Emma mattress nightmare

Hi Lucia,

We're sorry to hear you're having such a bad experience with your Emma mattress. I think the main thing to say is that irrespective of the boxed mattress craze that people will either love or hate memory foam mattresses. They are a real love-hate mattress style and probably why so many people are opting to spend a little bit more and move to natural fibres that are cooler. If you google these mattress models such as Emma, Simba and Casper you can find any differing reviews from people that either love the sinking soft sensation and others who do not. It's highly subjective.

Heat Retention with Boxed Internet Mattresses: The problem with all memory and hybrid foam mattresses such as the Emma mattress is that they retain far more heat than traditional mattresses. The very nature of the foams means they retain heat which is how they mould and conform to your body during the night. For some people, this is not a problem and they quite like the warmer snug sleep. For others, like you, it causes night sweats and all sorts of sleeping issues.

Latex is a far cooler material for those who want the feeling of Memory foam but without the excess heat. However, Natural Latex is far more expensive so you have to weigh this up against the competitive price point of the Emma mattress.

That's not to say that the Emma mattress is poorly made or a bad choice, it's just you need to be aware that all foam mattresses will suffer to some degree from staying warmer during the night and having a smell to them (offgassing).

Emma Mattress Smell: Offgassing will happen with all fibres, even wool. However, with a natural fibre, it's usually an earthy smell that leaves quickly. With more chemically processed fibres like foam, memory foam and hybrid foam this smell can linger. Depending on your smell sensitivity some people cannot bear the smell of these boxed foam mattresses like Casper, Eve, Emma, Leesa, Simba etc. It really is person dependant.

A good test is if you find yourself keen of smell, ie you can smell people perfumes quickly in a lift or enclosed space then you may have a much more sensitive sense of smell. It may be best if you're like this to avoid synthetic mattresses where possible.

In terms of what to do to make the Emma mattress cooler it sounds like you've already followed our guidance to reduce the bedroom temperature and changing your duvet. There's not much else you can do other than maybe adding a natural fibre mattress topper to help distance your immediate contact with the Emma mattress due to heat retention. Like you say you could always return the mattress and choose a different construction style like a springs/" title="pocket spring">pocket spring Natural fibre model.

If you do return it have a look at our Origins 1500 Mattress which features a wool top layer to help keep you cool at night. It's at the same price point as the Emma mattress and will give you another comparison to add to the mix.

Do let us know how you get on. You can also call us on 0161 437 4419 for more tailored mattress help.

All the best

John & Ryan