How to tame a topper

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

Hello Phoenix,

Hope you are well. I must call upon your expertise once again, as I apparently have a yearly urge to splurge on sleeping stuff (must be winter’s calling card). I’m sorry to put up such a long post, but I’m in a little bit of a quandary as to what exactly to buy, if anything.

I’ll just remind you of my sleeping setup. Back in the day, I bought a 6 inch core of HR foam (about 36 ILD) topped with 2 inches of medium talalay blend (28ish ILD). That proved to be a little taxing on the old hip joint, and even the thigh. I did solve this problem to my entire satisfaction by replacing the latex topper by a memory foam topper.

However, I love the surface feel of latex, and I also have the impression it gives me slightly better support than MF, particularly in the recessed areas of my body. And since I do use the latex topper during the hottest days of summer, I was hoping I could adjust it for greater comfort. I have tried using both toppers (the MF on the latex and vice versa), but that was too thick and soft for me, and having had lumbago after lumbago, I take spinal alignment very seriously.

What makes my decision difficult is I can’t quite pinpoint the problem with the latex topper. I have the impression it is too soft, so that I go through it with the heaviest parts of my body (hip, particularly hip joint, and thigh to much lesser extent). Im comfortable on my back, but on my side, the hip area gets sore after a while. However, theoretically at least, MF is way softer than any latex. So why do I get the impression that the MF cushions me against the foam core where the latex does not? In a nutshell, there is my dilemma: is the latex really too soft, or is it too thin/hard? Am I “bottoming out” or feeling the hardness of the latex itself?

I have considered a) buying an inch of soft (20) Dunlop or Energia foam to make the topper thicker and softer b) buying an inch of medium Dunlop as a sort of micro-transition-layer (the opposite approach, in a way). I thought of Dunlop because of its greater density, and also because of the crazy prices for latex in Canada. Energia is half the price of Dunlop, mimics Talalay, but at 3 lb/cft I’m not sure I’ll see much improvement. Also, mimicking latex is one thing, feeling like it is another.

I’m a female, 54 years old just like last year, 5.8, 125 pounds, salient hips, kinda bony.

Do you have any clue as to how I could make my latex topper more friendly (if possible)? I have scoured and scoured your posts, and can only add: boy I wish I was an impulse buyer.

Dodo

2

I’ve experienced the exact issue. Pretty confident the issue is that the 28 is firm enough to compress the core - which makes the whole thing firm up fast. If you have a very soft material like memory foam on top of a firm core - the firmness of the core “smushes” the memory foam before the core begins to compress too much (ie - the layers compress more sequentially). By the time you actually begin compressing the core - the amount of pressure on it is reduced . In other words - the 28 ild topper puts more pressure on the core and thus you aren’t really feeling all of the softness of the layer.

With all that said - I would put the memory foam UNDER your 28 ILD topper. (digressive layer as phoenix calls it). That will give you surface resilience but retain pressure relief for your hip.

Edit: upon reading your post again - it sounds like you may have done this. if so…I wonder how thick your layers are. both MF/28ild are 2 inches? You could reduce it to 1 inch of latex or 1 inch of memory foam…I dont think the answer is more latex though, unless it is very soft like 14 ILD.

3

Thanks for answering Djgoldb.

Now I’ll have to splurge on something else… :stuck_out_tongue: And Indeed, both toppers are 2 inches thick…

Dodo

4

No problem. Also - if you like the feel of latex - I would say don’t buy Energia thinking it feels the same. I have felt it - it doesn’t. It feels like slightly more resilient poly foam, but it is much closer to poly foam than latex imo. You can order a sample off rockymountainmattress.

5

Hi djgoldb,

I tend to agree with you about Energia. I’ve only felt the material for a few seconds in a workshop, but latex it is not. I had plumb forgotten that I could order samples. Thanks again for your help. Much appreciated.

Dodo

6

Hi DoDo,

I would agree with most of djgoldb"s comments.

While the only way to know how any mattress/topper combination will feel for any particular person is based on their own personal experience because it can vary depending on the body type and sleeping style along with the sensitivity of the person on the mattress … a 28 ILD comfort layer would feel firmer to most people than most memory foam layers in the same thickness and I would guess that you are feeling more of the firmness of the comfort layer itself and that 28 ILD is probably too firm for you if you are used to memory foam. It may be worthwhile either adding a softer latex layer or replacing your layer with a similar thickness in a softer ILD.

I would also agree that while Energia is a high quality material … it has a different “feel” than latex.

There is also more information about choosing a topper in post #2 here and the topper guidelines it links to that can help you use your sleeping experience as a reference point and guideline to help you choose the type, thickness, and firmness for a topper that has the least possible risk and the best chance for success.

I would also treat the choice between Dunlop and Talalay as a preference choice rather than a better/worse" choice because both types of latex come in a wide range of firmness levels. There is more about the choice between Dunlop and Talalay in post #7 here.

While I would be tempted to add an inch or two of latex to your mattress to provide the additional softness and pressure relief that you appear to need (depending on whether you think you need a “touch to a little” or “a little to a fair bit” of additional pressure relief) and given your lower weight I would tend to consider something in the 14 - 19 ILD range … when you haven’t tried a particular combination in person then the return/exchange policies of the retailer or manufacturer you are dealing with would probably become a more important part of the “value” of a topper just in case your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for when you actually sleep on it in “real life”.

Phoenix

7

Thanks Phoenix.

You provide such consistently good advice I almost wrote you this summer about a washing machine purchase I was considering :lol: .

If only…

Dodo