Almost ready to make a purchase

Mattress Talk General Mattresses Questions
1

Hi Everybody

First of all: thank you soooo much for the detailed information on this website. I love doing research when purchasing an expensive product like a bed and a new mattress. Discovering this website made that research a lot easier!

I had some bad experiences with mattresses. I bought one 2 years ago because I got together with my then girlfriend (now wife) and ever since we slept next to each other I got a lot of pain and stiffness when I woke up. I assume this is because the extra weight in the bed made for a different distribution on the mattress. We bought a replacement which was a little better than the other one. But now after maybe two years of having the new mattress I started having the same aches as the first one. I wake up with aches all over my body but mostly in my hips, upper back, shoulders and neck. I frequently do yoga and stretching so I know it’s not an issue with general flexibility.

This time I am determined to buy a decent product. The price is (almost) not an issue. I’m willing to spend more money on this, so that I can enjoy a good night’s sleep for many years to come.

I read the guide on this website and besides some translations I feel like I understand the most important aspects to buying a mattress. I live in Belgium so sometimes I need to figure out what the difference in terminology means.

There are some questions I still have before I make my decision and I hope someone here could help me with that. First of all, I’ll give my stats and some extra info because it might be relevant:

Personal stats:
I am an athletic guy at 180 cm (5ft + 10,87in) and 75kg (165,34 pounds) with broad shoulders and long arms. I also have had serious hip issues in the past stemming from overuse (do to judo). I feel I need a way “softer” mattress, so a mattress that gives me more pressure relief as I currently feel like I don’t sink into the mattress enough at the shoulders and the hips.

My wife is 158 cm (5 feet 2 inches) and 55 kg (121,25 lbs) and is getting more athletic right now. She always had wide hips.

When it comes to the mattress, we decided only to look at my needs. This is because my wife can sleep anywhere at any time and never had any issues due to this. It blows my mind, but honestly, she has no special request towards the mattress.

After reading the website, it seemed to me that a latex mattress has virtually no disadvantages beside the price? Since this isn’t an issue I would like to go with such a kind of mattress.

My questions:

  1. I couldn’t really find anything on the beds themselves? If I go for a Latex-mattress what is the best type of bed to place underneath? Does it have any effect on the mattress? I’m leaning towards a boxspring. But does this affect the mattress and how it supports me? Most latex manufactures claim their product works on any surface.

  2. I have very bad allergies to dust mites. Do I need to take this into consideration? I will be buying an anti dust mite cover for the mattress. Anything else I should look into?

  3. Since I’m athletically built but I’m not really that heavy, I fall in the "lighter weight category and the curvy category (wide shoulders).
    When I read this on the website:
    Lighter weights will need softer and thinner comfort layers
    Curvier body profiles will need thicker and softer comfort layers
    I’m not sure what my best pick is. I would lean towards thicker and softer comfort layers, so if I just buy a thicker latex mattress I should be fine?

  4. So in summary: as I see it now my pick would be a Boxspring bed with a Latex mattress. I found a service that delivers the mattress in different parts and let’s you assemble it yourselves. They have a 100 days of testing and a “no questions asked” return policy. They claim 100% natural Dunlop latex (and they seem to have certificates to back this up). The cover is 70% organic cotton and 30% organic wool.

They have two options:

Also, they have different layers of Latex foam which you put in the tike yourself. This allows you to configure it in a way that gives you the most comfort. And if my wife ever feels she needs a different kind of support or comfort, we can change her side as well.

What do you think? Does this seem legit? The reviews look great. They have certificates stating that their products are 100% natural. These links are from the UK website. I’ll be buying from their Dutch website based in the Netherlands. It seems like they just expanded to this market because I see a lower amount of reviews on this particular website.

Thank you kindly for taking the time to read this post.

Cheers

Tim

2

Hi Tim,

Welcome to the Mattress Underground :slight_smile: ! Thanks for joining the forum, for your kind words on the site, and for your question.

Congrats on your girlfriend becoming your wife, Tim :slight_smile: ! I am sorry to hear that within the past several years, two mattresses have caused a variety of aches and pains for you. What type mattresses were they and what size? It would be good to know a little more of your mattress history to better understand where they failed in providing proper comfort and support for you.

Thanks for including both yours and your wife’s personal stats for better understanding your needs. Your body shape and weight distribution play important roles in the type softness and thickness of the comfort and support materials and construction needed. Generally, curvier profiles such as your broad shoulders and her wider hips need thicker comfort layers to provide just enough “sink” for conforming to your sleeping positions. Perhaps I missed this detail somewhere in your beautifully detailed post, but what are your preferred sleeping positions? I’m guessing side/ side and combination?

That one of you has no particular requests of the mattress makes the selection process a little easier for you both. We are seeing more interest in split comfort mattresses, so that option is available in areas where that request is more popular.

Price is one consideration of several regarding an all-latex mattress. Both natural and blended latex are high quality, highly durable materials, prized for their pressure-point relieving comfort and high support factor. The latex manufacturing process is more costly but yields a product that far surpasses many other components in terms of longevity, hence the higher price point. The other consideration is a latex mattress creates quite a heavy mattress. It requires a foundation that can support both the weight of the mattress and users evenly across the mattress’s entire support surface, as well as allow for proper air circulation of the mattress itself. Latex mattresses also respond and perform quite differently than traditional innerspring or memory foam mattresses. Do you have access to testing latex mattresses locally?

A boxspring should be fine, Tim; it need not be fancy or expensive. Any foundation that provides even support across the bottom surface of the mattress and appropriate air circulation will work well for you. Other types of foundations commonly used with latex mattresses are platform beds, slatted wood RTA foundations, and adjustable bed bases.

The latex itself is inherently resistant to dust mites; however, encasements , pillows and linens are all fabrics and therefore are not. A well-constructed waterproof mattress protector should help fend off those nasty creatures. You may find these NIH allergy reducing suggestions from trusted member Spindle Mattress’s site helpful.

TMU’s recommendations are based on compiled research and the deep knowledge and experience of our trusted member manufacturers who understand what consumers’ comfort and support needs are. While you may find the guidance difficult to apply specifically to you, the suggestions are based on historically proven combinations of what body profiles, weights, heights (BMI indexing), and personal preferences correspond best with the individual user. Unfortunately, it is impossible to choose any particular mattress or construction for someone from a forum conversation; however, our trusted members are here to share their expertise and help guide you through the mattress selection process. Choosing a model with thicker and softer comfort layers should be a good start, but that doesn’t necessarily equate to a “thicker” mattress.

Also, they have different layers of Latex foam which you put in the tike yourself. This allows you to configure it in a way that gives you the most comfort. And if my wife ever feels she needs a different kind of support or comfort, we can change her side as well.

Thanks for including the Una site links for review of your choices, Tim. Both their Essential and Delux models are Natural latex/ all latex mattresses featuring multi-zoned layers that are interchangeable within a zippered cover. Their marketing and certifications do support a “natural” story, if organic is preference for you, and they offer a fair return policy.

Una is an international brand that I do not have experience with, so I cannot speculate on either their quality or their reputation. The site is quite transparent regarding the mattress’s component’s specs and product details, and that is important for creating trust with consumers. Please take any site’s product reviews with a grain of salt, Tim. One person’s great experience with a mattress could vary widely with your expectations and experience, so please keep both extremely positive and terribly negative comments in mind when evaluating consumer reviews.

Please accept my sincere apologies on the delayed response and hope that these thoughts help you somewhat. Have you made any further decisions on your purchase?

Thanks,
Sensei

3

Hi Sensei

Thank you very much for your response! Apologies for my late answer. I have been quite busy at my job for the final weeks of this schoolyear.

[quote]
I had some bad experiences with mattresses. I bought one 2 years ago because I got together with my then girlfriend (now wife) and ever since we slept next to each other I got a lot of pain and stiffness when I woke up. I assume this is because the extra weight in the bed made for a different distribution on the mattress. We bought a replacement which was a little better than the other one. But now after maybe two years of having the new mattress I started having the same aches as the first one. I wake up with aches all over my body but mostly in my hips, upper back, shoulders and neck. I frequently do yoga and stretching so I know it’s not an issue with general flexibility.

Congrats on your girlfriend becoming your wife, Tim :slight_smile: ! I am sorry to hear that within the past several years, two mattresses have caused a variety of aches and pains for you. What type mattresses were they and what size? It would be good to know a little more of your mattress history to better understand where they failed in providing proper comfort and support for you.[/quote]

Thank you very much! She truly has been a blessing on my life.
The latest mattress I had was a Polyurethane mattress. It was 140cm x 200cm and a thickness of 22cm.
We will be buying a bigger bed and mattress this time. Probably 180cm x 200cm

[quote]
Thanks for including both yours and your wife’s personal stats for better understanding your needs. Your body shape and weight distribution play important roles in the type softness and thickness of the comfort and support materials and construction needed. Generally, curvier profiles such as your broad shoulders and her wider hips need thicker comfort layers to provide just enough “sink” for conforming to your sleeping positions. Perhaps I missed this detail somewhere in your beautifully detailed post, but what are your preferred sleeping positions? I’m guessing side/ side and combination?[/quote]

I did forget our sleeping positions. My wife can sleep in any position and I am a pure side sleeper.

Great feedback, thank you! I found one shop in the area that has the option to test latex mattresses. Normally we will go there this week.

That is great to hear! I went to a store and the salesman told me that a boxspring will cause a latex mattress to form a sagging at the hip area and this would make it so the mattress wouldn’t last very long. In some articles I read the same argument. But I’m happy to hear it just needs an even support across the surface. I like the way a boxspring looks, so I will probably buy one. And it’s also good to hear it shouldn’t be too expensive.

Great to hear! Thank you! I will take this into account.

You are right! I am very naĂŻve when it comes to review. I will be more sceptic in the future.

No need to apologies! I am so happy you took the time to give an extensive response to my post. Thank you very much!

My plan at this moment is to try the latex mattress in a store and check out some beds (a lot of stores here in Belgium have sales throughout the summer. When I find a nice bed and if I have a good feeling on the Latex Matress, I will probably buy a UNA mattress and test the 100 nights.

This will have to wait as I will be going on a vacation first for a couple of weeks. I will let you know how my purchase went and my experiences as soon as I get back.

Thank you kindly!

Cheers

Tim

4

Hey Tim,

Thanks for your reply :slight_smile: .

Excellent! Good job on the planned showroom visits and keep us updated on how the sleep trial goes. Hope you have a relaxing holiday and looking forward to your updates :wink: .

Cheers,
Sensei