Asklemmy

I would say yes. For a good 30 years i slept on the cheapest matresses possible, because i didn't mind, always slept like a rock and never had any problems. Then for the forst time i bought a really "good" matress and it was a bit meh at first, because it was pretty hard. Then i bought a topper and that was the game changer for me. I don't even know how important the matress is anymore, but a good memory foam topper is a godsend.

Anything between you and the ground is always worth buying quality. Shoes, tires, mattresses, etc.

It depends on the mattress. I’ve slept on cheap mattresses until 3 years ago when I purchased a Personal Comfort mattress. They’re an adjustable mattress like Sleep Number but a little cheaper and I liked the assembly a bit better since it lets you replace individual layers should they wear out, and the mattress can be “upgraded” to something more plush over time.

It was pricy and hard to justify at first but I’ve slept so much better.

Being able to adjust the firmness has been less gimmick and actually kind of nice but probably isn’t useful to everyone. It’s handy if you’re sharing the bed with someone though.

If you order a mattress, find a place that’ll let you trial it for a month or two. You should be able to tell if it’s helping or not in that timeframe.

I bought a cheap mattress but a pretty expensive pillow (tempur), the pillow made all the difference to me. It's so crucial to my sleep quality that I have to bring it on trips, it works for any mattress.

Try a matress pad. It's cheaper and less hassle.

Is it expensive because it is higher quality, or is it expensive because of marketing BS?

I could absolutely see very expensive ones being the price they are simply because of marketing, but mid-tier brands can be very good. I personally swear by the one that advertises individually wrapped coils (I think Sealy). Have one now and had one before and they are incredibly comfy. I do not think the foam ones are particularly good.

It's more important you get the right type of mattress for you than the price. If you do go shopping for one, try to remember how that one at the hotel was. Softer? Firmer? Springy? What feels comfy for 20 minutes can feel very painful for 6 hours.

Avocado Mattress on a Thuma bed frame. Heaven. And really fucking expensive too.

Sometimes? We got an expensive one and I didn't really think it was that special at the time, but when we "upgraded" from a queen to a king of a much lower costing brand it was immediately noticeable how much nicer the previous was. First was a regular mattress from Serta or something and the next was a highly rated bed in a box we ordered. I sleep like shit every night now and really miss that queen sized mattress.

I would suggest a low VOC (volatile organic compound) mattress whatever you do.

Just bought one recently. We walked in and the guy immediately started showing us ones for as low as $200. I asked what the difference was between those and the display models and he started showing us some of the floor models. We really didn’t feel much difference between any of them. The ones leaning up were absolutely not worth it and uncomfortable but we went with a $1k hybrid because it felt the same as a $5k premium Stearns and Foster. We got a Sleepy with a medium stiffness. It’s a combination of memory foam and springs. It helped my back pain and I got the best night sleep in years the day we got it.

I bought a 1400 dollar Queen. Upgrade from my shit 200 dollar twin. It's such a huge difference. My back still hurts, but that my shitty back. But no more knee pain from the crappy mattress buckling in the middle

Probably if you have the money I know the mattress I have is wrecking my sleep but I can't commit to replacing it at this time. I know the frustration of remembering what a good night's sleep is like the rare time I go to a hotel very well...

The Saatva I bought about ten years ago is still holding up well, after the previous Sealy only lasted about 3-4. Generally I think people need a more firm mattress than they think they want when they're at the store and plunk down into a big soft pillowtop thing.

Depends on what you can afford. Foam mattresses are easy, b/c you can have them shipped, but you can't try before you buy. Hybrid mattresses are popular. They have springs inside and foam on one side. You can't flip them over, like you can with old-fashioned mattresses. Recently, I saw in a Goodwill thrift shop, a decent hybrid mattress for little money. They have a deal with a US manufacturer. I know this b/c I needed a new mattress a couple of years ago. In the process of looking, I found a couple of online sites comparing different brands and types. I seem to remember they weren't affiliated with any sellers. If I'd saved the links, I'd share them. Figuring out exactly what they're selling and comparing between brands is complicated. Good luck. P.S., Low-quality foam deteriorates quicker than pricier foam.