Backpain - not sure what direction to go

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
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I am sleeping on a 14 year old Tempurpedic cloud which seems to make me ache … I recently traveled and noticed that the hotel mattresses made me way less achy than my bed at home. I have arthritis and an iffy back at 120lb and 5 ft 3 sleeping on y stomach and sides. The tempurpedic has always felt too firm to me - especially for my hips so I used a foam topper which helped but leads to issues on the stomach. I seem to be able to choose between either … having lower back aches because I am sagging on my stomach or ( worse) hip pain when not using a topper. I tried a shredded latex topper from flobed many years ago and it seemed to make things worse so I am not sure about going the latex route. The next store that sells a latex mattress is a two hour drive away so I am hesitant to order anything online " blind". Locally I have two box store retailers to choose from, one of them selling a latex hybrid that I could test in person with
1" Copper Infused 3lb. Visco Foam Topper
2" Talalay 100% Natural Latex
1" 19 gauge Micro-Coil (2226 Coil Count for Queen size mattress)
Laminate Insulator

this mattress felt nice to me for the little time I spent on it … while interestingly, the new Tempurpedics were not top contenders - I felt like changing positions on the latex hybrid would be easier due to the slight bounce while still having a good amount of cushion. I am very leery about the quality of the box store mattress, however and suspicious about the lack of information about the materials plus … no exchange for the Twin XL size I need - so I am wondering… Does anyone here have experience with a decent-quality latex foam hybrid from an online source with good customer service? I am not wanting to DIY at this point besides maybe a topper - I tend to get lost in research and need a bed sooner rather than later. Any advice for cushy support for inflamed joints - my biggest worry about latex on its own is the shredded latex experience I had with very sore hips …

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Hi flybear, and welcome back after 10 years!

Sorry to hear your Tempurpedic is no longer providing a good sleep any longer; 14 years is a good run for that brand. As you know, any mattress you find to be ideal is based on your
Stats (height, BMI, sleeping position(s) and any underlying health conditions) - well done providing these! - and your PPP (Posture & alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences).The good news is, as you do have a lower BMI, you have a lot more options in mattresses than a higher BMI sleeper, as they would likely need additional support, and certain materials may ‘break down’ for higher BMI ranges.

Interesting that you felt less achy on hotel mattresses; this would definitely indicate the foams on your Tempurpedic have ‘broken down’ - this can leave ‘ridges’ and ‘valleys’ in the foam which can cause aches, pains, and even alignment issues - and being away from your mattress your body felt better with a different type and firmness of bed.

As for latex rubber, the feel is certainly not for everyone - and as well, there’s a difference in feel between the types of latex - as you have seen, Talalay is considered ‘bouncier’ than Dunlop (the common comparison is between angel food cake and pound cake), though, as you can see comparing the Mattress Specifications You Need To Know to the Mattress Durability Guidelines, latex is one of the most durable materials you can have in a mattress. As it’s been a while since you tried the shredded latex topper, you may find latex of a different firmness more supportive.

I agree with your points on the ‘big box’ store mattresses - well done in surmising the lack of details and specifications can sometimes hide insufficiently dense foams and inexpensive ‘fillers’. Just from what you’ve said about the local visco foam/latex hybrid…microcoil s, again are one of those layers which some consumers love and others don’t…but all good data points for your consideration!

Since it’s been some time since your last visit, you might want to take a look at the Trusted Members of the site have offering s which may be of interest; CST carries the Silver and Gold modular poly-latex mattresses, Nest Bedding has the Owl foam & latex hybrid; GhostBed has the Classic Latex & Memory foam hybrid,and The Mattress Factory has the Barrington gel foam and latex mattress, for a few examples. As always our Trusted Members continue to be vetted for quality, transparency in materials and componetry, generous return and exchange policies, and great customer assistance; this would tick many of your ‘boxes’ for what you are looking for in a mattress manufacturer, and certainly discussing your Stats, PPP and mattress history with them will allow them to provide good alternatives to the ‘big box’ mattresses.

Please feel free, if you find any particular mattresses interesting, to ask in the forum and we may be able to better assess their suitability and durability for your body profile. I wish you success on your journey to a new mattress!

~ Basilio

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Thank you for the welcome and information - as always this forum is a great help ! We really did like the Tempurpedic mattresses we had in the past especially ( and surprisingly ) that air bed we had for about 9 years as it seemed to work well adjusting the mattress firmness to my pain/pressure points on bad nights . I do not have the same amazing experience on the regular non-air TP cloud I am sleeping on now ( which was our guest bed before) … I am leaning towards ordering a Flobed as it is very customizable and - if I really feel I need the extra squish … utilizing a memory foam topper . I consistantly seem to like the ( few) mattresses I can find locally that have latex topped by ( unknown) foam or batting but I am not willing to gamble on the " mystery" ingredients they are wanting to sell me . Flobed seems to have a great track record for customer service ?

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Hi flybear,

Glad you found my information useful! Wow, that’s quite the record of time on an airbed!

FloBeds, has been a Trusted Member of the site for over 10 years, and they offer great quality sleep solutions with a lot of experience in finding consumers their ideal bed. Also, their Goldilocks Guarantee allows for layer exchanges down the road if you find your needs or body profile has changed. You will be in great hands giving them a call!

I wish you success on your mattress hunt, please let us know your experience once you’ve made a choice and spend some time with it!

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Hi Flybear,
I am not as small as you, but not large at 133 and 5’3". I am almost exclusively a stomach sleeper, sometimes I manage on my sides. Although I did a diy setup with Dunlop, it was not right for me. We appropriated out daughter’s (she’s grown up and out of the house) mattress, which is 6" medium Talalay from The Clean Bedroom. On top of that i put 2" of soft Talalay from another vendor. For me the combination is simply perfect.
Good luck
hester
p.s for the moderators, thanks for having an edit option.

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Thank you for your response - very helpful! It looks like I am heading towards a DIY build as Flobed currently has no sales, and their regular price for a twin XL is a bit more than I want to spend. I might buy from them in the future, however, as their customer service is quite impressive!
I have taken apart my old guest bed mattress (Tempurpedic cloud supreme) just to see what is inside and ended up with a freshly washed reusable casing and layers of base foam. My dogs are quite happy with the comfort layer inside a waterproof casing and old duvet cover as a dog bed.
I experimented with the old Tempurpedic comfort foam, and I am sinking right through when it warms up, which wasn’t the case initially… no dips visible, but it seems that as the foam aged, it became softer and less supportive which explains my hip and shoulder aches.
My plan is to get some 3-inch 28ILD medium blended Talalay and top that with either a 3 inch soft or ultra-soft layer of blended Talalay and see how this goes … I also ordered a Turmerry egg crate Dunlop topper ( I haven’t received it yet but kudos for ultra fast shipping !) that is described as soft just because I am curious how it feels. I have other beds that this can be used on. I might or might not use the old base foam, but I am planning to re-use the old casing for now as it is machine washable and still in great condition. I also ended up with a fire barrier sock with a zipper that I have successfully machine washed - according to the internet a combination of mod acrylic, continuous filament silica and cotton not sure what to do with that …

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Who would have thought mattress DIY could be so fun and addicting ?… I am never buying a ready-made mattress again ;-).
I ordered three 3-inch layers of blended Talalay in soft, medium, and firm to play with, plus the Dunlop egg crate soft topper. I also ordered a Vytex 2 inch super soft layer just because I was curious about how it would feel like. Some have complained that Vytex doesn’t have the same properties as other latex ( dead feeling, not enough pressure relief … ) so I am curious. I am still waiting for the soft layers to get here. The material research has been fascinating.
At the moment, I am sleeping on a firm ( bottom ) and medium blended Talalay with the egg crate Dunlop soft on top, which interestingly works better than the memory foam I am used to despite the bed being still a bit firm for my taste. I am fairly confident that adding the 3 inch soft Talalay to the top will be what I need. I went with blended Talalay blind - without ever trying it - I am happy with the feel… there almost no smell, soft, bouncy…I have a latex sensitivity ( get allergic rashes from latex ) and I have no reaction to any of the layers.

What I find interesting is the egg crate Dunlop for pain relief. It works beautifully for the pressure points - much better than a solid layer of anything I have tried. I experimented putting it under the mattress case but no - it has to be just inside a loose, flexible topper case on top of all the layers with and - magic … I feel like it takes a bit of the extra jiggle and bounce out of the Talalay and at the same time cushions the hips and shoulders without allowing too much “sink” … It worked well on top of memory foam before my latex came in as well …
I was super hesitant about attempting a DIY at first but am happy with my choice. I love the flexibility to try different combinations and change my mattress when needed. I have all my layers in individual topper cases ( as I was concerned about allergies) so it is easy to just switch things around. I can easily exchange a layer when it wears out or no longer suits me. Disposal of worn out layers is much easier than an old mattress ( in our case they’ll be dog beds before being disposed of ).
As far as a case for my latex stack … I have not decided yet - for now I am re-using the tempurpedic case which is well made and machine washable and flexible enough to feel the latex ( doesn’t prevent me from sinking in) - I might just stick with it.
I want to thank this forum for all the information and help - this process has been very fun and I have learned a lot! It will be much easier in the future to trouble shoot any isues without havig to try 20 plus mattresses at a box store and not liking anything, ending up being stuck with a mattress that " sort of " works …