Considering Sleep EZ 9" with 4-way stretch knit encasement (vs quilted wool). and mattress cover such as St. Dormeir. I’m hoping that would be soft and comfy but are there downsides such as 1) these materials “bunching” under me (not staying stretched out flat); 2) latex layers shifting; or 3) somehow hurting the edges of the latex?
Over time, does any softening/impressions that occurs in a top layer and affects comfort/alignment affect other layers, or can you just change out the top layer.
9" vs 12" Is 9" enough (in the right configuration) for pressure relief if I go to bed with pain/take anti-inflammatory every night.
There is more about the pros and cons of wool quilted covers vs more stretchy knit covers in post #6 here.
Stretching or bunching of a cover generally isn’t an issue with a suitable mattress cover that fits tightly around the mattress components although mattress covers will stretch a bit and become a little looser over time. If it ever does become an issue over time then they can tighten the cover.
It also shouldn’t be an issue with the St Dormeir mattress protector as long as you choose the size and thickness that is most suitable for the thickness of your mattress.
There is also more about glued vs unglued layers and layer shifting in post #2 here but this also generally isn’t an issue because latex is very heavy and “sticky” and doesn’t tend to shift inside a mattress in normal use.
The covers also won’t hurt the edges of the latex.
The upper layers of a mattress are generally the weakest link of the mattress in terms of durability and are the layers where the quality/durability of the materials is particularly important. The regular deflection/compression of a foam material is what softens or breaks down foam over time and the softer upper layers of a mattress will deflect and compress more deeply and more often than the firmer deeper layers. Latex in general though is the most durable of all the foam materials so foam softening and break down will generally happen less and more slowly than with other types of foam materials.
There is more detailed information about the many variables that can affect the durability and useful life of a mattress relative to different people in post #4 here and the posts it links to.
As you mentioned … component mattresses with zip covers have the advantage of being able to replace individual layers if one of the layers softens or breaks down before the others (usually one of the softer upper layers) or if your needs or preferences change over time because you can just replace a single layer or component instead of replacing the whole mattress.
There is more about the pros and cons of thicker mattresses with more layers in post #14 here.
While your own careful testing or personal experience is the most reliable way to know whether a mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of comfort and PPP … when you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart (which would include SleepEZ) and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
I don’t understand or need more info.
Does Radium make latex ILD’s to order for different mattress companies? Or make a wide range of latex ILD’s and different companies choose from those to offer to their customers? Or something else?
Also, is there a general description of the difference in feel between all talalay and talalay over dunlap layers or does it make much difference in 3 x 3" layers or 2 x 3" with topper?
They make a range of ILD’s that companies can choose from (and of course different layer thicknesses will also make a significant difference in how soft or firm a mattress feels as well. You can see the different ILD ranges that Radium supplies here.
There is more about the differences between Talalay and Dunlop in post #7 here. One isn’t inherently any better than the other and the choice between them would be a preference choice rather than a “better/worse” choice. The best way to know which type or blend of latex or the combination of layer thicknesses or firmnesses you tend to prefer will be based on your own personal experience.
ILD is only one of several specs that makes a layer feel softer or firmer than another (see post #4 here and post #2 here) and the ILD of different materials or different types and blends of latex also aren’t always directly comparable to each other (see post #6 here) so using ILD by itself as a reliable indication of how any mattress will “feel” for you can sometimes be misleading.
The properties or “feel” of thicker layers and/or layers that are closer to the surface will be more noticeable than thinner layers or layers that are deeper in a mattress.
Unless you have a great deal of knowledge and experience with different types of mattress materials and specs and different layering combinations and how they combine together and can translate them into your own “real life” experience that can be unique to you or a small percentage of people overall … I would tend to avoid using individual specs such as layer thicknesses or ILD numbers or other complex combinations of specifications to try and predict how a mattress will feel or perform for you and focus more on your own actual testing and/or personal experience. When you try and choose a mattress based on complex combinations of specs that you don’t fully understand then the most common outcome is information overload and “paralysis by analysis”. Choosing a mattress based on complex specs would be among the least reliable ways to choose a suitable mattress.
When you are testing a mattress locally your body will tell you what you need to know about whether a mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of comfort and PPP and complex combinations of “comfort specs” such as ILD are much to complex to use as the basis for deciding whether a mattress will be suitable for you to sleep on.
While your own careful testing or personal experience is the most reliable way to know whether a mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of comfort and PPP … when you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
Currently sleeping on a hard and saggy slab of “mattress” and literally feel battered in my upper back and shoulders (5’ 8", 125 lbs) and lower back which can get sore anyway.
Locally have tried savvy rest and just trying store configurations found ST/MD/MD and ST/ST/FT both to be kind of heavenly with upper body pain literally melting away at one point with former. I do feel constrained about asking them to change configurations because my plan is to use the info to order from sleep ez which I can’t try in person.
I have samples (including covers) and ild’s?? of both and have some ideas.
Sleep ez wool cover/encasement is thicker wool and ST is somewhat firmer than savvy so I’m thinking 3" ST topper which comes with stretchy cotton knit cover. (and I would get a thinner wool mattress protector such as St. Dormeier). This would be the softest and easiest to flip occasionally.
For “support layers” I’m thinking a 7" sleep ez mattress in its wool cover. Would a ST over MT or FT
within the encasement work in this situation (ST topper over mattress) or is it still a case of sketchy support and I should go more toward M/M layers inside the mattress?
Am I right in thinking that the wool encasement offers more protection to the latex mattress than stretchy knit in the long run?
While it may be more than you really need to know (and it may lead you deeper into the “rabbit hole” of choosing a mattress based on specs) … “support” is often misunderstood and many people believe incorrectly that “firmer is better” or “more supportive” when the real goal is to keep the spine in good alignment and this requires the type of contouring support that allows some parts of the body to sink in more and some parts of the body to sink in less 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.
Again … when you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of information and guidance about your firmness choices will be a more detailed conversation with the online manufacturer or retailer you are working with. The only way to know for certain whether any mattress will be a good match for you in terms of PPP will be based on careful testing or your own personal experience.
There is more about the pros and cons of a wool quilted cover vs a more stretchy knit cover in post #6 here.
Latex can oxidize faster with exposure to air and ozone and ultraviolet light along with other substances that can damage it (see here) and it’s always a good idea for a latex mattress to have a suitable cover to give it the best possible protection and to help maximize it’s useful lifetime. A mattress cover can also have a significant effect on the feel and performance of a mattress. There is more in post #3 here and post #3 here that will give you some sense of the effect of different types of covers on latex but assuming that the covers you are considering are suitable for a latex mattress I would personally prioritize the properties, feel, and performance of a cover over it’s effect on the latex. ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: primelineindustries.com/natural-rubber-chemcompchart.html
