I’m interested in purchasing a latex mattress from SleepEZ but I am not sure what firmness to get. I really like the latex mattress at Sovn in the ‘A’ firmness when I tried it at the store. I am 5’10’, weigh 210 pounds and mostly sleep on my side.
When I tried out the Sleep Number beds, the sale process had me at a Sleep number of 55.
My current mattress is very firm and I wake up feeling horrible with back pain, hip pain, or numb arms. However, when I enter my information on sites to select the firmness levels, they almost always come up saying I should get a firm bed. But I really like the feeling of a plusher bed. So, I am really confused…
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Hi Khacken,
Just in case you haven’t read it yet … the first place I would start is the mattress shopping tutorial here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that you will need to make the best possible choices and comparisons between mattresses.
There is more about the different ways that one mattress can match or approximate another one in post #9 here. All the layers and components in a mattress will affect the feel and performance of all the other layers and components above or below it and the mattress “as a whole” so the only way that you can really know whether one mattress will match another one is if both mattresses the same type of materials in the same thickness and firmness levels and have the same or a very similar cover. These types of comparisons can be very complex and difficult if you are using specs as a reference point as soon as there are any differences in the design or specs of two mattresses in any of the layers because even small differences in design in any of the layers or components can sometimes make a surprising difference in how well a mattress compares to another one or how well it will match your specific needs and preferences in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences).
There are really only two ways to either choose a mattress or compare two mattresses. The first of these is based on your own careful and objective testing using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post.
If you can’t test a mattress in person then the “next best” approach is a more detailed conversation on the phone with a knowledgeable and experienced online retailer or manufacturer (such as SleepEZ) where you can provide them with more information about the specifics of the mattresses you have tested and done well with (including the type and blend of latex in each layer and the thickness and ILD of each layer and the type of cover) along with more information about you and your body type and sleeping positions so they can help “talk you through” which of the options they have available will have the best chance of success (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). They will know more about their own mattresses and “matching” them to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences based on “averages” than anyone else because they do this every day. In the case of an online purchase … the return and exchange options (either for a mattress or individual layers) you have after a purchase can also be an important part of lowering risk and the “value” of your purchase if you aren’t certain about how well a mattress will work for you so you can use your own personal sleeping experience to replace local testing and decide whether the options you choose in your initial configuration and combination of layers is working well for you so if it isn’t you still have good options available to do some fine tuning by rearranging or exchanging layers.
Phoenix
Phoenix,
Thanks for the quick reply. One other question, my wife said the Sovn bed made her feel like she was laying on an incline. The sales person mentioned that this could be because she is very light and that her hips may not be sinking into the mattress enough, and that she may need a softer mattress. Does that make sense, or could it be the way that latex feels? PS, my wife is a back sleeper only and weighs 100 pounds.
Hi Khacken,
Outside of a mattress that was made intentionally with a different firmness on each side of the mattress and someone was lying on the center of the mattress where each side was on a different firmness level or a manufacturing defect on a specific layer such as a fabricated layer that was was glued together with different firmness levels of latex on each side that was meant to be the same firmness level throughout the entire layer … the most common reasons for this would be sleeping close to a heavier partner that was compressing the mattress more than they were and they were lying in part of the impression from their partner (called "roll together), sleeping on the very edge of the mattress that could be a different firmness level than the parts of the mattress that are closer to the center (depending on whether it has any edge support or the type of edge support), an unusual sleeping position where the weight wasn’t distributed as evenly from side to side and the weight on one side of the body was more concentrated than the other, or a physiology where one side of the body is somehow “stiffer” or less flexible or muscles are tighter and doesn’t sink into the mattress as easily. It’s also possible that it could be related to the support surface that is under the mattress if part of the foundation has more flex than another and this is coming through the mattress. It’s not the way that latex inherently feels but it could be something connected to the design of a specific mattress or sleeping system or to weight differences between the people sleeping on it.
Phoenix
Hi Khacken,
IF you’d be interested, we are selling our Sovn Willow “B” - King. You can change the latex layer on top or add a topper! May not be a good option for you, but if you’d like to learn more, let me know!