Latex layers

[phoenix]

Hi kripen,

Thanks for the kind words!

There is at least a couple of years to go for me to get the site the way I want it to be and to extract all the information in the forum into a more in depth research center where the information will be more easily accessible and organized more efficiently but everything takes time … and probably more hands and heads and fingers for multitasking than I have to do as quickly as I’d like

In the meantime, we went to Comfort Sleep Systems in Branford, CT today, and although I am still undecided, I did learn that their 2 layer 6 inch firm and 2 inch medium is not for me. When Iaid on it, my lower back instantly hurt, and while laying, it seems to get better, but not 100%. I had the same experience with the Terrabed at Sleep, Etc. I just chalked it up to the latex molding to my body, but now I believe it was the opposite.

Latex will certainly mold to your body better than any other foam other than memory foam and the pressure relief with suitable layers and design is equivalent to memory foam as well but it is also a much more resilient or supportive material that can take some getting used to because it distributes weight differently than other materials. If you tested for long enough though to be completely relaxed and your muscles have “let go” for at least 15 minutes and tested more “objectively” than subjectively then your experience is more likely to be a better predictor of your longer term experience for that mattress. In some cases we also have a “learned” sleeping posture that is not the “best” for us (just like some people have learned to slouch or have a more “hunched” posture) and in these case correct sleeping posture can cause some discomfort until the body learns new and “healthier” sleeping habits and some ligaments and muscles that have become shortened or lengthened over time can normalize. I have talked with chiropractors and other health professionals about this and in some cases it can even be better to buy a mattress that doesn’t provide the “best” alignment if it is too different from what someone has become used to and the adjustment would be too extreme.

Of course no material or mattress design works for everyone and it’s also quite possible that either the designs themselves weren’t “right” for you or that latex is just not your preference. I know that when I first slept on latex it was odd to feel “support” or “pressure” in areas that I wasn’t used to like the small of my back or my waist. The reason I’m mentioning all of this is because of your comment that over time things seemed to get better which may be a pointer that the initial alignment isn’t what you are used to but that it may also be beneficial over the longer term. Of course your own “informed judgement” is always the best guideline to use about your testing experiences and I certainly wouldn’t consider a mattress that clearly caused me pain with good testing no matter how “good” it may be in theory.

I am wondering if the 1 inch top layer will be enough pressure relief over time?

The top 1" would only provide the surface “feel” of the mattress. The top 3 or 4 inches or so of the mattress (depending on your body type and sleeping positions) would provide most of the pressure relief of the mattress. All the layers of a mattress work together and the top layer acts in tandem with the layers below it (and vice versa). The goal is always to evaluate pressure relief (and alignment of course) and the construction that provides it is much less important and just a means to an end.

CSS also doesn’t use wool in their top padding, they use rayon instead. I wonder if the rayon will keep you warmer than the wool.

I’m guessing that the rayon is the fabric used in the ticking rather than the quilting of the mattress so this probably wouldn’t be an apples to apples comparison. Rayon fabrics can work very well in a mattress ticking because they are very breathable and wick moisture very well into other layers. Wool on the other hand is used more as a quilting layer with a fabric it is quilted to 9usually cotton or rayon) and doesn’t wick moisture nearly as well but stores it more effectively without feeling clammy and keeps it away from the body inside the fiber itself more effectively which is why it’s such a good temperature regulator (in both directions).

You can read more about wool quilting in post #6 here and more about the different factors involved in temperature regulation in post #2 here and in post #29 here.

You can also read more about cellulosic or rayon types of fabrics (such as bamboo, beech, eucalyptus, and others) in post #7 here and the links it leads to.

Phoenix