Hello,
I purchased a new latex mattress from an online reputable retailer. The latex mattress is a queen LID 24-26 medium base. I temporarily have the mattress on a solid surface (wood slats on a metal frame with plywood cover) knowing that it will need to be replaced with a slatted foundation to prevent mold, etc.). The mattress has a 6" Dunlap core & 2" top talalay layer covered with a 1" organic cotton. The core is supposedly Dunlap, although it has holes throughout and looks identical to the top talalay layer. The top talaly layer has holes but not all the way through to the bottom side.
I weight 115 lbs. I am a side sleeper, back sleeper, and semi-side/stomach sleeper with one leg extended. I find the bed to be extremely uncomfortable. It find that it sleeps hot, I toss and turn a lot, and even had my arm almost fall asleep one night. My question is, could the solid foundation I have be contributing to my problem? The manufacturer guarantees they can replace the top layer to make it firmer or softer.
I’m in a bit of a bind and really disappointed knowing that the reviews have been so positive and I’m not reaping the benefits. Any advise you can provide would be greatly appreciated as it was an extremely expensive purchase and will need to return if I can’t get it where it needs to be. Thanks, Kara
Dunlop and Talalay both have pincores and can look quite similar. The individual pincores don’t go all the way through the original core in either one although a thinner layer may have some that do depending on which part of the original core it is cut from.
A solid non flexing foundation is generally the most suitable option for a latex mattress so the firmness of your foundation wouldn’t be the reason that a latex mattress isn’t working the way you hoped. Even if you replace it with slats, the slats should have as little flex or sagging as possible so that any foundation you choose would be similar to having the mattress on the floor.
Post #2 here and the other posts it links to has more information about the different symptoms that people may experience on a mattress that may help you identify the underlying cause of what you are experiencing but based on your description it sounds like you may need a little softer or thicker comfort layers (or a topper) for some additional pressure relief. Post #2 here has some suggestions that may be helpful if a new mattress is too firm for you.
Post #2 here also has more information about the variables that act together to affect sleeping temperature that may also be helpful. While latex itself is the most breathable type of foam material … the type of cover or quilting in your mattress, your mattress protector or a mattress pad, or the sheets you are using can all have a significant effect on sleeping temperature and may be worth looking at.
Thanks Phoenix. Very helpful. Will try unzipping the cover and walking on it to break-in. Since I can’t tell if the bed is too soft or too firm, the manufacturer suggested sleeping on the bed several nights without the 2’ Talalay topper to see how it feels. Also, probably need a new pillow as the 2" talalay pillows provided are not overly comfortable. Kara
In most cases … it’s best to do nothing with the mattress itself in terms of exchanging layers in the first couple of weeks so you have some time to test some of the possibilities that are in the posts I linked, for the mattress to break in, and for you to adjust to a new sleeping surface.
Your experience sleeping on the mattress without the comfort layer and how it changes your sleeping experience (makes things worse or better) will also be helpful but I would make sure you go very slowly at the beginning so that you don’t end up making changes too quickly if your symptoms would be “self correcting” over the first few weeks or based on the experience of a single night or two which may be an anomaly.
I hope you have the chance to keep us up to date on how things are going.
Hi Phoenix, Well, after almost 100 nights of sleeping on my organic latex mattress & also making a topper exchange, I had to return. I’m really disappointed as I had heard such great things about latex and was so excited when I purchased it after 17 years from a prior purchase. It slept hot and I could never seem to get comfortable. I’m back to square one and having to sleep in the guest bedroom now. Guess I’ll be shopping for a new mattress soon. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. The last mattress I had was a select comfort, now Sleep number, I believe. Kara
I’m sorry to hear that your mattress purchase didn’t work out as well as you hoped.
As you probably know from the time you’ve spent here latex isn’t everyone’s preference and a mattress that works perfectly for one person or even large groups of people may not work well for someone else regardless of the quality of the materials or the “value” of the mattress. The good news is that that the mattress you purchased was returnable which can sometimes be an important factor in an online purchase.
There may still be some versions or designs of latex mattresses that are a good match in terms of PPP or you may find that other types of mattress are a better choice for you.
The best advice I can suggest is to follow the steps of the mattress shopping tutorial one at a time and do enough local testing that you have a good sense of the types of mattress and materials that you prefer and that tend to work best for you (latex or otherwise).