helpful where you characterized the polyfoam feel as having a more “resilient” feel. I’m assuming you mean less “adaptive” (the term that Tempur uses) and more latex’ish/springy. That’s the problem I’m having in general, as the Novos Soft is not as adaptive as the Cloud Supreme. It could possibly be that since abbygrant and I both are accustomed to and looking for the feel of the Cloud Supreme, we are looking for a more adaptive feel. I do find Tempurpedic to be insightful in their use of both a soft to firm scale as well as rating their mattresses on a more adaptive/less adaptive scale – as I think sometimes mixing of these two characteristics can lead to confusion in terms when they are melded into a one-term-fits-all as simply soft and firm. A person who has slept on a more adaptive mattress will understand these distinctions.

I’ve just dug up my Tempur brochure from when I purchased my Cloud. On the Firm to Soft Scale, Tempur has the Supreme at an 8 out of 10. (I said 6 out of 8 on my prior post). On the adaptive scale, Tempur rates the Supreme as a 6 out of 10, from less to more, so actually not super adaptive but plenty for me. It certainly doesn’t feel like “quicksand” as some mattress makers call the adaptive quality. The Tempur Rhapsody line has quite a bit more of the adaptive quality.

Maybe I’m looking for a bit more of the adaptive quality that may be obtained through the memory foam as a top layer, such as with the Cloud Supreme. Not sure, but a memory foam top layer also seems like it could offer relief to a shoulder issue for a side sleeper, for example, vs. a more resilient top layer that is polyfoam. Who knows – but at any rate, the search continues…again, thank you so much for your insights!

[phoenix]

Hi SAH,

It’s helpful where you characterized the polyfoam feel as having a more “resilient” feel. I’m assuming you mean less “adaptive” (the term that Tempur uses) and more latex’ish/springy.

Resilience is a measure of the “springiness” and response rate of a foam material. It would also affect how easy it is to change positions on a mattress. Adaptive would be a description of the “point elasticity” of the foam (how closely it contours to the shape of the body) which isn’t connected to resilience.

That’s the problem I’m having in general, as the Novos Soft is not as adaptive as the Cloud Supreme.

This would be difficult to accurately measure and would also be affected by the break in period as the foam softened. Some types of memory foam can take longer to break in than others. It can also be affected by the type of mattress protector you are using, the type of cover on the mattress, or even the fire barrier in the mattress.

All of this will also be affected by body type, sleeping positions, and weight distribution as well as the specific design of the mattress (layer softnesses and thicknesses) and how much each person sinks into a mattress so different people can often have very different descriptions of their experience on the same mattress. When you are purchasing online and there is a good return policy then it’s much more reliable to assess a mattress using your own experience … especially when there is no risk involved.

I’ve just dug up my Tempur brochure from when I purchased my Cloud. On the Firm to Soft Scale, Tempur has the Supreme at an 8 out of 10. (I said 6 out of 8 on my prior post). On the adaptive scale, Tempur rates the Supreme as a 6 out of 10, from less to more, so actually not super adaptive but plenty for me. It certainly doesn’t feel like “quicksand” as some mattress makers call the adaptive quality. The Tempur Rhapsody line has quite a bit more of the adaptive quality.

Although it’s a somewhat subjective description that can vary from person to person … different types of memory foam can have different properties in terms of their firmness, response time and temperature sensitivity which can affect how “adaptive” they may be in different conditions and situations. Firmness ratings are also approximations and often aren’t consistent between different manufacturers and different people can also have different opinions of the relative firmness of different mattresses made by the same manufacturer.

Phoenix