I just bought a new mattress. My old mattress was too firm no matter which toppers I used and I wound up sleeping on my (very comfy) sofa most nights. Did a ton of research and as one of my big concerns was sleeping hot, I decided to go with the Brooklyn Beddign Bamboo Bliss. I was advised to select comfort level 6 as I’m a side sleeper and a standard couch cushion is usually around a 5.
I was concerned that the mattress might still be too firm as I’m fairly light - 5’6" and 130 lbs - with a pronounced hip/waist ration. My sofa is pretty soft - it’s an old IKEA sofa with broken in polyurethane foam cusions and my hips hit right at the break in the cushions which makes it even cushier. The sales guy told me that they recommend a 6 for weights of 120-180 and I’m on the low end which also gave me pause. But I did go with the 6 and received my mattress on Friday.
I think it’s too firm. My shoulders don’t sink in much at all so they wind up squished forward. My arms get numb during the night and I toss and turn and wake feeling as tho’ I hadn’t slept at all. (it doesn’t sleep hot tho’, that feels great) Yesterday I was so exhausted, I took a four hour nap on my sofa and slept great. But I’ve only slept on the mattress for three nights and some stuff I’ve read suggests it may take up to 30 days to get used to a mattress. Brooklyn Bedding won’t even exchange the top layer until after two weeks.
I guess I’m asking if there’s a possibility that I just need to get used to the mattress? I’m dreading the thought of spending any more time on it.
[quote]I think it’s too firm. My shoulders don’t sink in much at all so they wind up squished forward. My arms get numb during the night and I toss and turn and wake feeling as tho’ I hadn’t slept at all. (it doesn’t sleep hot tho’, that feels great) Yesterday I was so exhausted, I took a four hour nap on my sofa and slept great. But I’ve only slept on the mattress for three nights and some stuff I’ve read suggests it may take up to 30 days to get used to a mattress. Brooklyn Bedding won’t even exchange the top layer until after two weeks.
I guess I’m asking if there’s a possibility that I just need to get used to the mattress? I’m dreading the thought of spending any more time on it.[/quote]
There are some suggestions and guidelines in post #2 here that should be helpful. The break in and adjustment period for a new mattress can vary depending on the mattress and on the person and on how different a mattress is from what they are used to sleeping on but I would normally use about 30 days as a guideline. There are some manufacturers that require a longer minimum period before they will allow any changes (often 30 days) because they know that things can change substantially in the first few weeks of sleeping on a new mattress. Like Brooklyn Bedding though … the minimum I would normally suggest is about 2 weeks before you make any changes in your mattress but some of the other suggestions in the post I linked may be helpful as well.
Thanks for the quick reply. I guess I’ll tough it out another week or so. I have tried walking on it but not much change yet. I’d rather not have to exchange anything if I don’t need to but right now I’m so disappointed that I’m getting such lousy sleep; I was so excited to fnally get a decent mattress. Thanks again!
Most good online manufacturers like Brooklyn Bedding have a high rate of success at helping their customers make a suitable choice initially based on “averages” and/or any reference points you provide them (such as latex mattresses that you have tested locally where you know the specs of what was inside them) but there will always be exceptions to the “averages” that they go by which is why the options you have after a purchase can be an important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase.
Your mattress is certainly a very high quality choice but unfortunately quality and suitability aren’t the same thing so it’s good that you had the foresight to purchase a mattress where you have the ability to make a comfort exchange if it turns out that you need it.
Of course the ideal is that you don’t need an exchange and that over the course of the first few weeks (or with some of the other suggestions in the post I linked) that your mattress will end up being a suitable choice without an exchange but if you do need one then I hope you have the chance to share an update about how it works out for you.
I asked for a topper exchange as soon as I could (wasn’t sleeping at all and had switched back to the sofa in frustration) which was last Friday and I received it on Wednesday maybe? Didn’t have time to mess with it until this evening.
Trading out the top layer was challenging. The mattress cover seems well made and it zipped right open but it was tough to wrestle off the old top layer and get the new one out of the plastic (FYI the new layer was not vacuum packed like the mattress had been, presumably so the box would fit the old layer to be sent back). I did manage to get the new layer in place and zipped up; it is noticeably softer (interestingly, the softness appears to be because the perforations are bigger, I didn’t now that was how the different grades of firmness are achieved. I would hope bigger perforations would mean even more ventilation).
Even bigger chore to wrestle the old topper onto the plastic, tape it up, and shove it in the box. I managed by getting the end in, tilting the box up right and then picking it up sumo style to thump it on the floor so the top layer would inch down into the box. Not gonna lie, this was pretty tough to accomplish solo. I’m an exceptionally strong middle aged woman (hold state records in powerlifting) and I found it tough. Would probably have been much easier with help and be careful if you have back issues.
Anyway, tonight will be my first night on the new top layer and I’ll update with the results.
The density of the latex (the amount of raw material used in the mold for the latex core) and the size and spacing of the pincores are the two main ways that latex is made either softer or firmer.
There are some instructions here (thanks to diynaturalbedding) that can help with compressing a latex layer if you have difficulty folding it to fit inside a box but as you mentioned … latex is bouncy, heavy and “floppy” and isn’t the easiest material to handle and it certainly helps to have two people.
I’m looking forward to finding out how your new comfort layer works out for you
I’ve slept on the new layer and it’s a huge improvement! My shoulders can actually sink into the mattress a little instead of being crunched forward. I’m very happy I was able to exchange the top layer. Now I just need to get the old one picked up by FedEx.
