Need feedback on mattresses
 

I need to get a new mattress and am scared to death! I'm afraid I'll get one and not like it and then what?!! Just got a recliner lift chair and they sold me the wrong size and went through a lot to get it returned and get the right one. I don't want to go through that with a mattress too!

My chiropractor recc King Koil and Springwall. I'm in Columbus Ohio where the KK factory is but when I went to their web site to find info on their own mattresses, got a 404 not found msg.

Has anyone had experience with either of these? Don't want a memory foam or tempurpedic; he said he wouldn't recc. Serta with the individually wrapped springs and to get a medium firm and NOT a pillowtop---I thought I'd want a firm! He also said to get a high spring count.

I just had hip replacement surgery and am supposed to lie flat in bed without a pillow or anything under my knees and both my knees and back are screaming! My mattress is about 15-16 years old and does need replacing. I got a good set and am hoping I can use the box spring I have with the new mattress. This whole thing is just overwhelming at this point, with everything else that's going on so would appreciate any feedback you can give!! TIA!!

I agree with *not* getting a firm mattress. I got one years ago, thinking the firmer the better, and didn't sleep well on it because it was so firm my body would develop pressure points of soreness. Also agree with *not* getting a pillowtop. The pillowtop will develop compressed spots from your body long before the mattress gives out.

It was years ago when we shopped, but I think it was the King Koil that my husband didn't like because he could hear the springs creak when he moved on it. It didn't bother me, but it bothered him a lot. I know it sounds odd, but pay attention to the sound when you move around on the mattress.

Usually the cost savings from using a prior box spring isn't worth it, and I believe most mattress companies won't warranty a mattress that is not used with a new box spring. If you read the warranties closely, though, I'm not sure how much they're worth. The mattress usually has to show at least a 1" slump plus, as you know from the recliner experience, it's not easy to return a big item like a mattress. Better to get it right the first time.

Edit: I found this website about King Koil that might be useful:
http://www.sleeplikethedead.com/matt...king-koil.html

Also, I do recommend getting a flipable mattress (two-sided). Our current one is not; our previous mattress was, and in my opinion was a lot better and lasted much longer.

While I'm thinking about it, I recommend also paying attention to the mattress depth. Some of the mattresses these days are super thick, which means you can spend a small fortune on sheet sets that fit.

Hi, I hope that you are recovering well from your surgery. I understand about getting the right mattress the 1st time. After my back surgery I had to get another mattress and bought the memory foam 1st. After awhile it just killed all of my pressure points so off shopping we went again. This time we purchased a sleep number bed. I absolutely love it! If my pain is worse due to weather I can change the number and when I feel better, I change it back. And my husband is always a different number than I am. I hope this helps you. We also live in Columbus, Oh and we bought our bed at Easton or you can get it at Polaris. I hope that this helps.
Take care, Colleen.

i have an air mattress you pump up. i used to set it on 45 but now need it at 90!

We bought a memory foam bed and love it. They don't sell double pillow top mattress's around here. In the past we had two and they lasted many years. I guess the manufacturers decided to stop making them so we would have to buy more often. The one we replaced had a pillow top on one side and was lousy after six months of use.
We bought a memory foam topper and made sleeping on it possible. We still use the topper on the new bed to make it higher and easier to get in and out of.
Good luck with your purchase.

Try and get the salesperson to include a mattress pad for your new mattress. The memory foam mattresses (heaven for bad hips) will eventually form a body shape in them, and the foam 'packs' down in those areas that are used more. One little spot on the mattress from any type of body fluid/ lotion/ food, etc. and the warranty is gone. It is highly recommended the mattresses be covered with a high quality pad. We ended up cutting a slit on one long and one short side of our memory foam top (it is Simmons Beautyrest and the top is sewn separate from the thick foam underneath on the mattress top.) We shake the foam top (about 4" of tough dense foam) and put the sheet back on and it is good as new for a couple days. We decided to cut the mattress topper part of the mattress top as the warranty was void anyway after our GD took a nap in NanaPapa's bed while the mattress pad was in the wash. UGH. Could have had a free mattress top replacement. Best of luck in finding just the right mattress for your comfort.

We got a really good deal on a sleep number bed and we use it in our spare room (we have a tempurpedic that we use and love). I slept on it a few nights to make sure it's ok, and it's really nice. My friend has one and absolutely swears by it. Good luck!

All I can really add is that, yes, mattress shopping is VERY painful! Someone mentioned mattress depths. Definitely something to keep in mind. Not sure there is really a way around that, however. BUT if you end up liking a mattress that is very thick, consider going with a 'half height' box spring. Wish we had really paid attention to this last time we bought a new mattress/boxspring. I feel like I need a step ladder to get into bed! Truly have to 'climb' into bed. Really did a number on my hip until I got used to it. And yes, you will spend a small fortune on sheets. My experience is that most places now insist on their specific mattress pad/cover to maintain the warranty. Just another rip off in my opinion, but what are you going to do? Good luck.

I also have the select comfort and love it. I don't think I could ever have a different kind of mattress. I see they have a new kind you can throw the top into the washer. Now thats a great idea!

The recommendation of buying a mattress that you can flip over is on top of my list.....I do that every six months...flip over, or just reverse foot/head....last mattress lasted yrs....bought a number one..DH wanted..he loved it, I hated it....now have just a "plain ole" Matt. No fancy pillow top, foam top...and I sleep very well

I have had a Sleep Number for about 3 years now and love it. I know, they are expensive. But the feature that lets you change the firmness by a remote is wonderful. DH and I are not small people and our mattresses tend to look like a W very quickly. Our mattress before this had the individual coils, BIG MISTAKE! They need to be tied together to not compress permanently. But yes, there was no jiggling the other person when we moved. Go to the sleep number store without your credit card and test them.

WE had a firm (try like sleeping on a rock firm) mattress that was making my bones hurt and had difficulty getting to sleep and then staying asleep. We tried out the Sleep Number bed, bought one, and oh, the delight of a night's sleep. My husband uses a way higher number (firmer) than I. They are pricey, but if you can talk to the manager, sometimes you can buy a model that's being discontinued. Good luck in your quest. The docs that recommend a firm mattress may not be at the stage where bones can hurt and interrupt sleeping.
We didn't buy the 'special' bedsheets, etc, but found ones that work fine at a local discount store.

Two of my sisters and one brother have back trouble and arthritis, so they all bought temperpedic mattresses, not all at the same time. Every one of them absolutely LOVE theirs and would not be without. My GF bought a mattress for her KS bed in her guest room from Overstock.com. It feels just like a temperpedic. When I stay with her, I sleep on it. It is wonderful!! I sleep better than ever on it. And....she only paid about $300-$400 for it!!

We highly recommend a sleep number mattress. It won't work on your box springs but metal frames are not expensive. We were surprised to see that our sleep numbers were so different. We have been married 53 years and this is the best mattress we have found.

My son had a brand that is similar to sleep by number and they love it. I bought a memory foam one and within a month I felt like I was sleeping in dip. they reccommended I bring it back, later I was notified they could not do anything about it and I needed to take it back. So I put in in my guestroom. It is fine but not to use on a regular basis. The same thing happened to a gal I clean house for. Their problem was they waited to report this for at least 2-3 years. What the companies do is measure - it has to be a 2 inch dip before anything is done about it. These people buy LOTS of stuff from this store and still nothing was done. You can see the deep dips even with the bed made up. Neither of these people are too heavy.

Thank you all so much! I've been doing research all afternoon and am leaning toward a sleep number but have a lot more to check on. From what I've read I think a single chamber full or twin might be better than a dual chamber. If anyone else has pros or cons about the sleep number beds or other, please chime in! I'm beginning to feel a bit more hopeful!
Polly

Some of the firm mattresses are like sleeping on sheet rock or plywood. Do test and ask about a return policy.

I love my sleep number bed. I had it over 12 years and I'm still comfortable. I had back surgery in 2007 and when I sleep on other beds, I'm not as comfortable. Try one out. The new ones look even better.

I tried a sleep # after I had knee replacement and I didn't like it...I couldn't find a good number....but then perhaps it was because of the pain and not the bed.

I read and think it is a smart idea. To buy a regular mattress without a pillow top and then buy a pillow top for it then when you wear out the topper you can replace just that. We are also in the market for a bed...so thank you for asking this question.

Also my daughter had the memory foam for about 10 years and they hate it! Her husband thinks it is giving him migraines. They are buying the sleep number - so I think I will wait for their review.

Try Kingsdown brand, Emerald Crown model. I bought one for the guest bed which is in my sewing room and LOVE it. Not too firm, not too soft. I have a bad back and did I say I LOVE it. Often fall asleep there after sewing instead of going to my bed which is a Sleep Number. It's half the cost of Sleep number too.

Kingsdown Emerald Crown. Bought ours at Sleepy's.

We bought one of the iComfort beds and love it. It has cool gel in it, so we don't get too hot. It is similar in idea to a tempurpedic, but better. Before the iComfort, we had on of the Donald Trump named Beautyrests and has trouble with it. We also had a Tempurpedic a long time ago and got rid of it in less than a year. We tried one of the Select Comfort at a hotel and were not impressed.

Also, we bought the low profile foundation box springs. It lowers the height of the bed, even if the mattress is tall.

We ditched the memory foam once it sag and compacted. Never again! I went shopping, bought the high coil count firmest mattress with box spring (Sealy Posturpedic...my favorite brand for years) . AND...then I bought a 1.5" thick memory foam mattress for on top of our very firm mattress. Love it!! Been almost 2years and still comfy.

Mattress sets are difficult to compare due to the marketing of each per each retailer. (Lots f model numbers per same mattress). Just go lay down on a lot of them until one feels right.

Good luck.
Sandy

I could never see how the memory foam mattress could NOT sag over time. On top of that, there appears to be just a couple of inches of foam on top of a regular mattress. When pressure points started waking me up at night I purchased a memory foam mattress topper for about $100. It is still going strong and I've had it for several years. I flip it over and top to bottom about twice a year. Problem solved. :D

I bought a Temper-Pedic last month and love it..

I need to shop for a mattress too. I am dreading it. I highly recommend getting one that you can flip. The one we have doesn't flip and I feel like it wears out faster. I had a pillow top mattress and hated it. My DD loved it and needed a new mattress and I gave it to her. It is so hard to compare mattresses because even if you shop the same brand from store to store they have different names so they are hard to compare. My DS highly recommends a Tempurpedic. You do need to consider the number of coils and the gage of wire they are made of. It is all so confusing you almost need a degree in mattresses to shop for one. Good luck.

Have you looked into a Sleep Number bed? You can change the softness or hardness of the mattress by just the touch of a button. As your hip heals this would be a great feature for you. They come is all shapes and sizes, I think even an adjustable type bed. Ask your Dr about it first, but I think you would be very happy with one.

Webought a new mattress few months back and doesn't feel any different than the last one. DH thinks it'sdifferent and I ask him then why do you still end up on the couch to get the kinks out. We were also told that it shouldn't give any more than couple inches. Well guess what how about a good 6"? We did need a new mattress but no difference in it from last one. Hate shopping for mattresses,

My DH bought the type with the Sleep Number mattress years ago and we LOVE LOVE LOVE it!! It took a bit of testing to find my number, but now I know (once a year, MAYBE) when it loses some air.. I wake up stiff! When I check the number, yep... not on my number. I adjust and months go by before I need to adjust again. We won't ever use any other mattress.

The last sentence is absolutely right. They do last longer.

DO NOT JUST QUICKLY SIT OR LIE DOWN ON A MATTRESS, ROLL AROUND ON IT, TWIST, TURN, SIT UP, LIE BACK. Sorry about the all caps, but I can not stress enough how important it is to really try out the mattress first, but actually trying it in every conceivable way before you make a choice. My DD bought a new mattress and insisted I come try it out. It happened to be a pillow top, which is not on your list, but this makes my point for me. She still raves about that silly mattress, but when I lie on it, I can't move, and my back just screams with pain. See if the seller offers a "money back try out period" would be my best suggestion.

No suggestions on mattresses, but I have a suggestion regarding your hip replacement. I had mine in 2005 and my orthopedist suggested putting a bed pillow between my legs when laying on your side. The pillow keeps your hips in neutral position (ankles, knees and hips in straight line) and makes turning over so much easier. Ask your doctor if this would work for you. (I slept with the pillow for about 6 months).

Good luck on your mattress shopping. One thing I do recommend, is a flippable mattress. Most pillow tops can't be flipped. Also, pillow tops can be thicker than non-pillow tops and you will need extra-depth sheets. Regular sheets will pop off on the corners.

I have severe back problems, degenerative disc disease, sciatica, dorsal nerve stims, upper and lower. 9 spinal surgeries, and a mess of other things. Memory foam saved my life. I swear by it. got about 6" of it on my bed. can't live without it.