Hot Sleeper. Not so sure about "cool" latex - Advice Needed

[phoenix]

Hi photocat,

Welcome … and I’m glad you found us.

Hi - I’ve been lurking and reading a lot recently and decided to jump in because I don’t think I’ve seen my particular question - what is really, truly the most cool sleeping innerspring mattress?

While it’s not possible to quantify the sleeping temperature of a mattress for any particular person with any real accuracy because there are so many variables involved including the type of mattress protector and the sheets and bedding that you use (which in many cases can have just as significant an effect on sleeping temperature as the type of foam in a mattress) and on where you are in the “oven to iceberg” range and because there is no standardized testing for temperature regulation with different combinations of materials … 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.

Having said that … while again it’s not possible to be specific because of all the variables involved … I would probably say that in very general terms an innerspring mattress that has natural fibers such as cotton, wool, or horsehair, in the comfort layers and covers that are made from natural fabrics or semi synthetic fabrics (such as various types of viscose rayon fabrics) would probably be the “best” in terms of temperature regulation.

Again in very general terms (and keeping in mind that there are many variations of each foam material) … latex is generally the most breathable and “temperature neutral” of all the foam materials (latex foam, polyfoam, and memory foam) and Talalay latex is a less dense and more breathable than Dunlop latex although any foam material won’t generally be as breathable and temperature regulating as natural fiber materials.

While there are always exceptions and some people may sleep warmer on mattresses that most people would be fine with … it would be unusual for most people to have temperature regulation issues on a mattress that has latex comfort layers … particularly if it has wool quilting with a natural or semi synthetic cover material.

My current mattress is 15/16 years old (Serta Perfect Sleeper - innerspring - not a pillow top) and I’m looking to replace it in Spring 2017. It has held up pretty well until this year, starting to sag and I’m getting some pressure point pains in my shoulders and hips - I’m a side sleeper. So I’ve begun the research and needless to say, the mattress industry has changed since my last trip to the mattress store! Most notably all of these foams - in particular memory and latex.

I would certainly agree that the industry has changed a great deal from 15/16 years ago and in the case of the major manufacturers such as Sealy, Simmons, and Serta … not for the better. Having said that … latex is the oldest foam material in the industry and has been available for many decades (see post #9 here). Polyfoam has been used in mattresses since the late 1950’s when it began to replace latex foams because of its much lower cost and memory foam has been available since Tempurpedic first introduced it in the early 1990’s.

I’m looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding … and of course to any other comments or questions you may have along the way that I or any of the other more knowledgeable members of the site can help with.

Phoenix