I’m a 260 lb back sleeper with an old thoracic injury who’s tried numerous inner spring (Sealy) and memory foam mattresses. I now sleep on a three-layer 9-inch Talalay mattress made up of 30-32, 30-32 and 38-40 ILD layers (MMF, top to bottom). I’ve also tried swapping out the top layer for a softer 22-24 ILD. (SMF)
I awake from all these mattresses in pain (my wife loves her side of the latex btw)…
OTOH, I find I can sleep comfortably on hotel pillow top mattresses like La Quinta’s. Also, if I make a small wedge of pillows for my torso on my current mattress, I also sleep pain-free. This makes me believe the pillow is reducing the pressure on the vertebrae which is almost certainly the cause of my pain.
So my question is, might adding a soft mattress topper on my latex mattress duplicate the comfort I get from a hotel mattress?
Many thanks (from someone desperate for a good night’s sleep!)
Hi silphium,
Outside of any pressure reduction on your vertebrae the wedge could also be changing your spinal alignment on the mattress which could also account for a reduction in pain or discomfort. Since you appear to sleep better with your torso raised it may be worth considering a foam wedge under your mattress as well and an adjustable bed can also raise and lower your torso.
Comfort is like taste and is so subjective and there are so many different individual definitions of “comfort” that it’s not really possible to predict whether someone will call any mattress “comfortable”.
All the layers and components in a mattress will have some effect on all the other layers and components above and below it and on the mattress “as a whole”. The La Quinta mattress is a Simmons pocket coil mattress which is a very different design and uses completely different materials and components than an all latex mattress so it’s unlikely that just adding a topper to any latex mattress will make it “feel” like a pocket coil mattress with a completely different design and that uses different materials.
Having said that … the La Quinta pillowtop mattress would probably be softer than your mattress so it’s possible that adding a topper will add some additional softness and pressure relief to your mattress and could also have some effect on alignment but the only way to know for certain the only way to know for certain whether a specific mattress/topper combination is a good “match” for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) is based on your own careful testing or personal experience on the combination. If you can’t test the combination in person then there will always be always some risk and uncertainty involved in adding a topper because the specifics of the mattress itself along with your own body type, sleeping position, physiology, health conditions, and preferences can affect which specific topper would be a suitable choice on any specific mattress.
There is more information about choosing a topper in post #2 here and the topper guidelines it links to which along with a conversation with a reliable and knowledgeable supplier (that can provide you with good information about how their toppers compare to each other or to other toppers they are familiar with that are available on the market) can help you use your sleeping experience as a reference point and guideline to help you choose the type, thickness, and firmness for a topper that has the least possible risk and the best chance for success.
A good exchange/return policy can reduce the risk of an online topper purchase so if you aren’t confident that a specific topper will work well for you on your mattress I would always make sure you are comfortable with the options you have available after a purchase just in case the topper you choose also doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for.
Phoenix
Back pain has become a major problem which has affected millions of people around the world. There are various treatments to cure their pain permanently. Among all treatments, I personally suggest acupuncture. Got my treatment from an acupuncture Mississauga center and have relief in couple of sittings.