Hi axl099020,
[quote]However… I am still have problems with my arm falling asleep (I am a side sleeper), and subjective feeling of the mattress being too firm. I am not sure what to do at this point.
- change the core firmness (I’m guessing this would be risky)
- Buy a topper (leaning toward this)[/quote]
There are really three directions you could go to improve pressure relief and soften your sleeping surface.
The first would be to use softer latex in the 2" comfort layer but with only 2" above a firmer core it’s likely that you would still feel the firmness of the core below it and with a two sided mattress it would also put a softer layer under your mattress which may affect alignment.
The second would be to use a softer sore (the layer in the middle) but you would still have a medium layer on top (which may still not be as soft as you would prefer) and this would also have a greater risk of compromising support/alignment and I would always prioritize alignment over pressure relief.
The third option would be to add a topper which would give you a little thicker and softer comfort layer without compromising the design or the support/alignment of the mattress itself. If you added a topper into the design of the mattress on both sides then it would result in a layer on the bottom that was probably too thick and soft and could compromise support in a two sided mattress but having the additional thickness and softness in the form of a topper means you still have a great base mattress with all the benefits of a two sided mattress that you can flip and also have the benefits that would normally only be possible in a one sided design that can use thicker and softer comfort layers.
While choosing a topper that works best for you in combination with a specific mattress can be a bit of a challenge … post #2 here and the topper guidelines it links to can help you choose a topper that has the best chance of success. It also includes a link to a list of the better topper sources I’m aware of and if you choose a supplier that allows for exchanges or a refund then the risk of making a less than ideal choice is much lower.
As you can see … I think that overall your best approach would be adding a topper.
Phoenix