After some research and reading through a lot of this forum, I purchased a 2’’ dunlop, medium (30 ILD) latex topper from SleepOnLatex. I have been sleeping on it for about a week now.
For reference, I have a ~3 year old firm simmons beautyrest millerton eurotop. It has a bit of padding, but overall is pretty firm. No sagging or other issues. Obviously I like the support (why I purchased) but over time I’ve noticed I toss and turn a lot, and am never quite “comfortable”. I’m a mid-20’s, not overweight male, and I don’t experience any pain, just discomfort. As a side note my girlfriend (who has been out of town since I purchased the topper) prefers a softer surface than me.
Although it feels slightly softer than before, particularly when I first lay down, throughout the night it often still feels quite firm. I feel I have a few options:
[li] Exchange for 3’’ - would I want the “soft” (20 ILD) or medium again (30 ILD) ?[/li]
[li] Exchange for 2’’ "soft (20 ILD)[/li]
[li] Add a 1’’ soft layer above my current 2’’ medium? (would this make any sense?)[/li]
My comments about choosing a topper in post #2 here would be the same as i would reply to you as well.
While it would depend on the firmness of the mattress you are using it on and on your own body type, sleeping style, preferences, and sensitivities … based on “averages” a 30 ILD Dunlop topper would probably be somewhat firmer than “most people” would choose.
While there really isn’t much I can add to the information in the post I linked and the topper guidelines it links to … unless there is a specific reason not to I would probably tend to choose a softer topper than the 30 ILD topper that you currently have and if you are looking for “a little to a fair bit” of additional softness then 2" would probably be a reasonable and “average” choice … although again the only way to know for certain whether any mattress/topper combination would be a good “match” for you and your girlfriend in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP will be based on your own personal experience.
If it’s still not soft enough then you could certainly try an additional inch as well.
Thanks for the reply. Really appreciate you taking the time to answer me.
I think I’ll take your general advice and go with my gut instinct - exchange the 30 ILD (medium) for the 20 ILD (soft). A big reason I chose to purchase from SleepOnLatex was their return policy, which looked very generous.
I guess my initial concern/assumption (before purchasing) was that 20 ILD would not provide sufficient support. I think my experience so far indicates that I will certainly feel support from the firm bed through a 2’’ topper, even if it’s soft.
“Support” is often misunderstood and many people believe incorrectly that “firmer is better” or “more supportive” when the real 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.
Support is the means and alignment is the goal - that makes sense.
My interpretation is the current 2’’ of 30 ILD in combination with firm mattress are still ‘too firm’ and when I’m on my side, my hips and shoulders don’t sink very far, which is uncomfortable. My discomfort is mainly on my side, I think.
It seems unlikely that 2’’ of 20 ILD (vs. 30ILD) will be so soft as to allow me to sink so far in the other direction that I’ll be out of alignment (and uncomfortable).
Thanks for your help and analysis. This website is such a great resource.