Hi aonian,
Thanks for taking the time to share your comments and feedback about your mattress … I appreciate it.
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The two nights after though, have been…mixed. What I love about this mattress (and latex in general) is that there are absolutely no pressure points. Laying on it feels weirdly neutral, almost like floating above the mattress. It’s like the latex conforms to my body just the right way so that every part of my body is experiencing exactly the same amount of pressure. It’s weird, but great. The comfort layer is deep and I never feel like I’m bottoming out, even when I sit up on my elbows. For reference, I weight 150lb.
The mattress is also very breathable. Literally. I can actually push my face into the mattress and breath without too much effort, that’s how much air flow it allows. I just moved to Pennsylvania where it’s pretty hot and humid for me but haven’t felt hot or woken sweaty once, which was a problem for me even with the “cooling” memory foam. Time will tell if this continues, but I’m not worried. For reference, I am not currently using a mattress pad or a top sheet. I do have a cheap ikea fitted sheet on.
That said, I’m not thrilled with how I feel laying on this mattress. I got a “medium” on the advice of a BB employee because I like to fall asleep on my side. Indeed, laying on my side is great. No pressure points on my hip or shoulder and everything is supported. The problem is that I never stay on my side. I roll to my back pretty quickly and in that position the mattress just feels too soft. I do tend to like things very firm; a futon is close to my ideal firmness, but then pressure points are a problem.[/quote]
If you aren’t experiencing any actual symptoms on your mattress then it sounds like you made a good firmness choice in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) and it’s likely that you just aren’t used to the “feel” or sensations of sleeping on latex. When you purchase a new mattress that is different from what you were used to sleeping on it will generally take a few weeks for the mattress to break in and for you to get used to sleeping on a mattress that is different from what you are used to. There is more about the break in and adjustment period for any new mattress in post #3 here.
Foam mattresses generally aren’t “perfectly rectangular” because foam materials are soft and a new cover can pull on the corners more than the middle over the longer span. Unless there is a larger difference this will probably rectify itself as the cover loses some of its initial stiffness over time and the foam expands slightly (although foam mattresses are never “perfectly square” to exact dimensions and the dimensions can vary by about +/- an inch) but if you are at all concerned about whether it’s “normal” then you can always send in a picture to Brooklyn Bedding and call them and they will be happy to help you and let you know whether the mattress is in any way “unusual” or out of spec.
This could also be related to your mattress being so new that it hasn’t had a chance to break in yet and/or that you haven’t had a chance to get used to the feel of a new mattress. Most foam mattresses (with a few exceptions) don’t have or really need edge support although there are a few people that may prefer it if they are in a minority that sleeps with more of their weight concentrated on the very outside few inches of their mattress (particularly with thicker/softer comfort layers or with a softer support core) or if they sit on the very edge of their mattress on a regular basis instead of sitting more towards the middle of the mattress (see post #3 here).
Your own experience though after the first few weeks will be the best “judge” of whether the mattress is a good match for you based on your posture and alignment on the mattress, your pressure relief (which are the two most important functions of a mattress), and on all your other preferences that are most important to you.
[quote]I’m going to stick with this bed for a few weeks and see if things improve as the bed gets broken in and I get used to a latex mattress. BB has a great return policy, so if I’m still not happy in a few weeks I will either exchange this bed for a firm or try a Leesa, which was the other bed I was looking at.
Funny you said that Leesa was your #2 choice in case the BB mattress doesn’t work out. Exactly what I have been thinking of doing as well. (Although hoping the BME works out for me and I don’t have to return it.)
I do hope the BME works out for you (and for me). There’s a lot to like about it and the guys at BB are great. If not, there’s always the Leesa. Derek’s review of it at Sleepopolis was what made me really interested in that mattress; did you read it too? [/quote]
You can see some of my comments about all the “simplified choice” mattresses in posts #1 and #2 here and you can see my comments about the so called “professional review sites” that are springing up at the same time as well. As a group they are certainly providing some very misleading and uninformed information to consumers IMO. I would be very cautious about the Leesa because they use 2" of 3 lb memory foam in their design which I would consider to be a weak link in their mattress in terms of the durability and useful life of the mattress. There are certainly other options (including Brooklyn Bedding) that use higher quality and more durable materials that don’t have any lower quality materials or weak links in their design which would be more likely to soften or break down prematurely over time.
Phoenix