Has anyone else gone through the nightmare of buying a new mattress?

[wasdarknowblond]

We bought a new and expensive Tempur mattress a few months ago but I have found I literally can't sleep on it. It makes my back bad, is difficult to turn over on and feels like there is long mound going along the middle. It also feels a bit like lying on marshmallows. Sadly, we bought it from a retailer that didn't offer any kind of sleep trial period (didn't realise this) and not from Tempur directly. Thus it has to go and will probably end up on the spare bed. However DH has said I must look for the next mattress as he can 'sleep on anything' and I'm finding it an absolute nightmare. I had more or less settled on trying out an Emma mattress until I read that they sag in the middle after about two years. The same goes for the Simba. I found a plush Relyon coil spring mattress with a naturally filled pillow type topping but the reviews said the same about sagging. Emma and Eze score highly on 'Which' but everything is so contradictory I feel really stuck about what to do. Any advice out there?

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Have you thought about a natural latex mattress? I love sleeping on mine, brilliant for my back.

Unfortunately it's many years old and I can't remember the brand.

Any mattress will sag eventually, but generally speaking you will be better looking for a pocket spring mattress. The more springs closer together, the better - and that is what you will pay for as they go up in price.

Try as many as you can and lie on them for a while! I would recommend going to a smaller or independent furniture store with people who have the expertise to give advice. They usually also have shorter supply chains and better customer service.

The foam type ones have little to no support so they aren't going to last as long, and may be comfortable at first but depending on how you sleep may not offer the support you need on your joints.

We had a Simba for two years and it was terrible. To replace it we visited bensons beds. We had to lie on a bed which checked our pressure points and worked how whether we needed soft/firm etc. then they took us rounds the ones which matched us, and we had to lie on each of them for 10-15 minutes.

We are delighted with our new mattress and my sore back has cleared up!

I would avoid the ones with the foam stuff, I find them awful like I am being absorbed by the bed. I opted for natural fibres only. We got our mattress from John Ryan by design, if you go on their website under “sleep advice” they have troves of information about how to choose the various mattress elements - I found it really useful and worth checking out even if you don’t get a mattress from them.

Pocket sprung mattress is the way forward. Go to somewhere like Dreams and try them out before buying.

You definitely get what you pay for with a mattress and bearing in mind you could be spending half your day in it then it’s worth it.

Have a look at brands like Hypnos. Some are ridiculously expensive but their entry level range is very decent.

We bought ours from the Premier Inn website after having an amazing few nights sleep on one.

Your Premier Inn Mattress - Premier Inn Bed

Try Sleepeezee Lincoln, Carpetright do them and if you can wait for a sale, every now and then they are half price.

I got one as my ex had one and it was amazingly comfortable. Have now had mine for 4 years, and it's amazing.

It is pocket sprung but with wool and silk padding

Hypnos pillowtop! Had ours 4 years and no sagging
These used to be the premier in beds, but premier inn have now changed to silent night I think.

Simba it depends on the version. I habe the luxe and it is fine, fantastic actually, but the basic model will absolutely sag.

This!

I bought a memory foam mattress, can't remember which one now but it was one of the big names. I spent a bloody fortune on it and HATED it. I'm generally not a sweaty person but I'd wake up soaked on that thing, and it knacked my back. Changed to a Hypnos and it's a million times better.

My husband had a lot of back problems we went to John Lewis and a real mattress obsessive man advised us. We had to lie on the beds etc and ended up buying a ridiculously expensive Visping mattress and bed . We've had it about 6 years now and it was the best money we ever spent. Husbands back is completely better.
They come with a really long guarantee as well. Good luck hope you find something that suits you

There are sellers who offer 100 night free trial, so would try one of those. We recently got one via amazon, and I think 100 nights is more than long enough to see if it's suitable. If not they arrange a free collection.

Harrison mattresses, all natural fibres, made in UK.

Buy one from John Ryan website or visit them if you're nearby
Absolutely amazing mattresses.

Also expensive and from John Lewis, but I got a Millbrook mattress this year. The most comfortable bed ever. Bought it in the Black Friday sale, but because theyre handmade to order, it took 9 weeks to arrive! No regrets.

I've been very happy with my Emma Original 100% foam mattress, which I've had for 3.5 years. However, I am the only person sleeping on it and I'm not very heavy (50kg). I'm not sure how the mattress would stand up to a heavy person sleeping on it.

I think, if you're on the larger/heavier side, and especially if there will be two people in the bed, you're probably better off getting a mattress that has springs, to provide structure, rather than an all-foam one. Then get a really thick topper to go on top, so you don't run the risk of feeling any of the springs and so the mattress doesn't feel hard.

Why don't you go and lie on a load of mattresses? If you don't like Tempur you probably won't like the Emma/Simba types either.

We've just got a new mattress and it's wonderful. Was expensive but worth it. We lay on a ton of mattresses in John Lewis, Dreams, and another bed shop.

Have you gone on holiday or stayed anywhere that the bed was heavenly? If so, look and see if you can find what type of bed it is.

We stayed in a holiday cottage with the comfiest mattress ever, so on the last morning I stripped the sheets back and took a photo of the label!

Definitely go and look at a bed shop or a John Lewis and try the beds. I find they do still feel more comfortable in store than when you get them though.

We've got two beds that I sleep in. The master bedroom has a 2,500 pocket sprung mattress with a pillow top. It's beautifully comfy but I have two problems with it: I find it too hot (might be my age not helping though!) and it's so comfy I don't move at night, which means in the morning my back has seized up and I'm in agony when I get up!

The spare room has a 1,000 pocket sprung mattress that was really comfy in the shop, but a little firm when I got it, so I bought a £90 mattress topper from Dunelm and it's really comfy. I sleep best in this bed.

The master bedroom mattress probably costs us about £1,000 and the spare room mattress was £450.

Have you gone on holiday or stayed anywhere that the bed was heavenly? If so, look and see if you can find what type of bed it is

That's how I ended up ordering a mattress via the Premier Inn website. When it came it had a Hypnos label on it.

I have a Hypnos (pocket sprung orthopaedic cashmere something or other) mattress. I have joint problems and it's divine.

I bought a foam mattress online. It came in a smallish cardboard box and jumped out like one of those trick snakes when the box was opened, and then inflated itself. It's super comfy.

I got an emma mattress but it was too hard. I've now got a memory foam topper on it and it's much better.

I've a respa pocket sprung with gel topper - it's firmer than
i've previously had but offers brilliant back support. Had a tempur before - really didn't like it- made me sweaty at night

We've had a hypnos for years. V expensive at the time but worth every penny. Hasn't sagged at all and very very comfortable.

Thank you everyone! Some great advice up there and very helpful.