# Tempurpedic mattresses? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 24, 2010, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tempurpedic-mattresses/551283 "2010-08-24T13:22:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tempurpedic-mattresses/551283/21 "2010-08-25T00:46:54Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > The bitch is, my german friend has some sort of funky foam mattress that is hard as a rock and _wonderful_ to sleep on for me [there are 2 types of back injury people, those who need intensely soft beds and those who need to sleep on rock] and I would love to find his mattress in the US but every single foam mattress we have tried is squooshy =( All memory foam is squooshy, but not all foam is memory foam. I have a foam mattress from IKEA, Sultan Fonnes, which is only $229 for a Queen, and it isn’t squooshy whatsoever. Just make sure you buy the “arched” supports (vs. the “flat” supports which are cheaper). We weren’t sure how long it would last but figured we could buy 5 of them for the price of a “traditional” mattress - - its going on its 4th year and is still very firm & comfy. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tempurpedic-mattresses/551283/22 "2010-08-25T01:58:00Z")
I heart the word squooshy. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tempurpedic-mattresses/551283/23 "2010-08-25T02:37:40Z")
**1.** We love ours. **B.** Sex is GREAT on it (well, our kind of sex…YMMV) There’s not a lot of conservation of momentum rebound, but divots develop which give you leverage. **Charlie.** They never ever ever ever negotiate, the price is the price is the price… **IV.** Until you look like you’re gonna walk, then suddenly your a ‘family member’ and they knock 30% off. Our $3200 MSRP mattress was $2500 delivered. It was the single biggest thing that fixed my wife’s back…that may be cuz our last mattress was overdue for replacing, but ya never know. Ours has the multiple layers which is suppsed to cut down on the heat reflection…it does that, mostly…when our A/C is working. Our A/C isn’t working. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tempurpedic-mattresses/551283/24 "2010-08-25T04:02:39Z")
So, there’s one recommendation for the Overstock-style $400 fix. Any other experiences with the cheap knockoffs, one way or the other? ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tempurpedic-mattresses/551283/25 "2010-08-25T04:19:20Z")
Try it out first, and lay on it for like, 20 minutes. Really. Get something from a brick and mortar store so you can return it. Also, you want one that _hasn’t_ been sitting around for awhile, which I suspect is the case with Overstock. My parents have one, and the guestroom at my house has a 3" thick one that my SO adores. Me, it’s like a hotbox. Check out ConsumerReports as well. ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tempurpedic-mattresses/551283/26 "2010-08-25T04:33:26Z")
I got mine about three years ago and I love it. I had a cheap topper before that was much too warm in the summer, but do not have the problem with the bed. Even though it feels cold at first in the winter, I warm up quickly. My back is happier (herniated disk), my insomnia is better, and I don’t toss and turn anymore. I even sleep better when I stay elsewhere because my body has broken the habit of tossing and turning. LOVE IT! ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tempurpedic-mattresses/551283/27 "2010-08-25T07:34:18Z")
> [@](#): > > Try it out first, and lay on it for like, 20 minutes. Really. Get something from a brick and mortar store so you can return it. Also, you want one that _hasn’t_ been sitting around for awhile, which I suspect is the case with Overstock. IME, nothing short of a night or two spent on the mattress will do. A mattress might feel wonderful for a couple of hours, but when I wake up, I find that my back hurts so bad that I can’t straighten up. I had a sleep study done, which entailed sleeping for a full night on the clinic’s bed. I got the brand of mattress and what kind it was. And bought it. My back is much happier. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tempurpedic-mattresses/551283/28 "2010-08-25T13:28:29Z")
Consumer Reports never has anything useful at all to say about mattresses, because they’re subjective and marketed/branded deceptively. ---
**Author:** ![dukette71](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8edcca/32.png) [@dukette71](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dukette71)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tempurpedic-mattresses/551283/29 "2010-08-26T04:50:20Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I think we need a new mattress. We’ve only had this one five years, damn it! But it’s the kind you can’t flip (they were all like that when I bought it, and they had the nerve to call it a “feature”) and the dip under my boyfriend has gotten quite bad. I know this because he said, “Hey, can we at least rotate it?” and I fell for it and now my back hurts all the time. > > I got one of those memory foam mattress toppers to see if it would help (there was a nice one that had a huge discount on Amazon) and it’s, I dunno, okay. I guess it helps, some. We can’t go on like this for too much longer, though. I could have written this word for word! I have had the exact same problem. Can I add a question? I have been hearing that all foam mattresses will sag after X amount of time. The cheap knockoffs sooner that the Tempurpedic? Is this true? How long? Is it worth buying a knockoff for $500 and trying it for 3 years before spending 3000-5000 on a more expensive one that will last 15 years (if that is even possible)? Also, why is it that some people say it is way to hard, and some say it is way to soft? Is there really that much variation in what you can get? How to tell the difference. I need a rock hard mattress that will never sag. I have even considered getting plywood and topping it with one of the 4 inch pads. ---
**Author:** ![dukette71](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8edcca/32.png) [@dukette71](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dukette71)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tempurpedic-mattresses/551283/30 "2010-08-26T05:08:21Z")
One more question about the box spring: I have a bed with slats, so I didn’t get a box spring for my current mattress. Then I started wondering if the un-dipped part in the middle was because the slats are supported with a beam in the middle of the bed, so there is more support here. Then I got some plywood to put on each side right above the slats (under the mattress)and it didn’t make one bit of difference, so I assumed this isn’t the problem. The sagging is bad on both sides (I am 120lbs, he is 210 lbs) and it seems about equal. Am i wrong about not needing a box spring? ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tempurpedic-mattresses/551283/31 "2010-08-26T17:12:29Z")
> [@dukette71](#): > > > [@Zsofia](#): > > > > I think we need a new mattress. We’ve only had this one five years, damn it! But it’s the kind you can’t flip (they were all like that when I bought it, and they had the nerve to call it a “feature”) and the dip under my boyfriend has gotten quite bad. I know this because he said, “Hey, can we at least rotate it?” and I fell for it and now my back hurts all the time. > > > > I got one of those memory foam mattress toppers to see if it would help (there was a nice one that had a huge discount on Amazon) and it’s, I dunno, okay. I guess it helps, some. We can’t go on like this for too much longer, though. > > I could have written this word for word! I have had the exact same problem. > > Can I add a question? I have been hearing that all foam mattresses will sag after X amount of time. The cheap knockoffs sooner that the Tempurpedic? Is this true? How long? Is it worth buying a knockoff for $500 and trying it for 3 years before spending 3000-5000 on a more expensive one that will last 15 years (if that is even possible)? > > Also, why is it that some people say it is way to hard, and some say it is way to soft? Is there really that much variation in what you can get? How to tell the difference. I need a rock hard mattress that will never sag. I have even considered getting plywood and topping it with one of the 4 inch pads. There are replicas that aren’t “cheap knockoffs” in the realm of 1200-1600 bucks. My parents’ mattress has been going strong for…5 years now, I think. They bought a memory foam mattress manufactured by a local company. They actually _did_ return their first one, because it was far too soft. I wouldn’t buy a $500 memory foam mattress. But that’s just me, YMMV. It’s like my dish strainer/dish rack: I bought the #1 bestseller on Amazon, a Rubbermaid, for like $15 with the drain board 15 months ago. It bit the dust, rusting badly. So I bought a $26 one from simplehuman, which has a 5 year warranty. Even if the simplehuman one lasts for just 5 years, that’s $5/year, as opposed to $15 for 15 months. ---
**Author:** ![fjs1fs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fjs1fs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fjs1fs)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tempurpedic-mattresses/551283/32 "2010-08-26T17:29:27Z")
We have a tempurpedic that we BOTH LOVE! After about 6 yrs or so, it’s still going strong. We bought a “Bob-o-pedic” for our guest room at Bob’s Furniture store, because it was less than 1/2 the price. It’s really good. Probably not quite as good as the tempurpedic, but still much better than springy mattresses. You absolutely have to go to the stores and try them before buying. As noted above they have various different ones. I agree with the poster who said that the pillowtop ruins the whole concept. We have the original (no pillowtop). F ---
**Author:** ![DvorJaques](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3e96dc/32.png) [@DvorJaques](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DvorJaques)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tempurpedic-mattresses/551283/33 "2010-08-26T21:18:36Z")
Do you sleep hot? I give off lots of heat when I sleep and I think that is the reason our previous bed sagged. It was a regular spring mattress with some non-tempur memory foam on top of the springs and after 2-3 years my side of the bed had an indentation of my body. I think it was the knockoff memory foam getting compressed after years of heat and humidity. I can only guess it was the heat I weigh about 70 pounds less than my partner and only my side had the indentation, he doesn’t give off nearly the same amount of heat as I do. The tempur website says that their foam won’t compress under high heat and humidity they should some impressive results on their website [here](http://www.tempurpedic.ca/about/difference.php) I bought a tempur mattress a few weeks ago and I love it, it doesn’t sleep hot at all, it’s cooler than my previous mattress and so comfortable, after the first night my partner said he had less back pain than the previous year. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tempurpedic-mattresses/551283/34 "2010-08-26T21:32:40Z")
We like ours and have had it for about six years now. Recently, I was talking to a TempurPedic store owner and mentioned that the platform squeaked, and had been doing so for several years. Turns out, the early platforms had this problem. I contacted the company and within a week a new platform was delivered and installed. At no charge. If you’re worried about comfort differences, you might want to look at a Sleep Number bed, which has adjustable firmness. But for us, this bed is great. An additional advantage is that it is a hostile environment for pests like dust mites. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Mood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@Blue\_Mood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Mood)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tempurpedic-mattresses/551283/35 "2010-08-27T09:24:58Z")
> [@emmaliminal](#): > > **Things I know about visco-elastic memory foam (Tempur-Pedic is the most famous brand) and mattresses** > > [ul] > [li]Memory foam comes in different densities, usually described as weights in pounds from 3 to 7 or so. (You can get samples of some brands.) Generally but not absolutely, more weight means it feels harder when you first lie down on it, it holds up better over the years, and it costs more. You might like one particular memory foam a lot and hate others, even of the same brand or the same weight. Tempur-Pedic has a range of weights, by the way, so if you’ve tried one, you haven’t tried them all.[/li] > [li]Even the most expensive memory-foam mattresses, like Tempur-Pedic, only have a top layer of memory foam over a base layer of cheaper, non-memory stuff. The top layer is rarely more than 3" or 4" thick (though Tempur-Pedic’s most expensive models have up to about 6.5"). I honestly don’t believe you get more benefit from a whole Tempur-Pedic mattress than from just a separate topper --\* provided the mattress you put the topper on isn’t already misshapen.\*[/li] > [li]The whole point of memory foam is that it gets softer with warmth and then springs back into shape; thus, your body’s warmth helps it soften to mold around you very precisely. If you put a thick mattress pad, featherbed, or “pillow-top” on over it, you lose the conforming property and might as well be lying on (cheaper) non-memory foam.[/li] > [li]Memory foam is a “closed cell” foam, meaning that the little bubbles that make it up are all encapsulated. Thus, air doesn’t circulate through it as well as, say, cotton. Many people find this uncomfortable, as in too hot or too sweaty. I put cotton sheets on over it and find it plenty breathable for my taste.[/li] > [li]Any foam or fiber non-spring mattress, whether a $7000 Tempur-Pedic or an $80 cotton futon, will help isolate movement between two people on the same mattress. A platform bed rather than a spring frame also helps. Air mattresses (like the Sleep Number ones) are worse than spring mattresses in this regard.[/li] > [li]Mattress makers and sellers are NOT reliable sources of information about mattresses. Many of their claims are pure hokum, and you should trust your own powers of rational thinking. Beware of anyone who insists, for instance, that you MUST have a particular boxspring or foundation under a particular mattress for it to “work” as a “system”. If you cut off the outer fabric, you’ll see that even expensive boxsprings are basically… boxes. Many are even mostly cardboard.[/li] > [li]No one mattress is right for everyone, and there’s no formula to determine which kind is right for any one person. The one that’s best for you, that’s healthiest for your back etc., is the one you find most comfortable over time. Unfortunately this is hard to determine without sleeping a few nights on various choices. [/li] > [li]The real value in an expensive mattress is a good warranty – being able to return it if you don’t find it comfortable in a few weeks, and being able to get your money back if it wears out in a few years. But I have yet to see a mattress warranty without several semi-devious loopholes – read the fine print.[/li] > [li]If you and your “sleep partner” don’t agree on what constitutes a comfortable mattress, consider making a hybrid: Two extra-long twins side-by-side equal one king, dimensions-wise. You can get two base layer pieces of different densities, put a topper or pad on it, dress it up in sheets, and each get what you like in one mostly integrated whole. (If you find you have problems with the two halves sliding apart, for… any reason, you can put a rug grip underneath.)[/li][/ul] Just wanted to say what a great and informative post. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tempurpedic-mattresses/551283/36 "2010-08-29T16:10:05Z")
I got a 3" memory foam topper from Overstock and I love it! Our mattress is maybe 12 years old and I was feeling the wires under the padding, regardless of flipping and turning it. Plus it just wasn’t comfortable. The topper gives me just the right bit of cushion and I find I’m sleeping lots better (except when the cat walks on me, but that doesn’t count.) I put a quilted mattress pad between the topper and my sheets, so I don’t experience the sinking in or the heat that many talk about. We also have a 2" topper cut to fit the berth in our boat, since the foam bunk cushions were less than restful. It makes a big difference. I’m a fan. So is my daughter. My husband, not so much, but he’s had 4 back surgeries, so I don’t know that any bed will meet with his approval. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tempurpedic-mattresses/551283/37 "2010-08-29T17:06:49Z")
> [@dukette71](#): > > One more question about the box spring: I have a bed with slats, so I didn’t get a box spring for my current mattress. Then I started wondering if the un-dipped part in the middle was because the slats are supported with a beam in the middle of the bed, so there is more support here. Then I got some plywood to put on each side right above the slats (under the mattress)and it didn’t make one bit of difference, so I assumed this isn’t the problem. The sagging is bad on both sides (I am 120lbs, he is 210 lbs) and it seems about equal. Am i wrong about not needing a box spring? TempurPedic mattresses require a platform. If you don’t purchase the platform from TempurPedic, it voids the mattress warranty. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tempurpedic-mattresses/551283.md?page=1)