Latex Gold mattresses

[phoenix]

Hi Bedcomfort,

Thanks for taking the time to share an update … I appreciate it.

We both had 3 layers of 2 3/4, 2 1/2 and 2 3/4. Big holes up means it’s softer while big holes pointing down equates to harder. I changed mine to all big holes pointing up to make it the softest.

I’m assuming that the “2 3/4, 2 1/2 and 2 3/4” is the thickness of each of your original the layers … is that right? I’m not clear about the firmness (density) of each of your layers because in addition to flipping the layers so that the slightly softer or firmer side is up (Dunlop can be a different firmness on each side of a layer) … Dunlop latex also comes in different firmness levels and if your layers are each a different firmness then you can also change the comfort/support of a mattress by rearranging the layers as well.

My question remains though if you could answer it. The bottom layer I’m thinking should be the base, the middle the core, and the top the comfort???

Deeper layers are usually firmer and are more for primary support/alignment, upper layers are usually softer and are more for comfort/pressure relief and secondary support, and middle layers or “transition” layers are are usually either the same as the bottom or the top layer or somewhere in between them (depending on the design of the mattress) and can affect support/alignment and comfort/pressure relief to different degrees (depending on your weight, your body shape, and your sleeping style).

There is also more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support” and “pressure relief” and “feel” that may be useful as well.

What different people call each layer or the terminology they use is less important than the actual function of each layer and how they work together in combination with different body types and sleeping styles.

Anyway, Don ended up upgrading us to 9 inches, 3 layers of 3 inches. Don cut my middle mattress into 3 layers where the head and shoulders would lay. My mattress had all holes facing up so it was the softest it would ever go. My husband’s mattress was reconfigured by Don. Don said there wasn’t anymore that he could do for us. I was stunned to say the least.

I’m not clear what you mean by “Don cut my middle mattress into 3 layers where the head and shoulders would lay”. Does this mean that he cut your middle layer into 3 separate sections with a softer section under your head and shoulders? If this is the case then it would be a form of zoning.

Zoning systems can sometimes be useful and worth considering for people that have more difficulty finding a mattress with the right “balance” between comfort/pressure relief (under the shoulders especially) and support/alignment (under the hips/pelvis especially) or who have more challenging circumstances or sensitivities, body types that are more difficult to “match” to a mattress, more complex medical issues, or who have a history of having more difficulty in finding a mattress that works well for them. There is more about zoning in this article and in post #11 here and the additional posts it links to.

He’s fixated on the memory foam/gel topper we had on our old coil mattress. I’d asked Don what the ILD was and he said he didn’t know,

Memory foam is a very different material with very different properties than latex but the choice between them is a preference and budget choice more than a “better worse” choice. There is more about the differences between them in post #2 here but if your husband is “fixated” on memory foam then I would keep in mind that latex will never “feel like” memory foam … although you can certainly add a memory foam topper on top of a latex mattress.

If you are testing a mattress locally then knowing the ILD’s or other “comfort specs” isn’t important because your body will tell you much more about whether a particular mattress is a suitable choice or possibility for you in terms of PPP than knowing the ILD of the individual layers.

So we tried that. I slept on mine one night. Then the next night I tried my husband’s - and my husband is never getting his mattress back. His mattress is softer than mine and sinks in more. My whole body feels much better in it. Since the one Don made for me can’t get any softer, I’m taking my husband’s. My husband says it’s too soft for him and he doesn’t like it so it makes sense for me to keep it.

That’s good to hear that you found a layering combination that works well for you

It’s also “somewhat” good news that it was too soft for your husband since because he still has firmer options available.

He reconfigured our mattresses according to our complaints and likes, which just goes to show how wrong one can get it, even a so-called expert… My husband even said Don understands what he’s wanting and I thought for sure this time it would be right. I really did expect more from Snug Sleep.

I would keep in mind that the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

The suggestions that they are providing come from their years of experience based on the “averages” of their customers that are similar to you although of course not everyone fits inside the averages of other people so regardless of the knowledge or experience of a retailer or manufacturer your own sleeping experience will always be the only way to confirm whether the layering combination you choose will be a good “match” for you in terms of PPP and how well you will sleep on it.

Unfortunately (and regardless of someone’s level of expertise or experience) nobody has a crystal ball that can predict for certain which specific mattress or combination of materials you will like best or that you will sleep best on … it just doesn’t exist.

So on we soldier. Now my husband can make my mattress, which is his now, harder. I feel so bad for him. My question is: Should he just make the mattress harder or hardest so he has a firm bottom and then buy a memory foam/gel topper or a Talalay topper? Our bed sits lower than our previous bed, but it’s 8 inches off the floor. He says his back hurts when he gets out of bed. Not sure if it’s mattress or different height of bed. He seems so fixated on the memory foam/gel topper, that I think maybe that might appease him.

While it’s not possible to “diagnose” mattress comfort issues on a forum with any certainty because there are too many unique unknowns, variables, and complexities involved that can affect how each person sleeps on a mattress in terms of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) or any “symptoms” they experience … there is more about the most common symptoms that people may experience when they sleep on a mattress and the most likely (although not the only) reasons for them in post #2 here.

The most common reason for lower back issues is a mattress that is too soft and either has upper layers that are too thick and/or soft or deeper layers that are too soft.

If you can provide more information about the firmness of each of your husbands layers then it may be possible to make some suggestions that would be worth trying.

It’s also possible that he may not be happy with anything but memory foam.

Is there anywhere in the Vancouver area that I can test a Talaly topper in the flesh?

The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Vancouver area are listed in post #2 here. I don’t know which of them carry Talalay latex toppers off the top of my head so you would need to check their websites or make a few phone calls to find out which of them carry Talalay latex toppers and the firmnesses that they carry.

Phoenix