Do people ever have allergic reactions to a latex mattress?
Hi arthur,
It would be very uncommon because most latex āallergiesā are contact allergies and there is no contact with the latex in a mattress and foamed latex is also very different from the rubber used in gloves and other products that are a common source of latex allergy issues but a ātrueā latex allergy is also possible in which case all natural latex products should be avoided (most people that have a ātrueā or type 1 latex allergy would also need to carry an epipen because latex exposure can be very common in our society). There is more about latex allergies in post #2 here.
Phoenix
Iām so glad I found this site. Had a great shopping experience at Beloit Mattress last week and will be returning there tomorrow to make a purchase. Thanks for all the valuable information
Hi Carrieh75,
Welcome ā¦ and Iām glad you found us 
As you probably know from reading here Beloit is a member of this site which means that I think very highly of them and the quality and value of their mattresses as well as their knowledge, experience, service, and transparency.
You are certainly looking in a great direction and I hope you have the chance to let us know what you end up choosing.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
First off - THANK YOU SO MUCH for this awesome & informative Forum!
I placed an order with Essentia last week & Thankfully was able to cancel
it yesterday without any issues after reading through all your Info!
I am from Germany and slept on Latex Mattresses pretty much my entire life
before I came to the US. After sleeping on a so called fancy Pillow top for
the past 8 years and having severe back pain, I am finally investing in a new
one. However, I am very indecisive and have narrowed it down to 2 retailers
I have researched:
Naturepedic & Flobeds.
Do you have any suggestions or feedback for me?
My husband is leaning more towards the Talalay latex for comfort.
I know that Flobeds are using Talalay Latex but couldnāt find any specifics
on the Naturpedic website. We are also looking into getting two different Twin XL
Mattresses and putting them together like they do in Germany. And hopefully
in the near future we can add an adjustable slatted bed foundation to our
perfect mattress.
I would appreciate any info or feedback that could make this decision making
any easier!
Thanks,
Bessi
Hi Bessi,
Welcome ā¦ and Iām glad you found us āin timeā
I switched your post and my reply to a new topic with a more specific title so it wasnāt in a more āgenericā topic that will get mixed up with other replies and would be more helpful for others that are making the same choice.
Iām not sure which Naturepedic mattress or which Flobeds mattress you are considering or the criteria that are most important to you but both of these use high quality materials and neither one has any weak links in their materials or design. While I canāt tell you which one to choose ā¦ post #13 here and the posts it links to has more information about the most important parts of the āvalueā of a mattress purchase that can help you with āhowā to compare them. Iām also assuming that youāve read the tutorial post as well which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choices.
As you probably also know ā¦ Flobeds is one of the members of this site which means that I think very highly of them and I believe that they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency. If you are looking at their vZone mattress then they also have more options available to customize the mattress both in terms of layering and in terms of zoning than almost any other mattress Iām aware of. There is more about Flobeds vZone mattress in post #4 here.
Iām not sure if you are considering a Naturepedic from a local store or are considering an online purchase but either way the retailer or Naturepedic will be able to tell you the specific materials and components inside any of their mattresses. The latex they use in their mattresses is GOLS certified organic Dunlop. The choice between Dunlop and Talalay is about personal preference but there is more about the differences between how they āfeelā in post #7 here. There is also more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here and more about the different types of organic certifications in post #2 here.
Many couples do well with this and it can be a particularly good choice if you have or are planning to purchase an adjustable bed where you would like to raise and lower each side independently. There is more about the pros and cons of split king mattresses in post #8 here and in this topic that may be helpful as well. For some couples having the ability to raise and lower each side independently isnāt as important as avoiding the gap in the center of two twin XL mattresses and there are also some companies (including Flobeds and Naturepedic) that can customize each side of a mattress individually for a couple that has different needs and preferences so you would have a single mattress that doesnāt have any gap in the middle.
Hopefully this has helped. Iām looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding and of course any other questions or comments you may have along the way.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
Thanks for the detailed feedback!
I am really leaning towards the Flobeds as I really like the
idea of the vZone layer that they offer. We were originally
looking to buy a Memory Foam Mattress, but since
(and thankfully we found this site!) we realized how
toxic they actually were, that became out of the question.
I think the vZone layer will closely mimic the pressure relief
that memory foam offers, so it will be a great option.
Can I say that I am really excited about getting a new
mattress?!
Because I am! :woohoo:
We are currently in the process of building a new House,
so we have a few more months before we get our new mattress,
but when we do - I will definitely update everyone with the
final choice!
Thanks again for creating and updating this AWESOME site -
I will make sure to let all my friends and family know about
it. It is scary how little one know about āthe thingā the spend
a third of their life on!
You Rock! B)
Bessi
Hi Bessi,
Thanks for the kind words ā¦ and Iām glad the site could help you
Iām looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding when the time comes to pull the trigger.
Phoenix
I am a new member and am going to check out Beloit Mattress Company due to their listing on this site. I appreciate all the great information you have provided.
Hi xerry,
Welcome ā¦ and Iām glad you found us as well
You are also looking in a great direction and you will find your experience at Beloit much more enjoyable and educational than at most mainstream mattress stores.
Iām looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding.
Phoenix
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HELP!!! ON MY WAY TO FINDING THE BEST MATTRESS IN THE GTA!
Hi MrTibi,
Welcome ā¦ and Iām glad you found us
Youāve probably seen this but just in case you havenāt ā¦ the better options and possibilities Iām aware of in the GTA area (subject to the guidelines here) are listed in post #1 here.
Iām looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding ā¦ and of course any comments or questions that you may have along the way.
Phoenix
I am planning to buy a Synthetic Latex Mattress(King size, Firm) from below site
http://www.brooklynbedding.com/latex-mattresses/9-inch-tri-comfort
Can you please provide your valuable opinion and also advise if there any better options available in Erie, PA 16506 area.
Thank you!
Hi KittyKat,
As you probably know from your reading here ā¦ Brooklyn Bedding is a member of this site which means that I think very highly of them and that I believe they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency.
Post #13 here has more information about what I would consider to be the most important parts of the āvalueā of a mattress purchase that can help you make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are important to you.
While only you can decide on which mattress is the most suitable choice for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) or which parts of your personal value equation are most important to you ā¦ the tri-comfort certainly uses good quality materials and there are no weak links in the mattress in terms of durability. There is also more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here.
The better local options in the Erie, PA area Iām aware of that may also be worth considering on a āmattress by mattressā basis (and subject to the guidelines in the tutorial post) are listed in post #313 here.
Phoenix
Thanks for prompt and quick reply
Please advise if I can try any Latex Mattress in stores near Erie,PA area. I am not sure if Latex mattresses are available in store here.
Sorry Phoenix I just noticed that you have already provided options available in Erie, PA area.
Thanks! a bunch.
WOW! There is a lot of stuff to read and digest! Of course, I found this site 18 months too late, after I had already purchased the ālast mattress I will ever buy.ā I thought I had shopped around smartly, and ended up with a Serta foam/conventional mattress that was very expensive. I have been in several accidents, and have chronic back pain, and, since one of the accidents, have had shoulder pain, as well. The doctors tell me itās arthritis. Anyway, what I have noted is that my shoulders seem to like a softer mattress, so that there isnāt so-much pressure, but my mid section needs firm support. (Iām a side sleeper due to the back problem.) Is there such a mattress, with different firmness zones? I have been, and still am, on a mission to shore up the bed and mattress. Started with plywood on top of the metal frame. It sagged, so I bought a new foundation. (They used to call them box springs, but my Serta has box springs built-in. Itās about 14" thick, which is twice the size of my old mattress.) Still sags. Today, I found out my frame lacks a middle rail, which I ordered. I have been considering bed boards, to put between the mattress and the foundation. (We used to use them back in the day.) But all the ones I find are not large enough to cover the entire foundation. You need 2 or 3 of them. Well, if they arenāt one piece, it seems to me they will still have a weak point at the place where they meet, which could cause them to sag. Maybe I need another piece of plywood, but I donāt have a truck to get it home. I have also discovered that most mattresses and box springs now-a-days are made to be flexible, so they can be used on adjustable bed frames, like the ones they used to use only in hospitals. I can certainly understand why people would want them for their homes. I suspect Iāll probably end up with one some day, but they are expensive. As a result, mattresses tend to flex and give more then they used to. If I had known this when I bought the thing, I would have asked for one with a rigid wood frame around it, like mattresses used to have.
When shopping for the mattress, of course, I laid on nearly every item in the stores I visited. The one I bought seemed to me to be the most comfortable. It is plush with a euro top, whatever all that means. The problem is, there is a big difference between lying on a mattress for 10 minutes, and sleeping on one for 8 hours. But, for the first 6 weeks or so, I was so in love with this mattress. My pains were greatly reduced. I even stopped in the store to tell the salesperson what a great product it was. But then the sagging started, and now, I wake up with great pain, and itās not just my lower back anymore, but, for the past couple of weeks, my left hip and down into the leg. And my next chiropractor visit isnāt until Nov. 11. So Iāve been working out and trying to live up to my name by spending lots of time in the hot tub.
It is impossible for you to tell anyone what is right for that person, because there are simply too-many variables. I understand that. At one point 15 years ago, a chiropractor prescribed a Sleep-Number bed, and got the insurance company to pay for it. I thought that was the answer for awhile, but gradually, I found I was lowering the number over time, and then the bed started to sag in the middle, as my body pushed all the air to the outside. Select Comfortās answer was to let out all the air, then fill it all the way up, and then lower it to my setting. That would work for a week or 2, but I got tired of that noise, so I sold the thing to someone else, and bought the current Serta.
It seems, no matter what I do, I canāt get away from sagging. Maybe you have some words of wisdom. And maybe I need a firm mattress, even though I find a soft one more comfortable. The doctors and chiropractors arenāt much help. They say āBuy the one that you find to be the most comfortable for you.ā Well, thatās what Iāve been doing! DUH! I mean, does anyone really go into a store and say āI want an uncomfortable mattress?ā Every time I laid on a Tempur, I found it to be too hard, but now Iām wonering if that isnāt what I should have gotten. This journey is just too frustrating for this old man.
Hi Hottubjoe,
I switched your post to a new topic of itās own because the topic you posted in is a more general topic.
Yes ā¦ there are many zoned mattresses of all types (most commonly in latex and innersprings) that have different firmness levels under different parts of the body in either the comfort or support layers. There is more information about zoning in this article and in post #11 here and post #2 here but the best way to know whether any specific zoning configuration is suitable for you would be based on your own personal testing or experience.
The difference between a foundation and a box spring is that box springs have actual springs that flex and foundations have a more rigid non flexing support surface. Most mattresses sold today have a foundation that donāt have springs inside them. Any springs inside your mattress are part of the mattress itself and arenāt a foundation or a box spring.
There is more information in post #4 here that may be helpful if your mattress is either too soft or is sagging but āfixingā a mattress that is sagging or a mattress that is was too soft in the first place is much more difficult than softening a mattress that is too firm because you may need to replace the top layers that are sagging rather than adding something over them or changing the support system underneath them. If your original support system already had little to no flex then itās unlikely that changing the foundation or using plywood over a foundation that already has very little flex would make much difference and if the plywood didnāt work then other foundations with a solid non flexing surface such as a bunkie board/bed board would be unlikely to work either. There is also more information about the different types of support systems that are generally suitable for different types of mattresses in post #1 here and the two posts it links to in the second paragraph.
If your bedframe is a queen size or larger and lacks a center support rail then there are some suggestions in post #5 here that may be helpful as well.
This would depend on the type of mattress you are considering because there is a difference between a mattress that flexes under the person sleeping on it and a mattress that can bend under an adjustable bed. Most foam mattresses and many innerspring mattresses (pocket coils especially) are flexible enough to be used on an adjustable bed but there are also many innerspring mattresses that can be damaged if they are used on an adjustable bed and bend too much so it would depend on the specifics of the mattress you are looking at.
While itās certainly true that testing a mattress for 10 minutes can be different from sleeping on it ā¦ if you do some careful and objective testing for PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post rather than just testing for a subjective sense of ācomfortā or the āshowroom feelā of a mattress then the odds are much higher that your testing will usually be an effective way to predict your sleeping experience (see post #4 here.
There is always a break in and adjustment period for any new mattress (see post #3 here) but it sounds like your mattress was already āon the edgeā of being too soft for you and that the initial break in and adjustment period probably took you āover the edgeā of the firmness range that was suitable for you (see post #2 here).
You can see my comments about airbeds in this article and I agree with you that for most people they wouldnāt be the ideal choice.
You may need both a firmer mattress in the support layers for better support/alignment and a little firmer or thinner comfort layers that are also more inside the range that is suitable for you. There is more about primary and secondary support and their relationship to pressure relief in Post #2 here and post #4 here that may be helpful in understanding what āgood supportā really means. As I mentioned in the previous links ā¦ testing for āsubjective comfortā in the managed environment of most mainstream mattress showrooms can have lower odds of success than random chance alone but with more careful testing your odds of finding a mattress that is a much better match for you in terms of PPP is much higher.
I didnāt see any specific questions in your post so hopefully some of the information here has been helpful but if you do have any more specific questions that I can help with Iād be happy to do so to the best of my ability.
Phoenix
Thanks for this great guide! Iām trying to find a healthy and affordable twin for my toddler. Looking at spindle for a natural latex or cotton from maine bunk beds. There is so much info out there and many fakersā¦ itās very over whelming.