My Memory Foam Mattress Mistake

You've probably seen the commercials about memory foam mattresses. Instead of using steel coils like a traditional mattress, these are made of polyurethane and claim to cradle your body uniformly: The heavy parts of you sink in, while the lighter parts settle up higher so that pressure points are eliminated. I was skeptical.

But my wife and I needed a new mattress. The coil one we bought a few years ago started sagging almost immediately after we bought it, making our nights unbearable. So much so, in fact, that I've spent many a night on a yoga mat on the hard wood floor. But how long can that go on?

So we started saving our money. I mentioned my plans to some colleagues and they spoke enthusiastically about their memory foam mattresses. One of them used to have back problems, but now he said they were gone, while the other said he felt as if he were sleeping on a cloud. Really? Memory foam is the future, coil mattresses are obsolete, they said. Maybe they were right.

So I mentioned memory foam to my wife and she was agreeable. I soon found that my local warehouse store had them for $599. That's a great price. Checking online I found discussions among people who had bought the same mattress, and most loved them. Some mentioned it was a bit warm, but we could live with that, I thought. Others mentioned the 10-year warranty and the great return policy at the store, just in case you end up not liking it.

Examining the information on the mattress box at the store a few days later, I found that it was made in the United States, not in China—a big plus for me. No need to worry about toxins in the foam or its being made by innocent people toiling in slave labor camps. That it came squeezed and folded into a box was also convenient—it could fit in the back of a small SUV. It even came on wheels. Before long, I was wheeling one to the car.

So it's been about a month and what do we think? We don't like it. When sleeping on my back, my shoulders sink in deeply while my head and my arms float up higher. As a result my arms and neck feel constricted. And I thought my hips would sink in while my lumbar would rest higher, but it turns out my whole back just sinks in together—not what I had expected.

Then there are the little things. The mattress is indeed warm, and it's quite heavy as well. The edge of the mattress is not stiff like a coil mattress, and if you sleep too close to it, the foam will deform and roll you out. This makes sitting on the edge of the bed to put your shoes on in the morning difficult. Then there's getting out of it—that's much harder due to all the sinking in.

So what went wrong? I lost sight of the single most important factor to consider when purchasing a new mattress—is it comfortable? Don't make the same mistake I did. Be sure that you can sleep comfortably on any mattress before purchasing it, and don't get swept up in the hype.

As for my wife and I, we'll be making use of that return policy. Now, where is that receipt, and how do I get the mattress back into that box?