Hi there,
I’m new here.
I’m wondering if anyone has had any experience with a Sonu mattress or done any research on it in considering it for yourself =, and if so if you’d share your experience and/or research?
I didn’t find anything come up when putting it into a search here.
Their site reviews seem filtered, and you can’t really search for different types of reviews like those which are low rated, so I’m really looking for real world experience with this mattress.
Thanks,
Todd
Hi Todd,
Welcome to the forum.
I have not experienced the Sonu myself, but I have one friend who did and returned it. Why they returned it, really doesnt matter as everyone is going to formulate their own opinions and experiences with any product.
The product design itself has a fairly unique construction and aims to help folks who are side sleeps ONLY.
You can obviously read all the pro’s on their website as to how wonderful they pro-port the mattress to be. So I will defer to them for the suggested benefits.
Here are a list of con’s to consider, and then you can make the decision for yourself.
This Sleep System has some obvious (to some) drawbacks that are important to consider before purchasing. One of the main concerns is discomfort around the armpit and shoulder area if you’re not positioned properly in the channel. The design is highly position-dependent, so if your body doesn’t line up well with the arm recess, it can actually create pressure points rather than relieve them. This becomes even more problematic for restless sleepers who shift positions frequently during the night.
The unique design also comes with a learning curve. It takes time to get used to the Comfort Channel, and for some, the adaptation period can be frustrating. Not everyone will find it intuitive or comfortable right away, and there’s a chance it may not suit your sleep habits in the long run. The channels themselves are built into the mattress and cannot be adjusted, so if your body type or sleep posture doesn’t align well with the fixed layout, the mattress won’t offer much flexibility. Further, there is no rotating this mattress. If you begin to develop some deep body impressions, or the mattress begins to sag, it is game over.
Another issue is the lack of transparency around the foam quality. While the mattress is advertised as having 26 layers of CertiPUR-US® certified foam, SONU does not disclose the specific density of those foams. Foam density is a key indicator of durability and support, and without that information, it’s hard to judge how well the mattress will hold up over time. For a product in its price range, that’s a meaningful gap. Of the 26 layers, it is not the mattress that has 26 layers, which includes the layers the fill the should support comfort channel, that allows you to adjust the height based on the length of your arm. While this may be a “truth” it implies something relating to the entire mattress, “like look at all these layers” when in fact most of the layers are in the support channel.
Speaking of price, the SONU Sleep System is relatively expensive, often ranging from $2,500 to $3,000. While this is certainly no luxury price tag, when compared to the BiB online (and sometimes in store) market, combined with uncertainty about long-term durability and comfort, it can be a risky investment.
In addition, it requires proprietary SONU sheets due to the unique channel design, so you’ll need to purchase additional accessories to use it properly, which limits your bedding options, and places you at the mercy of SONU’s prices for these items.
Lastly, the mattress is made specifically for side sleepers. If you sleep on your back or stomach, or change positions frequently during the night, this mattress likely won’t work for you. Its benefits are very targeted, and outside of those ideal conditions, the design can actually become more of a hindrance than a help.
There are a host of mattresses out there, in this price range, higher and lower, that can offer comfortable sleep.
The suggestion here is to think this one over very carefully.
Maverick
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Hello Maverick,
Thanks for replying.
Do you know why your friend returned it? I do find other people’s experiences extremely valuable which is primarily why I posted, so it is important to me if you are aware of why they did.
Experiences for people who went through trying to adjust to such a different mattress is very valuable, as I really wondering about that.
They do have this return period, and if they didn’t I wouldn’t even consider it.
Because I am thinking this over carefully is also why I attempted to get user feedback, so we’ll see if anyone else may reply.
One big difficulty is understanding experiences with the different firmness levels, as they can make a huge in whether and how each may work in a variety of sleeping factors, and because their medium firmness contains coils while the other two strangely do not (and the coils don’t seem like traditional full size ones, which could decrease their usefulness).
I found a place that had the medium to try only, and there are no other locations available to try anything.
It was okay (which may not sound great but compared to just about everything else, literally hundreds others feeling horrible, was an improvement), felt like a possibility, but still many questions, and many long term questions.
Overall it seemed like it may have felt kind of warm compared to others. I’m not sure that the cover they use is very breathable (mostly polyester), and it seemed kind of cheap and was already piling up.
Yeah, I felt a bit of the channel angle hitting my ribcage, which I wasn’t sure if I would get used to.
The guys at the store (Hadley Olivia) were fairly worthless on info or otherwise.
They do have an optional insert which fills the channel completely, turning it into a regular flat mattress, as they claim to either use in transition or if it feels better, but it was not available to try.
I was also unsure of the foam type. I believe it may be the older type of poly (yellow) foam, which would be fine, as I can’t tolerate memory foam, but still hard to know what it is.
I have to constantly turn every which way, and it is bad having to do this on any mattress, and I’m not sure that it felt worse doing that on this one. It did appear from pictures that you can be on your stomach with the sonu and put arms in the channel, and the claim is that it can improve pressure on some parts when doing this. It could, but it could also feel weird to do and yes make it difficult to get used to.
Being on the back seemed as okay compared to other types.
So anyway thanks, and we’ll see if anyone else responds or if I find any other info.
Todd
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Hi Todd,
From what I remember, though their description was pretty layman, they just couldn’t get comfortable. The inserts that filled the channels apparently had slight gaps, kind of like the space between two Twin XLs making a King, and that disrupted the continuity when trying to sleep. They tended to toss and turn a lot, so their arm wasn’t at rest in the channel the whole night. When you place your arm under or between pillows and shift, it’s usually a smooth, natural roll. But with this setup, the transitions didn’t feel as fluid or comfortable as they hoped. It ended up being one of those things that sounded like a great idea at the time, but didn’t work out in practice.
I didn’t dive into foam specs or build details with them, it came up in a casual social setting a couple of years ago, and I didn’t want to drive the conversation into mattress shop talk. I believe they ended up getting a Saatva, which they were moderately happy with. It wouldn’t have been my first pick for them, but it was definitely better for their needs than the Sonu.
On your point about firmness levels and the presence of coils in the medium version, yeah, it matters, but only after you’re confident the overall concept and design direction works for you. If you’re already feeling uncertain about the core concept (arm channels, sheet fitting quirks, the insert, etc.), that might be a sign to pause. But if you’re intrigued and see the potential benefits, then sure, drill down on the firmness, materials, and other specifics.
I noticed you have a lot of question marks in your post, which makes sense! This is a pretty unconventional mattress. But if you’re going to give it a shot, I’d recommend leaning into the potential positive aspects that could work well for you, and treating the rest as part of the learning curve.
From an objective standpoint, this mattress isn’t the only one out there that can meet pressure relief and support needs, but it’s definitely in a category of its own, with both its advantages (they describe) and trade-offs. For example, what if you end up not liking their sheets? Are there third-party options that fit? Is the mattress still comfortable without using the arm channels? What’s the actual return policy, full refund or restocking fee? And do you have to buy a specific protector to keep the warranty valid?
If the financial side isn’t a major concern (like for me - sometimes it’s just fun to try new things), then trying it might be worth it, even just to satisfy your curiosity.
Hope that helps, Maverick