How I Got to Needing a Talalay Latex Topper

Mattress Talk 5) Mattress Components & Accessories
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I am a 70-year-old homebound female, 155 lb, 6’ tall, exclusively a side sleeper. I have 8 herniated discs and have suffered back pain since my teen years. For the past 15 years, I have slept relatively well in the middle of a 12" split queen, Flobeds v-Zone, blended Talalay latex mattress atop their slatted foundation base. Both I and my mattress have aged over these 15 years and we both sag.

The two comfort layers in the Flobeds mattress are Soft with ILDs of 1.8 - 2.3. The latex in these layers has totally disintegrated. So last year I decided to flip the mattress over so that I was sleeping on the two 3" latex support layers (extra and super firm, 3.4 - 6.0 ILD). Unsurprisingly, I began to get numb arms, but my back is fairly happy. Before purchasing an all-new Talalay mattress, I decided to rescue an old Sleep Innovations 2" memory foam topper that I had stashed in my attic. To my surprise, it has worked fairly well. But summer is coming, and the memory foam will retain too much heat in our 100+ degree temps. So it has to go.

I want a Talalay latex topper because it provides a cool sleep and I have experience with it. I haven’t been able to determine what the ILD might be for the old Sleep Innovations memory foam topper, so I don’t know what firmness or thickness I should choose for the Talalay topper.

My first choice is Arizona Premium All Natural Talalay Latex toppers because of reputation, configuration options, and price. I’ll keep my Flobeds mattress in its upside-down configuration because I believe it is giving me good support. So I think Arizona’s 3" Soft topper with ILD 24 might work.

I’d like to confirm with @Arizona_Premium that their 3" All natural Talalay Latex topper is just that, meaning not blended Talalay and no SBR. Your Website seems unclear to me about that. If it is blended, please explain to me why it should or should not matter.

My other question is, given the information about myself that I provided above, should I look at a different material or configuration?

@Arizona_Premium
@FloBeds

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Wow. No reply. I guess you’re asking for the unicorn of latex mattresses.

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I hope you got your answers by phone or email, or even in-person if you’re in driving range to the showroom. And I hope you’re sleeping well now!

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Thanks for asking! I am getting great sleep and love this topper. As I stated above, I purchased the 3" all natural Talalay latex mattress. It sits on top of my old Flobeds mattress. Eventually I need to put it in the Flobeds’ casing and toss out the top layer of disintegrated latex. But that is going to be an ordeal that will require 2 people to lug the mattress outside and then back inside. I know firsthand how horrible that powdery latex is if it gets loose in the bedroom. So I just keep putting it off. My deep-pocket sheets are really struggling with the additional thickness of topper+mattress, though.

The owner of Arizona Premium, Ken Hightower, was always prompt and relatively helpful in answering my questions. No warm fuzzies or “thanks for buying” though. When comparing costs of toppers, remember to ask what the shipping costs will be BEFORE you make the final selection. Arizona Premium keeps its topper cost low by not offering free shipping. Shipping costs were really high.

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Many times, Trusted Members will send a private memo and ask to speak on the phone so there is nothing that gets lost in translation.

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