Latex mattress needed - have questions

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Hi. I was here a few weeks ago looking into toppers. It was pointed out that there wasn’t really a topper that would solve the problem of my too-soft, squishy, broken-in memory foam bed. I appreciated the help and the honesty.

After a few talks with my husband, we both agree that it’s high time we choose a new mattress, for both our sakes. He’s particularly interested in an adjustable bed frame, as he has obstructive sleep apnea and sleeps better/has fewer apnea issues when he’s somewhat upright for sleep. So we’ll be looking into adjustable beds as well.

Over the weekend, we went into a few local mattress shops. If the names are at all familiar, we went into Orange Mattress, Shovlin, and Ethical Mattress, all in NJ. All had helpful staff who gave us info and patiently waited while we lay on a variety of beds. I was initially thinking our best best would be a hybrid latex/springs option, but my husband surprised me by preferring the all-latex models. Which I am fine with, as I found the latex beds very comfortable, and I know that latex should last us a long time!

Important things to note about us for mattress-making purposes. I’m 49. I run extremely hot and have basically been suffering/sweating/not sleeping much for years on our current memory foam mattress. I’m about 5’2, 200ish lbs. Curvy - think a generous hourglass shape. I’m primarily a side sleeper, but I also sleep a portion of the night on my stomach, and most often find that I relax best so I can fall asleep when I’m on my belly. I’ve had lifelong sleep issues and have struggled with insomnia for decades now, on top of my issues with running super hot. My hips are slightly out of alignment, per an xray run by my chiropractor. Did treatments, did some PT, pretty sure that’s still an issue, as I have chronic lower left back pain where my backside meets my back. I prefer a supportive mattress that has some cushion for comfort, but ultimately holds me up. My husband is 53. He feels more reasonably warm in his sleep. He radiates heat that makes me feel like I’m in a toaster! But he isn’t bothered by it. He’s 5’6, ~220lbs. He primarily sleeps on his back, though he should be sleeping on his side to help relieve his sleep apnea. With an adjustable base, he will likely sleep on his back with his head elevated. He prefers a softer mattress overall, but that may not actually be what’s best for him, given his apnea and his own sore spots (occasional pain/stiffness in back/neck/shoulder).

We know we want all-natural materials, for the sake of breathability/heat dispersal, as well as for environmental impact. Shovlin has a lovely all-Talalay latex option that comes wrapped in a polyblend encasement. Seems to me to be a waste. Ethical Mattress had a few good options (they sell Avocado beds, as well as the owner’s own designs). The one we liked best had the following stats, per the owner:

  • stretch knit cotton w/ wool wrap around entire mattress
  • 4" Organic Dunlop 48 ILD
  • 4" Organic Dunlop 36 ILD
  • 3" Organic Dunlop, Zoned 55k / 16 ILD

He told us this came to a total of 10" depth. (Though it seems to add up to 11", so I’m a bit confused by that.) We added a 2" medium density Avocado topper to this, and it was pretty darn good. I initially tried the 2" plush topper from Avocado, but I bottomed out on it, and I think my husband did too. I’d be happy to use a 3" topper if necessary, so long as what’s underneath is suitably firm and supportive for our various needs.

For breathability, though, I’d been hoping for Talalay latex, at least in the comfort layers. I understand that is the more breathable option due to the more even construction of the foam.

Is there a way to order something similar (doesn’t have to be completely identical, but somewhat similar density/firmness, only Talalay instead of Dunlop) from one of the Trusted Members here? Or at least, Talalay for the upper layers? Would this mean going the DIY route? (Again, relying on the TMs for the layers?)

Or would Talalay give us a totally different experience compared to similarly firm Dunlop? (We lay on two all-Talalay mattresses in various places - one was definitely firm enough, the other was too soft and I couldn’t get my body in alignment when I lay down. I do not have the ILDs for those.) We’d need a fully split king (two Twin XLs) so my husband can raise his head to whatever level helps him sleep without apnea incidents while I am somewhat more moderate in my positioning needs. We’d be happy to buy toppers to add a bit of plushness and extend the life of our mattresses, but would also be happy to have everything within the encasement, if we can find the right combination of layers for that.

Our budget isn’t unlimited, but we’ll either find a way to finance or cover the costs, because this is an investment in our quality of life. And I am so tired of rarely sleeping…

Please help?

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Hi hmmwrites and thanks for reaching out on this! You might want to consider the 10" organic mattress from Sleep EZ - Organic Latex Mattress | Shop for 100% Natural Latex Mattresses - SleepEZ

The organic and natural mattresses (the Select Sleep mattresses) are our flagship products. They’re fully customizable, meaning you can order the mattress to be as soft or as firm as you’d like. They’re also fully adjustable, meaning you can change the softness, firmness, back support, pressure relief, etc. AFTER you get the mattress in your home. To be more specific, the 10” is our most popular, and these mattresses normally go out with three 3" layers of different firmnesses - normally the softest layer (or the cushion & contour layer) is on top and the supportive layers are on the bottom. This helps ensure our customers get the right balance of contour for their hips and shoulders but also support for their lower back. If you start with a certain setup and find that it’s too soft, you can unzip the cover and rearrange the layers to get a firmer feel out of the mattress, or you can exchange a layer to make it softer. Additionally, latex mattresses typically last 20 years. If, in 5 or 10 or 15 years you decide you want a softer or firmer mattress you would only have to buy a new layer instead of an entirely new mattress. Lastly, if the mattress starts to break down in 15 – 20 years, it’s normally the top layer that breaks down first, and at that point you can likely just buy a new top layer of latex instead of a whole new mattress and get an additional 8-10 years out of the mattress.

Furthermore, queen, king, and cal king mattresses are available with what we call “split layers,” which means you can have us cut the layers down the middle (from head to foot) so that you can have a different feel / firmness on your side versus your partner’s side, and you can adjust each side independently over the 20 year lifetime of the mattress. About 95% of our mattresses go out with all split layers from top to bottom, and we get zero complaints on being able to feel the split and we get zero complaints about the layers shifting or anything like that, even if you sleep right on the middle of the mattress.

Based on the information you’ve provided, we would normally recommend 3" of medium Talalay (28-30 ILD) for the top layer, 3" of medium Dunlop (28-30 ILD) for the middle layer, and 3" of firm Dunlop (38-40 ILD) for the bottom layer. The top Talalay layer should provide all the contour and pressure relief needed to avoid any pressure point issues, it will allow the mattress to sleep a bit cooler than an all-Dunlop mattress, and will add secondary support to the mattress. Secondary support is needed to fill in the gaps between your body and the mattress – back sleepers normally need secondary support to fill in the gaps between the small of their back and the mattress; side sleepers normally need secondary support to fill in the gaps between their mid-section and the mattress, and stomach sleepers normally need this under their belly or in their upper shoulder / clavicle area. If these parts of a person’s body aren’t supported by the mattress, their muscles will work throughout the night to hold these parts of the body up, and by the time they wake up they’ve got back pain. So the top 3” of Talalay latex will provide contour, pressure relief, and secondary support. The remaining Dunlop layers should provide all the support needed to maintain proper spinal alignment and avoid back pain. Please keep in mind that our initial recommendations have a 90% success rate (we only have a 10% layer exchange rate and a 3%-4% return rate) so there’s a 90% chance that the above recommendation works perfectly for you.

Although it’s not likely that you’ll need to rearrange layers or exchange layers, you certainly have the option to adjust the mattress according to you and your partner’s specific needs and preferences, both in the short-term and long-term. We have a 90 day exchange and return period, so you can exchange a layer within the first 90 days for a flat-rate $30 fee for the first exchange and the full cost of shipping for any subsequent exchanges. We will ship your layers first, and we will ship them with extra plastic that you can use to package your current layers, and we will ship it with a pre-paid Fed Ex return label. Also, if you will please call us when you are ready to ship your layers back we will schedule a free Fed Ex pick up for you. You will have 30 days after its arrival to return a layer of your choosing, so you’ll have plenty of time to try a few different combinations with the layers you have and the layer we will be sending you so that you can get your comfort and support levels just right.

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Thank you. That was a thorough, very helpful response.

Am I correct in assuming that the split king is fully split - two completely separate twinXL mattresses? Or do they share a single king encasement? For my husband to make full use of the adjustable bed frame, we’d need the mattresses to be totally independent.

Also - there would be nothing preventing us from using this combination on an adjustable frame, right?

Thanks again for your help - and the suggestion to look at your mattress!

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You can order the mattress as the king 2 piece split, which is 2 twin XL mattresses like for use on an adjustable base, and all of our mattresses work just fine on adjustable bases, so no worries there!

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Thanks again for your answers. You’ve been really helpful, and I’m sold!

I just placed the order for a split king (2 twin XLs) in the setup you recommended above. I am so looking forward to sleeping on my new mattress as soon as it arrives. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in so long. Still debating whether either my husband or I will need a topper, so we’ll hold off for now and see how the bed feels when it arrives.

Next task: to order those adjustable bases! (Which I’m going to post a question on now.)

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Reach out any time should you have additional questions. Enjoy your new mattress!

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Actually, I do have few questions.

Is there a particular type of mattress pad/protector you’d recommend to cover a Sleep EZ mattress? I obviously want to keep the mattress pristine for as long as possible. I don’t necessarily know if I need waterproof. I sleep so hot, I don’t want anything plasticky near my skin. But there’s still a value in having more than just a fitted sheet on top, no? I know some protectors can cause a latex bed to feel harder - a drum effect, I think I saw it called? What can I use to avoid that?

Does the recommendation change, given that I’m planning to use an adjustable base?

Thanks so much!

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I don’t have any specific products I recommend for mattress protectors, sorry about that! We sell a couple on our website, but realistically I’m not familiar enough with all the available products on the market to tell you whether or not there are better options out there. I would do some searching through the forums here or on Reddit to get some good advice.

Like you mentioned, anything that inhibits the flow of water will inhibit airflow as well, reflecting much of your body heat back to you. Also, anything you add between yourself and the latex affects how much your able to sink into the latex, making the mattress feel firmer. Just some things to keep in mind!

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