# Do you have a Tempur-Pedic mattress? Tell me about it! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 2, 2012, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-tempur-pedic-mattress-tell-me-about-it/623875 "2012-06-02T15:39:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-tempur-pedic-mattress-tell-me-about-it/623875/41 "2012-06-03T14:31:59Z")
> [@jacobsta811](#): > > I’d say actually, that foam mattresses (memory and other foam), are probably actually the _easiest_ mattresses to get inexpensively. For example, check out the selection at [Overstock.com](http://Overstock.com) and [amazon.com](http://amazon.com). Easier to get inexpensively because they can be compressed and folded or rolled into a shape that can be shipped via Fedex or UPS cheap, and stored and sorted easily in a warehouse. Instead of requiring freight or other more expensive service, and being a pain to sort and ship. Can you really compress or roll the whole mattresses? Mine is like a foot thick. > [@](#): > > you just can’t be tied to the brand name “Tempurpedic”. Agreed. When I bought mine all of those years ago, that was the only brand as far as I am aware. I am sure there are other brands of memory foam that are just as good. ---
**Author:** ![ethelbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@ethelbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ethelbert)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-tempur-pedic-mattress-tell-me-about-it/623875/42 "2012-06-03T15:36:38Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Got one, slept on it for a month, sent it back. They’re hard as rocks. Given what you said about the best sleep you’ve gotten was on a very soft bed, I would not recommend a Tempur-Pedic to you. There are variations in how hard Tempurpedic is just as there is in other mattresses. However, I, too have never particularly liked them. There was some point in my life (I think in my late thirties) when my preferences (and sleep habits) changed abruptly and drastically. I used to use a slab of very hard foam (not memory foam) over a plywood base, and I loved it. Almost overnight, I could not get comfortable and could not get a good night’s sleep. I investigated all the alternatives (Dux, Tempurpedic, Sleep Number, etc). Nothing really helped. Mind you, they were better than what I had, but I wasn’t really sleeping any better. I eventually did what the poster above suggested and simply got the softest bed I could find (with a big pillowtop). I still don’t sleep like I used to, but I suspect that those days are gone. I imagine that there are many people with experiences like mine who are willing to throw whatever amount of money it takes to return to the sleep of their youth. Good luck. By the way, don’t hesitate to send it back if you don’t like it. I did it with both TP and Sleep Number. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-tempur-pedic-mattress-tell-me-about-it/623875/43 "2012-06-03T17:04:35Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Can you really compress or roll the whole mattresses? Mine is like a foot thick. > > Agreed. When I bought mine all of those years ago, that was the only brand as far as I am aware. I am sure there are other brands of memory foam that are just as good. Yes, mine is 10" and it arrived in a roll about 16" in diameter. I let it set out for several days to fluff up. They said give it 24 hours but I was hoping the smell woudl dissipate. No such luck! It was up to thickness in about 16 hours, but the smell took weeks. Even after much flipping and encourgaing the Celtling to jump/run around on it. ---
**Author:** ![fjs1fs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fjs1fs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fjs1fs)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-tempur-pedic-mattress-tell-me-about-it/623875/44 "2012-06-04T15:05:42Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Bullshit. It might not make a difference for you but it does for many people. If you prefer memory foam, you can’t get something comparable, in my experience, inexpensively. I have to agree with you that it does make a difference. However, I disagree with your second point (that you can’t get something comparable inexpensively). I had back problems for years, and we bought a Tempurpedic about 7 years ago–my wife and I both loved it–best mattress we ever slept on. As noted, they are expensive, so when we looked for a mattress for the guest room, we checked out the Bob-o-Pedic knockoffs at Bob’s Discount furniture. We bought one for way less than half the price of the Tempurpedic, and found it to be of comparable quality. I highly recommend the Bob-o-Pedic. And they have them in various degrees of firmness/softness. ---
**Author:** ![thomas-92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@thomas-92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thomas-92)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-tempur-pedic-mattress-tell-me-about-it/623875/45 "2012-06-07T16:16:15Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > So we’re thinking about getting a new mattress. Every morning I wake up stiff, and so does the spouse. I’m pretty much a mouse potato and don’t get a lot of exercise so I’m sure that’s most of it for me (the spouse is in good shape but he has back issues). I’ve heard good things about the Tempur-Pedic mattresses, but they’re pretty expensive and I don’t want to pay that much money for a mattress that’s only going to make us wake up stiff and in debt. 😛 And realistically we’re not going to “try one out” by having it delivered and sleeping on it for a month. Maybe you’re allowed to do that, but it’s more trouble than it’s worth to us. So no. > > So…for those who have them–what do you think of them? Are they really as miraculous as they’re supposed to be? Our current mattress is just your typical pillow top, pretty good quality but about 10 years old. I’ve heard that the real Tempur-pedics are better than their competitors (something about patented materials), so if we get one we’ll get the real thing. > > The best night sleep I ever had in my life was in a bed and breakfast in England, where they put us in a big fluffy feather bed where we sank down so far I thought I was going to smother in the night. I thought I’d hate it, but it was _wonderful_. Not sure how practical that would be ongoing, though, and I doubt that the spouse, though he liked the feather bed (not as much as I did) would go for getting one of those. > > While I’m at it, anyone have one of those Sleep Number beds? Do they live up to the hype? > > Thanks in advance! I had a tempur-pedic… Two words to say and those are “never again” ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-tempur-pedic-mattress-tell-me-about-it/623875/46 "2012-06-07T16:25:14Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > While I’m at it, anyone have one of those Sleep Number beds? Do they live up to the hype? > > Thanks in advance! My Wife and I have the sleep number and really like it. She likes it firmer than I do. And it’s sort of funny, one of our dogs definitely likes my side better. ---
**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-tempur-pedic-mattress-tell-me-about-it/623875/47 "2012-06-07T17:16:36Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Got one, slept on it for a month, sent it back. They’re hard as rocks. I had a room mate that had one, and I slept on it for awhile, to see if I’d like it. I experienced similar results. For about a week, I slept so well. Then it started to really feel like I was sleeping on rocks. I wound up hating it. My suggestion is don’t judge it on a day or two day’s sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-tempur-pedic-mattress-tell-me-about-it/623875/48 "2012-06-07T17:16:59Z")
> [@ethelbert](#): > > There are variations in how hard Tempurpedic is just as there is in other mattresses. This. They range from quite firm to luxuriously soft. Visit a mattress store and try the whole range to see if you find one you like. Wife and I bought a pretty firm Tempurpedic in 2007, and like it a lot. In addition to providing comfortable sleep, they really don’t transmit motion from one part of the mattress to another. The benefit of this is that if you get out of bed in the middle of the night you won’t disturb your sleep partner. We really notice this difference when we stay at hotels, which generally don’t have Tempurpedic beds. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-tempur-pedic-mattress-tell-me-about-it/623875/49 "2012-06-07T18:36:43Z")
Wife and I really like our memory foam mattress. It’s not a Tempur-Pedic because we are lucky to have a local mattress/furniture company that has their own version and sells them for quite a bit less. With that being the case, I have to agree with **fjs1fs** that the “Bob-o-Pedic” versions can be very good. I think we got ours during a big sale for around $800 (including the base, mattress pad, and two pillows), which seemed like a pretty good price for a better than average mattress. We were all set to buy another spring mattress but figured we’d give the foam ones a shot. Wife was skeptical because we didn’t realize you could go firm, but once we tried it we were sold. The OP should really just go to a mattress store and try a few types out (and maybe also talk to the family doctor about the stiffness to see if there are some stretches or something that might help before dropping a load of dough on a new mattress). Firmness - I recall we had a few choices and went with the firmest. Our old spring mattress was starting to take a toll on my wife’s back and she hasn’t complained since. Off-gassing - We let it sit for a day but that was it. It didn’t really smell that bad at first and after having it air out it was a non-issue. Thickness - Yeah, ours is really thick and some sheets won’t fit well. Lucky for us our old mattress (and the sheets) went to a guest room and we were changing the decor of our bedroom so new sheets were a logical choice. We look for “deep pocket” sheets. Heat - Not a problem for my wife who likes to sleep under a comforter all summer but there have been times when I wake up pretty hot. Ceiling fan seems to help. As a “work/play surface” - no challenges there in the least. Maybe getting the firmest one helps with that as I can see how sinking in several inches could mess up critical angles. One bonus is that it came with a special mattress pad/cover with a moisture barrier backing which I’m sure had saved us from some stains. ---
**Author:** ![NoSpamPlease](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/13edae/32.png) [@NoSpamPlease](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoSpamPlease)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-tempur-pedic-mattress-tell-me-about-it/623875/50 "2013-01-29T08:07:00Z")
My wife bought a Tempur-Pedic bed with the masager and so fourth. She likes it, thinks it is great. I think it is OK, but find it too hot. I wake up in the middle of the night hot. It is comfortable, but so are other matresses. I do not like memory foam type mattresses, and this is that sort of matress. It weighs a ton, if you have problems with your back don’t get this bed unless you have someone else to move it around for you. Hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-tempur-pedic-mattress-tell-me-about-it/623875/51 "2013-01-29T17:55:29Z")
My sister has one and she swears by it, saying it is one of the best things she ever bought for her delicate back. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-tempur-pedic-mattress-tell-me-about-it/623875.md?page=2)