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If you ask friends to name a mattress brand, a lot of them will probably go with Tempur–Pedic. It’s simply because this is a household name – this company was the first to use memory foam in beds and has been one of the leading mattress brands in the US to this day. Since millions of people have slept on Tempur–Pedic mattresses, we can draw safe conclusions about these products. Today we’re focusing on common complaints about Tempur–Pedic.
Why Some People Complain about Tempur-Pedic
All mattress brands receive complaints (see our articles on Winkbeds complaints and Helix mattress complaints for examples). Only a fraction of users actually complained about Tempur-Pedic products. Common complaints are about the features of a new mattress and the features of memory foam, but there are also some problems that can develop after years of use.
- Tempur-Pedic mattress causes back pain
- Tempur-Pedic has the wrong firmness level
- New Tempur-Pedic smells awful
- Tempur-Pedic is way too hot
- Tempur-Pedic mattress is sagging
- High cost of the mattresses
- Tempur-Pedic is too heavy
If you’re worried about these potential issues make sure you take a look at our list of mattresses that are similar to TempurPedic for alternative options.
Tempur-Pedic mattress causes back pain
Your Tempur-Pedic mattress could be causing your back pain in a variety of ways. It could be due to the fact that it’s a brand new mattress. It could also be due to poor-quality memory foam or a firmness level that doesn’t suit you.
Getting used to your Tempur-Pedic mattress
If you’ve just bought a new mattress, you might be experiencing pain simply because your body got so used to the old one (especially if you’ve slept on the same old mattress for years). A new mattress gives your body a new sleeping position and this might be the sole culprit. Lower back pain, shoulder pain, or neck pain resulting from the difference in body position usually doesn’t last for a long time so you should expect your body to get used to it fairly quickly.
Break-in period
You’ve probably heard of “mattress break-in period”. This means that your new bed is firmer when it’s brand new than after a month of constant use. Sometimes this firmness is causing back pain. The solution here is to keep using the mattress for about a month and then you’ll know for sure if you should keep or return your Tempur-Pedic mattress.
The adjustment of your body to the new mattress and the mattress break-in happen simultaneously and both just require time unless the pain is so strong that you can’t sleep or function properly during the day.
Memory foam structure
Memory foam structure could be another reason your Tempur-Pedic is giving you back pain. Their hybrid mattresses offer more support because they have coil springs under the foam layers. If your model is made of memory foam only, even though it contains a support layer made of firmer foam, you might actually not be getting the support you need, based on your body type and sleeping position. Side sleepers who aren’t heavy will sleep on a memory foam-only bed much better than heavy back sleepers, for example.
Finally, your problem might entirely lie in the fact that you’ve bought a mattress of the wrong firmness level. You may need a much softer or much firmer mattress. We’ll discuss firmness problems below.
Tempur-Pedic wrong firmness level
This is probably the most common Tempur-Pedic complaint. New Tempur-Pedic mattresses tend to be firmer than mattresses from other brands (that’s one of the reasons they last so long).
It’s easy to return
If the Tempur-Pedic mattress you’ve purchased is just way too firm or too soft and it’s been over a month you’ve slept on it, the best solution is to simply return or exchange it for a mattress of a different firmness level. Alternatively, you can invest in a mattress topper – a firm mattress can be fixed with a soft topper and a soft one can be made better with a firmer mattress topper.
Although mattress toppers are an option, we don’t recommend spending more money to fix a brand new thing that doesn’t suit you. Simply return it because Tempur-Pedic offers a 90-day sleep trial, which is more than enough time to see whether or not the mattress is for you.
How soon can you return your mattress?
Don’t forget that there’s a break-in period of about a month or so and that your firm mattress will become softer during the sleep trial. The same goes for a soft mattress – it will get softer still. What that means is if a mattress is too firm, you may stand a chance to enjoy sleeping on it after it breaks in, but if it’s too soft for you, it’ll only get worse.
Heavier sleepers will quickly break a mattress in, while lighter ones may literally have a hard time with their new Tempur-Pedic mattress. Individuals with lower body weight are also more likely to complain about a mattress not breaking in and being too firm. If this is you, here’s an unusual tip: ask a heavy family member to sleep on the mattress for a while to break it in for you.
New mattress smells awful
It sure does and it has to. All foam products release gases when they are new. This is called off-gassing and it’s common in memory foam pillows as well as memory foam beds.
Foam has to release gas
Tempur-Pedic sells a variety of models, all of which include memory foam and its blends – their all-foam mattress off-gasses for a few days after being unpacked. The same goes for the Tempur-Pedic hybrid mattress. You may opt for a hybrid mattress option but it still has layers of foam. You might be lucky to get a product whose smell isn’t too strong, but most of them may be too much for people with sensitive noses.
If the smell bothers you so much that you can’t sleep, put your Tempur-Pedic mattress in a guest room and leave the window open. If the smell doesn’t bother you that much, you can sleep on your new Tempur-Pedic mattress.
Toxicity of Tempur-Pedic mattresses
The gas which comes out of a new Tempur-Pedic mattress isn’t harmful because Tempur-Pedic’s products are made with safety certification Certi-PUR US. This means that your Tempur-Pedic bed is made free of harmful volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) which exist in many memory foam beds, but not in Tempur-Pedic mattresses.
Tempur-Pedic is way too hot
Hot sleepers will probably complain about Tempur-Pedic materials, especially if they have a soft Tempur-Pedic mattress. This is because you sink more into a softer mattress and since foam accumulates body heat, hot sleepers are in for a really warm night.
There’s no way around it – foam materials trap heat more than other materials, and memory foam is the most heat-trapping of all foams! You can top your memory foam mattress with a mattress topper or a mattress protector made of cotton or another breathable material that will allow the air to circulate.
Cooling models
There are two cooling Tempur-Pedic mattresses – Tempur-Breeze models are supposed to keep you cool, but some users complain about them not being cooling enough. This is because the cooling technology is based on a type of gel that just takes longer to get warm and because of that, you’ll feel cool at first, but the more you stay in bed, the warmer it gets.
Some people have no problem with this technology as it cools them down until they fall asleep, and after that, they don’t even feel if the bed gets warmer or not. Others – especially people who are sleeping hot – will notice this much sooner.
All in all, a hot sleeper is generally not the right type of person for a memory foam mattress, be it Tempur-Pedic or another brand. We do have to mention that even some hot sleepers thought that Tempur-Pedic breeze models were a game changer and are happy to recommend them.
Tempur-Pedic mattress sagging
A sagging mattress is not comfortable to sleep on and could be causing back pain. Both memory foam and hybrid mattresses can sag, with memory foam mattresses being more likely to sag than hybrids. Either way, if your Tempur-Pedic mattress is sagging in the middle, you have to do something about it.
Is it the base?
Check your bed base or frame. If your mattress isn’t too old, it might be the bed base that is. A bent base will give a bent shape to your mattress and if you want to fix this, you’ll need to buy a new base.
What if it’s not the base but the mattress itself? Unfortunately, that means your mattress is really old. Tempur-Pedic mattresses are firmer than most people expect, and even their medium-firm models are way too firm for some.
What to do
So, if their mattress sags, you’re probably dealing with an extremely old model or a model that has a serious defect. In both situations, you should check the papers and see if your warranty covers this issue and if the mattress is eligible for a return or an exchange.
If it’s too old for the warranty, just dispose of your mattress.
High cost of the mattresses
This company invests a lot in development and as a result, their mattresses contain several types of patented foam blend layers. Top this off with excellent guarantees and warranties and the fact that this is a really strong brand name, and you get a mattress that’s much more expensive than traditional mattresses.
Haters hate it all
Most people who dislike their Tempur-Pedic mattress for whatever reason will mention the price point as one of the problems. For example, if they sleep hot in Tempur-Pedic, they’ll complain about a “hot and expensive mattress”.
This is not unusual because if they pay between $2000 and $5000 for a mattress, they expect it to be an absolutely perfect, best mattress ever and nothing less than that.
With so many cheap mattresses out there today, a prospective buyer has to think “Is Tempur-Pedic worth it?”
Look for discounts
To go around the high prices, you should look for online coupons or discounts, but you can also go to one of their stores and straightforward ask for deals they are willing to offer. Also, bear in mind that most mattress companies have sales in May and around Black Friday.
Tempur-Pedic is too heavy
All the memory foam layers on top of other memory foam layers make a mattress really heavy. Some people complain that Tempur-Pedic mattress models are so heavy that it’s difficult to change sheets, let alone move the bed or the mattress itself. This also creates problems when cleaning your Tempur-Pedic mattress.
Sure enough, a Twin size is not as heavy as a Queen. Also, it’ll be easier to move the two mattresses from a Split California King than one single California King mattress.
It’s good to factor in the weight of the mattress when you’re deciding on the size of a mattress you want to buy.
FAQ
What happens if I don’t like my Tempur-Pedic mattress?
You can return it as a part of their 90-day free sleep trial policy. You do have to keep the mattress for at least 30 days before being able to return it.
How do I know if my mattress is causing my back pain?
If you’ve started having problems when you switched to a different mattress, it’s probably the mattress causing you pain. If you’re not sure whether it’s the mattress, you should work on eliminating other possible causes, like a sedentary lifestyle, the wrong way of exercising, or a bad sleeping position. Stomach sleepers have one of the worst sleeping positions and they should first work on changing that, for example.
How many years do Tempur-Pedic memory foam mattresses last?
A Tempur-Pedic mattress can last a maximum of 15 years with proper care and in ideal conditions but to be on the safe side, count on the mattress serving you for 10-12 years for sure. For comparison, a spring mattress lifespan is up to 8 years. Apart from latex mattresses, memory foam mattresses last for the longest time and Tempur-Pedic mattresses fall in the category of the most durable memory foam beds.
What models does Tempur-Pedic offer?
Tempur-Pedic offers three types of mattresses:
- Tempur-cloud mattress (the original mattress)
- Tempur-adapt collection (Tempur-Adapt, Tempur-Proadapt, and Tempur-Luxeadapt) – designed for pressure relief
- Tempur-breeze collection (Tempur-Probreeze and Tempur-Luxebreeze) – designed for cooling
The Adapt Tempur-Pedic models are using the original Tempur material developed by NASA and further developed by Tempur-Pedic to be more suitable for sleep. The Tempur Proadapt mattress uses the APR material which is specifically made to be pressure-relieving and has shown to be their best material for pressure relief. Tempur Luxeadapt uses an improved version of APR.
The Breeze models use special materials that should increase airflow and breathability. Both Adapt and Breeze Tempur-Pedic mattresses use a SmartClimate Dual Cover System which is basically a topmost layer that contains two cooling materials and is removable from the mattress and easily washable.
Why are Tempur-Pedic mattresses so hard?
Tempur-Pedic mattresses are high-quality memory foam mattresses and they have to be firm to start off with because they are meant to last for a long time. Heavier sleepers break in their Tempur-Pedic memory foam mattress quite quickly, and it’s the smaller, lighter individuals who tend to have a real problem with the firmness of their memory foam mattresses.
The firmness of Tempur-Pedic mattresses usually strikes people by surprise. Nobody expects a memory foam mattress to be that hard. In more extreme cases people have lower back pain from this mattress and side sleepers may wake up with sore hips and shoulders.
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