Ordering A Mattress Online

I’m sure you have seen the infomercials and videos on YouTube. The entrepreneur is lying on the beach enjoying some down time when a monkey hits him in the head with a coconut. In that moment of clarity, and a wee bit a pain, an idea for a new mattress is born. The inventor imagines making a foam mattress from coconut oil. How cool is that?

Soon, he is all over the media, singing the praises of the brand new Purple Hippo 2000, the newest innovation guaranteed to make you sleep better. And even though not a single brick and mortar store carries his product, this is spun as an advantage to you – cutting out the middleman.

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How To Select A Mattress

How To Test Beds Properly

If you are truly wanting the very best mattress for your body, go with an open mind and try all types of mattresses: air, foam, and innerspring. For the purposes of this post, I am going to focus on innerspring, but much of this will apply to other types of mattresses. For innerspring mattresses, generally speaking, stomach and back sleepers need to be on firm to plush mattresses. Side sleepers will usually end up between plush to pillow top.

Pillow Top Mattresses – I define a pillow top as having two seams. They are generally the softest mattresses, allowing the most conformance. These are also the silliest of the three types, since you can achieve the exact feel with only one seam on a plush with identical comfort layers. Pillow tops sound sexy, and can usually justify a higher price. If you sleep on your side, or simply like a softer feel, you will probably end up on a pillow top.

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I Can Sleep Anywhere!

Can You Really Sleep Anywhere?

If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say they can sleep anywhere, I would be insanely wealthy. Yes, you probably could sleep on any mattress if you absolutely had too. When the body is tired, it will do whatever necessary to get some rest, even if that means sleeping on a concrete floor. However, the body will not get the deep recuperative sleep it needs if it is constantly adjusting, developing numbness in the arm, or simply just restless from pressure and alignment issues.

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Mattress Specs – What’s Inside My Mattress?

Blitzkrieg PT

1200 individually wrapped coils
13 Gauge Steel
3″ Visco
2″ Latex
4″ Really Soft Super Foam

If you saw these specs on a mattress, would you know if it was the right mattress for you? Probably not. You must lie down on the mattress for ten or fifteen minutes to begin to evaluate the support and comfort of any mattress. Always try a mattress on your back, then on your side and finally in your natural sleeping position. At each position, check your spinal alignment. Any bowing of the spine should be a red flag. On your side, if you feel any pain or pressure in your hips, it is too hard.

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When Should I Replace My Mattress?

A few folks have written wondering how to know when its time to change your mattress. So here are a few things to consider.

1. Crater Lake – If there is a giant hole in your mattress or two valleys on either side of a ridge in the middle, it may be time to change. Innerspring mattresses are notorious for developing body impressions where you sleep. If it is still under warranty (1.5″ for most manufacturers/10 years) measure from the natural mattress surface into the deepest valley. If it is greater than 1.5″ and still under warranty, file a claim. This may get you a new mattress set for very minimal cost.

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Mattress Deals

Let’s Make A Deal

I have heard many versions of the following story.

A customer heads out to the nearest furniture discounter or liquidator. They see a $4,000 handmade mattress on sale for $800. It is a massively thick super pillowtop that feels great.

“What a deal!” – they think to themselves and pull out their credit card to purchase the mattress.

A year or two later, the mattress of their dreams becomes their reoccurring nightmare. They are tossing and turning and waking up with back pain every morning. Their beautiful super pillowtop now looks like Crater Lake. Since they bought at the local furniture liquidator/discounter, there is no warranty and no exchange. They are out $800 and can’t sleep. But they got a really good deal!

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Mattress Toppers

Mattress Toppers – Good or Bad?

Can’t I Just Get A Mattress Topper? – Lots of people think that if they just put a topper on their bad mattress it will magically improve their sleep. The reality is that it all depends on what the problem is with your current mattress. For mattresses that are sagging or have significant body impressions, toppers will merely take on the shape of the defective mattress, offering little relief for a support issue.

If you have a super hard mattress or you are experiencing pressure points, a topper may provide relief. I would always encourage you to do your best to purchase the correct mattress and not try and “retrofit” a bad one. But if money is tight, a topper may be a temporary solution.

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