Latex-pros and cons

[Sensei]

Hey queenbeee,

Welcome to the TMU Forum ! Thanks for your kind words on the site and for your question.

Unfortunately, I have to report that despite doing a fair bit of research after purchasing a king size latex bed from North Shore Linens in Vancouver, Canada, both my husband and I have increased lower back pain, shoulder pain and hip pain. We purchased this bed just over a year ago. At first, we thought it was great!..During the past six months, however, we both started noticing increased pain and stiffness upon waking.

Sorry to hear that you both are experiencing lower back, shoulder and hip pain after an initial 6 months of good rest on your North Shore Linens mattress, that must be terribly frustrating.

I won’t go into the details of the latex mattresses here…but I will say that I am 5’2" and 125 lbs. and my husband is 6’ and 210lbs. I chose the twin 6" soft mattress and he chose the twin medium 6". This is covered with the king size latex 3" topper. When we tried the mattresses in the store, there was no topper on the mattresses. The other day, while mulling this over, we decided to try our mattresses without the topper to see if the mattresses felt more like what we thought we experienced at the store but in fact, the mattresses felt even more “rock-like”.

According to North Shore Linens’ web site, they offer Dunlop Arpico 100% latex components of which both your 3" king topper and 2/ 6" twin king support layers are made. As their site offers no information in terms of construction, it would be speculation on my part to suggest from a quality/ technical standpoint why you and your husband are experiencing a change in the mattress’s support. With your mattress being “just over a year” old, and the initial “break-in” period being a “great” experience, but that you both have “started noticing increased pain and stiffness upon waking”, it seems unlikely that the foam would be the sole problem. Just curious, have there been any lifestyle changes in your routines over the past 6 months? You may want to check out Phoenix’s thoughts on breaking in of mattresses and lifestyle changes, as well as the body’s adaptability to smaller changes, perhaps other consumers following your post would find these of interest too.

I am about to begin researching what type of mattress - brand, style, etc. would be best for people with low back pain and pressure point issues. Some of your trusted companies on here are either unavailable in Canada or too costly with the exchange and shipping so it narrows the options somewhat.

Here is a listing of Canadian and US manufacturers/retailers who are TMU Trusted Members, carrying Latex or all Latex mattresses and who ship across Canada that you may wish to consider. They are very seasoned in providing good guidance over the phone and fitting their customers with a suitable product in terms of comfort/support needs:

CBH Wood Furniture: Canadian Manufacturer with an European tri slat system bed deign with natural latex mattresses which is great for proper alignment.
Memory Foam Comfort:]Canadian online retailer with a very good selection of latex mattresses and hybrids.
Bedmasters:US based manufacturer that ships to Canada(free shipping).
Arizona Premium Mattress:US based manufacturer that ships to Canada(shipping charges apply).
FloBeds: Is a US-based manufacturer that ships worldwide.
My Green Mattress:US based manufacturer that ships to Canada.
Nest Bedding:US based manufacturer that ships to Canada (free shipping).
Sleep EZ:US based manufacturer who ships to Canada, shipping charges may apply.

Also important to note that although we didn’t notice a huge problem until after the usual 3 month guarantee, North Shore Linens has no such guarantee or trial period of any kind.

Feel free to ask any of these or other trusted members questions, they are here to help consumers make informed decisions, providing transparency on their product exchange/ return policies and offer excellent support post-purchase. FIY: these manufacturers/ retailers offer a small discount to TMU consumer subscribers who have posted at least once to the forum, a little something to consider .

Looking forward to more on your updates,
Sensei