What kind of mattress do I need?

Try as many as you can and get a feel for what you like. Do you like your current mattress? What’s wrong with it? Ask advice from the sales people.

I did not like the memory foam mattress that someone gave us. It felt hot and sweaty.

“Hot and sweaty” is helpful.

For the last couple of years, hubby and I have traded off between a couch and a twin bed because our bedroom isn’t big enough for a real bed.

We’re moving soon, to a normal-sized house, and I don’t want the emotional impact of “anything we can both fit in” to overly impact this major purchase.

Thus the asking for advice. Haha.

I feel like sales people will push whatever they’re supposed to push that month… So i prefer asking consumers.

I heard that memory foam is hot (hot as in you will feel hot, not in a good way).

I know there’s pillow top and non-pillow top, and then the main differences are hard vs. soft.

I got mine from Sam’s Club and it’s somewhat hard (I chose it that way). I like support. A good friend bought a soft one and it’s very squishy. Some may like that, some may not. She and her hubby wanted the soft one, I think because they were heavy people.

You’ll find that various mattress stores sell big brands but the model names are different, making it impossible to compare. That’s one reason I went for Sam’s – it’s a name brand (Sealy? Serta?) but the model name didn’t matter. What mattered was how it felt. They had 3 and you could lay on them, and that’s what was important to me.

I didn’t like how the number beds felt at all when I tried them in the store. Then I was lucky and a hotel I stayed at had one, and I knew for sure I didn’t like it.

The foam gets hot, I see other jellies mentioned it.

I tend to buy spring mattresses with the separate coils. I don’t buy the pillow tops, but I have slept in some that are very comfortable. My husband who likes a very soft bed prefers a really good pillow top. On our regular mattress we have a high quality mattress cover that makes it have kind of a pillow top, just not as luxurious as some of them.

Things to think about, many mattresses are ridiculously thick now, and if you have old school sheets they won’t fit. I need to buy a 12” mattress, because my platform bed, bought when I got married, needs a 12” or less, and I still have a couple sheet sets that don’t have very deep pockets. I hate having to fix my sheets every morning, and when sheets barely fit that tends to happen.

Also, your husband likely will need a softer bed than you to be comfortable, unless you just simply tend to like a soft bed. Make sure you actually lie down on the mattresses in your sleep position. Bring a cloth with you if it freaks you out to lay your head down where everyone is doing the same. I personally never worry about that. Remember the bed might be a little broken in (softer) in the store than what gets delivered.

I have a Sleep Number bed and I really like it for a couple of reasons. In the summer, because it is essentially an air mattress, I find it to be much cooler than a conventional bed.
I like being able to adjust firmness. My comfort levels change depending on various factors, it’s nice to have the option.
I have the most basic model, it sits on a cheap platform from Ikea, you don’t need all (or any, for that matter) of the bells and whistles, unless you want head and/or foot lifting.
Have fun with a new bed, sleep welL!

Oh, and the one I had before was from Sleepy’s. Despite the warranty, when it developed a deep sag after 6 months I had to jump through so many hoops to even have the problem addressed that after two months I gave up and just ate the cost of the bed (ouch!) and moved on. They made it so difficult that I could no longer spend the time. Clever them.

I am still partial to my waterbed. I have owned one for the past 40 years. It is cooling in the summer (good down in Texas) but this means it is a little chill in the winter. We used to have a heater but It, in my opinion, got way too warm when turned on (my wife begs to differ on this) so now we get by this by putting on a memory foam mattress topper in the winter. In the summer it is stored under the bed. The one we have now has several tubes instead of a single bladder which is good because I put more water in the ones on the side my wife sleeps on because she likes a firmer feel. So, while not a Sleep Number or Tempur-pedic it does allow for personal preferences. It also didn’t cost anywhere near what the latter does.

@canidmajor Brings up a very important point…do spend talking about the warranty with the salesperson even manager for that matter. I bought a name brand top of their line mattress that after 9 months it developed a serious sag and for the warranty to come into effect they have to put a straightedge across the mattress and if the sag is not at or more than the allotted sag then they more than likely tell you you are out of luck. I don’t remember what the inch distance was but our sag was 1/8” shy and SOL. That didn’t sit well with me and contacted the store manager and politely express my disappointment in their product. He agreed to honor the warranty and we got replacement mattress. I think we even picked out a different model. Which leads me to my personal recommendation is to avoid the pillow tops. They will feel like heaven in the store and the 2 we have purchase over the years end up being fluffy hammocks. If you do go pillow top I think Sealy makes a less thick pillow top and then opt for a slightly firmer model. I am not quite as heavy as your hubby and only mention this is guys our size will test the longevity of a mattresses keeping its shape. Also do ask about the maintenance of the mattress. Newer models do not require flipping and rotating.

And do the flop test where on of you is laying down and the other flops onto the bed. A good quality bed the person laying down should not feel disturbed by it. Also sit on the edges of the bed and you will see a difference and beds with weaker edges will turn into slides over time.

Consumer Reports share some advice here…and the Mattress Nerd shares their wisdom on this subject.

To clarify, my mattress cover is removable and washable. You can buy foam, down, all sorts of mattress covers to protect the mattress and add some softness to your sleep experience.

Yeah, I agree with @Cruiser about not paying more for pillow tops, as a sheet of Comfy Foam from Target will serve the same purpose for MUCH less money.
@Cruiser , I couldn’t even get the guy to agree on a time to come out to measure, they kept telling me to bring the mattress back to the store if I couldn’t work to their schedule. Ack! Calling corporate made no difference, and even calling the news “helplines” didn’t work because Sleepy’s told them that I was being too difficult to work with. I’m glad you could resolve your issues…

I recently bought a new mattress (to replace the IKEA mattress we’ve been sleeping on for over 30 years). I had read good reviews of Tuft & Needle, so I gave it a shot.

They only sell one mattress. The buying experience is very user-friendly. What clinched the deal for me is their trial and return policy: If you buy directly from them (as opposed to Amazon), you have 100 days to decide whether you want to keep it. If you decide to return it, you don’t have to send it back to them; you donate it to a charity and sent T & N the receipt for your refund. They’ll even help you line up a charity donation if you have trouble with that.

The mattress arrives as a tightly bound roll. Once you’ve liberated it, it takes just a short time to fill out, so it’s usable within a couple of hours. It’s solid thick foam (their own proprietary foam, not memory foam) in a nice quality fabric case.

Comfort-wise, they’ve aimed to please everyone with this single product, so it’s pretty middle-of-the-road in most respects. Unless you’re an outlier in your preferences, this will probably feel good. I find it equally comfortable on my side or my back. It’s also good at not transferring motion between sleeping partners. We haven’t had it long enough to see, but they claim that one virtue of their foam is that it’s cooler in the summer than others.

^ Interesting! I’ll check it out.

I was looking at Ikea, too, since the store is near the new place and they have the loft bed I’m getting for the little one. They seem to have a lot of options at a decent price – their most expensive King size bed is less than $900

Edit:
OMG, @thorninmud – that’s bookmarked.

16 years ago I bought a “Sleep Number” bed. Quality bed with 20 year warranty. I have never been sorry. Firmness each side adjustable.

I looked at Tuft and Needle but realized I couldn’t manage setting it up myself. Also, a friend told me they are quite firm and I need softer. I had a great experience with the manager at Sleepy’s. He spent at least 40 minutes letting me try out different mattresses and even told me that Sterns and Foster was the same manufacturer as a cheaper brand. I was very impressed with them. FWIW, we had a Tempurpedic in Florida and I didn’t find it hot but I also didn’t find it worth the extra money.

Re the firmness of the T & N, we also looked at the current generation of IKEA mattresses. They come in either “medium firm” or “firm”. We found that the T & N was right between the two IKEA grades. IKEA “firm” was too firm for us.

Not to be a stick in the mud but you could not pay me to sleep on a memory foam mattress. Since I work in the plastics arena I work with and have almost all the chemicals listed in the web site that discusses the chemicals in memory foam mattresses. When I work with these chemicals I am at the very least wearing a NIOSH approved respirator and just could never feel comfortable spending 6–8 hours every night on top of this chemical soup.

Sure they will argue that the reacted polymers for a non-toxic inert foam…but that is according to their industry. Urethane mattresses are foam and those little foam bubbles are filled with the gases that made this foam. I could go on and bore you with all the nitty gritty details. If you do lean towards a Mem Foam matt….make sure you have at least a 30 day no hassle return policy because some people unbeknownst to them will be allergic to these chemicals most notably the Isocyanates in the urethane and if you do react to the mattress you most certainly will want to return it.

Is a waterbed a possibility?

@janbb, not to outright contradict you (which of course is what I’m about to do, sorry) but I also had a lovely experience buying the bed from Sleepy’s, along with all the assurances that the warranty was always honored. It’s not like they didn’t honor it, they were just so obstructionist that I gave up. I hope you don’t need to find that out! :-)

I don’t know if it’s feasible for you but I did find a king mattress more comfortable when I had a tall husband because I was a tosser and turner. Now, a queen bed is just right for this Empress penguin.

Hubby has already nixed the possibility of a waterbed.

A friend is giving us a King bed. I’m considering two XL twin mattresses, too, if we find our tastes differ too much.

Maybe I’ll get a discount for buying four mattresses at once (Ian and the MIL are getting new beds, too)

I used to sell mattresses.

Do not get a memory foam mattress as others have already stated.

I’m glad a waterbed is out.

You want as many coils as your budget will allow. Ask for the number of coils in each mattress you lie on. More coils means your weight is supported by more metal. Less weight on each individual coil means the mattress will have a longer life.

I have no experience with mattresses filled with air. Personally, I wouldn’t want one, but that is strictly my preference.

When you shop, you will see a “sale” price on every single mattress. This is a gimmick, and as far as I know, everybody does it. Ignore the so-called “regular” price. The only time there is a real sale where prices are further reduced is at the end of the model year, and I don’t know when that is.

Also, if you are shopping for a mattress only without the box spring, be prepared to pay 75% of the price of the set. That’s standard.

Never put a new mattress on an old box spring. It will ruin the mattress in a matter of a few years.

Is there a significant benefit to having a box spring?

I think a platform bed is the alternative to a box spring. Mattress without a box spring would be like lying on a marshmallow.

Right… For one of the plain rail beds, you’d need one. But for, say, the Ikea slat beds, is it necessary or even beneficial?

A slat bed is the same thing as a platform bed, and it does not require a box spring. I have a platform bed, and I do not have a box spring.

All mattresses need proper support. The support comes from either a box spring or a platform of some kind.

@Hawaii_Jake – why no waterbed? I have been sleeping on waterbeds for 38 years. Love them.

I’m glad you like yours. I don’t care for them.

I had a friend whose mom had a waterbed and she kept the heat up on it. It was nice in the winter but quite hot, and every time you’d roll around it was like being on the open seas LOL.

Fwiw I think a box spring is an insane waste of money when a platform does the exact same thing.

Plus, have you ever tried moving a box spring lately. Millions of Europeans do just fine sleeping on platforms (or slats, same thing)

As a matter of fact when Ikea first opened in America they only sold platform beds. I guess they finally caved in to the American consumers demand for box Springs.

The entire concept makes no sense to me at all. Plus they’re just a gigantic dust mite collector.

Don’t waste money and hassle trying to deal with box Springs. Who ever created this horrible idea to begin with? And why in America. Don’t we have enough stupid problems already?

PS. if you’re concerned about a foam mattress being too sweaty, there is the option of getting a lambs wool topper. Believe it or not they are cool in summer and warm in winter since it’s a natural fiber. Plus then you’re not sleeping directly on the foam if you’re concerned about what @Cruiser mentioned.

I live in South Florida and I just bought a Beautyrest firm mattress set at Macys. I put a thick quilted cotton mattress pad on my bed and it’s perfect.

Best advice is stay away from memory foam because it’s hot. If you are determined find one that’s open cell foam. Also, in mattresses you need to be sure you get one with a non prorated warranty of at least 10 years. Innerspring for a queen should be no less than 800 coils, 13 gauge. I’ve done the research on innersprings.

@Buttonstc You need a box spring if you don’t have a platform. Box springs and metal frames are usually cheaper than a platform bed set, at least that used to be the case, it might have changed. Although, if you count some sort of dust ruffle then that adds to the box spring cost. Also, platforms can be more of a pain to make up the bed if it requires tucking everything to look made up.

I have a platform bed and I love it. I like sleeping low to the ground, the trend in America is way up off the ground, especially adding these 18 inch deep mattresses, I hate it. I can pull my back out getting out of a bed that’s way up high. My MIL bought a bed too high for me and she is 5 inches shorter! I was so pissed. Her other son went shopping with her and he is obsessed with how things look, not if they are practical. The salesman didn’t suggest to her to buy a shorter box spring, so I’m annoyed about that too. A lot of people don’t know such a thing exists.

I only rambled on about this, because I hope the OP thinks about getting in and out of bed, and making the bed, when she is considering what to buy.

Good point, @JLeslie. My box spring and mattress makes the bed really high and it’s the one thing I am sorry about. I wish the bed were lower, like a hotel bed. It’s hard to climb on and off, and for my daughter, too.

All I know is that the slat type platforms sold by Ikea and others are definitely not as expensive as a platform bed.

Plus the slats I have are connected with cloth so when it comes time to move, just roll them up and tie together. A whole lot easier than an entire box spring or solid platform.

@jca Did they suggest the short box spring to you? It’s about 4 inches shorter to compensate for the extra 4 inches now padded into mattresses. 4 inches is a lot of difference in height off the floor.

@Buttonstc I had twin beds in a guest room with slats, and I always worried if a kid jumped on it it wouldn’t hold up. Maybe it was just being over-cautious on my part. My bed, I don’t remember if it has slats, but I know my husband added solid board to it to reinforce it. Like I said I love my bed for comfort and height from the floor. We’ve had it over 20 years. The mattress is the second one we’ve had for that bed and should be changed at this point.

If the slats are bought with the bed and properly fitted to the frame, I don’t see how a kid jumping on the bed could loosen them since they fit snugly from side to side and there isn’t any give or a whole lot of room between them (basically just enough to enable rolling them up)

It’s just so much easier to deal with than a gigantic box spring particularly in a Queen size bed.

I was afraid the slats could break. I agree it can be easier than a box spring if you move assuming the platform easily unscrews into flat pieces. My master bedroom set has a crazy heavy headboard, which makes it worse than a box spring probably, but it’s a unique piece.

They were pretty damn thick and not easy to break at all. Plus, when they’re together like that the weight is evenly distributed so even if a kid is jumping in one spot it makes no difference.

I’ve seen far more cases of a box spring slipping off the frame because it wasn’t fitted to it properly. It didn’t break. It just slipped off one side and boom.

@JLeslie I’ve always had a slatted bed and had no problems with children jumping on them. I’m amused remembering in The Great Escape film that they took some of the slats off the bunk beds to shore up the tunnel to hilarious consequences when one person threw himself on the top bunk and ended in a heap on the bottom bunk!

@Buttonstc I had one bed like that. The box spring hung over the end/foot of the metal base, and if I sat on the end of the bed, the whole thing would start to flip up! Now I realize that base should never have been used.

I would have put the mattress on a platform (maybe IKEA) but I had a toddler at the time I purchased the bed, and I didn’t want her falling and hitting her head on the sharp edge of the platform bed, so I used frame. The advantage of frame is that the legs (wheels) are way under the box spring and there are no sharp edges. The down side is the bed frame combined with mattress and box spring makes the bed a bit high.

Yeah, Ian took a nose dive off of our frame+box spring+deep mattress bed when he was an infant, head-first onto the hardwood floor.

No little ones around anymore to worry about there. I can’t decide whether a high bed would be a benefit or a drawback. On the downside, the dog couldn’t jump up and cuddle me all night. On the upside, the dog couldn’t jump up and cuddle me all night. Y’know?

What I like to do is get on the bed with a cup of coffee in the morning, to watch TV. It’s hard when the bed is so high. I wish it was hotel height, which would be perfect.

My two old heavy cats struggle to get up here. It’s part jump, part pull. Sometimes I put the stepstool nearby to help them.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/review-danny-seo-natural-care-mattress-by-simmons-a-year-in-bed-140476

I just stumbled across this ongoing project by the Apartment Therapy website. A different mattress each month and a full report. The one in this link is just one of them and there are links to all the others.

Any update on the mattress @Seek?

Still saving up and researching. The mattress will be purchased after our move.

Any update after 4 months? Narrowing it down?

I’m shopping too. Wondering if I ought to be looking at Saatva. Anyone here have experience with that brand?

We ended up not moving. Shipped the mother-in-law back up north so our budget for a bigger house was shot.

@Jeruba

Check the link I gave above and scroll down to the end of the page and you’ll see a review for Saatva. I just got through reading it and everything was favorable. He was very impressed.

Also, considering that he was doing this whole project for a year of experiencing a rotating bunch of different mattresses and his viewpoints carry some considerable basis of comparison (as opposed to just trying out various ones for a few minutes in a store. )

He actually set them up in his home and tried each one out for several weeks to a month. I’m assuming that is a significant difference compared to the way most people do it with little basis for comparison.