Hi AustinOski,
I switched your post to a new topic of its own with a different title so that your posts about “fine tuning” your mattress don’t get mixed in (and buried) with more general comments about the BME.
[quote]First, great customer support and experience with Brooklyn Bedding. Would not hesitate to recommend. Since my last comments, we contacted Brooklyn Bedding and have added a 2" gel foam topper (by Dreamfoam) to add softness/plushness. However, though it adds some of that, it’s still too firm underneath. My issue is this - I have wide shoulders, narrow hips and am a side sleeper. So, I need enough give to allow my shoulder to sink in, yet enough support lower-down so that my hips don’t sink too much. I’m 6’, 200lbs.
I still can’t sleep a full night in the bed. I don’t wake-up sore or hurting. Not at all. But, I wake-up with a sensation of pressure on my skin. I think (think, not know) it’s a couple of things. One, my perception of the foam layer being very solid. There is almost no bounce the mattress.I feel like I’m waking-up on my college friends 5 year old (hard) futon. Two, heat. I think there is not as much air circulation as our innerspring (which is still here and on which I can sleep longer). Several possible contributors: foam base, latex (cool, not as cool as innerspring), foal gel topper, mattress protector. The protector got hundreds of “it’s not hot” reviews on Amazon. I would not say it feels hot, but not cool, either.
Next step is to buy a St. Dormier Wool Mattress protector. Thinking a bit of cool might help. But, I’m not expecting it to solve the heat problem, either. I just think we’ll enjoy the St. Dormier mattress protector and can use it with this or any future replacement (in a few weeks or years).[/quote]
The “no bounce” would most likely be from the gel memory foam because memory foam has little to no resilience and latex is a much more resilient material.
Memory foam top layers can also feel warmer to many people than latex top layers in a sleeping system and the waterproof semi breathable membrane in your mattress protector can also make a difference for some people in terms of temperature regulation as well. While it’s not always possible to to track down temperature regulation issues for any particular person on a specific mattress because there are so many variables involved (including your room temperature and humidity, your sheets and bedding and bedclothes, your mattress protector or any mattress pads you are using, and where you are in the “oven to iceberg” range) and some people can sleep warmer on mattresses that most people are generally fine with … there is more about tracking down a potential cause or causes for temperature regulation issues (at least to the degree possible for a specific mattress) in post #2 here and the posts it links to that may be helpful. Again in very general terms … the layers and components of a sleeping system that are closer to your skin will have a bigger effect on airflow and temperature regulation than layers and components that are further away from your skin.
Since you aren’t experiencing any significant “symptoms” on your mattress … outside of trying the new St Dormier protector you are purchasing … I would tend to give your current configuration a little bit more time (a few weeks) before assessing whether it is “working” for you or how you feel about sleeping on memory foam vs sleeping on a latex comfort layer (see post #3 here).
Unfortunately there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to be able to predict this. The support layer is the same with the medium and the soft but the only way to know whether any mattress (or mattress topper combination) will be a good “match” for you in terms of PPP will be based on your own personal experience. Based on “averages” … Like Brooklyn Bedding I would have guessed that adding a 2" softer topper would probably have been “enough” based on “averages” but each person can be unique and there are certainly some people that are outside the “averages” in terms of their own unique needs and preferences…
The choice between memory foam and latex is a preference issue more than a “better/worse” issue. There is more about how they compare in general terms in post #2 here but the most reliable way to know which one you tend to prefer will be based on your own personal experience and different people can have very different preferences.
[quote]Here is a quick summary of what I really like that I’ve laid on locallay. I’ll provide more detailed feedback/comments elsewhere. I have a lot to share!
- Vispring Coronet - Love the softness (give, not plushness). Feels great. $6,500 w/boxspring and no topper? Oy.
- Naturepedic Essentials Genesis - Gives me a very similar experience to Vispring. From a few minutes on each, I can’t tell any difference (didn’t lay on them back to back though). This is pocketed coils over continuous coil, wool, cotton and some PLA. Makes some sense that they are similar. Springs, not any thick topper or foam doing the cushioning. $2,300 mattress only. Don’t need their boxspring to make a “system” per the sales person.
- Latex USA Nature Cloud USA - All Talalay. 6" core, 2" med middle, 4" soft topper. Plain cotton zip case. No info on ILDs at this time. Would think about trying to replicate for less. It’s $3k.(plus about $250 tax in state purchase).[/quote]
There is more about the different ways that one mattress can “match” or “approximate” another one in post #9 here.
While all of these mattresses use good quality and durable materials so they would make a suitable choice in terms of durability … they are also very different from each other in terms of their design and the materials and components they use so it really isn’t possible to use one as a “reference” to predict whether another mattress that has a completely different design and/or is in a completely different category will be a suitable choice for you in terms of PPP based on the type or specifications of the materials and components in the mattress.
When you are considering or testing mattresses that are very different from each other the only reliable way to know how they compare for you (regardless of whether anyone else would have the same perceptions or opinions) would be based on your own personal experience.
Phoenix