I’ve spent ages searching this forum and have found it super helpful… but too late. Now I’m hoping you might be able to advise as we’re in a bit of a mattress situation. Note, all mattresses below are Queen-sized, and we are an average-sized couple, aged 39 and 40, with no special healthcare or sleep needs. Sometimes we sleep on our sides, sometimes on our backs, never on our fronts.
10 years ago we bought a Simmons Beautyrest Elation (that was the name SleepCountry called it - it cost about $600), largely because it was designed so that if one partner moved/got up, the other partner didn’t feel it so much. We set this up on a box spring. This worked, it was great, and we loved it. But in the last year, it started to sag and give us bad backs. So, we went to replace it.
We went back to Sleep Country, because we didn’t know any better, and we tried out a ton of different mattresses, happy to spend more money now we’re earning more than 10 years ago, and wanting to invest in something that would be good. We ended up buying the Sealy Posturepedic Marvel, and in the meantime, also bought a high end wooden bed frame with slats from a separate local woodworking company. The slats are too far apart for the mattress warranty requirements however, and so we have put pegboard down under the mattress to support it as required.
But since we got the Sealy Posturepedic Marvel home two days ago, we’ve got problems.
The mattress is getting really hot. Like, sweaty hot.
I don’t like the soft pilllowy feeling on top.
When my partner moves, I move and wake up. We can’t seem to find our own space on the mattress without disturbing each other.
My upper back is feeling stiff when I wake up and for the rest of the morning.
Yesterday morning, my partner’s upper back started suddenly hurting.
In the store, the other mattress we were considering was the Dormeo Two. So we were thinking of just switching the Marvel for the Dormeo Two and hoping that works.
But now, I’m wondering if we’ve just gone too crazy with the expense and the foam, when all we really need is a simple pocket coil mattress like before. The Simmons Beautyrest Silver Emerald seems to be comparable to the old Elation that we bought 10 years ago - should we just aim for that one? Or is our change in set up (old box spring → wooden slats with pegboard ) causing these problems? All help gratefully accepted!
Whatever we do, we have to get it from Sleep Country sadly…
Welcome to The Mattress Underground ! Thanks for your question.
Thanks for your kind words on the site, basement ! Glad that you found us but sorry to hear that it was “too late” for your initial mattress purchase. Thanks too for sharing a bit of your personal stats and background. Perhaps we can offer some pointers and steer you to some of Phoenix’s articles for a better direction in your mattress shopping journey….
Your Simmons Beautyrest Elation mattress is likely a combination of memory foam, known for its low motion transfer, and coil support core. As it is an older Simmons model, I couldn’t verify its product specs online or on SleepCountry’s site. That is great that you’ve both enjoyed it for the past 10 years and to your point, if sag is causing back discomfort, it is indeed time to move on to something new.
There’s no reason to not return to Sleep Country if you were happy with your previous experience. As long you feel that your needs are being addressed with sincere interest and knowledgeable guidance, as opposed to being pressured or “sold”, you are on the right track. Good job on checking the warranty requirements regarding proper foundation use as incorrectly supported mattresses will degrade more quickly and will void a warranty.
I checked out your Sealy Posturepedic Marvel mattress on SleepCountry’s site and while only the proprietary component names were featured, this 16" europillowtop seems amemory foam mattress. The “sweaty hot” feeling that you are experiencing is likely due to the new Marvel’s all-memory foam construction which tends to sleep more warmly than your Beautyrest Elation. Given that you are only two days of sleeping on your new Sealy, you may find a bit of a “sleep adjustment” period is needed to give your body time to adapt to the comfort and support that a new mattress provides. Generally, manufacturers take this into consideration and require a minimum 30 day sleep trial period before allowing an exchange or return of a mattress.
Again from SleepCountry’s site, the listing of proprietary ingredients offer little details for understanding the materials’ durability in a measurable way. Before making another purchase, you may consider asking for a copy of the mattress’s specs to compare against recommended quality guidelines. You may find these links helpful for your research: “Five Steps to Your Perfect Mattress” offers an overview for preparing your research; “Determining Your Personal Statistics” discusses the role your individual preferences play in the mattress selection process; "Mattress Specifications You Need to Know"will help you with asking questions about the mattress components; and "Finding a Great Mattress Outlet"will help with creating a checklist of questions for review with your showroom team.
Without SleepCountry’s disclosure of the Beautyrest Silver Emerald’s components, there is no meaningful way to compare it with your beloved Beautyrest Elation. You probably have already asked them whether anyone there remembers that model’s construction but if you haven’t, that is a longshot but worth a try. It does feature a pocketed coil construction, but you need more details for understanding its comfort materials, layering construction, and component specs before purchase.
The best way to solve that riddle is to place the mattress directly on the floor and try sleeping on it that way for several days. Just curious: have you tried lying on the mattress in your side sleeping position and have your partner take a snap of your back for a spinal alignment assessment? If each of you took a pic of the other, you could then view how much “sink” your shoulders and hips are getting from the mattress. Ideally, with the correct pillow and proper support, you be able to draw a straight line from the top of your shoulders to the small of your back, you can read more on testing correct spinal alignment here.
Why do you say “sadly”? Just take your time, basement61 and continue with asking questions, doing comparison research, and asking more questions until you are comfortable with your choice. As long as SleepCountry acts in a transparent manner, listens and responds thoughtfully, provides an agreeable post-sale support, and doesn’t pressure you, you should be good to go. Do you have any updates since your post?
! Thanks for your question.