PLEASE help us get a better nights sleep!

May 20, 2009 7:15 AM

How can we make our mattress firmer and give us a better night's sleep?

My SO and I just moved into a furnished apartment. Everything is great, but the mattress sucks. There is little support, and we both need better back/hip/neck support. There is no box spring and there are slats supporting the mattress on the bed frame.

Short of buying a new mattress, what can I do to make the mattress firmer? Would getting some sort of memory foam help or just make matters worse?

posted by tomcochrane to health & fitness (12 comments total)

Piece of thick plywood under the mattress?
posted by LakesideOrion at 7:28 AM on May 20 [1 favorite has favorites]

Depends on whether it's really the mattress, or the slats supporting it. If the slats are bowing under your weight and creating the problem, then you can do something to stiffen the platform it sits on (i.e. add more/stronger slats or a sheet of plywood). If the slats are rigid and all the softness is in the mattress, there's not much to do short of replacement.

I would drag the mattress off the bed and see how it feels when sitting on the floor. This will help you understand whether the problem is the mattress or the slats.
posted by jon1270 at 7:29 AM on May 20

If you've never used a memory foam pad, I'd go check one out at a mattress store first. We tried out the all-foam mattresses a while back and they were not unlike lying on wet sand. Maybe the pads are as severe. Seconding the plywood. If you want to spend a little more money, you might be able to find a decent mattress at a mom-and-pop place nearby and just replace it. When you leave, take it with you.

There was a chain of stores in my old hometown that purported to 'build their own' and they were every bit as nice as the name-brands at a significant discount.
posted by jquinby at 7:37 AM on May 20

Ditch the frame & put the mattress on the floor? Some people are opposed to floor-sleeping, but it worked for me back when I only had a cheap mattress.
posted by Devils Rancher at 7:40 AM on May 20 [1 favorite has favorites]

Get a new mattress. Try it on the floor for a night to make sure the issue is not the underlying support, but if it still feels flaccid on the floor, then just throw it out.
posted by caddis at 7:53 AM on May 20

If you are going to be there for awhile, I'd get a new mattress. If the slats are too springy, the el-cheapo solution would be to stack books under the center of a few slats. Do this to a minimum of three.
posted by JJ86 at 8:32 AM on May 20

Depends on if it's the mattress or the slats.

At priceclub I got a great deal on a foam topper+pillow top, thingie. That thing transformed many a crappy mattress into pillowy heaven. However, I like a softer mattress, and softer doesn't always mean more support. Also, the foam retains heat more, which was nice in the winter, not so much in the summer.

New bed slats can be bought separately at Ikea, and they have all different kinds of firmness, and adjustability. If the mattress is really crappy, and you're not looking to replace it, having big slats can make it feel even worse, so I'd go for a solid support. For a while my mom had back problems, and needed a very firm mattress. She put a wooden door under her side of a king sized bed. A hollow core door is under $20, conveniently person sized, and probably more portable in an apartment than a big sheet of plywood.
posted by fontophilic at 8:55 AM on May 20

Thin plywood will work as well as thick. Be sure to buy quality plywood, as the underlayment grade will crackle and will degrade your mattress and bedding. 3/8 inch sanded plywood should do the job. If you cut it, sand the edges.
posted by Midnight Skulker at 9:16 AM on May 20

I used to have a 1/2" piece of mdf (left over from someone's kitchen redo in the old house) under my side of the bed as DH like his mattress mushy. Worked just fine for me, and I was used to sleeping with the mattress on the floor as I like a hard bed.
posted by x46 at 10:29 AM on May 20

I got a foam mattress topper off ebay for a great price because our mattress was getting older and losing support. No way could I afford a new one. The 2 inch memory foam was perfect for support. Unfortunately sleeping on it in summer is hot as hell. I'm ready to go back to the crappy mattress until the weather cools off again.
posted by toastedbeagle at 11:18 AM on May 20

Or if the slats are the problem, and lugging around a sheet of plywood seems unpleasant, get some 2x4 lumber to use in place of the slats. I think a cheap 2x4 is about $3. If you are really crafty, slice them into 2x2s to spread them out more.
posted by gjc at 6:41 PM on May 20

Get a good drill. Try drilling holes in each end of the slates and then in the frame too. Put bolts on each end of the slates through the frame. Place washers and some nuts on them and that will help keep the slates from sagging. So you have bolt into washer, then into the hole in the slates (make sure the slates rest on the top of the frame), then through the hole in the frame, then another washer, then the nut. tighten. I did this on my daughters bed and the bolts attaching the slates to the frame makes the slates sag less because they are all now attached. Its now one solid unit. They all support each other, inward as well as outward. Makes for a much stronger support. You could also try heavier slates or having more of them. But the bolt idea will make it more solid for sure.
posted by Taurid at 9:30 PM on May 20