My story is so similar to others' here that it may put you to sleep (maybe that's a good thing on this site). I'm male, 54, 5'8", 160, side and sometimes stomach sleeper, located in San Diego. I sleep alone on a queen mattress supported by an ancient waterbed frame. After 18 satisfied years on a Sealy Posturpedic pillowtop, some sagging, so time to shop. Taking liberal advantage of Costco and Sears return policies, I tried a memory foam and three innerspring mattresses over the course of several months ... finally settled on another Sealy Posturpedic pillowtop from Sears, the Cason Bay Ti Firm Euro Pillowtop. Allegedly a $1400 mattress (queen), I got it for under $500 delivered. Felt fine for a while, but after 18 months, the upper foams had broken down so much that side sleep became pretzel sleep. Warranty claim denied because--surprise!--the foam springs back enough when you're not on it that it doesn't sag 1.5" (although 3/4" in 18 months seems like a lot). Sought out a chiropractor for the first time and got some relief. Finally decided to try the guest bed with its $100 Goodwill Posturpedic. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is cement, this is a 9. I think it's basically a thick blanket over springs, held up by mites (weighs a ton). Anyway, with a thick non-foam mattress pad on that, I'm sleeping better but not great, and my back is better but not great. Tried a 3" Costco memory foam topper on this one and it was too mushy.
So I'm looking for options. The mattress budget was spent two years ago, but maybe I can invest another $500 if it helps with the sleeping and lower back pain. It seems the custom shops often referenced here start at around $1000 so I haven't tried them. I'm wondering if there is a decent new mattress in this range or, after reading a couple accounts here, whether I should operate on the almost-new Sealy.
For the buying option, I feel like I need to avoid Sealy etc., so I visited Ikea. The "high-resilience" poly foam
Favang
($329 queen) felt pretty good but their twin demo was on a springy wood slat base so it might feel too hard on my waterbed "platform." The latex
Elsfjord
($499) was okay but I liked the feel of the innerspring
Hogla
($479) better--they had that on a platform already. I did not notice the thinner, cheaper innerspring
Hanestad
($249) while I was there and wonder if it would be just as good; the ability to take it home rolled up is attractive (no free delivery from Ikea).
As for what's there to work with in terms of a repair, the Cason Bay Ti queen (don't miss your chance to buy at
Sears outlet
!) has 736 coils and offers this description:
COOLMAX knit cover wicks away moisture from your body. Moisture evaporates quickly because it allows air flow that keeps
you cool, dry and comfortable while you sleep. Full layer of memory foam across the entire sleep surface. Conforms to the
shape of your body and reduces pressure points. CoreSupport™ Center is Powerpacked with Memory foam in the center
third. Designed to enhance support and resist body impressions. Mattress feels as good after ten years as it did on day one. [cough]. Titanium SS™ innerspring provides correct support for optimum body support and is twice tempered for maximum support over the life of the mattress. Titanium is twice as strong as steel.
So, foam and springs covered by cloth, very informative. The actual mattress tag might mean a little more to someone: Polyurethane Foam 81%, Polyethylene Foam 12%, Blended Rayon/Polyester Fiber Batting 6%, Polypropylene Foam 1%, Spring Unit.
Open to other vendors/options including airbeds or waterbeds (not a memory foam fan). Any thoughts appreciated!
Mark