Customer Ratings & Reviews

My wife is the primary reviewer of this mattress since her comfort needs exceed mine. I can sleep on concrete and did in the military a few times. I’m mostly the editor on this review but we both unpacked it and set it up. Note: My wife and I sleep in separate rooms because years ago we had jobs with different work schedules and that worked out very well. So well, we have never reverted back. The mattress went on her bed – box springs. You will need a ridged supportive foundation to set the mattress on according to the setup-care card. Serta vacuum packed and rolled the mattress up and fit it into a 17 ½ tall by 18 ½ wide and 29 inches long box. They also included a little cutter tool (letter opener) to remove the plastic wrapper. Just read the setup and care card on how to remove it from the box. You remove the paper and plastic wrap it’s coiled up with, spread the mattress open, cut off and remove the plastic bag. Continue to spread it open so that can absorb air and expand to it’s designed shape. I’d say give it a day to fully expand and lose the slight odor it has. (See Photos) Wife says “As a side sleeper I feel like it offers me better support than the pillow top mattress I was using. It’s firmer than what I have been used to, and because of that obviously I don’t sink down into it as much. I think this is why it feels a little cooler too.” Serta says it cradles you and it does, but it doesn’t feel like a hammock, and that’s a good thing. After sleeping on it about a week, she was sure it had softened up some where she had been consistently laying on it and came up with an idea to test her theory. She got an unopened gallon jug of spring water (8.4 lbs.) and measured how deep it sank into the mattress in several different locations after sitting for five minutes. In unused sections of the mattress the jug sank approximately ¾ of an inch. In the used sections it sank as much as 1 ¼ inches. That’s a half an inch difference. So yeah, it softens up and conforms to you a bit. She said it’s more comfortable now than the first night she slept on it. I tried sleeping on it a couple of nights and I found it to be very comfortable. I’m a side sleeper too. Had she not liked it I would have taken it and been very happy with it. The build quality looks and feels good. It has a 10-year warranty. The zippered cover on the mattress is not washable, so spot clean when and where needed only. We both highly recommend the Serta Sheer Slumber 8” Med Firm Gel Memory-Foam Mattress-in-a-box.

I want to preface this review with the fact I have had Spinal Fusion on nearly my entire spine. I need a firm mattress with good support for my lower back in particular. I was surprised to find this Serta mattress very comfortable for my needs. I am coming from a mid-tier, “firm” pillowtop (Oxymoron) from another popular brand that starts with an S. Let’s just say I am not happy with that mattresses performance or quality. The Serta Sheer Slumber 8” Medium Firm Gel Memory Foam Mattress-in-a-box features Serta’s improved Serta Foam Core which is supposed to provide durable support edge to edge for all sleeping positions. I have never tried a foam mattress, let alone a mattress in a box before so I was very interested in trying this product out. In the Box: - Mattress - Plastic Cutting Tool (To safely unwrap mattress) Setup: This mattress came tightly wrapped in several layers of cardboard wrapping paper as well as plastic wrap. Because of the small size, it is very easy to transport to its final location in your home. It is quite heavy so it might require two people. It took several minutes to cut the paper and plastic off the mattress. The supplied cutting tool works but not very well. Once you cut the final layer expect a POP! because the tension holding the mattress in the roll. Once you flatten it out you can cut open one final bag and slide the mattress out to let sit as it inflates to its final size. It took a good 3-4 hours to inflate to its full 8” size (started out about 6” immediately after opening). Serta claims you can use it right away while “inflating” but I let it sit over 8 hours before using it. Comfort: This mattress is advertised as a Medium Firm and I would say that is an accurate description. It is definitely firm the first few nights as it breaks in but after this period it softens just a tad. Personally, I need something firm and it has turned out very close to what I would want. The first two nights were rather hard (Could be just the feeling coming from another bed) but after sleeping on it for a week now, I like the firmness and density. Having never used a foam mattress before this is a totally new experience. I always shied away from foam because I didn’t think the feeling would lend well to my back but I was wrong. These mattresses offer more of the support I need for my entire back as they conform to your body quite well. I tend to sleep on my side but do sometimes lay on my back and both positions are comfortable. Overall comfort has been very good but not perfect for my lower back. I have been happy the improvement from my previous mattress. In terms of the temperature, this mattress seems to regulate it fairly well. Since it is winter I use a heated blanket but overall I am comfortable with a lower setting on the blanket. The one dislike I have so far is the fact this mattress is only 8” so even with a box spring and raised frame, you need to get up out of the bed instead of getting off like my last one. Currently this setup sits 23” from the floor where as my old mattress (on the same box spring) sat 28” from the floor. The 5” difference is very noticeable and could be a problem for older folks or people that need assistance getting up. The 5” lower height also changes how the room looks entirely. Sheets also need to be tucked under the mattress more since the mattress is quite slim. I could still use my old sheet with no issue. Overall: I am very pleased to find a mattress in a box does work for my needs. I have yet to see a substantial difference in sleep quality but adjusting to new mattresses takes time and I am heading in the right direction with overall sleep comfort. I would definitely recommend checking out this mattress if you are in the market for a new bed.

Pefect in our new RV trailer. No aches or pain, slept very well on the first use. The Mrs. is satified too - got the medium/firm. Gives us support but contours to a side sleeper.

I love my new mattress! I am a sciatica sufferer, and this mattress has been a lifesaver for me. Support yet comfort for the tenderness I have. Money well spent.

Serta MEDIUM FIRM mattress help relieve arthritis back and leg pain. Plus mattress is so comfortable. Plus bought it on sale.

This is a good mattress for a spare bedroom. My guest said it was comfortable.

Loved it. The mattress is firm but yet soft. And the delivery was extremely fast only taking less then a week to arrive.

WOW! really comfortable. I have been getting amazing sleep.

We got this mattress for my teenage daughter that has a loft bed. Our ceilings aren't vaulted, so the reduced thickness of the mattress would give her a little bit more room near the ceiling. I was concerned at how thin it was. But we have had no complaints! I've laid on it as well and I must say I'm impressed. Her previous mattress was a high end pillow top. She says this mattress is way better than the previous. Another concern we had was trapping body heat, which seems to be a problem with the mattress-in-a-box styles. My daughter likes to sleep in the cold and has had ZERO issues with trapped body heat. So in closing, although we acquired this for my teenage daughter, I would look into Serta's products for our personal purchase as well. I would recommend this product to friends and family, especially for those with loft beds try to drop the height a bit.

I was a bit skeptical at first of another mattress in a box, I had purchased one a few years ago & ended up donating it. I wanted a new twin mattress for our guest bedroom where I go when my husband snores. This was easy to set up & one corner was bent on arrival but after only a few hours it reached height enough to straighten out. Always amazes me how small these are packed & how they fluff up to full size. The first night was rough, I could not get comfortable on it but they say you can sleep on it the first night & I’d recommend waiting till day 2 till it reaches maximum height. Night 2 & after I slept like a baby. This is a medium firm mattress so it’s a little firm but conforms to your body & becomes very comfortable. Our very first memory foam mattress got very warm when you slept on it & I’m always cold, this mattress doesn’t do that, it stays cool. Waking up was nice, no muscle stiffness. I am honestly more comfortable on this mattress than our $2200 memory foam. Will definitely buy another when our queen mattress wears out.

This Serta memory foam mattress is seriously comfortable. This is a FIRM mattress and I’ve found that firm mattresses tend to work a lot better for me compared to softer mattresses since softer mattresses tend to make me sweat more. If you are like me, this mattress may be for you. In this review, I’ll go over my experience with this mattress. *TLDR at bottom ========== IN THE BOX/SET UP: This mattress does indeed come in a box. I was surprised at how small the box was when I first saw it. They do a seriously good job at compressing it down to something that can be carried by one person. In the box, you also get a cutter. This cutter can be used to cut the plastic off the mattress. Once all the plastic is off, you can unravel the mattress and let it sit for a couple of hours. Serta says the mattress can take up to 48 hours to reach its full height. Serta also says one can still sleep on the mattress right away if one so desires. I waited about 10 hours and the mattress seemingly reached a good height for me to sleep on. ========== MATTRESS QUALITY/COMFORT: Serta’s mattresses are everywhere and extremely popular among the crowd. My old mattress was needing an upgrade and this one seemed perfect. This new mattress completely trumps my old mattress. I tend to sweat a lot when I sleep and replacing my old softer mattress with this firm one seemed to help me feel a lot cooler/relaxed during the night. After sleeping on the mattress for a couple of days, I do not have any complaints and I simply feel energized after all my nights of sleep. This mattress doesn’t hold heat as much compared to my older one which is likely why I felt cooler. This mattress feels like a quality mattress that will hold up for a while. In terms of comfort, it did take a bit to get used to the firmness of the mattress. But after a couple of days, I was sleeping like a baby. ========== CONCLUSION/TLDR: Overall, Serta did an incredible job with this memory foam mattress. The mattress came in a box which made it easy to carry and the setup was quick. I waited about 10 hours to allow for the mattress to reach its full height. If you are coming from a softer mattress like I was, this firm mattress does take a bit to get used to. After a couple of days, I was acclimated and slept comfortably. This mattress also tends to feel a lot cooler than my old one. If you love firm mattresses or are looking to try one out, you cannot go wrong with this one!

I've ordered several memory foam mattresses over the years. I knew what to expect as far as unpacking this when it arrived. I was not prepared for the crazy amount of wrapping that happened to keep this item in the box safe during shipping. That's my only complaint. This puffed up to full size in a very timely manner. No weird smell or off gassing like can sometimes happen with a mattress shipped like this. Definitely firm while still have the typical memory foam softness and squish. Fits our twin frame perfectly and our child slept amazing on it from night one. If you're looking for something to cushion you but provide support this is an amazing option.

WOW, a mattress in a box! What will they think of next? I honestly didn't think a product such as a mattress packaged in a box; minus springs would offer body support. however, I was totally surprised. Perfection! Unpacking took a few short minutes, as I was trying really hard as to not damage the mattress itself while cutting away the plastic. The mattress was really rolled up tight and when I got to a certain point in the unpackaging process, the mattress itself started to unfurl by itself! I initially placed this item directly on top of my queen-sized mattress. I was expecting to wait several hours for the mattress to "relax" and unfurl, but as soon as I removed the wrapping the mattress flattened out immediately. No bends, no smell and no waiting. I was totally amazed. The unfurling reminded me of an elephant's truck when they curl and extend it. In a matter of seconds, the mattress was in its final resting position. The instructions indicated that you might have to wait up to 48 hours for the process to complete, but I guess I was lucky. I initially laid down on the mattress and to be quite honest, it had enough firmness to satisfy me as my weight is around 238 pounds. I had no issues with this beauty. I was impressed from the get-go, so very comfortable. I live in South Florida, and I did not find the mattress to be on the "hot" side. It offers good support and comes with a 10-year warranty. It's nice to see a company stand by their products. Love it

I have been needing a new mattress and have been looking at those sleep number style, but I wasn't sure if that style was for me or not.... I've been wanting to try a memory foam style mattress so I was excited for this. First, I cant believe this thing fit in the box it came in... Gotta love new technology... Its heavy in the box, but pretty easy to move. So I suggest moving it into the room you intend on using it in before unboxing. Opening it up was a chore! It is vacuum sealed and wrapped up in several layers of paper and plastic. Once opened, it started "inflating" immediately. Within a few hours it was up to its full size. I couldn't resist, so I slept on it that night and I was VERY happy with it. I have had neck and back pain for years and years stemming from a car accident, and I slept better than I have in a long time with this mattress. It's firm, but still soft while offering support. Also, you cant feel anyone's else movement while sleeping on this! That was the most noticeable thing for me, I couldn't feel when my wife was turning or rolling over at all. I've been sleeping on it exclusively for a few weeks and cant see myself going back to my old pillowtop. I see why this mattress is so popular, and am kicking myself for waiting this long. I love it!

I am an extremely hot sleeper. I've had resorted to sleeping on the floor because every mattress I get feels like I'm sleeping on a heater. So I've decided to give sleeping on a bed another try. One thing to keep in mind with these memory foam mattresses are that they need an "inflation" period - 1-2 days. Once it's done then you can use it. Since it's solid foam the Sheer Slumber has a lot of weight compared to a spring mattress and, because of its size, makes it a bit awkward moving it around. With everything in place, it was time to get some sleep! Like I said, I'm an extremely hot sleeper. I sweat even in 59F nights sometimes so I'm on the worst case side of testing how cool the mattress is. While I still get hot with the mattress, a little shift is all I need to get to a cooler spot and the old hot spot cools down pretty fast. So it's not as cool as the floor and can sometimes feel like an oven, it's still better than most of the mattress I've tried so I'll continue using it. The mattress is pretty firm, which I do like. If it were softer it would probably make it hotter for me. The comfort is worth putting up with the heat. I'll eventually start getting used to it. If not I'll just buy a water cooling mattress topper later.

Our previous mattress was a pillow top and was quite comfortable, but it was getting older. It was time for a new one. This mattress showed up in a fairly small box. The mattress was folded and rolled up. I took the old mattress off the bed and opened this one in its spot. The packaging was tight, but the supplied cutter opened it well. It states that the mattress can take up to 48 hours to reach its maximum size, but you can sleep on it right away if you want. As soon as it was unrolled I measured it and it was the full 8". It was about 8 hours before we slept on it. Immediately as soon as we first sat on the mattress it was like sitting on a rock. After laying on it for about 10 minutes we knew we weren't going to sleep that night. It was the worst night's sleep I've ever had. The mattress has zero give. We gave it three more nights before giving up. It never got softer and we couldn't sleep. As a test, I put a blanket on my floor for padding (concrete slab) and slept that way for a night. I had a better night's sleep on the floor. This being labeled as medium firm makes me wonder what a firm mattress would be. I couldn't imagine how hard that mattress would be. In the end, my wife said to put our old mattress on top of it. Our bed is now 8" taller than it was before (box spring, the Serta Sheer Slumber, and then our old mattress on top), but we sleep like babies now. We may keep it this way, but I'm also looking for a women's shelter or somewhere else to donate it to.