Experiencing pain with new APMC latex mattress

Hi Phoenix and everyone,

I received my adjustable latex mattress from Arizona premium Mattress Co. last week.

Just a reminder, I ordered the 22ILd topper and 32ILD core. I weigh 125LBs and I’m 5 feet 4 inches tall…start off sleeping on my side but shift to my stomach and wake up on my back.

The mattress came in 3 large boxes, very well packed, latex is in great condition. Not crazy about the organic cotton cover due to the all the loose threads on it, if they were pulled they would come undone.

Anyway I set it up fairly easy by myself. I started off with the topper on the top and that night I slept okay but I had the worse lower back pain in the morning and throughout the next day. I’ve been sleeping on firm mattresses all my life and this one is a lot softer than what I’m use to, but I figured going a little softer would probably be better for me. After a couple nights with that set up I decided to put the 32ild core on top and the 22ild on the bottom. I had less lower back pain but I still have middle back pain and my neck and shoulder area hurt, also when I try to sleep on my stomach I wake up with tingling in my hands…so I’ve been sleeping on my back only, to minimize body pain. I’ve been told it takes time to have your body adjust to a new mattress but I’m wondering how long.
I’m going to try sleeping with one pillow instead of 2 like I usually do.

I’m wondering if the back doesn’t stop hurting if I should go back to a firmer feel, since my old 300 dollar extra firm spring mattress never caused me this much pain. Should I exchange the core to a 38ild and sleep on top of that? or just return the mattress.

I really wanted to like this mattress b/c I like lying on it but it’s just that when I sleep an entire night on it the next day I’m feeling strange new aches and pains. :frowning:

On a brighter side my 2 cats love it they are always on it.

Any suggestions would be appreciated,
-K

Hi kdreams,

The first thing I would suggest is to give any new mattress that is significantly different from what you are used to (which was much firmer) at least 30 days. When you are used to a certain sleeping surface … even if it is not as good for your comfort and especially your alignment … there can be some discomfort as you are adjusting from a learned alignment to a new alignment … even if it is better or more “theoretically” correct. This is not unusual at all and there are many people who are very glad they gave their new mattress some time and once they are used to it they wouldn’t change it for the world. You can read a little more about learned alignment vs natural alignment in post #7 here.

Of course it’s also possible that your mattress isn’t providing the alignment that you need because each person is unique but this would seem to be in the range of what would be “average” for your body type and sleeping positions. It’s also more difficult when you sleep in multiple positions like you do … especially if it includes stomach sleeping to any degree … because stomach sleeping needs a thinner comfort layer to prevent sleeping in a swayback position while side sleeping needs a thicker softer comfort layers to relieve pressure which of course are opposites. In most cases, “just enough” pressure relief for side sleeping and no more is the best possible compromise that can provide good alignment on your stomach. Latex is generally one of the best materials for people that sleep in multiple positions because even softer latex has a much higher support factor and gets firmer faster as you sink in deeper but no matter what the material is it’s more difficult to accommodate all sleeping positions and this can take some fine tuning.

It’s also possible that you need a firmer support layer (which is available with an exchange) because this may be better for your stomach sleeping and with your lighter weight you may not need as thick a comfort layer with a firmer support core … but I would give it more time before you go in this direction. It does seem clear that if you sleep on the other side of your mattress that the surface is on the too firm side of the scale and the symptoms you are experiencing are typical of pressure relief issues that come from a mattress surface that is too firm. This indicates that you do need some softness on the surface but you may need a little more firmness underneath if you don’t find yourself adjusting over time to your current configuration.

I would also make the pillow changes you are suggesting because if the mattress is softer than you are used to it will normally require a different pillow (or pillows) because the gap between your head and the mattress would be different (less). Two pillows are also not a great idea for back and especially stomach sleepers because this would tend to put your head and neck out of alignment which an cause issues in the upper back and neck. Stomach sleepers typically need a much thinner pillow or in some cases no pillow at all. Some of the links in the pillow thread here (post #3) may be helpful as well. With multiple sleeping positions … a pillow that can be “scrunched” for thickness and also used as a flatter pillow to accommodate the different sleeping positions can also be a good idea.

Just to eliminate it as a possibility as well … I should also confirm that your mattress is on a firm non flexing foundation?

Most importantly of all though … I would talk with Arizona Premium because like all good online dealers they are very good at making suggestions that can help in cases like yours. They may also have some insights that may help you that comes from their many years of experience with their mattresses. When you talk with them I would also mention about the loose threads in your cover because if there are many of these and there is a risk of them pulling out with normal use that doesn’t seem like the norm either.

So you have options that are likely to produce success but first comes some time, probably thinner pillows, and a conversation with Arizona premium.

Phoenix

K,

Le me know what they say about the organic cover? I was looking at the same mattress and I am curious.

Hi Phoenix,

Thanks for the advice, wow lots to think about. I did try sleeping on just one of the latex pillow the bed came with. Today I seem to have a little less shoulder pain and I still have back pain, just above my lower back. By the way, I really like the latex pillows I’ve been using them instead of my flat nylon filled pillows. I’ll try using different pillows too.

And yes, I have a platform bed with a solid wood foundation the mattress rests on.

Regarding your statement here,

“It does seem clear that if you sleep on the other side of your mattress that the surface is on the too firm side of the scale and the symptoms you are experiencing are typical of pressure relief issues that come from a mattress surface that is too firm.”

That makes sense but on my former extra firm spring mattress, which was much firmer than than this one, as well as when I sleep on the floor with a sleeping bag as I often do camping, etc… I didn’t have the soreness or these pressure relief issues that I am now experiencing. I’m kind of confused, maybe my body is too.

My body keeps telling me it doesn’t like the bed but I’ll take your advice and give it some more time. Maybe I’ll try to put the soft topper on top again and give that another try too. I could try putting the soft topper on top of my extra firm spring mattress it’s a twin though not a full and see what that feels like. Maybe it doesn’t help too that I am a creature of habit especially when it comes to comfort and I usually don’t have much tolerance for discomfort that goes for shoe shopping as well.

Thanks again I’ll be more patient and experiment a little…and of course call Ken again.

-K

Hi bwomp

Sure I’ll let you know what Ken says. I’ll eventually hopefully post some pictures I took too.

-K

Thanks K!

Hi kdreams,

A “typical” extra firm mattress will still have some soft foam on top and the firmness usually comes from “going through” the top layers into the firmer layers below them. Firmness can either come from the surface layers themselves or from the feel of deeper layers “coming through” the softer layers over top of them. I would doubt that your extra firm spring mattress had firmer surface layers than sleeping directly on the firmer latex itself … although of course it’s possible. It would likely include a mix of softer foam and firmer foam over a very firm innerspring. Without this most people wouldn’t be able to sleep on it.

All of your experience though can help “point” to a solution (and if you can sleep on the a hard floor with just a sleeping bag without pressure issues that would be very unusual) and your own experience will always trump any “theory at a distance”. All of this though indicates that the mattress you have may take some getting used to because of how different it is from what you are used to … even if it’s actually “better” than what you had. Your body may very well be “confused” with all the changes you are making :slight_smile:

I would certainly give any more dramatic changes such as the ones you have made more time. You will still have the same options as you do now a few weeks down the road and that way you can make sure that whatever you decide to do will be based on your actual longer term experience. I also wouldn’t make any changes quickly because you will need at least a few days of experience to have any accurate idea of what any change will produce so if you have flipped your mattress I would test this for at least a few days … especially considering that you can sleep on a floor (with a sleeping bag) :slight_smile:

I also wouldn’t add the topper to your current mattress because you would introduce variables that you would have no way of evaluating as it relates to your current mattress.

One step at a time … and giving each change enough time to evaluate … is the most effective approach. Of course a conversation with Ken or Greg is the most important part of all because he will have more insights into his own mattresses and how they relate to the experiences and “symptoms” of any particular person than anyone else.

Phoenix

K,

Hows everything going? What did you find out?

Sorry for the delay, my week has been hectic but I will call Ken this week & ask those questions about the cover and I’ll give an update .
I’m getting use to the bed a bit more but I think i’m going to find a pillow I can fluff up and flatten out as Phoenix suggested for my combination sleep. Does anyone know which types or brand of pillow will do this?

Thanks
-K

Ken is going to send me a sample of his cover material. Im glad you hear things are getting better.

I dont know what phoenix will say about these, but my girlfriend and I are big fans of mypillow (www.mypillow.com) for that exact reason.

Hi bwomp,

More even than mattresses … personal preferences play a significant role in a pillow choice. There are some “needs” here as well (see the pillow thread here) but these are more basic and the search for the “perfect pillow” can be an ongoing quest. In many cases (including my own) … pillow preferences can change depending on circumstances and even “mood”.

In terms of the mypillow … you can see some of my thoughts about it here in terms of materials and design but with pillows much more than with mattresses … the quality and durability of the materials and how long a pillow will last is much less important and how well it keeps your head and neck in alignment in all your sleeping positions and the many other personal preferences that people have for a pillow are a much more important part of their “value”.

Phoenix

Hi

I spoke to Ken about the organic cover I received with all the loose threads on the sides. He said I could pull those off and it shouldn’t affect the cover but if the loose threads were on a certain section of the cover then it could be a problem…so I need check it out and send him pictures of it…but I’ll do that when I flip my mattress again since I’m giving my current set up a chance (32ILD on top of the topper) I’ll will post the pictures here.

Thanks. Where have you landed with Core/Topper and how would you describe the feel? Im 165lbs and my gf is 125lbs. Im debating whether to go all 32/33ILD core or half 28ILD.

Do you have a 2" or 3" topper in 21/22ILD?

Is there a particular reason you went with the Organic Cotton over the Bamboo?

Currently I’m sleeping on top of the 32ILD core (considered medium) and kind of adjusting (hard to tell I’m achy this week due to the flu) next week I was going to give sleeping on the 2" soft 22ILD topper a chance …they suggested 2" topper b/c I sleep on my back and stomach as well as my sides. I weigh about 120lbs…Ken suggested I chose the 28ILD soft core due to my weight but since I’ve slept on extra firm mattresses all my life I didn’t feel comfortable with that. It’s all very subjective but my current mattress feels a lot softer than anything I’ve slept on before especially with the topper on top…but I’m still willing to give it more time b/c I sleep well through the night. I really like the feel of the mattress when I’m on it , feels supportive yet a little bouncy…the topper feels great too .In my case my body just has to get use to it b/c some mornings my back & neck aches.

Your decision will depend on personal preferences, weight and what positions you both sleep in.

I’m sure Phoenix can chime in with expert advice.

I debated too about the organic vs. bamboo. I liked the idea of organic cotton other than bamboo, seemed more natural. More importantly I wanted to sleep closer to the latex and the organic cover only has a thin layer of wool. If they sold one without wool i would have gone with that. The bamboo one looks very luxurious compared to the organic, but has 1.5 inches of wool and would keep me less close to the latex. Although it is mentioned on this forum wool has several benefits. Of course as I mentioned before I didn’t like the loose threads on the organic cover…i feel like it shouldn’t have any loose threads and perhaps the bamboo one is better constructed.

Once i figure out how to post the pictures I took …i’ll do that…
hope my ramblings help some

-K

Hi bwomp,

For some reason that I haven’t been able to figure out … the attachment function of the forum hasn’t been working since I switched hosting providers. When you go to open the file you want to attach … nothing shows up in the attachment window. At this stage nobody seems to know why it is happening.

So until (and if) I can find a solution … it would be better to post the pictures at Flikr or a similar photosharing site and then link to them in the forum.

Phoenix

kdreams,

You may want to read this thread Pressure Points. You may also want to see post 9 in this thread.

My post discuss APMC pressure points and what I did to fix the issue. I currently sleep on 2" memory foam over firm core over 2" latex topper.