My head hurts
May 14, 2014 10:15 AM
Joined: May 14, 2014
Points: 2
I'm currently sleeping on a king innerspring double sided Sealy Posturepedic that my late wife bought for us back in 2001.  It has worked fine for me and I still sleep well on it; however, I just bought new bedroom furniture and the old furniture is going into a guest bedroom and I need a new mattress.  I'm not allergeic to anything and don't have any back problems.....when I sleep at hotels or in a stange bed I don't seem to have any problems sleeping despite being a light sleeper......but like a firmer mattress.  I don't really love shopping, but am not an impulse buyer and tend to research something faily well before I buy.....usually at consumer reports or by customer reviews at places like Amazon or Costco.  A couple of years ago I bought a queen Handy Living 9" plush mattress from BJ's to go into a guest bedroom, it got good reviews but was only $250 and I've slept on it a couple of times and wasn't that impressed.  

My girlfriend had some $4000 monster thing that was only two years old that she and I both hated (it was like sleeping in a bowl of marshmellows), she just gave it to a friend and bought a Newfield King firm from Costco that got good reviews, while we both think it's OK neither of us like it as much as my 10 plus year old Sealy and she is thinking about returning it (one thing about Costco is that they have a great return policy) and it's a single sided mattress and I worry about it wearing out.  I'm 6 feet and a little over 200lbs and she is 5 foot nothing and 105lbs and what I would like to find is something we both like that we can buy two of, one for her house and one for mine.

Now that I am doing some more detailed research on what will be my new full time bed I am just getting more confused the more I research.  Consumer reports doesn't seem to be as helpful as it is in some other situations.  Customer reviews at Costco or BJs seem to be to few or cover too short a time period to be reliable, reviews at Amazon just seem to cover lower end bed.  I'm not looking to build something myself the way a lot of you guys have done, I just want to make a smart purchase, get the best bang for my buck, and not get ripped off or make a mistake.  One tip I seem to agree with from Consumerreports is that I shouldn't spend more than $1000.  I think I want to stay away from memory foam and stick with a innerspring double sided mattress that I can flip....but those seem to be hard to find......this is harder than buying a car.  Can anyone help?

 

Re: My head hurts
Reply #3 May 16, 2014 4:48 PM
Joined: Mar 27, 2014
Points: 189
spur0701 wrote:

Girlfriend thinks it is too soft and I don't think it is as comfortable as my 10 year old Sealy.  It also bothers me that it is onesided, given what I have been reading it just really takes away versatility.  The conclusion I think I am sort of reaching is that I should just get the firmest double sided innerspring I can find made with quality materials and then install toppers to get it to where we want it.  


spur0701.  You are exactly on the right track.  Very firm double sided mattress then add toppers that fit your weight and sleeping style.  You might both like a medium topper since she thinks the current bed is too soft and you are a bigger guy.  If you both don't like the topper you get you can cut it in half and get a different one for the person who was not happy with the first.  Unfortunately there are very few double sided mattresses around.  Smaller (local) mattress companies that did not follow the herd a decade ago are still making them.  Also Restonic, OMF, Spring Air and Serta makes a few.  Let me know how it works out for you. Mattdud.

Re: My head hurts
Reply #4 May 23, 2014 12:52 PM
Joined: May 23, 2014
Points: 2
One thing that stuck out to me: you said you're a light sleeper and you prefer a firm mattress. These two things are related! There is a good chance you are a light sleeper because you have a firm mattress. Hard mattresses cause pressure on your body which lead to changing positions often at night. When you briefly wake up during those times, and when you're in the lighter stages of sleep, you are more succeptible to disturbances that keep you awake. If you get a softer mattress, you will stay in one position longer, meaning you can stay in the deeper stages of sleep for longer, and therefore won't wake up as often. 

There is a happy medium between a super-hard mattress and the marshmallow bed you referred to. 

One other thing: virtually all mattresses are one-sided these days. Putting a lot of pressure-relieving foams on the bottom of the mattress is 1) a waste of money and 2) not as supportive as a solid base. If you limit yourself to double-sided mattresses, you're making your job arbitrarily difficult. 

Re: My head hurts
Reply #5 May 27, 2014 2:03 PM
Joined: May 27, 2014
Points: 1
I can feel your confussion. Mattresses are not an easy purchase. I have been in the mattress industry for over 25 years. You really don't need to worry about the none flip mattress as with the new materials and the weight of the mattress they will last just as long as the flippable. It is a good idea to turn them 3 or 4 times a year.
This message was modified May 27, 2014 by a moderator
Re: My head hurts
Reply #6 May 29, 2014 4:30 PM
Joined: Sep 11, 2007
Points: 116
Well the good news is, it has shifted your focus on why you need a new mattress in the first place.  

Unfortunately, Consumer reports and online reviews often are confusing, misleading, and cause migraines.  

Do you have any close friends or relatives that may have any recommendations?  Find a store that carries reputable brands and has a lengthy in home trial.

Good luck.

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