Configuring a hybrid mattress

Mattress Talk General Mattresses Questions
1

Two months ago we purchased the 360 Hybrid from Sleep EZ. After careful testing at their store, we chose the medium talalay. The bottom part of the mattress (2" firm Dunlop and 8" springs) is sewn shut, while the top part of the mattress has a zipper so you can change out the 3" of latex on the top.

The configuration top to bottom is:
mattress protector: St. Dormier terry cotton and wool
Organic cotton quilted with wool cover zippered cover
3" medium talalay ILD 30-32
8" Bolsa pocketed coils
2" firm dunlop

The folks at Sleep EZ are super nice and the mattress is great quality. Unfortunately, we are still trying to fine tune it. The first couple of weeks I noticed it wasn’t quite comfortable for me and my shoulder was hurting, but I figured it needed to be broken it. I walked on it each day to try to soften it. My partner noticed that I tossed and turned a lot.

Configuration #2: Swapped the medium talalay for soft
After about a month, I thought that maybe the problem was that it wasn’t soft enough for me, so I contacted Sleep EZ and they sent a soft talalay layer, so now we had a split configuration with soft on my side and medium on my partner’s side. The first night I slept on the soft actually felt worse to me than the medium had felt, and I tossed and turned every 15 minutes before falling asleep. I woke up with my entire body in pain. I couldn’t quite pinpoint what wasn’t comfortable for me, but slept on the soft for another week and tried to figure it out. I realized that the cotton and wool encasement felt very tight, and it was even more noticeable with the soft latex. It felt like sleeping on a drum.

Configuration #3: Swapped back to the medium talalay, added 1" 15 ILD talalay topper
I decided to switch back to the medium and while I tossed and turned less than on the soft talalay, it still wasn’t soft enough for my shoulder. And I could now identify the sleeping on a drum feeling (though the medium talalay masked the drum feeling better than the soft did). I also felt the mattress lacked the surface feel that I wanted. I ordered a 1" 15 ILD talalay topper. I knew an inch wouldn’t do too much, but it was on clearance, and I wanted to try a little more cushion on top. I put the 1" 15 ILD talalay on the top of the mattress, followed by the St. Dormier terry cotton and wool protector, followed by the fitted sheet. It seemed to improve my comfort slightly, but I realized after about two weeks that I still tossed and turned a lot and still had shoulder pain.

Configuration #4: Ditched the cotton and wool zipper cover
About a week ago I decided to open up the zipper cover and pulled the top part (with the thick wool) back and slept directly on the 1" super soft talalay topper and 3" medium talalay covered with the St. Dormier protector. It felt so much better! I didn’t wake up so many times and my shoulder didn’t hurt at all. It did seem a lot more bouncy and I could feel vibrations travel through the mattress when my partner moved, but we were on the right track for comfort. I still felt like I would like it a little softer.

Configuration #5: Dunlop between springs and talalay
Last night in an effort to get a little more softness, we flipped the mattress over and slept on the layers top to bottom as follows:
mattress protector: St. Dormier terry cotton and wool
1" super soft talalay ILD 15
3" medium talalay ILD 30-32
Organic cotton quilted with wool cover zippered cover
2" firm dunlop
8" Bolsa pocketed coils

I thought it would feel softer with the 2" of firm Dunlop in between the coils and the talalay, but it felt like there was more pressure on my shoulder. It definitely reduced the vibration I could feel through the talalay when my partner moves. Since we flipped the mattress over, the talalay is sitting on the bottom part of the mattress that is sewn shut, meaning there is no way to have the talalay layer directly on the Dunlop layer- there is the quilted wool mattress cover between them which could be affecting the firmness. We will sleep on it a few more nights, but I can tell pretty quickly when I wake up with shoulder pain in the night that its not quite right for me.

We are trying to figure out where to go from here. Configuration #4 seemed to be the best of them so far, though I wanted it a little softer. I think I’ve learned that I prefer to be closer to the latex and the quilted wool cover doesn’t agree with my shoulders. I’m considering putting the top talalay layer in a separate stretchy cover on top of the mattress. But then what do I do about the mattress below? Just leave it as 2" of Dunlop on the bottom with springs on it? And cut off the zippered pocket that is supposed to be for the 3" talalay layer? And then put the talalay topper in its new stretchy encasement and put right on top of the springs? It seems weird to me to have a mattress on the bottom that consists of just 2" of dunlop with springs on top of that. Or I can cut open the mattress case that is sewn shut and put the components in a new case. Also, how can I make configuration #4 slightly softer? Maybe get rid of the 1" 15 ILD talalay and instead use 2" of 19 ILD talalay on top of the 3" of medium talalay on top of the 8" springs?

I realize we kind of moved from a mattress to a DIY project, but the wool mattress cover does not seem to work for us. I’m trying to figure out how to use the items we have, order any additional layers that we need, and keep the mattress with topper to around 14" thick.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

2

Hey BriannaM,

Welcome back to the TMU Forum :slight_smile: ! Thanks for your question.

[quote]The configuration top to bottom is:
mattress protector: St. Dormier terry cotton and wool
Organic cotton quilted with wool cover zippered cover
3" medium talalay ILD 30-32
8" Bolsa pocketed coils
2" firm dunlop

The folks at Sleep EZ are super nice and the mattress is great quality. Unfortunately, we are still trying to fine tune it. The first couple of weeks I noticed it wasn’t quite comfortable for me and my shoulder was hurting, but I figured it needed to be broken it. I walked on it each day to try to soften it. My partner noticed that I tossed and turned a lot.

Configuration #2: Swapped the medium talalay for soft
After about a month, I thought that maybe the problem was that it wasn’t soft enough for me, so I contacted Sleep EZ and they sent a soft talalay layer, so now we had a split configuration with soft on my side and medium on my partner’s side. The first night I slept on the soft actually felt worse to me than the medium had felt, and I tossed and turned every 15 minutes before falling asleep. I woke up with my entire body in pain. I couldn’t quite pinpoint what wasn’t comfortable for me, but slept on the soft for another week and tried to figure it out. I realized that the cotton and wool encasement felt very tight, and it was even more noticeable with the soft latex. It felt like sleeping on a drum.
[/quote]
Congrats on your SleepEZ mattress purchase :slight_smile: ! Glad to hear that you enjoyed working with the @SleepEZ team and that you find your 360 Hybrid a great quality product. Sorry to hear, though, that you are having comfort layering issues; I know that they would want to help you sort through those to your satisfaction.

For brevity, I short-cut/ quoted through your layering experiments to the last part of your posts containing questions, BriannaM. It seems clear that you don’t enjoy the feel of the quilted wool cover, so using a separate cover on the talalay top layer would solve that issue. There should be no problem with sleeping on the support core as you describe, 2" Dunlop over the pocket coils; however, please consult SleepEZ before you cut away the comfort layer zippered pocket or cut into the mattress support core as this could interfere with the rest of the mattress’s construction. See what they have to say too in regards to your latest comfort layering proposal, they can better advise you on your comfort needs based on the design of their products and experience of how they interact.

Thanks again for your updates and wishing you well on your comfort layering quest :wink: .

Sensei

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Hi Sensei,

Thank you for the response. We are still fine tuning our mattress. I did contact Sleep EZ with questions about the cover. The lady I spoke with was confused, as she didn’t realize that the zipper part can’t be removed since it only unzips on three sides. She agreed with me that the only way to fix it would be to cut the wool top off. Unfortunately, since the bottom part that contains the springs and 2" of firm dunlop for the base is sewn shut, I’m probably going to have to cut the entire mattress open and buy a new cover. Do you know of anyone who makes a cover that is quilted on the bottom but stretchy on the top? It looks like Sleep EZ made a cover like that last year, but the lady said they don’t make it anymore.

The only parts we can use from the mattress are the 8" coils and the 3" medium talalay, so I guess its become a more expensive diy project. The 2" firm dunlop at the base will probably need to be replaced with 1" dunlop, as it is adding 2" to a mattress that is becoming too thick to fit the St. Dormier protector and the sheets. I really want to keep the mattress under 15", ideally 14". Do I need to have a base layer of latex under the springs? My mattress is on the Nomad platform bed by KD Frames.

I tried one more option since my first post: I folded the 1" 15 ILD talalay in half to see if that would improve my comfort. Though it felt more cuddly and also great for my shoulders, it caused my lower back and legs to ache. Also my partner missed having the 1" 15 ILD and wanted it back. So it seems the best combination for both of us has been the 3" medium talalay with 1" 15 ILD talalay on top of that. I find this interesting, as I’m 5’6" and 130 pounds, and all my research indicates I should do great on soft talalay. But in practice, it just doesn’t work for me. The last thing that I’m considering is trying a Lanoodle topper, since I love featherbeds at hotels (but I don’t want feathers at home). I wonder if the Lanoodle would give the cozy feeling I’m after, but without the pain the 2" 15 ILD talalay gave me. And I may even be able to move the noodles more toward my shoulders. I’m nervous to purchase since its about $500 and not returnable. I talked with CozyPure and they said its a very popular item that most people love, but I hesitate because I seem to be having a difficult time finding the perfect combo that works for me. I may order a Lanoodle pillow so I can get a sense of what it feels like. I could even empty the noodles between a folded sheet and sleep on that to get an idea. Do you think the Lanoodle topper will be too thick/soft like the 2" 15 ILD talalay was?

4

Hey BriannaM,

Thanks for your updates :slight_smile: .

That’s a good question, BriannaM; my first thought is to point you to TMU’s Trusted Member Directory and review the "Accessories & Components"section; you should be able to find a suitable cover solution from one of our quality manufacturers/ retailers.

Replacing the 2" firm dunlop at the base with 1" of the same is a good idea. The base foam serves to ensure stability of the coils.

Yes; as we are fond of reminding folks here: only You can “feel” what you feel on a mattress. Individual preferences for materials, sleep styles, climate conditions, etc. all play a part in determining the comfort and support needs of a mattress. With the folded talalay/ 2" version, you say that while this felt great for your shoulders but caused lower back/ leg aches, are you side sleeping at this point? It almost seems as you weren’t in correct spinal alignment and perhaps your hips are not sinking into the comfort layers enough?

That is a comfort preference, BriannaM and therefore one I cannot answer for you. A forum site search using the term “la noodle topper” did return some detailed consumer responses on the “feel” of the topper, as well as comments from expert trusted member CozyPure; you may find post #5’s La Noodle question responses interesting (Note: original post regards review of a Flexus Quadra-Flex Latex Hybrid but some one adds La Noodle toppers in the thread and many responses followed, so review the entire thread from this point forward for many insights).

Looking forward to hearing how the cover removal works out and feel free to share pics of your project with other DIYers here at the TMU :wink: .

Thanks,
Sensei