My wife & I would greatly appreciate some guidance in selecting a new mattress set.
We have been sleeping on a Costco sourced King size Sealy Posturepedic Pillow top mattress set for 8-9 years and it is time for a change.
I have a problem with disks in my neck and my wife has had her left knee replaced about 11 months ago and has bursitis in her hips.
I have sleep apnea and use a CPAP machine. I usually start off sleeping on my back and wake up sleeping on my back or side (not stomach).
My wife prefers sleeping on her side but bursitis limits this.
I am 80 and weigh 220. My wife is 76 and weighs 170.
We are both retired.
One last thing, she likes a pillow-top.
Can you suggest king size mattresses that we should consider?
We don’t want to be unnecessarily extravagant but are fortunate in that our budget is very flexible.
Additionally, we are not adverse to buying the mattress & foundation on the internet - provided that we can return them if they prove to be uncomfortable.
We live in Palm Beach County, Florida.
Can you suggest mattress sets that we should consider and businesses near us that carry them and can assist us in making the right purchase?
Hi CoopersDad,
[quote]I have a problem with disks in my neck and my wife has had her left knee replaced about 11 months ago and has bursitis in her hips.
I have sleep apnea and use a CPAP machine. I usually start off sleeping on my back and wake up sleeping on my back or side (not stomach).
My wife prefers sleeping on her side but bursitis limits this.
I am 80 and weigh 220. My wife is 76 and weighs 170.
We are both retired.
One last thing, she likes a pillow-top.
Can you suggest king size mattresses that we should consider?[/quote]
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 the best 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 I also linked earlier in this reply) 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.
I would also keep in mind that a pillowtop mattress is just a certain method of construction and not a specific firmness rating or “feel”. It describes a mattress that includes a separate layer or “topper” in its own fabric compartment which is attached to the main body of the mattress with a recessed edge so that the “pillowtop” layer can act and compress a little bit more independently and would feel a little softer than if the same layer was inside the main body of a mattress. While “most” pillowtops are in a softer range … they come in a very wide range of firmness options and some of them that use firmer materials in the pillow top attachment would be in a firmer range as well. There are also many “non pillowtop” mattresses that would be softer than some pillowtop mattresses if they use softer materials in the upper layers of the mattress.
Assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the durability guidelines here relative to your weight/BMI 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). The best way to know which types of materials or mattresses you tend to prefer in general terms will be based on your own local testing or your own personal experience.
Each mattress category can also include hundreds of different mattresses with a very wide range of different designs, different “feels”, different characteristics, and different firmness levels. Every individual layer and component in a mattress (including the cover and any quilting material) will affect the feel and response of every other layer and component both above and below it and the mattress “as a whole” so each mattress category will generally include some mattresses that have a design that will be a good “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP and others that use the same type of materials and components and are in the same category and may be just as durable but have a different design or firmness level that may be completely unsuitable for you to sleep on … even if it uses the same general type of materials and components.
[quote]We don’t want to be unnecessarily extravagant but are fortunate in that our budget is very flexible.
Additionally, we are not adverse to buying the mattress & foundation on the internet - provided that we can return them if they prove to be uncomfortable.
We live in Palm Beach County, Florida.[/quote]
While it’s not possible to be too specific because there are thousands of mattresses in each budget range … there are some very general guidelines about what to expect in different budget ranges in this article that may be helpful.
Subject to first confirming that any retailer or manufacturer on the list that you wish to visit is completely transparent (see this article) and to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets your criteria and the quality/value guidelines I linked earlier in this reply … the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Palm Beach County area are listed in post #2 here.
If you are also considering online options then the mattress shopping tutorial includes several links to lists of many of the better online options I’m aware of (in the optional online step) that include many different types and categories of mattresses that use different materials and components in a wide range of designs, budgets, firmness levels, and with different return/exchange policies that may be well worth considering.
Since you can’t test these in person I would focus on the types of mattresses and mattress materials and the general firmness levels that your local testing indicates you tend to prefer.
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. 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.
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 …
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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.
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Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight/BMI range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.
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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.
Phoenix