We have a sleep ez 4-layer all talalay latex bed. We have had it a couple of years and experimented with various layering (extensively)- have x-firm, firm, med, soft layers and different mattress covers but ultimately, we are finding the bed too soft. We miss the innerspring era of early 2000s (we had Simmons Beautyrests) and realize that they don’t exist like that anymore and that latex is considered the gold standard but we still wake up aching. Part of the challenge is my husband is tall and athletic (6’7", 250#) and he sinks way further than me. When we are on it together, I fall into his crater and we feel like we are sleeping on a futon. It’s just not working. If we go all firm on top, it’s so hard we go numb. We do really like that it is not hot though.
Anyway, we are thinking of maybe swapping out the two base layers for innersprings to get back some of that fundamental support that we seem to be missing. I would really like to be able to reuse some of these layers I have so I am not wasting so much money. I am having a hard time finding the coils to add to this set up. I heard the Quantum coils by L&P may not support people over 230# and I looked at Medicoil mattresses as someone suggested but I don’t see anything without a lot of layers of foam, etc. Does anyone have any suggestions on what we can do to doctor up this bed so that it’s giving more support? Thanks in advance for any ideas.
I know exactly what you mean about the mattresses from the 90’s and early 2000’s, you just bought them and they worked. Now you can spend a fortune on something that doesn’t perform half as well and you wake up aching from what should have been a good night’s sleep. Your husband and I have similar BMI’s (he’s around 29, I’d be around 31, wide shoulders are also problematic) so I know how hard it is to find something that works (you’re either fighting alignment or it’s so hard you might as well sleep on the floor).
The good news is you already have a talalay latex bed (good for pressure relief) so you have a good starting point to modify things of you wanted to. Part of the key for understanding what to modify is to figure what is causing the discomfort. Medical issues aside, most beds cause one of two issues; either pressure or alignment problems. It’s important to understand what you are dealing with, then you can go about beefing up your bed design. You say that you guys are waking up aching which to me says alignment problem. I like to have someone take a photo from the side at bed level in side sleeping position and then you should be able to draw a straight line from the base of your neck to your tail bone. If the spine is not straight it will stress your muscles and tendons all night because it’s not a natural position and you wake up in the morning sore and achy. You can go the coil spring base route but again you could end up with alignment issues there as well (hard to know until you try it). I would make sure to look for a very firm coil (Ken from APM should be able to guide you on this). I have decided to use an air base (like a Sleep Number) but that too can suffer from hammocking (alignment problems) which I’m currently using a zoning system to correct (I really like the adjustability of the air base though, mine is pumped up very firm). Finally you could try to zone the current bed you have similar to what Flobeds uses on their Vzone model (this is the sort of design I’m using to correct alignment on mine too). They have a nice calculator that can also help provide suggestions for configurations. This type of design helps you regain the alignment by using different firmness latex depending on where it is under the body. It’s a more complicated design (buying extra latex sheets and cutting them) but should be able to get back the alignment your looking for without sacrificing the pressure relief heavier folks need to get a good night’s sleep. Anyway I’m sure others will have suggestions too but that’s just my $0.02 from being in a similar situation.
I just wanted to come back and close out this thread with a happy ending.
After spending a couple of years struggling to get our all-latex bed to be comfortable for both of us, we finally ordered intersprings (these- Caliber Edge 6" Pocket Coil by Leggett and Platt – DIY Mattress) and replaced the bottom two layers of latex with these springs and it is finally perfect.
We are going to order yet MORE springs and use the left over latex layers to make new twin xls in a couple of our kids rooms so nothing will go to waste.
If you are struggling with your all latex bed, I highly suggest looking at this option.
This is great news ! It’s wonderful that you were able to not only solve your mattress support riddle but also create new twin XLs for your kids to avoid any wasted materials; good job! Please drop by in the future and let us know how your 3 “new” DIYs fare following a bit of sleep time on them. Thanks also go to @Mattrebuild for your excellent consumer support, you have definitely earned multiple DIY accomplishment levels with your many personal experiments and trials. Wishing everyone a good night’s sleep …
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