Simmons Classic pemberton firm -- Bed is too firm?

Hi All,

I purchased the SImmons Classic Pemberton firm bed from Macy’s around 3-4 years ago. After the first year I started feeling extremely tired even though I had 8-9 hours of rest. Recently I am having issues and I don’t know if it is bed related. I am unable to now sleep on my sides, the only way I can get to sleep is on my back. At times I notice that if I wake up on my side my body is numb. Other times it feels sore and will go away within 30-60 minutes. More recently I have been getting up at 3:30 daily and it takes me sometimes an hour to fall back asleep. I am going in to fix a deviated septum in under a month.

I also tried our bed in our guest room which is a Seally firm but isn’t of high quality and things haven’t really changed but I have noticed that I can sleep on my side a bit more. I’m am 37 years old. I am trying to figure and rule out things to get to the root cause of me being tired all of the time. Does it appear that I have grown out of a firm mattress or possibly out of the Simmon’s brand firm? Should I try out a plush or firm/eurotop mattress?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks for your time.

Hi npolite,

While it’s not possible to “diagnose” mattress comfort issues on a forum with any certainty because there are too many unique unknowns and variables involved that can affect how each person sleeps on a mattress in terms of 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.

Like all the major brands … your mattress would almost certainly have lower quality and less durable materials in the comfort layers which will tend to soften or break down more quickly than higher quality and more durable materials (and this can often happen in 3 - 4 years) so it’s possible that your comfort layers are softening or breaking down (which can lead to sleeping out of alignment or to feeling more of the firmness of the deeper layers in the mattress) so it’s possible that your “symptoms” are from changes in the mattress but they could also be from changes over time in your own needs and preferences as well because it’s certainly not unusual to need or prefer a slightly softer mattress as you get “older”.

Based on your description of your symptoms and on the fact that your symptoms seem to go away after you get up … and on the fact that side sleepers tend to need softer mattresses than back or stomach sleepers … if I had to guess I would guess that your mattress is too firm for your current needs and preferences (regardless of whether it’s from changes in you or changes in the mattress or a combination of both).

If your mattress is still in very good condition and there are no visible impressions or sagging or soft spots in the mattress (particularly under the heavier parts of your body such as your hips/pelvis) and the only issue is that it is too firm then a topper can be a good option to add some additional softness and pressure relief although there is always some risk and uncertainty involved in adding a topper if you haven’t tested the combination in person because the mattress itself along with your own body type, sleeping position, and preferences can affect which specific topper would be a suitable choice on any specific mattress.

The good side of adding a topper is that it is much less costly than a new mattress and if a mattress/topper combination turns out to be a good “match” for you in terms of PPP then it also has the advantage of being able to replace just the topper without replacing the entire mattress if it softens or breaks down before the upper foam layers in the mattress (the upper layers or a sleeping system tend to soften or break down before the deeper layers) or if your needs or preferences change over time and a topper can also help extend the useful life of the mattress underneath it as well.

While only you can decide what you “should do” or whether any risk involved in choosing a topper is “worth it” to you compared to the other options that are available to you … if you do decide to try a topper then there is more information about how to choose a topper in post #2 here and the topper guidelines it links to about firmness and thickness which along with a conversation with a reliable supplier that can provide you with good information about how their toppers compare to each other or to other toppers they are familiar with that are available on the market can help you use your sleeping experience as a reference point and guideline to help you choose the type, thickness, and firmness for a topper that has the least possible risk and the best chance for success. It also includes a link to a list of some of the better online sources for toppers I’m aware of as well and a link to the suppliers that have good exchange/return policies as well.

If you decide to replace your mattress completely because it has developed soft spots or is sagging (and assuming that it doesn’t qualify for warranty coverage because any visible impressions are less than the warranty exclusion) then 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 (including all the major brands such as Sealy, Simmons, and Serta … see the guidelines here).

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 (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) 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).

While I can’t speak to how a mattress will feel or how different mattresses will compare in terms of comfort and PPP for someone else (and this would have nothing to do with the name of the manufacturer) … outside of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) the 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 “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing 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 I would always make sure that you find out the information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to confirm that 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.

All the major brands (such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta) 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 and I would avoid all of them completely 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).

There are also 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 so the only reliable way to know whether any mattress is a suitable firmness and will be a good “match” for you in terms of PPP (regardless of the brand) will be based on your own careful testing or personal experience.

Phoenix