Sealy Optimum Inspiration - Mistake? Any side-sleepers switching from Select Comfort to...?

[Jeff5295]

Hello,

Let me start by saying that I wish I had found this site a few weeks ago.

We may have made a mistake by purchasing a Sealy Optimum Inspiration. We tried one out and it seemed very comfortable in the store. The bed we received seemed much firmer, and caused both my wife and I a lot of back pain. We went back to the store to try the display again, and it really did seem softer than ours. It’s possible we might be happy with that one. They ordered us a new one, but it will be about a week minimum until we receive it. Thankfully we saved our old mattress. We had to switch back to it last night, as we couldn’t stand another night on the Sealy. I started researching the Optimum model, and found this site. Now I’m questioning our purchase decision. If the second one is not a substantial improvement, I will request our money back (although I’m sure they will try to steer me to a more expensive mattress).

I should point out that the Sealy is great for motion isolation, and it has the cooling-gel top layer that seems to be fine. The temp of the bed seems no different than our old bed, so we’re not having any heat issues. Maybe that will change in the summer. We also did not experience any odor with this mattress. If it were actually comfortable, we’d love it!

I’m starting to look for alternatives, in case the next mattress is no better, and I’m a little overwhelmed by the amount of info on this site. I’m hoping someone can point me in a general direction, should we need to buy a different one. Here is where we’re at right now:

• Been using a Select Comfort, Cal King, pillow top, for the last 7 or 8 years. Wife loves it, me, not so much.

• I’m mostly a side sleeper, occasionally stomach, almost never on back. Wife is similar, but occasionally sleeps on back. I’m about 6’-2" 180#. Wife is about 5’-8" and average weight.

• I don’t sleep well at all. Usually OK the first few hours, then toss and turn the rest of the night. We assumed going to something like a memory foam bed may help some of my sleep issues.

• I had lower back/lumbar pain on my left side while side sleeping on the Sealy. Wife had general back and neck pain. At this point we do not know if it’s purely a quality control issue with the Sealy. Maybe we’ll be happy with the next one. If not, we need to start looking for something different.

Here are some of my questions:

Switching from a Select Comfort (which we both inflate to a very low or “soft” setting), is memory foam possibly not the best choice for us? If not, what might be better? Latex? My wife does not want to consider a traditional spring mattress.

I seemed to feel a lot of pressure points on our Sealy (not apparent on the display model), mostly hip and arm. I don’t know how to interpret this to point me in the direction we need to be going. Is that telling me the top layer is too thin, allowing me to sink too far into the next, more dense, layer? If so, I assume I may need to be looking for a thicker top layer? Or do I need a more conforming foam under the top layer? Bed is on a solid foundation.

I realize no one can make the decision for us, and there are no short cuts to finding the mattress we need. Just hoping to get pointed in the general direction as we look for possible next choices, should this one not work out. Maybe foam is not really for us, and we need to be looking at alternatives, such as latex. My big problem with the air bed is the lack of motion isolation, the change in comfort on my side when my wife gets in or out of bed while I’m in it, and the narrow comfort zone, because of the narrow air chambers. I considered adding a foam topper for increased comfort, but I don’t think that will help any of these other issues.

Are there any side sleepers on here that switched from a softly inflated air bed to a foam/latex? If so, can you let me know what you ended up with?

I’m a little “soured” by the big-bed-store experience (especially after reading some of the forum posts), and would like to try some local/semi-local shops. We have a Lebeda, a Verlo, and one called Dubuque Mattress, that we plan to check out. Any insight on these companies? Are there any others we should consider within an hour or 2 of zip 52002?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Jeff

[phoenix]

Hi Jeff5295,

Any new mattress that you buy will feel firmer than a mattress in a store because the materials in the mattress will go through an initial softening period over the first 30 - 90 days before it feels like the one in the store which has probably already been broken in. You will go through an adjustment period to a new sleeping surface as well. In addition there are also other factors that can affect your mattress and change the way it feels compared to the store. You can read more about this in post #2 here and in post #2 here. Of course none of this is to rule out the possibility that you received the wrong mattress but you can check this on the law tag on your mattress and it’s not as likely.

I’m starting to look for alternatives, in case the next mattress is no better, and I’m a little overwhelmed by the amount of info on this site. I’m hoping someone can point me in a general direction, should we need to buy a different one. Here is where we’re at right now:

The “best” place to start is post #1 here which is the most important post on the forum and has the information, steps, and guidelines you will need to make the best possible choices if your current mattress doesn’t work out.

Switching from a Select Comfort (which we both inflate to a very low or “soft” setting), is memory foam possibly not the best choice for us? If not, what might be better? Latex? My wife does not want to consider a traditional spring mattress.

All materials … whether they are used in comfort layers (like the foam above your air bladder) or are used in support layers (like your air bladder) … come in softer and firmer versions. The goal is always to make sure a mattress provides you with your basic needs and preferences or what I call PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences) which comes from a combination of the firmness of the support layers and the softness/thickness of the comfort layers. The materials or type of mattress is only the means to an end and in general any type of material can be soft or firm enough in the comfort layers and/or soft or firm enough in the support layers to make a suitable mattress (with a few exceptions such as memory foam which is for comfort layers only and air bladders which are generally only used as support layers). The materials you choose in which layers are more of a matter of personal preference, “feel” and performance. Of course no matter what type of materials or components you prefer it’s always important to make sure that they are the best possible quality of that material available in your budget range. You can’t “feel” the quality of a material but it will determine how long the comfort and support of your mattress lasts for you.

I seemed to feel a lot of pressure points on our Sealy (not apparent on the display model), mostly hip and arm. I don’t know how to interpret this to point me in the direction we need to be going. Is that telling me the top layer is too thin, allowing me to sink too far into the next, more dense, layer? If so, I assume I may need to be looking for a thicker top layer? Or do I need a more conforming foam under the top layer? Bed is on a solid foundation.

Yes … outside of the regular breaking in period … this could indicate that the material is too thin for your needs and preferences and not allowing your “bony prominences” like your shoulders hips and arm to sink in far enough before reaching the firmer support layers.

I realize no one can make the decision for us, and there are no short cuts to finding the mattress we need. Just hoping to get pointed in the general direction as we look for possible next choices, should this one not work out. Maybe foam is not really for us, and we need to be looking at alternatives, such as latex. My big problem with the air bed is the lack of motion isolation, the change in comfort on my side when my wife gets in or out of bed while I’m in it, and the narrow comfort zone, because of the narrow air chambers. I considered adding a foam topper for increased comfort, but I don’t think that will help any of these other issues.

You can read some of my thoughts about airbeds in this article. They are not the best choice IMO with perhaps a few unique or unusual exceptions.

Are there any side sleepers on here that switched from a softly inflated air bed to a foam/latex? If so, can you let me know what you ended up with?

Yes … there would be many successful examples of people who switch from any type of mattress to another. The key is not the materials though (although there are certainly many valid preferences) but to make sure the design is right to provide you with the PPP you need and prefer regardless of materials.

I’m a little “soured” by the big-bed-store experience (especially after reading some of the forum posts), and would like to try some local/semi-local shops. We have a Lebeda, a Verlo, and one called Dubuque Mattress, that we plan to check out. Any insight on these companies? Are there any others we should consider within an hour or 2 of zip 52002?

As you will read in the first post I linked … step 2 is knowing what to avoid and what to focus on. Chain stores and other mass market outlets and major brands would both generally be included in the “avoid” list. You can see what I would consider to be the better options and possibilities in the Dubuque area in post #4 here and you already seem to have found all of them that are close to you which means IMO you are definitely on the right track

Phoenix

[Jeff5295]

Hi Phoenix, thanks for the reply. I appreciate the feedback.

We fully expected some sort of break in period, where the mattress would not be as comfortable as we’d like. But waking up extremely sore, and in pain, doesn’t seem right. I tried walking and “knee-walking” all over the mattress (per the store managers recommendation) and it didn’t help at all. The first night was horrible. We woke up feeling like we had been in a car accident. It was slightly better the next night, but not much. We gave it a few more nights and we had enough. I couldn’t believe that sleeping on any bed could inflict so much pain.

It’s relatively warm in the bedroom too, so should not be a cold temperature issue with the foam. The showroom we tried the bed in wasn’t terribly warm either. I’d say it’s very similar to our room.

Are there any other things we could do to speed up the break in process? We seriously cannot sleep on this bed the way it is, and had to switch back to our old mattress. After a few nights on the old one, most of my back pain is now gone. I don’t think we could make it through any longer of a break in period with this one. A little discomfort and stiffness we could handle, but this is much worse.

It certainly felt like the showroom model was a lot softer, but maybe we misjudged, and our perception is not accurate in regards to the showroom model feeling softer than ours. We didn’t spend a whole lot of time on it, as it seemed extremely comfortable when we tried it. I was a little afraid of getting the next softer version, as I assumed any foam bed would soften up over the years, and I didn’t want to end up with one that was too soft after a year or two. If that is the case with foam, how do you accurately predict the “future” condition of a given mattress, so that you don’t start out with something that’s comfortable now, but may degrade to a point that it is uncomfortably soft within a few years? Or is that just the nature of having foam bed?

Would latex be more stable, as far as feeling comfortable right away, and maintaining that comfort level over the years?

I’m hoping to take a look at some of the smaller stores in town this weekend, and see what they have to offer.

[phoenix]

Hi Jeff5295,

Are there any other things we could do to speed up the break in process? We seriously cannot sleep on this bed the way it is, and had to switch back to our old mattress. After a few nights on the old one, most of my back pain is now gone. I don’t think we could make it through any longer of a break in period with this one. A little discomfort and stiffness we could handle, but this is much worse.

A break in period and your own adjustment period can take up to 90 days or so (it’s usually less than 30). If it becomes clear though during the course of this that the mattress is clearly not for you then I don’t think I would wait that long. One thing that may help is to go back to the store and spend at least 15 minutes on the store mattress … after you are in a pre-sleep state of relaxation … and test specifically and more objectively for pressure relief and alignment and compare this to how your mattress feels and performs when you are going to sleep. If they are similar or if the store mattress seems to produce the same “symptoms” or “feel” as yours does when you are going to sleep then it may not be worth waiting and the issue is probably the design of the mattress and how well it matches your needs and preferences.

It certainly felt like the showroom model was a lot softer, but maybe we misjudged, and our perception is not accurate in regards to the showroom model feeling softer than ours. We didn’t spend a whole lot of time on it, as it seemed extremely comfortable when we tried it. I was a little afraid of getting the next softer version, as I assumed any foam bed would soften up over the years, and I didn’t want to end up with one that was too soft after a year or two.

The “normal” way that most salespeople will tell you to test mattresses in a store is usually just to lie on them and find the one that is most comfortable. This is very subjective and often subject to the managed environment of a showroom and the odds of success with this type of testing is probably less than random chance alone (see this study). More objective and specific testing can improve your odds of success.

If that is the case with foam, how do you accurately predict the “future” condition of a given mattress, so that you don’t start out with something that’s comfortable now, but may degrade to a point that it is uncomfortably soft within a few years? Or is that just the nature of having foam bed?

Almost every bed you will test is a “foam bed” no matter what type of support core it uses (inner springs, latex, air, polyfoam or anything else except perhaps water). it would be very rare to find a mattress that didn’t have some type of foam in the comfort layers (although there are some premium brands that only use natural fibers in the comfort layers).

The comfort layers are the “weak link” of a mattress and predicting the durability of a mattress is mostly about accurate testing and is relative to the person and where inside their range of “needs and preferences” they are along with knowing the quality of the materials in your mattress so you can make a reasonable assessment of how much and how quickly they will soften past their initial break in period. Most mattresses in the stores will be past their break in period. Post #2 here has more about durability and how it can be relative to each person. This is one of the reasons why its so important to know the details of every layer in your mattress so that you don’t have low quality materials in the comfort layers which are the weak link of most mattresses.

Would latex be more stable, as far as feeling comfortable right away, and maintaining that comfort level over the years?

While any foam will soften initially and over time … latex is the “gold standard” for foam and will soften less initially as well as over the long term compared to polyfoam or memory foam. Once the initial softening period is over then further softening is slower but higher quality versions of any foam will keep their properties for much longer than lower quality versions of the same material.

I’m hoping to take a look at some of the smaller stores in town this weekend, and see what they have to offer.

I’m looking forward to your feedback. The knowledge and experience of the people you are working with and their ability and willingness to disclose the details of all the layers in their mattresses (and better yet tell you the difference between them) can be even more important that which mattress you choose in terms of long term comfort and satisfaction.

Phoenix