Hello my name is Jessiah and my wife and I are in dire need of a new mattress. We have been to hell and back searching for a mattress and need pointed in a good direction. I have been reading your blog and have learned a lot but ultimately need some more specific advice. We recently bought a Simmons Beautyrest black Alcove and are returning it tomorrow because it just doesn’t feel like it’s worth the money we spent. We originally wanted to spend a maximum price of $1200 but that got stretched to almost $2000. We really would like to keep around that $1200 price range but would go up a little bit if we find an awesome bed. We live in the Denver Colorado area and I have no idea where to look next. Mattress Firm really pulled some shady stuff and I wouldn’t like to go back to them. We would like a queen size mattress. We have been interested in hybrid models or pillow tops. We want something in the medium firm range. Nothing to firm but nothing to soft if that’s possible. I am a side sleeper and sometimes a stomach sleeper. My wife is mainly also a side sleeper. I do sleep on the warmer side. I want a good quality mattress that will last a very long time. I’m mainly concerned with sagging when it comes to longevity. We aren’t big people, I’m only 5’9 160lbs. If there is any other info you might need to help point us in the right direction please feel free to ask. I appreciate your help in advance. Thank you for your time!
It’s probably a good thing that you are returning it. The major brands such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta all tend to use lower quality materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors that will tend to soften or break down prematurely relative to the price you pay which is why I would generally suggest avoiding all of them completely (and the major retailers that focus on them as well) regardless of how they may feel in a showroom along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here).
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
I’m not sure what you’ve read since you found the site but just in case you haven’t read it yet … the first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” and PPP that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
Again nobody can speak to how any specific mattress will “feel” for someone else or whether it will be a good “match” in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances and you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress … outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label (or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new) so again I would always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase. I would certainly avoid any mattress that doesn’t meet the quality/durability guidelines relative to your weight range.
Assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the durability guidelines I linked relative to your weight range … the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses are more of a preference and a budget choice than a “better/worse” choice (see this article).
Subject to confirming that any retailer or manufacturer on the list you wish to deal with is completely transparent about the materials and components in their mattresses and to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines I linked earlier in this reply … the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Denver, CO area are listed in post #2 here.
In its simplest form … choosing the “best possible” mattress for any particular person really comes down to FIRST finding a few knowledgeable and transparent retailers and/or manufacturers (either locally or online) that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in that are in a budget range you are comfortable with and that you have confirmed will provide you with the all the information you need about the materials and components inside the mattresses they sell so you will be able to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …
Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.
Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.
Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
Thank you Phoenix! I do have some more reading to do. I need to read the links to posts you provided. I’m still learning how your mattress forum works. I really appreciate this though. It sounds silly but I really do feel like buying a mattress can be a life changing experience. In a new parent and have lower back and shoulder pain so I’ve been needing a good sleep and I’m on a budget.
I completely agree that the mattress you sleep on is one of the most important purchases you will make over the next 10 years or so and can have a bigger effect on your overall well being both waking and sleeping than almost any other purchase you will make and it’s well worth the time and effort involved to make the best possible choice.
Thanks so much for all this very useful information. I feel like i didnt go in blind when buying a mattress. Today we ended up going to Urban Mattress in Boulder colorado and the person who helped us out was very very knowledgeable and really showed us a bit of everything before we decided on a particular mattress. We went with a memory foam mattress with a 5 inch layer of memory foam on top that has a 4lbs density. Because i sleep very hot we also purchased a Ver-Tex temperature regulating mattress protector. I was blown away by Urban Mattress. He really took his time with us and would check our posture on every bed we would lay on. I really want to go back and purchase these latex pillows they had to replace our cooling gel memory foam pillows. Im excited to actually go to sleep tonight! I never thought we woukd have purchased an all memory foam bed.
Thanks for letting us know what you ended up deciding … and congratulations on your new mattress
Just for reference … only the top 5" of your mattress would be memory foam. If there is also foam underneath the memory foam then it would most likely be polyfoam (memory foam isn’t suitable for use in the bottom layers or support core of a mattress).
I’m looking forward to your comments and feedback once you’ve had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.
We have only slept on our new mattress for 3 nights and my wife and I absolutely love it! So far it really seems durable and give us both instant relief as soon as we lay down. If you are in Colorado I highly highly recommend visiting Urban Mattress in boulder colorado! They have a few other locations as well. My experience in that store was beyond amazing! I really just felt like for once they really just wanted me to get into a bed that I’m going to love and met all my ppp requirements. Very good people and great atmosphere.
Thanks for the update … and I’m happy to hear you like your new mattress
While 4 lb memory foam is a good quality and durable material … it will be years before your actual experience will tell you anything meaningful about the durability of a mattress.
