New Memory Foam Mattress Too Firm! Help!

Mattress Talk General Mattresses Questions
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Ok, so, I just bought a memory foam mattress. I feel like an idiot, cause I researched a bunch, found pretty good reviews for Natures Sleep after laying on a few and loving them in a store, then found a groupon for the 8 inch ones and bought a St. Barts. Unfortunately, this mattress feels really really firm, even though it was advertised as medium firm. It is causing me aches and pains (and i’m not really broken…I’m 26 and in pretty good health). It feels like it barely conforms under me. It moves a little, but I don’t feel cradled. Of course, the website apparently does not do refunds or returns, and they have not responded to my pleas for help. Groupon has given me a bit of the price credited back to my groupon account, but that doesn’t help in buying a new mattress.

It is a pretty dense mattress, and I’m sure if it was not so firm it would actually be great. It doesn’t feel cheap, and I researched it and lots of people loved them. Why is it so firm to me? Is there a way I can soften it up? I live in Florida and my room is not kept cold (usually 80 F). I have it listed for sale on craigslist, but I’m not so sure I’ll be able to sell it. Is there a way I can soften it up? Is there a cheaper topper alternative? I can’t spend too much…I can afford the $100ish range to fix it, but that’s about it. I just don’t know why it’s so firm!

Please, if anyone can offer advice or help, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

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Hi spunkyk014,

Firmness and softness is very subjective and what feels too firm for one person can feel too soft for the next depending on individual body type, sleeping position, and personal perceptions and preferences. There is no firmness rating that applies to all people and different manufacturers also have different descriptions of the firmness of their mattresses that are not directly comparable. There are also different types of firmness and softness (see post #15 here).

Based on your description … it sounds to me like you may do well with a topper to add some extra pressure relief to your mattress. Post #2 here also has some suggestions that may be helpful before you consider a topper but if you do decide to add a topper then post #2 here will also be helpful although your budget will limit the quality of material that is available. If you do buy a low cost topper that works well for you then at least you would be able to replace it without replacing the whole mattress.

Phoenix