Help! I have a Pure Latex Bliss Beautiful which doesn’t sleep incredibly hot, but my foot produces so much heat from the burning nerve pain, and the latex does have some insulating tendencies, so it creates more burning intensity.
I’m reading about wool toppers as an option. Are there any specific companies or models that people recommend? What about down? Are down toppers cooling?
Then, my boyfriend has a standard mattress and it sends me through the roof! I don’t sleep over because I can’t sleep, which bums him out. There is something in the material that just makes my foot flame. His mattress could actually stand to have a little cushion, so I’m wondering if a down topper would cool it off a bit? Or maybe a wool mattress cover/protector? Or a cooling memory foam?
I’m hoping Phoenix and others can help me provide ideas for cooling/padding for my boyfriend’s mattress, and cooling for mine.
Thanks so much for being such an incredible resource!!! You all make my pain more bearable (I have this forum to thank for pointing me in the direction of my PLB Beautiful, which has revolutionized my sleep, and therefore helped my pain). So, thanks!
I should also mention that I have a down comforter that I believe is too hot for me. So, I’m thinking about getting something else. No idea what. So, if you have any suggestions of something that is soft, cooling, and light, let me know!
For the comforter and bedding, I slept really hot, and so I did:
Linen sheets
100% Wool filled duvet, with cotton or linen duvet cover.
Wool will be less insulating than down given a similar weight of material. That said, if you buy some crazy arctic winter weight thickest wool duvet you can find, don’t be surprised if it’s hot too
Wool in general is often described as helpful for temperature regulation.
I like linen sheets … Definitely cooler for me, but I’d recommend you feel linen before running out and buying because it tends to be more expensive, and some people don’t like the feel of linen. There’s a thread on ‘Sheets’ happening now discussing linen too
[quote]I’m reading about wool toppers as an option. Are there any specific companies or models that people recommend? What about down? Are down toppers cooling?
Then, my boyfriend has a standard mattress and it sends me through the roof! I don’t sleep over because I can’t sleep, which bums him out. There is something in the material that just makes my foot flame. His mattress could actually stand to have a little cushion, so I’m wondering if a down topper would cool it off a bit? Or maybe a wool mattress cover/protector? Or a cooling memory foam?
I’m hoping Phoenix and others can help me provide ideas for cooling/padding for my boyfriend’s mattress, and cooling for mine.[/quote]
Given the “symptoms” you are mentioning I would also tend to choose wool over down both for the nerve pain and the temperature regulation properties of wool.
The choice of which wool topper would really be a matter of preference (some people would prefer one over another for many reasons) but there are a few good options in post #3 here that would be well worth talking to (and will give you good information about their toppers) and I would choose the one that you felt best about (or had a good return policy if you are uncertain and don’t have personal experience with a wool topper) after a conversation with each of them that included a description of your “symptoms” and what you are trying to accomplish.
@ dn,
I’m guessing you meant given a similar thickness of material? Even a thin layer of wool will weigh much more than a much thicker layer of down.
Both statements are true… Yes, down duvets tend to be significantly lower weight than wool (because of how well down insulates) at an equal thickness. Many of the websites I read indicate weights and not duvet thickness. So if comparison shopping online, and the only info you’re comparing is weight, then that’s the spirit of my answer. 1oz of wool is much less insulating than 1oz of down, and as you note the wool will also be thinner / less lofty. You can equally say 1" of wool is much less insulating than 1" of down, and the wool will weigh more. In my head, all of the statements are the same, but thank you for clarifying. (Of course, for simplicity I’ve omitted the ‘fill’ rating of down, which is a direct measure of loft/height vs weight )
Yes … I realize that both statements are true but when you are comparing a down topper to a wool topper then the weight of each would not typically be as important or as meaningful as it would be if you were choosing a comforter or duvet (you don’t feel the weight with a topper). With a topper … weight comparisons between different materials would be less relevant than thickness, performance, or “feel” comparisons (softness or sleeping temperature) and down will generally be warmer even in much lower weights (and much thicker and even more insulating in the same weight).
I appreciate you talking about both the mattress topper options, and also addressing some of the duvet/blanket questions I had. Going to get researching! Will probably first try a wool topper of some sort, and then if I’m still too hot, I will trade my down duvet in for something wool.
Are there any wool blankets that have a kind of “fill” to them to make them loftier? I don’t love the weight of a wool blanket…
Also, I’m wondering: could I just use wool blankets and wrap them around my mattress? Are there features to the wool toppers that make them different than wool blankets, other than the mechanism by which they wrap around/adhere to the mattress? (I am on somewhat of a budget).
Haha, I’m so confused. Normally I post about a wool topper, but this time I commented on a wool duvet, and Pheonix and I were having a discussion about different things
I do also have a wool topper, however I didn’t mention it in this post because I used it to sleep warmer. I was actually sleeping too cold, which was a delightful shock. Note I said warmer, and not ‘too hot’. Wool temperature regulates, it doesn’t just cool. If you want to see the topper I used, and a full review, it’s available here:
I also have a wool duvet. The one I have happens to be from bed bath and beyond:
I don’t know which kind of wool blankets you’re considering, Pamela… The wool duvets are more lofty than a wool knit blanket, but a wool duvet is less fluffy and lofty than down. Good down wins the poofy/ lofty / light category hands down.
Before I got the topper in point #1 above, I ‘tried’ simulating a wool topper by first folding the wool duvet I have (point #2 above) in half and putting that on the bed. It was a reasonable approximation, although the topper I got was much thicker (3") than the folded duvet.
…if you just want temperature regulation, you might also consider a 1" or less wool topper. 3" has a more significant impact on feel (which you might prefer), but it will form fairly deep body impressions (that’s how wool works), and some people don’t like the ‘lumpy’ look it can create.
In theory, and as I note in my review of the classic 2000 topper, it is desirable in a wool topper to use a rougher wool. It maintains it’s loft and resists compacting better than a finer wool. It makes sense to me, although I’ve not seen any formal testing on the matter.
Wool toppers use either thicker layers of compressed wool batting or wool fleece which are both very different from a thinner blanket. A wool blanket would be closer to a wool mattress protector than a wool topper which has much more thickness and softness to sink into. It certainly wouldn’t perform the same function as a thicker and more resilient wool topper.
In the past I have used a cuddle ewe topper and was very happy with it. For blankets Lands End sells a washable wool that I am really liking. Now that it is really cold out I use it in conjunction with an organic cotton blanket and it is perfect. I have had good luck with Ralhp Lauren cotton sheets that are not sateen. The sateen ones irritate my skin. I get them at Marshall’s or TJ Maxx. Lighter color ones seem to irritate my skin less.
