Thank you for all the information found on this site. My husband and I slept on a water bed for the first 13 years of our jmarriage. Due to back pain we purchased a firm innerspring mattress and slept on that for 23 years. I have noticed some problems with arms and hands becoming numb during the night. Have been trying to make decision on new mattress for about 4 months! Initially we had not even considered a latex bed, but laid on a Talalay bliss in a mattress store and found it to be not at all what we expected.
Initially I thought latex was like memory foam. We both are hot sleepers and prefer to sleep more on the top of our mattress and prefer the ability to move without hindrance. When we found out that latex was not at all like memory foam, we started over from scratch and started learning about latex. We have decided to purchase a mattress from foam sweet foam. Was extremely glad to see, after finding your website, that you also think very highly of the company. They have suggested the following layering due to height/weight,sleep preferences( 5’4/190 side/stomach and 5’10/200 side/back) and my issues with bony parts becoming numb at night.
Layer 1- Talalay medium/ILD 27
Layer 2-Dunlop firm/ILD/32
Layer 3-Dunlop firm OR XF/ILD 32 or 38
Layer 4-Dunlop xfirm ILD/38
What are your thoughts on this layering? What should I consider when choosing firm or xfirm on 3rd layer?
Welcome to our forum and thank you for your kind words and for sharing your journey in finding a suitable seeping system as this can good informative resource for other consumers.
As you have already experienced, while a waterbed can certainly provide good pressure relief … it can also lead to back issues and pain for some people if the waterbed they are sleeping on doesn’t keep their spine in good alignment in all their sleeping positions over the course of the night. The 23 years of use for your innerspring are certainly well past the useful life of your old system and it will take you a little longer to “unlearn” and adapt to any new system you may chose.
Side sleeping on an unsuitable sleeping system could certainly cause numbness with arms and hands as materials and components in the upper/comfort layers of your mattress break down over time, especially with an older firmer mattress (such as under the heavier parts of the body such as the hips/pelvis and shoulders for side sleepers).
You are correct in that one of the drawbacks of Memory Foam is that tends to sleep hot for those who are sensitive to this and even the newer generation of memory foams are generally not as breathable as latex or polyfoam. As you already discovered one of the characteristics of memory foams is the inability to allow easy repositioning while changing positions during the course of the night. Latex material on the other hand is very resilient and doesn’t restrict free movement on the mattress. Latex returns a high percentage of the energy of compression instead of absorbing it like memory foam (which has very low resilience) so it can enhance the “feel” of the mattress by making it more responsive and more adaptable to different body profiles and sleeping positions rather than the less responsive feeling of memory foam or the stiffer and less adaptable characteristics of polyfoam.
As you found out Foam Sweet Foam is a trusted member of our site, which means that indeed I think highly of them, their products, and the detailed knowledge of their mattresses and how they fit with different body types and sleeping positions.
While again nobody can speak to how any specific mattress will “feel” for someone else or whether it will be a good “match” in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Pressure relief, Posture alignment, and Personal Preferences) because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances and you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress … outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), you made the right call by talking to Foam Sweet Foam directly which is the most reliable source of guidance as they can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (resilience, firmness, etc.).
Because both you and your husband are sleeping on your side your weight would be on your hip and shoulder area, however because your secondary sleeping position is front you would need a more supportive surface than your husband who sleeps on his back. This is because the weight of hip/stomach area for a front sleeping position if not properly supported would throw your spine out of alignment in hyperextension of the lumbar area (The stomach is the weakest sleeping posture).
Combination sleeping is also more difficult to deal with than someone who sleeps in one position since the different positions have different basic requirements. Since most of us fall in this group, it is important to choose a mattress that is able to keep you in alignment as well as comfortable in all your sleeping positions. Fortunately the sleep system you are considering has quality materials and a construction that has a range of different positions and it can respond to even extreme differences in profiles (such as stomach/side sleepers).
The main benefit of the thicker latex mattress you chose (or any mattress that uses similar materials) is that it can be more adaptable for heavier weights and multiple sleeping positions. It will compress from softer to firmer more gradually which means that there is more “range” of compression without the mattress becoming too firm for heavier weights (or parts of the body).
It seems that you are working with the 13" four layers Urban Green mattress (with 24 possible configurations) as you know all the materials FOF uses in the mattress you are considering are very high quality in terms of feel, durability and useful life of the mattress.
Layer 1 - The Talalay Layer (which is softer than a Dunlop of the same ILD) in medium firmness could help alleviate the numbness you are experiencing with your old inner spring mattress, and hopefully has enough plushness to conform around your body and to relieve some of the pressure points.
Layer 2 - Dunlop firm/ILD/32 can help the layer above with comfort while offering the support that is needed for keeping your body in neutral alignment.
Layer 3 – If you desire a firmer deep support and spinal alignment is key, you may wish to choose XFirm for the third layer. If you don’t think you need as firm of a deep support, you may wish to choose firm for the third layer. But again I would rely on the advice of the people from Foam Sweet Foam as they tend to have more hands on experience with different combinations for different BMI/sleeping positions. The good news is that you are considering a component style system that allows you for layer switching and the exchange program …should things turned out not as well as you have hoped for.
FOF’s 90 Night Comfort Exchange will allow you to test your mattress and if necessary rearrange to a different layer combination and if this still does not help, then you can exchange one latex layer, one time.
As you’re aware, you are considering something from a site member here who uses high quality and durable materials. I’m looking forward to learning about any decisions that you make or if you have any other questions.
Thank you for your reply, Phoenix! I tend to overthink most things and this decision has taken a great deal of time and effort in the research. Your support of our decisions means a great deal noting the vast amounts of knowledge found here.
We sold our home of 23 years and have been renting VRBO for the last year while we decided our next move. I don’t know WHAT we have been sleeping on so maybe we won’t have TOO much to unlearn. With 2 major moves(mostly done by 2 of us) sleep problems in last year have mostly been having time to get sleep at ALL! We have purchased home in mountains of north Georgia and will be glad to finally settle in something of ours once again.
We plan to go with XF 3rd layer due to my “weak Sleeping position” and will let you know how things turn out.
Again thank you for your efforts managing this resource site for those trying to make best decision on mattress purchase!
I am glad that you found a place that is not only beautiful, but it is also rich with history. One of the best places to settle.
I am interested to learn how your new mattress turns out. The good news is that you have the ability to swap layers and I would trust the advice you get from the Foam Sweet Foams rep. Just remember that for any mattress configuration you may choose it may take some time to adjust to your need and for your new mattress to adjust to you. For this reason I would avoid the temptation to swap layers too quickly and give around 2-3 weeks before changing to a new configuration.
When you receive your mattress it is also a good idea to become accustomed with the setup process by watching the video that the company makes available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIyq-buy4LQ
Enjoy the adventure, and let me know how things progress for you.
Hi Phoenix,
We finally have a bed! I had an extreme deja vu reaction returning to this website…followed by relief! At times I thought my mattress research would NEVER end!
We had storage pedestal made for our Foam Sweet Foam 13" Urban Green mattress and have been sleeping on it for about a week at present. I’m happy to report we are both extremely comfortable…waking up realizing we haven’t awakened numerous times during night changing positions.
One huge step closer to enjoying our retirement here. Thank you for helping us to make best possible decision on this expensive purchase! Although initial cost was higher than other mattresses…when I factor in its longevity…it’s sheds a much different light! PLUS, I will NEVER have to mattress shop again!
Having moved twice in past year…God forbid!!! …BUT, do you have any thoughts on best way to move latex mattress if need arose?
The best way to handle latex is to roll the layers into cylindrical shapes and place them individually in plastic bags or cardboard boxes when moving. Latex is easy to tear, so better to move in rolls instead of grabbing and pulling on the edges of flat pieces.
If I were you I would unzip the cover and one by one roll up each layer of latex and pack it individually… kind of reverse order setup instructions.here
I’m looking forward to any additional feedback you might wish to share once you’ve had the chance to sleep on it for a little longer.
and for sharing your journey in finding a suitable seeping system as this can good informative resource for other consumers.