Since sleep is so important to recovery, I thought I’d get some recommendations on good mattresses. A chiropractor I spoke to recommended Sleep Number and Tempurpedic mattresses but they are too rich for my blood.
Are there any other quality mattresses that are more reasonably priced?
I can’t offer you specific makes but do have some advice.
I always choose the firmest mattress i can find, the harder the better (applies to alot of thing in life!) Usually they are called orthopaedic matresses, and provide good support.
I remember sleeping on a really soft mattress once, and woke up in the morning with back ache. As i sat up my whole spine clicked.
Hope this helps - and if you’re really strapped for cash, sleep on the floor. It literally is great for your back.
Why is the floor great for your back?
I usually recommend the Sleep Number or Tempurpedic sets as well, however, they can be cost preventive for many people. Contrary to popular belief, you do not want to get the firmest mattress possible. The most recent studies suggest a medium firm mattress. Most companies (Sealy,Serta, Springwall) produce a posturepedic or orthopedic set. Make sure that you lay on the mattress for several minutes in a couple different positions to get an idea of your comfort level on each. If you have a Sam’s Club where you are at, check to see if they have the 2" memory foam (Tempurpedic-like) mattress toppers. They were carrying these where I’m at in Houston a couple months ago. These were running about 150 dollars and are designed to be placed on top of your mattress, they are made of the same memory foam material as the Tempurpedic products, but do not cost as much. If they have one then you can get a firm, supportive mattress w/o a pillow top and put the memory foam on top. This works very well. Also, you may want to check with the chiropractor you mentioned, as he may be able to order one of these mattress toppers for you. I have ordered them for my patients and they usually cost about the same as the one at Sam’s Club. Also, if the chiro would give you a prescription for the mattress then you do not have to pay sales tax. Sleeping position/posture is important as well. I would not recommend sleeping on the floor.
Take care,
Ryan
If you don’t have alot of cash, one thing you can do is put a 3/4" to 1" sheet of plywood between the box spring and the mattress. This will give you a super firm platform, although you may want to remove it for recreational usage.
Best investment I ever made was an Airbed (Select Comfort, Comfortaire etc.). They are pretty pricey but it was has been the absolute best. Select Comfort is very pricey but you can go to a Comfortaire bed and get the same benefits without having to pay a really outrageous price.
It has saved my back. I use to have all kinds of back pain and it has disappeared. The dificult thing is that I travel on the road a lot and when you get into a hotel bed vs. your airbed it is like night and day.
The only downside is that sometimes the bed is so comfortable that you do not want to get out.
The great thing about these beds is you can try them for 90 days for free. If you don’t like it you can return it.
[quote]drryan wrote:
If you have a Sam’s Club where you are at, check to see if they have the 2" memory foam (Tempurpedic-like) mattress toppers. They were carrying these where I’m at in Houston a couple months ago. These were running about 150 dollars and are designed to be placed on top of your mattress, they are made of the same memory foam material as the Tempurpedic products, but do not cost as much. If they have one then you can get a firm, supportive mattress w/o a pillow top and put the memory foam on top. This works very well.[/quote]
This is the set-up I have and it indeed works very well. That memory foam stuff is great – it really does conform to your body. Also, you may want to do some Internet searches. I think some companies make Tempurpedic knock-offs which are substantially cheaper, but made of the same material.
I had a select comfort but had to get rid of it. As far as I can tell getting any bed with the…pillow top option is trouble because it compresses and then is very uncomfortable.
I now have the temperpedic and love it. Yes it is expensive, but remember it will last >10 years and is guaranteed as such.
If the temperpedic knock offs are the same material and offer you a similar 10 year guarantee then go for it. One usually gets what you pay for and I’d be careful that you are not getting some imitation that will not last and then you’ll be spending more money in the long run.
There are a bunch of companies that make foam mattresses that claim to be equivalent to the Tempurpedic, but there is no way to tell if their claims are justified.
If you have one of these generic memory or latex foam mattresses and are sleeping well on it, please post where you got it from. Thanks!
I have to recommend a waterbed. I have one with individual tubes inside it, its completely waveless, and you can adjust the firmness by how much water you put in the tubes. Its a softside pillowtop, looks like a regualr mattress.
I used to sleep poorly, wake up with pins&needles in my feet and arms, etc. The waterbed changed all of that. My back is about 300% better than before.
Its especially good for me, I kill regular innerspring mattresses due to my size. Anybody over 300 pounds bodyweight can relate. My last Serta set cost me $1500 for the mattress/box spring and frame, and it only lasted 2 years before I had killed the mattress and broken springs were poking through. The waterbed is 2 years old and like new.
You could try that Memory Foam shit that was “Developed by NASA”. I’ve seen what NASA does with it, and you wouldn’t believe me if I told you…
Cheers
I got a brand new mattress just a few months ago, let me tell you, it’s really a personal preference.
You really should go to a mattress store and try lying on them to see what suits you. Believe me, you wouldn’t imagine the things that you never thought off that could bother you… i.e. not just the firmness but the “bumpiness” of a mattress, how HOT it can be (the tempurpedic is really hot, I tried it out at the store), how much upperback support there is, lower back, legs, how the bed moves under you when you shift, do you sink? The list goes on and on.
I went to Sit 'n Sleep (don’t know if that’s nationwide) and they rock. Lots of beds to try out and the customer service was great, the guy who helped me really knew his stuff.
My advice, don’t take any other person’s word for anything, go try it. I almost made the mistake of buying the Tempurpedic mattress because “It’s developed by NASA bluh bluh bluh”, the truth is, other top brand beds have similar stuff and some are even higher quality! (Remember, NASA has blown up a few things along with getting inch and foot mixed up…)
Hope that helps.
Oh one more thing… I believe that you do get what you pay for in terms of mattresses (up to a point of course).
The cheaper stuff tends to lose its firmness much quicker than the pricier ones such that you may find yourself looking for another mattress 5 years down the line instead of 10.
Something to think about.
[quote]David Barr wrote:
You could try that Memory Foam shit that was “Developed by NASA”. I’ve seen what NASA does with it, and you wouldn’t believe me if I told you…
Cheers[/quote]
The Tempurpedic brand mattress is that “memory foam shit.”
[quote]Ouster wrote:
Are there any other quality mattresses that are more reasonably priced?[/quote]
Your mattress needs will vary depending on how you sleep. There is no “one type fits all” mattress. Same goes for pillows.
For example, if you sleep on your back, you’ll want a pretty firm mattress. If you sleep on your side, you’ll want a somewhat less firm mattress. And if you sleep on your stomach, you’ll want a fairly soft mattress.
Of course, most people sleep in more than one position, so you’ll have to find a mattress that fits you most comfortably for whichever way you’ll be sleeping.
If possible, try to get one with a “money back” return policy, so that if you find after a week (try to give it at least a few days to truly decide if it works for you) that you can’t sleep well on it, you can return it for a full refund.
I recently got an air bed also, it was the best decision. At first I felt hesitant between air and the special foam (not memory) mattress. The foam one was about 2 grand for a queen, so very cost prohibative.
I got a comfortaire, it was better priced than a select comfort, and it just seemed all around quality better (select comforts have a plastic foundation which I heard can get quite noisy). The pump doesnt leak at all during a power outages. I decided not to get any pillow toppers, I noticed as I tried thicker pillow toppers I could not tell the differance between 50% filled and 100% filled so what was the point? Anyways the cost goes up quickly with toppers, and I could always buy a cheap feather top if I needed to.
If you have a problem like me where your back seems fine for about 3 months on a new mattress then all of a sudden goes bad again until you change mattresses again it might be a good idea to invest the money.
Lauren
Today’s your lucky day…I spent about 2 hrs on epinion.com and online the other day researching this EXACT topic.
Key points:
-everybody needs diff’t mattresses. We’re all unique and so are our preferences so what works for u may not work for others
-Tempurpedics have a bad rap for losing their springiness and being hot. THeir warranty is difficult to cash in on, they are difficult to deal with. But thoese who love them LOVE them
-Firm is NOT the answer for most. Its a myth that its great for one’s back. See #1
-You need to try out AM mattresses AP and see which ones work for you, Go to a store with a large selection and don’t be shy spending time lying down on a lot of them
-The Comfortair and the Dux, along with the Tempurpedic, all have many supporters and many detractors.
-THe most expensive ones aren’t necessarily the best BUT the cheap ones def. suck. Stick with major name brands
-Be careufl of the store you’re dealing with. Examine their return policy inch by inch i.e. the fineprint
This a nice long article about buying a mattress:
You guys have given some great info. Thanks for the input!