Need a new mattress! Sorry it’s boring!

We found our mattress not as comfortable as we would wish so instead of buying yet another new mattress we bought a three inch deep Tempur foam 'topper' to go on top. This has proved to be super and is still as good as new after about 5 years.

Our only problem since then has been finding the right sheets; there is no fitted sheet that will fit so we have had to use the normal flat sheets of old. A small detail for a good night's sleep!

Don't know whether ours is supposed to be a good or a bad mattress. The label has dropped off It does, however, still support us well after 30-40 years
We bought it following a Which recommendation. They had just used it with the well- known makes, to make up the number required for the test and were amazed when it passed all the trials hands down. It is still going strong. We are both aged but neither of us has backache and, interestingly, when I enquired of Which what make they had recommended so long ago, they could not tell me

Try to find a stockist of Millbrook mattresses.
They're hand made and range in price from £500 up to £2300 for a standard king size, depending on thickness, filling etc.
I have a really bad back problem and tried lots of different beds/mattresses before discovering Millbrook, and finally getting really good sleep, with no backache the following day!
Personally I hate slatted bed bases, I like a deep mattress on a sprung base, it gives better support and a lot more comfort.
Millbrook aren't the cheapest mattresses around, but when you consider how much of your life you spend in bed, and how much better you feel after a really good sleep, they're worth every penny!
I spent what I considered an obscene amount on our bed, but believe me, it's improved my quality of life so much, I'd spend it again in a heartbeat

I hear water beds are very good and can help with bad backs, etc. They last for years and once one is converted they easily replace the traditional mattresses. Does anyone have any feedback on them?

Yes tinaf1 we have 2 single electric beds joined together. They work independently of each other so we have single bed fitted sheets on each one and a king sized downie with cover over us both.
We bought because I need to be propped up a bit when I’m sleeping because of a hiatus hernia. We tried every possible option before buying but the fact is if you raise the head of the bed in anyway you gradually slip down it and spend the night mountaineering back up. The electric bed can come up at the bottom too so the end result is that you are lying in a cradle. It is also wonderful for reading in bed. Getting out of them is simpler too.

We went to Dreams (I think) and just bought the mattress for our bed which also has a wooden slatted base. It is pocket sprung with a memory foam top and is so comfortable! I think they arranged for the old mattress to be taken away when the new was delivered but I can't remember if there was a charge for that. the only downside I can think of is that the new mattress (well it's not new now!) is deep so I had to buy new bottom sheets and get used to sleeping higher up!!!

We've had a Tempur mattress for about 12 years and wouldn't dream of replacing it at the moment. We absolutely love it, it suits us both perfectly. I have a dodgy back but it is just right for my aches & pains. I wish we could be like Prince Charles & take it with us on holiday!

I have recently bought an Eve bed in a box. It has made a huge difference to my life. I have chronic back pain that woke me several times a night. I tried a multitude of mattresses but none helped. I bought the Eve mattress with very low expectations but I only wake once or twice a night, and that's usually for a trip to the bathroom!!. Because I am getting a good night's sleep I can cope so much better with my back problem and am definitely not so grumpy. The good thing about it is that you can keep it for 100 days and if it doesn't improve your sleep you can send it back for a full refund

Greyduster I made the mistake of buying a memory foam mattress a couple of years ago.
It was like sleeping on an hill with underground heating.
I solved the hill problem by turning it over for a few days (which they tell you not to and one day might have been better).
To solve the heat I bought a 100% cotton topper and 100% cotton sheets. I did eventually get used to it and don't dislike it now - but I won't buy one again and definitely wouldn't recommend them.
I did look up plenty of reviews and they were all positive but after I bought it I google 'memory foam mattress too hot' and saw that it is clearly a big problem particularly with people with illnesses that make it hard to regulate temperature.

An excellent mattress topper made an amazing difference to an old mattress...I could not believe the difference...

We changed our mattress just over a year ago, as the old one was clearly worn out ( and not necessarily from THAT....!). OH has very painful knees and insisted on a 'firm' mattress to support his legs, was pretty insistent on having the one HE tried out in the shop, and which is topped with memory foam. Long story cut short, he's blissfully comfortable each night, I'm not and often sleep downstairs in the recliner chair, or risk ending up tossing and turning all night and eventually waking up aching and hot and sweaty. It's like sleeping on an upholstered concrete slab and the memory foam is just too hot. Unfortunately to change it for a dual-type bed made up of separate halves was outside of my budget so I'm stuck with the dreadful thing! Maybe it's time I traded in both the mattress and Him Indoors for more comfortable versions!

Most good mattress companies will allow you to try the mattress for a few weeks before deciding. The only way to know if it is right for you is to sleep on it. I bought a mattress a few years ago and despite it being extra long they took it back with no quibble and exchanged it.

We changed our mattress recently because OH's back ached in the mornings. Bought an expensive mattress and his back still ached. The only difference was that now my back ached as well. After a month of trying to adjust I suggested we slept in the guest room on the old mattress. It was like coming home after a holiday. Expensive new mattress now in the guest room! My back no longer aches and his only does occasionally so maybe it wasn't the mattress!

We bought a Silentnight Backcare mattress recently for the same reason. Having enjoyed our pocket sprung with memory foam overlay for 9 years I was getting persistent backache and felt I was lying in a groove. The shop took our guest room double mattress away to the Emaeus shop and we put our mattress in the guest room as its perfectly good for a few nights stay DH has confirmed.

Trouble with mine GG, is that the bed is high now and with a topper it would be too high.

I cannot believe that the very morning I got up aching and blaming the pocket sprung bed we paid a lot of money for, I come online and read your post! Sorry you're experiencing the same discomfort.

The aches go when I'm up and walking about fortunately.

Get a really good quality memory foam mattress.
Or a memory foam topper.

They are expensive, but worth it.

I would be wary of overhard mattresses which are promoted as good for your back. Choose a soft or a medium one if you have to buy a new one.

Our mattress was bought after a one night hotel stay in the most comfortable bed ever!
I called them up the next week and asked what it was.

We both have back problems and were seduced by ads for (expensive) memory foam mattresses and they did seem very comfortable in the shop. After sleeping on one for a few months we found it uncomfortable and very hot, this was winter too. It was also difficult changing the bottom fitted sheet as mattress folded when lifted. It is now in our spare room and we bought a JL natural collection pocket sprung medium, and it is brilliant.

I think it depends on your budget.
My daughter bought one she loved in the shop but was terrible at home. She put up with it for a year or more but in the end she found a company (maybe John Lewis?) who let you exchange your mattress if you don’t like it after about a month trying it at home.
Although there was a charge for this it gave her the confidence to buy again.
Might be worth thinking about.

I've had 3 mattresses in 3 years too trying to find the right one for my back (slipped discs). My original was a miracoil silent night & that was what I've ended up with!! It has layer of sheepskin type material on the top so no need for a topper but is still firm & not at all hot. I've slept on memory foam mattresses and they did not agree with me at all, I couldn't get comfortable and they were very warm, not what I needed to go with my night flushes.
Some bed shops have gadgets that measure where support is required when you lye on the bed, this method definitely worked for my mum. She bought hers in Benson's I think.
My mattress came from an online store the name of which escapes me ?.

We bought a firm mattress from JL a lot of years ago, I used to wake up with awful backache, now relegated to our second home for occasional use only.
The very best mattresses we have are Hulsta, very comfortable. I also have a Hulsta adjustable bed, not all they are cracked up to be, when the head is raised you slide down the bed unless you raise the middle section under your
knees.

I think most companies now will take away the old. Carpetright does. They may charge a fee but it will generally be nominal compared to getting in a rubbish collecting company.

tinafl We have an electric automatic bed. Bought a few years ago because my OH suffers with hay fever and asthma. He was always trying to prop himself up with pillows which was never successful so we opted for a new automatic bed. He likes it - I don't. We bought two single beds as I didn't want to be propped up too but that brings the problems. We make do with the king size duvet but two lots of bottom sheets as you can't have a double bottom sheet if one mattress is going to be raised up and they're not the easiest to fit when you change the sheets. There's always a risk of one of us finding the gap in the middle. On the plus side it was wonderful when I had my hip done and I had to sleep on my back for six weeks