Purple mattresses are an exciting innovation that keep you supported, cool, and comfortable.

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.

The National Institutes of Health estimates that 33% of Americans get fewer than 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Their sleep research also suggests that as many as 5,000 car accidents a year may be related to drowsy drivers. Research has shown that good sleep is important for healthy brain function and emotional well-being, the former influencing one’s ability to make decisions or solve problems, and the latter leading to mood swings, and lack of motivation.

With so much riding on good sleep, why are people so focused on price when shopping for a mattress? Why is the value of sleep not considered for 3, or even 5 years?

What Is The Best Mattress Brand?

Some honest words from the trenches.

I’ve been asked numerous times, “What is the best mattress brand?” I can say without hesitation that the best mattress brand on the market is Tempur-Pedic. I sold all the top brands including the leading air mattresses and virtually every major brand of memory foam, latex, and innerspring mattresses.

The human body was never designed to sleep on steel springs. Too many comfort layers may cause alignment issues. Too few will cause pressure issues. There is a fine line between the two. And it is very difficult to find one good compromise that will work for both sleep partners. Air beds suffer the same body impression challenges as traditional mattresses, and with pumps, and things that may leak, there are plenty of opportunities for failure. Comfort life for even your luxury mattresses is often just 4-6 years, and their warranties often allow for as much as 1.5″ in body impressions. Yikes!

Typically, the fall is referred to as guest bed season. It is the time of year families get together for the holidays, and you usually have a few extra guests who need places to sleep. All this is true.

However, the REAL guest bed season is Spring. Starting in March and ending before the Summer selling season, mattress manufacturers change out their lines. Why does this matter to you? The old floor models have to leave the store. Floor models usually have a much lower cost, so retailers can sell them often far below the normal sales price. A queen set advertised around $1400, might be snapped up for under $700.

How do you know when its time to replace a mattress?

Its one of those questions that often gets asked when people learn my background. Far too often people buy a bed and continue sleeping on it well past its usable life. Like any major purchase, you really don’t want to think about it, and will often put up with poor sleep quality to avoid the trip to the mattress shop.

Even though mattresses have warranties as long as 25 years, this does NOT represent the actual expected comfort life of the mattress. It may pass the warranty test for 50 years, but if it is not comfortable, its time to change. This what I call the comfort life, and it may very well be far less than the actual life. I define comfort life as the amount of time you can comfortably sleep on the mattress – which could be as short as months, or as long as a decade. I highly doubt you can sleep comfortably on an innerspring mattress for a full decade. However, a top quality memory foam product may allow you to sleep comfortably for more than a decade.

What size mattress should you purchase?

There are four common sizes for mattresses: king, queen, full, and twin. With the exception of luxury mattress sets, all mattresses will be available in these four sizes. Choosing the right size is important for the best sleep experience.

King – 76″ X 80″ – In an ideal world, every couple should be sleeping on a king mattress. The king size is the equivalent of two twins (38″ x 2), with 5″ more length. This provides the maximum sleep space for each adult, and a little more room for maneuvering throughout the night. The extra space is also helpful for any additional critters that may join you in bed – kids, dogs, cats etc.

Getting The Best Mattress Price.

If you don’t learn anything else from this post, plant this deep within in your heart.

THE PERCENTAGE DISCOUNT IS MEANINGLESS!

I don’t care if the salesman claims that the mattress is 99% off, it is meaningless if the starting price has been inflated. All that really matters is the final price. Imagine if Mattress Store #1 is having a giant mattress sale and everything is 50% off. You find a mattress you like for $500 that was supposedly $1,000. You go to Mattress Store #2 and find a comparable mattress set for $450, which is 30% off of their regular price. Which would you choose? Believe it or not, I had customers pay more because they thought they were saving more!

That ugly black and white tag on your bed that scarily tells you “Do Not Remove Under Penalty Of Law” is your best friend when it is time to mattress shop. Let me give you an example of how it helps you.

Suppose you read online that latex mattresses are the perfect mattress for your sleep needs. You head down to the local mattress megastore and are greeted by Ed, the friendly salesperson. You explain that you want to see a latex mattress. He is most agreeable and takes you over to a wonderful mattress, proclaiming it to be 100% latex. You try it out and it does not quite feel like you expected, but the price is right and Ed proudly boasts that it is “on sale for 50% off!”

A Good Mattress Improves Your Appearance And Health

Sleep, along with water, food, and exercise, is an essential part of good health. Scientists are just beginning to figure out all the ways that quality sleep improves your life. The reality is that if you are tossing and turning because of a mattress that is too hard, or adjusting throughout the night because your body is incorrectly aligned on your mattress, you are not getting good sleep.

Good Sleep Is Essential For A Healthy And Beautiful Body.

I’ve noted in my own life how much better I feel, and look, when I get a full night of uninterrupted sleep. If you are well rested, you feel better inside – mentally, emotionally, physically, and that inner peace only improves how others see, and react to you.

Hybrid mattresses are the latest fad in the mattress industry. These are beds that combine memory foam and innersprings. Actually, this is really not that new at all since that is essentially the way mattresses have been manufactured for many decades. The big change is getting rid of the fluff – fiber and upholstery, the stuff that flattens like a pancake, and replacing it exclusively with memory foam, or some other more durable pressure relieving substance. The marketing types are already feverishly working on names for these new products. Look for names and descriptions like hybrids, half-breeds, duos, crossbreeds, and combos. I’m sure whatever verbiage the experts put together will be most exciting.

Its the million dollar question – when do I replace my mattress?

Let me start by giving you a simple analogy. If your car stops running, or is breaking down often, would you not strongly consider replacing it? Especially if fixing it was not possible, or it was cost prohibitive, right? If you can’t depend on your vehicle, and you’re spending more on tow trucks, repairs, rental cars, and missing meetings and work that costs you money, its time to replace the vehicle.

Now let’s look at your mattress. If you are waking up sore, spending dollars on doctors and chiropractors, sleeping better on the road or vacation, its probably time to change. But here are some other things to consider.

As we wind down 2012 in the ever evolving mattress industry, it is time to reflect on the good, bad, and ugly in the memory foam category. Here are my rankings for the “S” brands (yes, I know one brand starts with a “T’). These rankings are based on my personal observation, as well as customer and salesperson feedback.

1. Tempur-Pedic® – Is still by far the best overall brand. It was always my best selling and least returned brand, and that continues to be the case. The line has been extended to the point that anyone can afford them, and there are now enough comfort options to accommodate just about any body shape, size, or comfort preference.

How To Know When Its Time To Get A New Mattress

Back Pain – If you are waking up every morning with lower back pain, this may indicate that you have either a support issue or an alignment issue. Have your spouse examine your alignment in your sleeping position. If the buttocks (back sleeper) or hips (side sleeper) are sinking too much, this may be contributing factor. And depending on your sensitivity and health, it may only take a fraction of an inch to cause problems. Sudden weight gain, especially men in their bellies, and women during a pregnancy, may also be a factor. A pot belly on a side sleeper may force the body out of alignment. Nobody likes to discuss this, but excess weight is something we all contend with at times.

Shopping For A Mattress Is As Easy As CAPS.

C is for Comfort. This may seem almost elementary, but you would be amazed at how many times people will purchase a bed primarily because of price or even brand. They slept on that S-brand mattress for 20 years, and so they want the same thing. The only problem is that mattress no longer exists. Try out the mattress lying on your back, side and natural sleeping position for at least 5 minutes before you make a decision. If you have a special pillow that you cannot sleep without, take it with you to the store. Make sure the new mattress and the pillow work together providing optimal comfort for you.

Should You Buy A Floor Model Mattress?

This is the time of the year that many manufacturers and retailers change out mattress models. In preparation for the Summer selling season, they will update the line and/or lose slow moving mattresses. It is also the perfect time to pick up a quality mattress at a bargain price.

Floor models typically have a much lower cost from the manufacturer. That means when its time to sell, the retailer can sell that pillowtop that was sold all year at $1000 for only $500. Depending on how desperate the Manager is for space, you might get some incredible deals.

Tempur-Pedic® Releases the Tempur-Simplicity™ Line of Mattresses!

Long before I entered the world of marketing and advertising, I had an experience with a brand extension that would stay with me throughout my career. I was a young kid working at a mega grocery store in the produce section. But when things got busy up front, I had to help bag and carry out groceries.

I remember one instance where I carried a basket full of stuff out for a sweet senior citizen who was talking about her brand new Cadillac. Now, I was not a big car person, but at that time Cadillac was the luxury brand to have. It was a status symbol, but also a well built vehicle.

I recently encountered a customer that had bought an S-brand mattress. After a couple of days of “research” on the Internet, she became convinced that her mattress was lethal. First it was the Fire Retardant process (a Federal mandate), then it was memory foam and finally it was all foams. Within a week, and convinced by the online wizards of smart, she had to return her mattress before it killed her.

Nothing irritates me more than companies or salespeople attempting to make a sale by employing fear. In the case above, the sites she was visiting were created by companies that manufacture “green” mattresses, and they were sowing fear to sell their brand.

You go to a small chain of mattress stores and the salesperson gives you the hard sell on the brand new Purple Hippo 9000. This mattress boasts Platinum, 5 in 1 coils wrapped in 100% silk. It has both memory and amnesia foam, latex and a hundred other foam layers that have really sexy names. You try it out and it does feel awesome. The salesman has the hook in you, now its reeling time. It comes with a lifetime warranty and we are the only chain that carries this exclusive product.

In fact, he is SO confident that he WANTS you to go down to his competitors and have you ASK them if they carry the Purple Hippo 9000. He may even warn you that they will try and talk you OUT of such an awesome product.

To all my readers who have served in the Armed Forces I say thank you for your service to our country. And a special thank you to the families of wounded veterans and those that paid the ultimate sacrifice. America is eternally grateful for your sacrifice.

Friday is of course Veteran’s Day and probably the biggest mattress sales weekend of the fall. If time permits, do some shopping around before committing the dollars. There will be a whole lot of hype surrounding the sales event, but don’t fall for it. Find the right mattress that fits YOUR body and THEN seek out the best value for your money.

I was always amused by the folks that visited the large membership clubs and then would come to my store. Do you really think a full service mattress retailer is going to compete with a membership warehouse that operates, in some cases, on single digit margins?

Look, if all you care about is price, buy from a membership club. They will always be the cheapest. What you will compromise is the opportunity to test the mattresses and also any expertise that a seasoned mattress professional could offer to fit you and your spouse on the right mattress.

Let’s assume that you are constantly hot, or even constantly cold in bed. Are there any solutions for you?

Actually, there is.

Sleep Inc.™ and Amerigon® have teamed up to produce the YuMe™ Bed – A Climate Controlled Bed. Currently available exclusively through Mattress Firm®, this bed allows you to control the temperature of each side of the mattress from 60°F – 109°F.

It is an 11″ preconditioned foam mattress topped with 1″ of ventilated visco elastic foam infused with coconut oil. The climate control unit actually blows air, set to your desired preference up through the mattress.

No topic gets me more fired up than the rumor that Tempur-Pedic® mattresses make you sleep hot. There are seemingly hundreds of sites dedicated to this topic and when it gets time to offer a solution, you guessed it, its a visco elastic knock off.

First off, I sleep on a Tempur-Pedic and have for almost 6 months now. I live in a very warm climate where triple digits are the norm throughout the Summer. I am also extremely hot natured. I would start perspiring with a brisk walk through the house. I am actually cooler on my Tempur-Pedic than I was on the innerspring mattress I had before. The reason you ask? It makes perfect sense.

Its that time again, the mother of all mattress sales – Labor Day. There are some stores that will do as much business the week of Labor Day as they do in a single month. Why? Its a combination of things. End of Summer, back to school, 3-day weekend and everybody and their dog will be advertising a mattress sale. This is a perfect storm for posting big numbers. Here is some advice for the coming weekend.

Shop Early – I will not rule out the possibility of some additional savings on the weekend, but more than likely any price reductions have already been made. The stores do get crowded and if you are serious about getting the RIGHT mattress for your body, get to the store when it is not crowded. Wouldn’t it be better to enjoy the long weekend at the lake instead of the store?

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.