Considering getting the Aloe Alexis and based on the info I gave Chuck, he recommended that I go with the 19/24 or their number 8 configuration of the bed. He said that if I felt it was to soft, I could switch the comfort layers and have the 24 ILD on the top and the 19 in the middle. I understand that typically the second layer would be the support layer, so I am wondering how changing the layers would affect the bed. I was told that if neither configuration was firm enough, for $75, II could trade in the 19 ILD layer for a 29 ILD and thus have their medium firm bed of 24/28. What is the effect of having the softer layer in the middle? I weigh 185 lbs and sleep on my side.
Hi pdunc,
The information they gave you was accurate. All the layers and components in a mattress will affect the feel and performance of every other layer in a mattress above and below it and the mattress “as a whole” but you will feel the firmness/softness of layers that are closer to the sleeping surface more than you will feel the firmness/softness of the layers that are deeper in the mattress so the “overall” effect of putting the firmer layer on top would be that you would sink into the mattress less and it would feel slightly firmer.
The second layer is a transition layer and depending on the specific design of the mattress and the firmness and thickness of the layers above and below it and on the sleeping style and body weight and type of the person on the mattress will contribute to different degrees to primary support, secondary support, and the comfort/pressure relief and “feel” of the mattress.
“Support” is often misunderstood because the goal of a “supportive” mattress is to keep the spine and joints in good alignment and this requires the type of contouring support that allows some parts of the body to sink in more (softer) and some parts of the body to sink in less (firmer) and this will vary on an individual basis. There is more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support/alignment” and “comfort/pressure relief” and “feel” and how they interact together.
As Chuck also mentioned … if neither combination is firm enough then you can replace one of the layers for a firmer version for a nominal cost which you could also use in either combination so you would have two additional firmness levels that were both firmer than your original combinations.
When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart (which would certainly include Chuck and Dreamfoam) and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
Phoenix