Ahhh Sleep….so delicious!

So, a few years ago, I decided to get a new bed.  Prior to this, I had been sleeping on a Queen sized coil mattress that was more than 23 years old (in reality it was closer to 30).  This had been handed down to me from other family members and I was reluctant to buy anything new because I figured I’d be moving someday soon, so why bother?  The move never happened and each year the argument for keeping the bed became weaker and weaker.

What I hope to share with you are some of the details I considered in buying my mattress and some details I wish I had begun to consider earlier.  If you’re suffering from pain and you believe your mattress is hurting more than it is helping, them read on.

While buying a new mattress is an obvious solution to back pain for most people I resisted out of general stubbornness and incorrect valuation.  I kept telling myself that the money could be put towards something else that was more important.  And besides, the mattress wasn’t all that bad – just a little pain is all (I know, right?).

While researching the different mattress choices out there I heard what finally pushed me over the edge.  I was in a big box mattress store listening to the salesman as he was breaking down the differences between two mattresses.  One was $2000 while the other was $3000.  I don’t recall too many details, but he seemed to say “higher quality” and a “cooler sleep”.  It was unconvincing enough that I must have scoffed to which he replied, “You’re going to spend 1/3 of your life on this thing.  Don’t you want the best?”

This line didn’t convince me to buy but it did form a major impression in my mind.  He was right, the time I spend sleeping takes up a major portion of my day and there’s absolutely no reason why I should purposefully suffer when I don’t have to.  If you’re suffering from back pain, shoulder pain, leg pain, etc., then you deserve great sleep.  And not just great, but higher quality sleep than the norm.

Price

The first thing to consider when shopping for your new bed is your budget.  I dropped about $1200 on my bed (mattress, box spring, and mattress protector) and I’m VERY happy with my decision.  I could have spent more but I don’t think my satisfaction would be much greater than it is now. 

This is not to say that the more expensive mattresses weren’t impressive (especially if I’d picked up a Tempur-Pedic.  Woo!!  Lying down on that thing was a pleasure).  I just didn’t think the feel or details highlighted substantiated the price points.

I talked to a few people and did a bunch of reading online and I was confident going out and looking for the best deal I could find between $900 and $1300.  Be sure to find out what’s included in the price:

• Is it only the mattress?
• Will they throw in the box spring and mattress protector as well?
• Will they consider throwing in some pillows?

It never hurts to ask.  So, ask away and see what you can get.

Mattress Components

The prices of the mattress will depend on what type of mattress it is.  Generally speaking, you have three types of mattresses:  those made up of coils, those made with foam, and those made with some combination of both coils and foam.

I found them all to be quite wonderful and the coils were easy to like since they’re closest to what I’ve been used to most of my life.  The foam was a new feeling but not so new that my body rejected it.  I was impressed with the firmness that foam mattresses provided.

What I found was that above $800 or $900 dollars most of the mattresses were the same or at least felt the same.  The higher levels ($2500 and up) felt distinctly different from the lower priced mattresses.  But again, the difference was not enough to convince me to spend twice as much.

Personal Sleep Style

For years I never thought sleep style mattered.  From personal experience, I know that being a stomach sleeper can do terrible things to the human spine and accompanying muscles.  But only recently have I learned that this can be greatly exacerbated depending on the mattress you sleep on.

I’m generally a side and back sleeper – often going from one to the other.

• • If you have a shoulder injury, make sure to try out the softer or less firm mattresses.
  • If you have back pain, make sure to look at the medium to very firm mattresses.
   

As someone that has both shoulder and back pain (which may be why I toggle between being a side and back sleeper – or maybe I’m just cool like that) I found it confusing to decide whether I should go with a soft mattress, a medium firm, or a very firm.  The softer mattresses felt amazing on my shoulders when I would lie on my side.  But the firm mattresses felt amazing on my back when I would lie supine.

I decided that medium was the way to go.  However, you may not be able to stop there.  Investigate further because some mattress makers carry a “Firm” that is very firm while others carry a “Firm” that is more of a medium.

Online vs In-Store

This was crazy to me because I had no idea people bought mattresses online.  Why would anyone do this?  I mean I knew you could buy a casket online so I shouldn’t have been so surprised.  But still, I was.  After all, I won’t care how comfortable a casket is.  But I’m going to feel that mattress every night.  There are a few popular mattress makers that only sell online.  The list of these suppliers will continue to grow.

I was impressed with what I saw on their sites.  It really appeared like these companies had their processes down and their customer’s needs in mind.  Still, I kept wondering…who would buy a mattress without testing it out?

That’s when I remembered hotel room mattress.  I never tried any of those out beforehand.  Yet I loved the sleep I got on them.  This helped me to realize that it wasn’t so important how good the mattress felt.  What really mattered was whether or not the mattress felt bad, caused pain, or somehow annoyed me.  I feel like these things are made so well that, if you have a decent budget, you shouldn’t run into a bad mattress.  This is assuming you’ve decided on the right type of mattress for your sleep style.

So, I ended up going with one of the popular online mattresses.  I went with one that was more medium than firm and I’m quite happy with my purchase so far.

• • Get a good quality mattress protector. You’ve spent a bunch of money on this thing.  Don’t let your investment go to waste due to damage from liquids or bed bugs.
  • Get a good quality box or frame to put your mattress on. I read a story about someone that laid their mattress on the floor and the combination of natural foam moisture and heat ended up leading to mold under the mattress.  Gross!!  What a crummy problem to have to deal with.
  • Get some good pillows, some nice sheets, and some nice covers. Let’s make adulting great again.
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Things I’ve Learned

I LOVE the mattress I bought and hope it rewards me with good sleep for years to come.  I honestly wish I had made the purchase sooner but – better late than never.

I tend to work late into the night and I’m always striving to be more and more productive.  But after a late night, I’ll get into bed and ask myself, “What was I thinking??  This thing is amazing and I need to spend more time in it, not less!”

I’ll admit that my medium mattress is not nearly as good on my shoulders as it is on my back.  But I knew this going in and it is still miles ahead of the old mattress.  In fact, getting this new mattress made me realize that I needed to up my pillow game (currently 6 and counting).

You may not need a new mattress.  If you’re mattress is still in decent shape or you can’t afford a new mattress right now you should look into mattress toppers.  I’ve never used one but I wish that I’d bought one years ago.  It’s basically a 1 to 3-inch layer that you place right on top of your mattress.  There are different types and it will be made of memory foam or some other type of composite foam material.  This is a nice quick fix for those that want relief in a pinch.  This is something I’m keeping my eye on.

There’s a lot of great information out there and it can be quite daunting when you realize how many choices you have.  I highly suggest starting with a budget and getting clear on your sleep style.  Once you’re clear on these, go try a few.  Keep an eye out for warranty information and read plenty of reviews.  My mattress came with a 100-night satisfaction guarantee.  It’s been about 2 years now and I’m still a fan.  I’ll update you if anything changes.  Happy shopping and Sweat Dreams!