So I ended up purchasing the Parklane Overton Latex mattress. Last night was my first night sleeping on it and I think it is too soft. I woke up with more back pain than I ever have with my 15 year old $150 sealy. I can only imagine that it is going to get softer - which will be worse. What do you think? I am glad there is an exchange policy that is for sure.
Hi Dorian,
It’s probably too early to really assess the mattress you purchased because there is a break in period for all new mattresses and an initial adjustment period as well for you to get used to any new sleeping surface (especially when it is quite different from what your body is used to).
It’s also quite common for people that haven’t slept on latex before to think it’s softer than it really is because it is much more conforming than polyfoam and then in a month or so have a hard time believing that they felt that way.
It’s usually a good idea to wait for about 30 days or so (or at least a couple of weeks) before thinking about making changes. That way you will also have more experience that can help you make a more suitable choice if it turns out that you need it because if you only have one exchange then your next choice will be the one you end up keeping.
Also just to eliminate it as a possibility, I’m assuming that your mattress is on a firm non flexing foundation?
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
Thanks for the reply. I am using a platform ikea bed with their short 4" foundation so I don’t think the foundation should be a problem unless their is a defect. The mattress is so soft that when I sit-up in bed I can actually feel the latex bottom out (I.e. I can feel the hard foundation. This was not the case in the store, I contacted customer service and they are supposed to get back to me but at this point I guess I will continue to try it. The other issue is that when my girlfriend sleeps in it and we are close to each other a hole forms - as in my body is at an angle and so is her’s sinking into the mattress. We are by no means heavy people either 5’4" 115lbs and 6’2" 185lbs. Both these issues were not in the floor model.
If this doesn’t work my backup is to switch to one of their offset/Marshall coil combo mattresses like the aldar or lovejoy. I should also mention that when I lay down my hips sit about 6" lower than my knees.
Hi dorian,
Just to confirm … could you link to the specific Ikea foundation you are using? I just wanted to make sure that it is a foundation not a box spring (that flexes). It could also be connected to the width of the gaps between the slats which would be worth confirming (latex does best on a slatted foundation where the gaps between the slats are 3" or less).
Latex is very “point elastic” and can sink in deeper under the more concentrated weight of sitting even though it is very evenly supportive when you are lying down. this would also depend on the firmness of the support layers especially. Normally though, a mattress in the store would have softened and broken in so unless the foundation under the mattress in your home is somehow different from what it was on in the store or for some reason the support core was softer I don’t know what could cause this and it would be very unusual for someone to feel the foundation under 9" of latex either sitting or lying down unless they were very heavy.
This is not that unusual with a softer mattress when two people sleep close together in the middle. The extra weight of two people in the center vs the sides causes some deeper compression and sagging in the middle under the combined more concentrated weight vs the sides. This could also be connected to the breaking in period of the cover which may be a little taught at first so the sides can be “pulled” a little tighter when you are sleeping in the middle. Once again though this is most likely connected to the firmness of the support layers deeper in the mattress.
It’s really a matter of degree though and considering that you are experiencing both issues on your mattress and didn’t on the one in the store there is always a possibility that somehow you have a softer support core in your mattress than the one in the store and I would bring this up when you talk with them. It may also be worth trying the one in the store again and focusing on this specific issue now that you know what to look for to confirm they are different. Sometimes when you are testing mattresses and don’t “duplicate” your sleeping habits or environment in your testing some things don’t show up unless you are focused on testing them specifically.
Phoenix
Sorry for the confusion. It is just an Ikea bed frame with the supplied parklane 4" foundation. I have returned to the store and find that the floor model is indeed more firm. My hips only sit about 3" below my knees on the floor model. I have contacted customer service about this issue and they are supposed to get back to me. Either way tho, I think that I have found that latex just may not be the right choice for me.
I don’t know if I would give up yet. Mattress shopping can be confusing, and shoppers can be prone to over thinking it.
It sounds like you enjoy the mattress in the store, so if you can get to the bottom of what is causing the difference through customer service, then I definitely wouldn’t throw in the towel yet. If they somehow messed up your order, make sure the mistake is rectified, and the exchange period is not docked for the time spent on the mistaken bed. Like phoenix said, don’t give up immediately when actually sleeping on the mattress, and don’t draw conclusions too quickly during the trial period. How well you sleep will be normally distributed around some average, and avoiding over analyzing the mattress and just sleeping on it for the trial will yield much better conclusions (granted you should make sure you’re sleeping on the same set up you tried in the store so you’re not wasting your time). I know how it feels to just want the bed situation to be squared away, but the extra time spent will be worth it.
As far as how you imagine it “will only get softer with time,” you’re right, but I had a latex topper and it was more durable than expected. It was about 2" - 2 1/2" thick, and it was on top of a college twin size flat top, baffled air mattress. I kept the air mattress as taut as it could be, and slept on my side driving my hip bone into it every night. I’m notorious for wearing out mattresses quickly, but the latex (basically the only padding between me and the hard air mattress) didn’t have any noticeable change in feel and resistance for about a year. I have purchased a bigger bed since, but when I retired the twin, it was still about as sleepable as when I added the topper. Pretty impressive considering how fast my hips seem to kill beds.
Hope this helps, best of luck!
Hi Handorson,
Well said … and I completely agree with both this quote and the rest of the insights in your post 
Phoenix
Dorian - I agree - try to sleep on it for a week or so at least but, i had a similar problem. I went with a medium core with a 2" topper on the latex bed I bought - that’s what the vast majority of people sleep on so I thought that would work. I’ve never been a person that liked an extra firm bed. Well, the medium absolutely didn’t work for me. I too had back pain, hip pain, terrible sleep etc… i tried it for a few weeks and just couldn’t do it. I called the company and they had me switch the topper to the bottom and sleep directly on the core - still way too soft. I then exchanged it for a firm core with the 2" topper and it’s better but not wonderful.
I later found out that our flexible slat foundation could be the problem - it likely doesn’t provide enough support. We are trying to figure out a solution to that problem.
But, to answer your original question - it’s entirely possible that it is just too soft for you. Try it for a while but, definitely contact the place you bought it from to see what your options are.
Hi All,
I can’t thank you enough for your contributions to this topic. I have now slept 6 nights on the bed and I no longer wake up with pain but it is very difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep as the sinking-in feeling bugs me. I am confident that this particular mattress is just not the right choice for me. Unfortunately, there is no way to change or re-arrange the layers. Customer service is supposed to get back to me soon so I will update once I have more news.
So I heard back from Parklane CS… It is actually becoming quite frustrating. They said that the reason it may be softer is because the floor model was on an adjustable foundation which is apparently more stiff that their standard foundation… I wish a sales person would have told me that instead of finding out about it $150 in exchange fees later. So I guess it truly is softer because of the foundation. I hope they correct this as it is deceptive in my opinion. I will be waiting the 21 days and immediately switching the bed out as they said I have to wait… 
Hi Dorian,
Does your foundation flex at all?
If it doesn’t it would be similar to the solid surface of the adjustable bed. You could also test this on the floor (with a blanket underneath it to protect the mattress) to see if your mattress feels the same on the floor (which would be the same as an adjustable bed) as it does on your foundation.
I certainly don’t think there is any intent to mislead or deceive anyone because they would have no reason to do so and a mattress return reduces their profit (which is not the goal of any business) and is just as undesirable for them (and perhaps more so) as it would be for you.
Phoenix
The foundation is not really supposed to flex. According to the site there are 14 slats. Seems pretty sturdy. I will have to test the floor. Thanks for the help and advice.
This is going to be a long 14 more days as I am getting a couple hours less sleep than normal due to the softness of this mattress (Hard time falling asleep and staying asleep.)
Hi Dorian,
You can test this for yourself by pressing down on the foundation with firm pressure but if the slats have no flex then there there would be little if any difference between the foundation, an adjustable bed, or the floor and it would not likely be the source of your issue.
Phoenix.