First latex mattress purchase, all help welcome!

[phoenix]

Hi WVU85,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum!

First and foremost thanks for all of the wonderful information that this site provides and Phoenix you are a blessing with all of your informative posts!

You are very kind. Thank you so much for the kind words.

I am close to pulling the trigger on my first latex mattress but first a little background. I have owned a Tempur-Pedic Rhapsody for about 7 years now that I have grown to hate. I am primarily a back sleeper and have developed lower back pain stemming back to around the time I purchased this mattress. I constantly toss and turn all night and find it impossible to sleep on my side without hip pain, the mattress is hard as a rock when I crawl into bed as I typically keep my room pretty chilly (below 70). On top of those issues, I find the mattress to sleep incredibly hot and I haven’t been able to sleep a solid 8 hours for months now and Im finally ready to move on!

I’m sorry to hear that your Tempurpedic is no longer comfortable for you. Because of the viscous nature of memory foam, and as you are doing a good job of keeping your master bedroom in a sleep-encouraging cooler temperature range, it is normal characteristic of most memory foams to feel hard when you initially get into the mattress.

Memory foam is also generally the least breathable and most insulating of all foams and it is common for people to sleep warmer on such a product. In very general terms, the materials, layers, and components of a sleeping system that are closer to your skin will have a bigger effect on airflow, moisture transport, and temperature regulation than materials, layers, and components that are further away from your skin and softer mattresses or foam toppers will tend to be more “insulating” and for some people can sleep warmer than firmer versions of the same material. There is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress or sleeping system in post #2 here that can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.

Through all of my research I keep hearing the wonderful benefits of latex mattresses and I think I’ve narrowed it down to the Nest Bedding Graphite Latex Mattress with the soft option that adds another 3" layer but can’t seem to find any information about it anywhere

The Nest Bedding Graphite Latex Mattress is a unique product. It is offered in a Medium/Firm version, and then a soft version. The mattress is all latex. The core is 4" in a “medium firm” range, and then there is a 4" layer that has a poured convolute/“humps” on one side, so it has a different feel on each side and can be flipped to provide a more “firm” feel without the convolute/“humps” being on top, or a “medium” feel with the convolute/“humps” facing upward. A “soft” version is offered with the addition a 3" topper already in its own covering to be placed upon the 8" mattress (which is what you are considering). The layers within the mattress are covered in their own sock to make it easier to handle and flip the upper convolute/“hump” layer.

All of the latex in this mattress is Dunlop and is GOLS certified. The latex is mixed with a natural expandable graphite which has anisotropic properties (helps make the latex more durable). The graphite also assists with thermal conductivity to an extent, and also allows the mattress to meet federal flammability guidelines without the use of any additional FR components (this mattress is classified as a Vegan Latex Mattress). All of the material used in this mattress are high quality and durable materials.

Nest appears to have a very good reputation as a manufacturer and excellent customer service

As you’re probably already aware, Next Bedding is a member of this site which means that I think very highly of them and that I believe that they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency.

I’m an organic/natural nut and it very much appeals to me that this mattress boasts a GOLS organic certification

The material certainly is a good quality. The latex layers have a GOLS certification, and the cover is made with GOTS certified cotton.

There is more information about the three different levels of organic certifications in post #2 here and some of the benefits of an organic certification in post #3 here and there is more about the different types of organic, and safety, certifications such as Oeko-tex, Eco-Institut, Greenguard Gold, C2C, and CertiPUR-US in post #2 here and more about some of the differences between organic and safety certifications in post #2 here .

As a hot sleeper having the graphite infused latex sounds like a major plus

Graphite itself is a very thermal conductive material, and I did link to a bit more information about managing the micro-climate of a mattress earlier in this post.

The wife is asthmatic and suffers from severe allergies and I hear latex is great for these reasons?

While latex is a very “clean” material, most of the information about being good for allergies has to do with the breathability of the latex foam, which helps with humidity control, which in turn helps keep the dust mite population at bay (they prefer a more humid environment).

The rep stated that the graphite infused dunlop is a bit softer than traditional dunlop and of course its all organic.

Yes, adding the graphite to the latex does soften it slightly as compared to non-graphite-infused latex. The latex is GOLS certified, which is what I think you meant by “all organic”.

If I opt for the “normal” configuration the mattress is only 8 inches which seems a bit slim for my frame 5’9" 200 lbs but the rep stated that it would not be. The one thing that I am hesitant about is that if I opt for the additional layer it comes in the form of a topper that has its own cover made of the same material but it does not go inside the original mattress which seems like an odd design choice just for it moving around etc., but I could be wrong about that.

Thickness is more of a by-product of mattress design, and there is no reason that an 8" thick latex mattress using this configuration couldn’t be “in the range” for providing you enough support, although I couldn’t speak for the comfort meeting with your preference.

Using a separate topper in its own covering is a very common way to customize a latex (or any other) mattress, and many people prefer this manner of making a mattress a bit softer, and I personally wouldn’t have a concern with using such a configuration.

Phoenix