mattress and bed frame sagging

[PandaBear]

Bought a Simmons Beautyrest back in 2006 and it came with a box spring. Then in 2007 wife moved in and demand a bed, so we got a bedroom set from Costco, and sold the box spring on craigslist.

Wife and I think that our back condition is starting to deteriorate and we are only 31-32. We are regulars to chiropractor and both have problems in our upper back/shoulder blade area. Chiropractor ask if we have bad pillows or mattress, so we try sleeping without pillow and it sometimes help.

Last week it gets really bad for my wife, and yesterday we try moving the mattress to an empty floor area and sleep on it for the night. It feels like there is more support but back is still hurting for both of us.

As I remove the mattress from the bed, I noticed the frame is actually a vertical wood beam in the middle (a strip of 1" x 3" plywood) with 1"x 3" plywood strips layered on top horizontally, looks like a fish-bone type of layout. This explains why my side and her side feels like sagging downward, but the center of the bed feels fine.

Anyone has similar problem? I'm thinking about putting 2 beams of 2x4 under my position and my wife's position to support the frames, or flat out asking for warranty repair from the bed manufacture.

Something has to be done, but not sure what.

 

[addyguy]

I know this is an expensive option, but if you are having that many problems, I'd look into somehow getting a professional 'orthopedic' bed that will help your back.

'Mucking around' with sticking 2-by-4's under your matrass could vey possibly make things a ton worse...

 

[kaboom10]

Get a sleep number bed and be done with problems. Custom fit it each night to what your needs are.

 

[saberz]

If you got rid of the box spring, and are using a Costo-Co type sleigh bed, that may be the issue. Is there any sagging/curving of the support? If it is curving/sagging, get a boxspring + frame and use it. Your back will love you for it. I for one never liked the all wood composite supports because they are susceptible to all sorts of elements(humidity, time, overal weakness in construction).

Secondly, I recommend you look into your mattress warranty. Most Mattresses if bought new come with a 3-10 year warranty for sagging. There are usually codes/serials on the tags of the mattress that can be used to identify when it was manufactured and they can judge the warranty period based off that.(I used to work for delivery+installation company for Sleepys + Select Comfort.


I myself had a Select Comfort Bed and if you could afford that, or a Temperpedic/Dormia. Dormia is slightly cheaper in cost than temperpedic but is the same quality and can be had on sale(the Temperdic is NEVER on sale, but if you have the money, i'd go for it, very top notch).

Avoid the bobo-pedic. The quality is day and night and after 1 full night on it you might end up returning it(software material, no real support as you really sink in, instead of the foam remaining up with the curvature of your body.

I truly hope you both feel better though. If all else fails, try a few peices of plywood for additional support on the bed. Or flipping the mattress if its a non-pillowtop.)

 

[PandaBear]

It is a pillow top mattress, and it is a mistake.

The spring seems to be fine and it is very firm, but the pillow top / memory foam / whatever it is on top seems to support only a portion of our "bony" frame and have hard spots that causes some of the pains. When adding the sagging of the bed's composite support, it gets a little worse (I'll feel better sleeping with 1/3 of my body out in the empty and use the edge of mattress to support myself than sleeping where I am suppose to sleep, the middle right.

I've heard that warranty only works if your sagging is more than 2-3", and frankly it is not even close to that yet, and most likely they are going to blame the bed and the bed manufacture is going to blame the mattress. Not sure about warranty of the bed, but the warranty of mattress is 10 years.

Tried sleep number bed in a hotel in Puerto Rico once, and it leaks overnight, don't like it. I prefer to have a spring mattress thinking that they last longer than foam like Temperpedic but maybe I'm wrong. I hope to get something that last 15 years if possible.

 

[benjamming]

Supposedly, a spring mattress should be replaced every 10 years so you won't (shouldn't according to "them") get 15 years of life.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: kaboom10
Get a sleep number bed and be done with problems. Custom fit it each night to what your needs are.


Agreed.

We've had our California King sleep number nearly 10 years. I can't imagine sleeping on an inner spring mattress that I can't adjust. At 64 years old I never have back pain.

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
Tried sleep number bed in a hotel in Puerto Rico once, and it leaks overnight, don't like it.


That's like basing a new vehicle purchase decision by test driving a beat up rent-a-clunker.

 

[ryansride2017]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear

Wife and I think that our back condition is starting to deteriorate and we are only 31-32. We are regulars to chiropractor and both have problems in our upper back/shoulder blade area. Chiropractor ask if we have bad pillows or mattress, so we try sleeping without pillow and it sometimes help.

Last week it gets really bad for my wife, and yesterday we try moving the mattress to an empty floor area and sleep on it for the night. It feels like there is more support but back is still hurting for both of us.

As I remove the mattress from the bed, I noticed the frame is actually a vertical wood beam in the middle (a strip of 1" x 3" plywood) with 1"x 3" plywood strips layered on top horizontally, looks like a fish-bone type of layout. This explains why my side and her side feels like sagging downward, but the center of the bed feels fine.

Anyone has similar problem? I'm thinking about putting 2 beams of 2x4 under my position and my wife's position to support the frames, or flat out asking for warranty repair from the bed manufacture.

Something has to be done, but not sure what.


We must be leading parallel lives. Last week my wife and I had enough of our back pain so I started investigating the bed frame. We have a queen bed but there were no supports running down the center of the bed (from top to bottom). We both felt like we were rolling toward the middle at night which put pressure on our backs. I put a level on the frame. While it was nearly level without the box spring, mattress, and us, the existing metal frame bowed quite a bit once load was applied. I cut three 2X4 supports measuring about 7 inches a piece and installed them on the existing frame. It feels considerably better now. It's a shame I didn't think of it a few years ago as we have had the bed for 5.5 years.

 

[greenaccord02]

My wife and I have a Sealy Posturepedic Trueform and you talk about comfortable - it's like sinking into a cloud. We also use memory foam pillows. The bed wasn't cheap and the pillows were $50 each on sale, but I sleep like I'm dead on these things and so does she, despite her history of neck problems from a traffic accident and mild scoliosis.

 

[Gary Allan]

1/4" sheet of plywood between box spring and mattress.

You didn't say it needed to be high tech or expensive.

 

[JHZR2]

I had a queen mattress I got after graduating from college. I was the only one using it, so I slept in the middle. It had a square frame with mattress and boxspring. Not enough center support, and I sagged it in the middle.

New frame had a center support. I like gary's idea to spread the force.

 

[eljefino]

If you go in for mattress warranty remember you had to rotate and or flip your mattress every thirty days. So bone up on the paperwork before you talk to anyone. And my junky mattress also has to have 2" of sag to qualify.

 

[dishdude]

I bought a Temperpedic queen size for $599 at RC Willey last month, it is great! So firm and supportive I will never go back to a spring mattress.

 

[saberz]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
It is a pillow top mattress, and it is a mistake.

The spring seems to be fine and it is very firm, but the pillow top / memory foam / whatever it is on top seems to support only a portion of our "bony" frame and have hard spots that causes some of the pains. When adding the sagging of the bed's composite support, it gets a little worse (I'll feel better sleeping with 1/3 of my body out in the empty and use the edge of mattress to support myself than sleeping where I am suppose to sleep, the middle right.

I've heard that warranty only works if your sagging is more than 2-3", and frankly it is not even close to that yet, and most likely they are going to blame the bed and the bed manufacture is going to blame the mattress. Not sure about warranty of the bed, but the warranty of mattress is 10 years.

Tried sleep number bed in a hotel in Puerto Rico once, and it leaks overnight, don't like it. I prefer to have a spring mattress thinking that they last longer than foam like Temperpedic but maybe I'm wrong. I hope to get something that last 15 years if possible.



I'd double check the warranty just to be sure, and placing a call to their support line wouldn't hurt either. They will send someone out to inspect the bed and at the point determine if its fixable(yes they fix matresses) or phone in and ask for a replacement. Most mattress manufacturers are very good with their warranties and want to preserve their image. It's not like your requesting a refund, but want a bed that isn't defective/possibly defective).

 

[PandaBear]

I contacted Costco and they escalated my problem to the manufacturer, the manufacture called me yesterday and tell me that they will send me a new frame and a guy to install it for me.

We'll see how it works. Then we'll see about the mattress at/after that point.

 

[greenaccord02]

Nice - good to hear they're going to cover you.