Help me sleep through the Trump administration - mattress recs needed

February 13, 2017 6:38 AM

I mean, actually I'm going to be militant through the Trump administration, but I still need a new mattress. Firm mattress recs needed and further questions inside.

I am a short, fat, muscular person with a giant skeleton, so I am pretty heavy for my size. I have been sleeping on a very nice, rather soft mattress - it was free! - for the past several years and my back has gotten sadder and sadder. For preference, I sleep on my front with my face smooshed into the pillow. I prefer to be slightly cold while I sleep.

If all goes as planned, I'll buy a new mattress next month. I only need a queen-sized mattress, no box spring or frame. I can spend up to one thousand USD, but honestly I don't have to spend that much. In an ideal world, I would have a mattress that can be flipped.

I know that latex and memory foam and so on come highly recommended, but I also dread being too hot - that would render a mattress pretty much unusable for me. Please only recommend these if you tend to run hot and still find them comfortable - I like to be waaaaaay colder than most people of my acquaintance. No, colder than you're thinking. Colder yet. Open the window, it's only December!

I have looked at mattress review aggregators (Sleep Like The Dead, etc) but they seem to be super hyped on foam mattresses.

So anyway, please recommend me some mattresses. Also, does anyone have experience with Saatva? They seem fairly well reviewed for that type of thing.

posted by Frowner to Shopping (11 answers total)

I run fairly hot and have been comfortable with my Leesa mattress. It is on the softer side of things as far as foam mattresses go, which I like, without being one of those cheap ones that you feel like you're sinking into. My ex-girlfriend was relatively heavy for her size and said it was the only soft mattress she'd slept on that didn't make her back hurt.
posted by Candleman at 7:02 AM on February 13, 2017 [1 favorite]

In an ideal world, I would have a mattress that can be flipped.

Based on a previous question, we went with a Shifman and have been pleased. They are very well made and flipable. However, I don't know if you'll be able to meet your $1,000 budget - we got one of the lower-priced ones on a pretty good sale and it was around $1,200.

Also previously, Mattress me, MeFi.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 7:15 AM on February 13, 2017

I love my Tuft & Needle mattress. They're apparently too hard for some people, but I like a firmer mattress and mine feels great to me. I become the temperature of the sun's surface while sleeping but have been comfortable so far. I know Internet foam mattresses are getting a lot of hype, but I kind of think they're the real deal.

I'm a back/side sleeper, though, so YMMV.
posted by superfluousm at 7:29 AM on February 13, 2017

The highest-end, firmest pocket-spring mattress at IKEA will be within your budget. That’s the route we went about 5 years ago with needs similar to yours, & we’re still reasonably happy with it. It's still quite comfortable and cool, and we can flip it along alternating axes each 3 months. One downside: within the first few months there was a little compression in it so there are sort of scoop-shapes in our usual sleeping spots. It didn’t sag further than that and still feels firm, but it looks a little junky.

(Names seem to have changed since I bought mine, I don’t recognize the current models.)
posted by miles per flower at 7:36 AM on February 13, 2017

2nding the Leesa. your description more or less matches my body type and this is the first mattress i've owned in my adult life that is the correct combination "oooh bed" when you get into it and "hey thats weird, my back and hips dont hurt when i wake up"

i cannot recommend enough.
posted by chasles at 7:49 AM on February 13, 2017

I'm a hot sleeper and enjoy being able to see my breath in the morning. I also toss and turn a lot. After my last breakup I treated myself to an Otis Haley 150. (I mention the breakup because this is not something a normal human could be coerced to sleep on.) It served me very well. As firm as something could be and still be called a mattress.
posted by ftm at 8:55 AM on February 13, 2017

I am you(ish). I sleep so hot that it's February in New England and I'm still running the A/C at night, and I am head-over-heels in love with our Sealy Posturepedic hybrid. It's the best parts of a spring mattress and a memory foam, and comes in multiple levels of firm. Absolutely no heat retention issues. Anyone who plops upon it goes ooooohaaaaaahhhhh and wants to move in immediately. We actively miss it while on vacation.
posted by spinturtle at 9:01 AM on February 13, 2017

do you have a decent futon place in town somewhere? I am a short, vaguely fat, super meaty person who likes to sleep in frigid temperatures and my nice ass futon w/ foam core and wool batting around the core has been a Godsend. It is firm as hell. I love that thing.
posted by beefetish at 9:52 AM on February 13, 2017

We use an ultra firm memory foam mattress with a thinner, very firm latex topper. Latex (supposedly) sleeps cooler than memory foam. I don't run as hot as you do, but I sleep with a sheet in the summer, have lower back issue and keep the place warm to save money, and this works well for me. You could replicate this bed for under $500.
posted by cnc at 11:11 AM on February 13, 2017

In love with my Comfortaire. It'll be as firm as you like. And will last you for at least 25 years. Mine is going strong with 8 years of use so far. Also, linen sheets are a wonderful breathable option for someone who gets hot.
posted by bearwife at 12:40 PM on February 13, 2017

I've been very happy with our orthopedic luxury firm mattress from Original Mattress Factory. It's a traditional mattress and can be flipped. We're only getting a new one (also from Original Mattress Factory) because we'd like to upgrade to a king size. If there's a store near you, I highly recommend trying their firm models out. Price for a queen should be less than $1K, we paid ~$700 for a queen set but that was 5 years ago.
posted by elerina at 12:03 PM on February 14, 2017