Get a good night's sleep on the right mattress
On a recent shopping trip to check out new mattresses, the salesmen was trying to show me differences in firmness. After trying out two or three mattresses that all felt the same to me, he said, "Here, try this one." I immediately sank into the softest mattress I have ever felt. It was like lying on a huge bed of feathers, and it felt like Heaven. But I knew I could never get a good night's sleep on it.Though people are too diverse in their mattress preferences to be properly studied, most sleep experts agree that firm is better. That's because a too-soft mattress won't support your hips and spine, and you could wake with pain in the morning. Instead, try to find a balance with a mattress that's firm enough to support your weight, but still has plenty of cushion and bounce for comfort.
WebMD recently interviewed sleep experts to find out what things to consider when shopping for a new mattress. If you're in the market for one, you may want to take a minute and see what they had to say.







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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 8)
11-12-2007 @ 10:03AM
gina said...
I purchased a new mattress from Rick at Sleep City, on Diversey in Chicago. He took me upstairs and said pick from every mattress on the floor. The first mattress that he pointed out, I immediately chose after trying it out. He hurredly tried to talk me into the myraid of others. I stuck to my guns. What was delivered was not my mattress. This liar insisted that it was. I went into the store the following day. My choice had been removed from the second floor.
When you choose your mattress, take a picture of it before leaving so that you can stick it into the liar's face. Better yet, purchase your mattresses from a reliable department store. The 3 that I've purchased from Carson's since are so very much nicer.
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11-12-2007 @ 10:28AM
Trish said...
I've found that shopping mattresses is like shopping for
a car. The sales people are all over you and pushy.
Who can make a decision about something like a good nights sleep when you have some sales guy standing over you while you're laying on a mattress in the show room? Very uncomfortable!
We ended up with good mattresses from Sam's Club..
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11-12-2007 @ 10:28AM
Sunny said...
I recently purchased an $800 Sealy mattress and I love it. I did not know how worn my old one was becsue it was clean and looked in perfect shape. But it was perfectly awful. My new one is soft and sooo comfy.
At first I felt guilty about spending that much money but it has been worth every penny.
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11-12-2007 @ 10:33AM
Sharon said...
I'm considering one of those Sleep Number beds....anyone have good/bad experiences witht the mattress or the company?
They are a bit more expensive, but they have a great warrenty
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11-12-2007 @ 10:33AM
Gretchen said...
I disagree that "most sleep experts agree that firm is better". If you are purchasing a mattress of quality, something over $700.00, the support is in the springs which are what is really supporting your hips and spine. You need a certain degree of softness and give for your hips and shoulders. If I had a penny for every customer that came in and insisted on the cheapest hardest brick in the store, because they heard firm is better, I would be a rich woman. In my experience, the mattresses that are returned the most are firm, because they just do not have enough give. My advice as a salesperson is: if you feel the salesperson is pressuring you into a mattress set you don't want, ask for another salesperson or leave, the other is -if you want a good sleepset that will support you, you will pay more than $650 for a queen set. If a mattress queen set is on sale for less than $650. the manufacturer has not been able to put quality materials in it necessary for a good night's sleep.
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11-12-2007 @ 10:42AM
redmaiden723 said...
i bought a sleep number bed.. we absolutely hate it..
my husband had back problems i didn't. When i get out of it in the morning i can't even walk.. we called several times to complain.. all they do is send different parts to adjust the hole in the middle of the bed.. again, i absolutely hate it and would not recommend it..
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11-12-2007 @ 10:44AM
Linda said...
We've had a sleep by number for quite awhile.. Have never liked it ... it changes air in it if you use an electric blanket or if it is cold...We have kept it because we spent $1.600.00 0n it... We'd like a tempurpedic .. But there goes another $2,500.00.. Not ready to do that yet...
Linda
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11-12-2007 @ 10:45AM
Gordon said...
Sharon -- I bought a sleep Number bed in January, '06, and like it. I bought it because my wife was hating to go to bed because of bursitis on the hip which we could not help with cushions. Doctor's nurse recommended Sleep Number over Tempurpedic from patients who had tried each. It takes experience before finding the right number, but the company gave 30 days and we were able to figure it out with satisfaction.
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11-12-2007 @ 10:49AM
Sandra said...
Our teenaged daughter needed a new mattress and my husband insisted on getting her one of the sleep number type. His reasoning was that she would have the mattress for many years to come and could take it with her when she eventually got a place of her own. I disagreed but we bought it anyway. She liked it so much that my husband and I slept on it one night and then went and bought ourselves one the next day! I agree they're overpriced but, for us, it's been well worth the money. It sure beats sleeping on a too-soft mattress and waking up with a back ache.
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11-12-2007 @ 10:49AM
Linda said...
We bought a sleep by number mattress and Hate it !!! It is not comfortable...We have kept it because we paid $!,800.00 for it.. We think we would like a tempurpedic but there goes another $2,500.00... Not ready for that yet... Anyone with comments on a tempurpedic ?
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11-12-2007 @ 10:50AM
Caroline Scott said...
I bought a Sealy Tempurpedic about three months ago. The idea of the Tempurpedic is a good one...but , even with the pillows the brand carries, it takes a LOT of time to really adjust to your body......it starts out being too firm....after many painful nights, it starts to "cave in" at certain places..i assume this is how the Tempurpedic adjusts to your body: hint: when you try it at the store, it won't be the same as when you first get it home . Also, all other customers have tried this same bed...so it won't be a good demo for you.....
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11-12-2007 @ 10:51AM
DOT said...
We bought a sleep number bed and we really dislike it. We bought , I think, the 500 series bed which is one step below the most expensive as a king size. We both use the same number but still have this "space" in the center whcih feels like you are sinking into it. We have put more filler in the center but we still feel it. It was a terrible choice to make in bedding.
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11-12-2007 @ 10:57AM
meg said...
Waterbed! We turn the heater off in the summer and it sucks the heat right out of our bodies, it's so nice and cool! in winter we turn the heater back on and it's nice and warm. Comfy, too.
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11-12-2007 @ 11:25AM
Shari D said...
It was a rude awakening to say the least when we discovered, after sleeping on a waterbed for 26 years and looking to replace it with a standard set, that the major mattress manufacturers - Simmons, Serta, Sealy, etc - make it IMPOSSIBLE to comparison shop their own merchandise from one store brand to another. They admit that they do not stock the same model names from one to another, and that what you see in one store is not going to be the same one you see in any other brand store. It would be like going from one Ford dealer to another trying to comparison shop models, and each dealer's offerings have different names, prices and features - none of them exactly the same.
We experienced this recently when we attempted to shop different stores for a particular Simmons mattress set we found in one store, before we made a final purchase. Each store had different models, each one looked different, even if it was only superficial, the prices weren't the same, even the warranties were different, and all we got was blank looks when we went to one store after another asking for a particular model name and firmness level.
I refuse to be victimized by such deceptive marketing practices - so we are still sleeping on our waterbed, which has only had two mattresses in 26 years. I think I'll just add more water to it and adjust the firmness that way. Phooey on them.
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11-12-2007 @ 11:28AM
NotHereLong said...
I bought a Stearns And Foster king size mattresses from the Mattress Firm in San Antonio, Texas. It was a "firm" mattress. We have had it for about four years and it has collapsed in on both sides where we lay on it ( my wife and I ). It should be noted that I am 6 feet tall and weigh 195 lbs, and my wife weighs 180, so we're not "obese". I will NEVER buy another expensive Stearns And Foster mattress again. I was never more disappointed in the quality of an item in my life. You're paying MORE for a name brand that doesn't last any longer than a cheaper model from somewhere else. What a rip-off !!Never again !!
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11-12-2007 @ 11:28AM
alan said...
I've been selling mattresses for 20 years and the most important thing is the coil system. The foam in a mattress is a comfort factor, hard or soft. The coil system is what supports you not the foam which only gives you a hard or soft feel depending on your preference. Take time to check the coils, a good system should have 500-800 coils in a queen size, make sure it has edge supports. This will eliminate the roll off effect when you lie on the edge. Buy smart and you'll sleep like a baby.
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11-12-2007 @ 11:31AM
Lori said...
We bought the most expensive Sealy Tempurpedic king and trust me we paid more than $700 for it! ha ha I have Fibromyagle and Back and Neck problems, my doctor even wrote a script for it - I now sleep in my recliner because I can't get out of bed in the morning when I sleep in the bed. Not good for the love life! HA HA I wish I would have taken the money and bought a spa with it instead. For the money I spent I could have bought a really nice spa too. But on the flip side of the coin - my husband swears by it and loves every night sleeping in it. So I guess it really depends on the person. The problem in trying to find a mattress that fits both husband and wife. Maybe we should have bought two twins and pushed them together! HA HA HA
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11-12-2007 @ 11:31AM
freddirrim said...
I bought mattress at a disciount warehouse. No pressure sale people. We checked out every bed set up in the place and found one just right. What we got matched the name & number we ordered but was not the same mattress, it was a lot softer. The display mattresss must have been a better quality one. I don't know how you can be sure of what your buying with this kind of switching going on. Your better off buying from a good brand name dealer, too many ways to con you.
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11-12-2007 @ 11:33AM
Beth said...
We bought a Sleep Number mattress (actually three) and love all of them. We have had no problems and have many people who stay with us say it is the most comfortable mattress they have ever slept on because you can adjust it to suit your preference for firmness or softness. Especially for husbands and wives who have different preferences in the degree of firmness, it seems the perfect answer. And no, I do not work for the company! I'm just a satisfied customer.
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11-12-2007 @ 11:35AM
Jay said...
hey meg, i'm with you, waterbeds rule! unfortunately where i live they don't allow them. i have a pillowtop and have slept on a sleep number bed and a tempurpedic-which sucks, the waterbed is by far the best sleep i've ever gotten. can't wait to move!
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