Latex-pros and cons

Hi Robert101.

Welcome to our Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

Response to Post #17: Youā€™ve brought up quite a few points (some of them perhaps unknowingly) and Iā€™ll try to deal with them one by one.

I am sorry to hear that you have issues with your new Tempurpedic Breeze. Not everyone likes the feel of a memory foam mattress as it has low resilience, high hysteresis and more of an ā€œin the mattressā€ feel to it that changes in response to variations in temperature, humidity (both from the ambient environment and your own body) and length of time and it is subject to compression forces. It can feel firm in certain circumstances and soft under different conditions. Due to its viscous-elastic properties and more closed celled structure, it is very good at forming a pressure relieving cradle around your body, but it will generally be the least breathable and most insulating of the foam comfort materials, so temperature, as you noticed, can be an issue. You can read more about the pros and cons of memory foam in this article

A forum search on Greensleep (Belgium manufacturer) and on Sleeptek (Canadian manufacturer) and Berkely Ergonomics (USA Manufacturer) specifically (you can just click these) will bring up more information and feedback about all of them. From a quality perspective there are no weak links in the materials of either item to sway the needle in the direction of one versus the otherā€¦ and all of these mattresses use high-quality materials and could make very good choices based on the other parts of your ā€œvalue equationā€ (see post #46 here ) that are most important to you.

Both Sleeptek and Greensleep use a Dunlop process to make their latex which is different from the Talalay process that Berkley uses. There are some videos linked in post #3 here that show the different production processes and there is also more about the differences between Talalay and Dunlop in post #7 here but you may notice a difference in feel (some people like one more over the other). Berkley Ergonomics uses European sourced Natural Talalay and pocket coils, (organic cotton, wool, and even camel down in some models) while Sleeptek and Greensleep donā€™t use springs. The difference between the items would be in the overall comfort and how that is achieved with the different componentry. Berkley uses the coil unit as a support layer as opposed to foamā€¦ it would be strictly a preference of your own personal PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences).

In terms of ā€œmaterial valueā€ ā€¦ your choices are in the more premium end of the budget range compared to other mattresses that use similar materials but value has many components and each person has their own see personal value equation which is all the objective, subjective, and intangible factors that are the most important part of any mattress purchase. The suitability of a mattress in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences), the quality of the materials and components (including the cover and quilting which can be a significant part of the cost of a mattress), the ability to customize a mattress before and after a purchase, along with the knowledge and service of the retailer you are purchasing from are all important parts of value and for many people price is less of an issue than the many other parts of ā€œvalueā€. The goal is always to make meaningful comparisons based on the criteria that are most important to you.

The most important ā€œneedā€ would be more connected with your own personal preferences and the feel that you are looking for. Making more generalized assessments of a mattress only based on one component doesnā€™t take into account that all the layers in a mattress work together and will affect its feel and performance so either one could be part of a mattress that provides you with your pressure relief and alignment/support needs. Assuming that all the materials in a mattress are high quality ā€¦ everything boils down to which mattress design works best for the two basic functions of a mattress . Without going too much into technicalities both innersprings and a firmer latex core can be used as a core/support layer and each has very ā€œdifferentā€ characteristics. Both of them be made in many different designs and can come in softer or firmer versions with an innerspring that is firmer than a latex core or the other way around depending on the specifics of the components you are comparing.
There is more about the 4 main types of innersprings in this article and in post #10 here and more detailed information about innersprings vs latex support cores in post #2 here and more about the different types and blends of latex in this article and in post #6 here .Some of the more technical differences include ā€¦
ā€¢ In general, latex will be more motion isolating than an innerspring.
ā€¢ Firmer latex will be more durable than an innerspring but neither of them would tend to be the weak link of a mattress.
ā€¢ Innersprings have more ā€œairā€ in them so they would be more breathable than latex even though latex is the most breathable of the foam materials but the deeper layers of a mattress also have less effect on the ventilation and temperature of a mattress than the comfort layers.
ā€¢ I know that this may not be of concern to you but most latex is more expensive than most innersprings.
ā€¢ They ā€œfeelā€ very different with innersprings being more ā€œbouncyā€ or ā€œspringyā€ than latex (although latex has more ā€œspringā€ than other foam types).
ā€¢ Innersprings have a more ā€œflat lineā€ response curve than latex ( see the graph here ) but because there are many types of innersprings with different response curves this doesnā€™t always hold true and there are also different types of latex which would also have different response curves.
ā€¢ Innersprings absorb less energy than latex which means they are more resilient. They ā€œpush backā€ more strongly than latex in other words but this is not the same as softness ā€¦ only about how much of the energy that is used to compress them is lost (or how high a ball will bounce when itā€™s dropped on them).
ā€¢ Latex has a similar or higher compression modulus than most innerspring spring rates and either gets firmer with deeper compression at a similar rate as an innerspring (Talalay) or at a faster rate than an innerspring (Dunlop) which means it can be more ā€œsupportiveā€.
ā€¢ Different innersprings have widely different abilities to take on the shape of the body (depending on the number of coils and how independently they function) while latex is much more ā€œpoint elasticā€ than any of them because it can flex in each part of the core with less effect on the area around it than an innerspring.

There are many other more technical differences but the most important differences are the ones you can feel. Either of them can make a good choice for a support layer and in the end it really boils down to which one you tend to prefer. Both of them can provide good/support alignment. There are so many varieties of both that itā€™s not really possible to make more specific comparisons outside of some of the more obvious and more ā€œgenericā€ differences that Iā€™ve mentioned.

I am assuming that you are asking this in connection with placing the split king on an adjustable base. As an aside, there is no single king version of power bases with the most common manufacturers and can only be ordered in a split king version, but the mattress on top of them can either be a single king-size or a split king size. The two halves of the adjustable bed can be programmed to operate together with a single remote.

As you mentioned, when you operate each side independently you would have to deal with the split in the middle and decide if feeling the split was worth the tradeoff of independent movement on each side. How much you would feel the split when the mattresses were flat would also depend on the specifics of the mattress and on how flush the top surfaces fit together. A mattress that has a more square shape with sharper (not rounded) upper edges with either latex or memory foam on top and that has no tape edge or seam on the upper edges would minimize or reduce the feel of any gap or split between them.

You can also get various types of ā€œconvertersā€ which fill in the crack in the middle and attach the two halves together such as here and here and here and here but you would lose the ability of operating each half independently so you may be better off with a single king unless you want to keep the option open.

You could also use a single topper over both sides (preferably with the gap filled in) if the gap in between was uncomfortable but this would also eliminate the advantage of being able to adjust each side separately because it could damage the topper so it would probably be better to use a single king mattress rather than go in this direction unless again you wanted to keep the option of going back to a split king mattress open.

Having to deal with a crack in the middle that most people would feel if you tend to share or use the sleeping area in the middle for sleeping, cuddling, or other activities vs having a single sleeping surface without any gaps in the middle is one of the tradeoffs that each person would need to make for themselves to decide if the crack or gap in between was worth the benefits of having two mattresses that are independent of each other. It would really be a preference and lifestyle choice.

Hope this helps with your decision

Phoenix
Note to Twoods196: Thanks for your contribution and sharing your experience about your DIY.

Hello again,

thanks to all for replying to my questions. I took your general advice and went to several mattress stores that sell latex and surprisingly i didnā€™t like a lot of good brands like OMI, Saavy rest (just proves your point that one really needs to try out the mattress and see what works for that individual). The one i really liked is the ā€˜kama flex plushā€™ from sleeptek with 3 layers of 4" latex in soft, med, med.

There are companies/brands out there that one can order online and they offer free shipping/returns such as ā€˜sleep on latex pure greenā€™ (which i see is a member here) and suchā€¦ the pricing on these mattresses are significantly cheaper then sleeptek,omi,saavy and so on and web claims that they are made from same natural latex
I really like the sleeptek and am willing to pay the price if necessary but donā€™t want to feel like i could have gotten the same thing at 1/4 the price

my question is how come there is such a huge difference in price? is it worth going through the hassle of ordering/returning or am i wasting my time??

one more thing i was wondering if you can advise on i was also looking into the ā€˜purpleā€™ mattress with buckling gel.

any opinions?

Hi Robert101.

There are many factors involved in the price of a mattress when you are comparing mattresses made by two different manufacturers, some connected with the raw materials and the production costs, some connected the business model, infrastructure cost, the shipping costs, and the returns and exchange policies. In the case of Sleeptek, OMI ā€¦ you are looking at fully organic mattresses for which some people are willing to pay more than for mattress made with similar materials that are not organically certified from manufacturers or retailers that donā€™t stress or even promote the organic qualities of their mattresses to the same degree, or that did not go through the rigorous and costly process of certifying the materials or the product for being organic.

Most people that are looking for an ā€œorganicā€ mattress are really looking for ā€œsafeā€ materials and there are many options that are ā€œsafeā€ that arenā€™t organic and I would first determine if ā€œorganicā€ is important to you,as part of your personal value equation. There is more about organic certifications in post #3 here and the topics that it links to.

As far as if it is worth your time ā€¦ itā€™ll all boil down to your personal value equation and what it most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesnā€™t turn out as well as you hoped for). There are many people who are not comfortable ordering a mattress that they canā€™t test online ā€¦ even with a good exchange policy. For someone that isnā€™t comfortable with an online purchase then a higher price for a local purchase may be better value for them. The only way to know your level of comfort with any online purchase is with more detailed phone conversations with each online manufacturer or retailer you are considering. After these conversations, you can more easily decide on your level of comfort with an online purchase.

There is more about the 3 most important parts of the ā€œvalueā€ of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses. This will help you make more meaningful comparisons and will increase the odds that your choice will be as good in real life and the long term as it seemed in the showroom or online.

Purple uses a unique bucking column gel they call Hyper-Elastic Polymer. There is more about buckling column gel in this article and in post #2 here and the posts it links to and a forum search on " buckling column gel" will also bring up more comments and feedback about it as well.

The Purple mattress has been discussed quite a bit on the forum and it is covered in the Simplified Choice thread here and you can also perform a search on Purple here for other posts mentioning this product.

Phoenix

I recently bought a top of the line, Talalay organic hand made mattress, king size. After just one week of use, the mattress was showing significant body imprints on both sides (my wife and I are small, neither weighs more than 160 lbs.). The mattress is manufactured locally here in Victoria BC Canada, so I called the manufacturer, who came out and was shocked by the imprint and product failure (Global Talalay, N3 3" over N5 6"). Both top and bottom layers showed imprints. The entire mattress was swapped out for a new mattress. After just 2 nights on the new mattress, the body imprints are back. At this point, I am at a loss. Is this normal? According to the manufacturer, the product failing this fast on the first mattress in ā€œvery strangeā€. Now the replacement mattress seems to be doing the same. Mattress is on a base supplied by the same manufacturer. Can somebody please give me some insight here? We are extremely frustrated. WTF???

Iā€™m very interested in seeing a reply to this, because I just bought a new latex mattress as well, and body impressions appeared on both sides after just one night (we each weigh around 150 lbs). Not at all what I expected from a latex mattress from a highly reputable source.

Thanks.

Hi Adriano and kmikey.

Welcome to our Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

I am sorry to hear that your mattress developed body impressions and I can certainly understand your frustration at having the same issue with a second mattress after only a few days. While all new mattresses will go through a break in period and there is also an adjustment period as well for any new sleeping surface ā€¦ it would be unusual that there are any significantly visible body impressions in a relatively new mattress unless it was defective.

As you are having the same issue with the replacement mattress within two weeks it may be worth pointing out a few reasons why a mattress can develop impressions to make sure that you are ruling out anything that might cause this which is not connected with the latex itself. I would first check the frame and support system under the mattress to make sure that it is perfectly flat and that there are no parts that are sagging or that are bending under the weight of the mattress and the people sleeping on it. It should provide similar support to having your mattress on the floor and you can test this by putting your mattress on the floor to see if it makes any difference. If it does then itā€™s possible that your support system could be part of the problem as well.

A new mattress, especially King and CalKing size, generally would not have a surface that remains ā€œpancake flatā€ as the mattress loses any of its ā€œfalse firmnessā€ and the cover stretches and loosens a little. Some manufacturers use x-soft foam in their quilt panel, and/or then use 1.5"+ of wool as the FR barrier. It may well not be the latex, but the materials used on top of the latex that is causing the ā€œindentationsā€ and you may wish to find out what quilting and FR is used in your mattress. You also did not mention the impressions depth, but generally speaking a slight indentation would be considered ā€œnormalā€ if they were coming from a quilting material such as wool (which will compress in the areas you sleep the most over time) but it wouldnā€™t be ā€œnormalā€ to see visible impressions in the latex itself in just a few days.

I would be also curious about the make and model of your mattress and the materials and components inside it since there are many so-called ā€œall latexā€ mattresses that are sold in the industry that donā€™t only contain latex and that could also include lower quality materials or weak links in their design that may be the cause of sagging. The law tag on your mattress will tell you whether there are any other materials besides latex in your mattress. While itā€™s certainly possible that your mattress contains layers or components that are defective ā€¦ latex, in general, is the most durable of all the foam materials and is much less likely to develop soft spots (virtual impressions) or sagging (visible impressions) than other types of foam.

Impressions developed due to foam softening or breakdown is rarely an issue with latex unless it is defective or too soft for the body type of the person sleeping on it (softer foam is always less durable than firmer foam regardless of the type of foam). N3 Talalay is rated as a medium firmness by the foam manufacturer and at your BMI it should not be an issue. In some cases however a consumer can choose a mattress that is ā€œon the edgeā€ of being too soft for them when itā€™s new and in these cases even a very small amount of foam softening can put them over the edge of the range of comfort or support that is suitable for them. There is more about this in post #2 here. In these cases, the issue is not about the quality or durability of the materials but an issue of the comfort choice they made.

I hope you have the chance to let us know what the manufacturer says when you talk to them again. They may ask you to send in pictures showing the impressions (with a straight edge or string across the surface of the layers) and if you do it would be great to attach them to one of your posts as well.

Phoenix

Thanks for the reply. The mattresses were locally manufactured by Fawcett Mattress here in Victoria, BC, and are marketed as being 100% natural and organic. Check them out, I would be interested in seeing what your take on this is. I will say that the imprints are not ā€œslightā€. Manufacturer says it is the first time he has experienced something like this in 35 years of making mattresses. He said our new mattress looked like if it were 20 years oldā€¦after 1 week of use! It is laying on a new articulating bed, supplied by the same manufacturer. We did articulate the bed during the first week with the new mattressā€¦but after the mattress failed and we had it replaced with a new one we unplugged the adjustable bases to see if the articulating was part of the problem. But no, the new mattress is even worse than the first, just really sagging - without ever haven even articulated it. I will say, however, that although the product itself has been a nightmare, customer service has been top-notch, given the unfortunate circumstances. Now I am left with the option of returning the bed and bases for a full refund, or having the same company make me a new bed. At this point I am thinking of a refundā€¦and considering purchasing a top-of-the-line Strearns s & Foster. Any advice?

In reading many of the postings, Iā€™ve realized that much of what people know here is garnered more from sales reps and marketing. First off, thereā€™s no such thing as an ā€œactiveā€ system that does not have a closed loop feedback mechanism. So to say that a foam or other elastomeric material is ā€œactiveā€ when compared to an air spring is ludicrous at best. An active system would be something like an air spring with active pressure control which some mattresses actually have. That active control leverages automatically adjusting pneumatic valves w/ accumulator tanks and a pump. Letā€™s be real here - ALL elastomers experience compression set. So if you believe a sales rep that says their "foam, latex, gel, etc " doesnā€™t suffer from compression set they must be referring to something that has yet to be invented on the planet earth in the category of elastomers. I suggest the moderators either hire a degreed material science engineer or at the very least vet their communications through engineering professionals that could also help them do experiments to support some of the most outrageous claims Iā€™ve seen in this site. Iā€™d be more than happy to discuss any topic using actual physics, material science and fundamental engineering principles w/ closed form solutions to convey real facts to help support effective decision making.

ā€œNormalā€ is born from perspective. From mine, compression set can be forced onto any elastomeric material in as little as a few seconds. So if someone experienced compression set on a latex mattress then that mattress material leverages a latex that has a higher than average Ca rating. All elastomers have a nonzero value for Ca. Ask the manufacturer to provide the result of ASTM D 395 testing for their material. Iā€™d go so far as to even ask for a material cert. understand variation occurs from lot to lot so thatā€™s the excuse theyā€™re going to give you it they have half a brain.

Hi MechE.

Thank you for your insights and welcome to TMUā€™s Forum. :slight_smile:

We welcome contributors like yourself who have a higher education in materials engineering science. To speak briefly, albeit more generally, to your most recent post, yes, we agree that all elastomers experience compression set and that the problems adriano is experiencing seem to be a failure mode related to compression set of the latex components used in the mattress(es) Adriano purchased. Your suggested ASTM D395 testing performed on samples of the latex materials in the ā€œfailedā€ mattress (provided they are of a size to comply with the D395 testing protocol) by the raw material supplier is excellent advice for Fawcett Mattress as first step on their attempt to solve the mystery associated with the extreme failure mode of these specific mattresses.

Thanks again for visiting TMU. We hope to hear from you again in the future.

Phoenix

Hi adriano.

Based on your recent experiences with the products being made/sold by FawcettMattress, it may be prudent to see a refund and purchase your mattress elsewhere.

While it may be that Fawcett Mattress has not had your problem happen in 35 years, you are at a point where their products have failed twice and they seem to be a loss for the reasons why or for what will remedy the extreme sagging issue in a 3rd attempt. While the ā€œ3rd time may be the charmā€, Fawcettā€™s approach to your problems seems to be one of trial and error. The Stearns and Foster brand of mattresses has been around for quite some time (they claim since 1846). As a brand now manufactured by Tempur + Sealy, it is made using high-quality components, but like all mattress brands, it has certain models that perform better than others. I would do two things here ā€“ actively research the quality history of each of the specific model(s) you are considering and make sure that the return/refund policy of the retailer provides you with the assurances you seek for your purchase.

Phoenix

Two years ago, using the information I learned here, I purchased a latex mattress.
The pros: My latex mattress is the most comfortable mattress Iā€™ve ever owned. The cons: Iā€™ve been struggling trying to correct the heat issues Iā€™ve been having at night ever since my purchase.

Iā€™ve read all the temperature regulating posts on this forum which have been quite helpful. Iā€™ve followed the advice I learned here and replaced sheets, comforters etc. I have experienced some cooling effect, but I am still very uncomfortably warm even during very cold nights. Recently, Iā€™ve been thinking that I may need to replace the mattress entirely. But, I donā€™t want to give up on latex because itā€™s so comfortable! If itā€™s helpful, here are some details of bedding that I use.

  • [li] The king size mattress was purchased from Dreamfoam bedding. The mattress is one layer and is made of Talay latex with a latex core. The latex layer is lined with pincore holes. The latex layer is placed in a mattress cover that is made of 100% bamboo.
    [li] The mattress sits on a box spring that has wood slats that are 2.5 inches apart.
    [li]We removed the mattress protector after speaking with the mattress seller about the temperature issues.
    [li]Our sheets are Sferra Percale Celeste made of Egyptian Cotton. Iā€™ve also tried Sferra Giza (which are too pricey) as well as 100% Bamboo sheets. I didnā€™t notice much difference in temperature regulation.
  • We are using a 100% pure wool comforter (light weight) purchased from Holy Lamb organics. The duvet cover is 100% organic cotton.

I am debating whether I should try a different latex mattress that might sleep cooler. Does one exist or is there another problem with my mattress/bedding Iā€™ve overlooked? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi tisman91,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :).

Firstly, its a really good thing that you have a mattress that is really comfortable, as you see on these forums some people work really hard to find the right balance. I would be very cautious about a whole new mattress, as it could cause other issues that affect sleep, as you well know. The very good thing about latex is it now envelops your body so much better, which in turn means a higher sq/ ft of your body is touching the mattress, hence you sleep warmer.

Regarding the mattress cover, you mention 100% bamboo, and I am not accusing anyone of anything in particular, but many mfgrs, say ā€œmade with bambooā€, but in reality, the cover is may be a bamboo / polyester blend. May want to look at the law tag for that. Which by the way I am not saying this is a bad cover, as with many latex mattresses covers that are more stretchy and flexible, which is most likely a knitted fabric, and most knits are blended.

One interesting thing about high-quality sheets and comforters, they are not always the most breathable fabrics. Wool, a wonderful bedding material, is also a great insulator. Another fact about wool is regarding thermal conductivity. Thermal conductivity is a measure of the ability of a material to transfer heat. Given two surfaces on either side of the material with a temperature difference between them, the thermal conductivity is the heat energy transferred per unit time and per unit surface area, divided by the temperature difference. There is some more technical science on this but typically wool has a lower thermal conductivity, basically retains body heat, not allowing it to transfer as well as other fabrics.

I do not have any quick easy solutions, as you will need to try to affect the other variables in the bedroomā€¦temperature of room, air flow, quantity/density of blankets, etc. I am very sensitive to temperature at night, and I truly understand your dilemma. Good luck, I wish I had clearer answers.

Thanks,
Sensei

Following your advice, I found the law tag. Unfortunately, the tag did not list the materials used in the mattress cover. As a point of clarification, I am calling the mattress cover the encasing that the latex inserts fit into. However, the tag listed the name of the manufacturer. After a few phone calls, the manufacturer gave me the coverā€™s composition. You were absolutely correct! Itā€™s actually 57% polyester/nylon, 40% cotton and only 3% bamboo. I was a little surprised at the small amount of bamboo used considering this was a big selling point for me at the time of purchase. Also, the cover has bamboo written all over the outside. Iā€™ve attached pictures. I feel that the labeling is entirely misleading.

More importantly, I need help finding a solution. I believe thereā€™s a high probability that the mattress cover may be the culprit for my warm temperature issues. If I wanted to replace the cover (encasing), what materials would you recommend that would give the highest chance of reducing my temperature issues? Also, can you replace only the cover without buying new latex inserts?


Hey tisman91,

Well, interesting about the cover, misleading and mattress industry sometimes go hand in hand, hence this is what makes TMU so great.

You mention that there is a high probability that this cover ā€œmay be the culpritā€ of the heat issues. I donā€™t see any data or facts that confirm this being the key reason. I am not saying you are wrong, just as an unbiased participant, and looking at the total scope, not sure is the main reason. But as far as mitigating the heat issues of your very comfortable mattress.

Regarding the solution, can you replace the cover, well I guess technically you can, but this is a non-zipper cover so you would be manually changing the by cutting it off or cutting the top part off, and then lose the warranty. Then you would buy a cover on the open market as most traditional manufacturers donā€™t sell "replacement covers.

Regarding what is the best fabric replacement to look for here are some good posts about cooling and fabrics, etc etc. Some of this information may be duplicated but worth getting caught up on.

This post #29 has some good information about heating/cooling/climate of the mattress and associated fabrics.

Additionally, the first half of this post #7 has some great links to more information.

All of this, of course, is separate from any environmental conditions in the bedroom (temperature and humidity levels with higher humidity adding to the perception of heat), on the physiology and tendency of the person themselves to sleep warmer or cooler and where they are in the ā€œoven to icebergā€ range, and on their weight and body type which will affect how deeply they sink into the foam layers of the mattress. And also the clothes that you are wearing to bed, as these are closest to the skin, and effect moisture wicking, and breathability.

Hope this helps, some of the members of this site do sell mattress covers and can help you get a new cover or mattress pad if you choose to remove your existing cover.

Thanks
Sensei

Hi Phoenix,

Iā€™m a side sleeper weighing about 225 lbs. Iā€™ve had a very hard time finding a mattress that is soft while also providing enough support to align my spine.

Can an all-latex mattress provide enough support for a side sleeper of my weight, or do I really need something with an innerspring support layer?

Hi HaDov. You are right, it is difficult to find a mattress for you because most are designed for the average person. We tried to address that problem by combining wood on latex with more latex on top of the wood. Our slat system can be used for a person of up to 350lbs without any modifications. What I have learned through a few customers that are in a similar weight range is that a heavier person (i.e. over 200lbs) starts to sink in too much on a softer mattress and therefore does not get proper spinal alignment. I am thinking of a particular person I had in Quebec (Canada), he ended up sleeping on the firm side of our mattress which fixed his trouble with proper spinal alignment. The trick though is that we use Natural Talalay latex which is softer then Dunlop. The Talalay combined with our slat system gave him a soft enough surface with a foundation that is firm enough to align his spine properly.

Hi HaDov,

Thanks for the post.

In addition to CBHā€™s input and details of how their systems work for high BMI individuals (Thanks CBH :)), Iā€™ll add that when considering an all latex vs an innerspring the simple answer is that both can provide appropriate support for a side sleeper of your weight. While Iā€™ll spell out some of the differences Iā€™d certainly keep talking to the expert members as they can guide you in this process of fine-tuning it for your own particular needs and preferences.

Both innerspring and a firmer latex core can be used as a support layer and each has very ā€œdifferentā€ characteristics but besides the more obvious ones the most important differences are the ones you can feel and that you personally prefer. Both of them come in softer or firmer versions and in many different designs so an innerspring could be firmer than a latex core or the other way around depending on the specifics of the components you are comparing. There is more about the 4 main types of innersprings in this article and in post #10 here and more detailed information about innersprings vs latex support cores in post #2 here and more about the different types and blends of latex in this article and in post #6 here .

Other technical differences are as follows:

Innersprings absorb less energy than latex which means they are more resilient. They ā€œpush backā€ more strongly than latex in other words but this is not the same as softness ā€¦ only about how much of the energy that is used to compress them is lost (or how high a ball will bounce when itā€™s dropped on them).

Latex has a similar or higher compression modulus than most innerspring spring rates and either gets firmer with deeper compression at a similar rate as an innerspring (Talalay) or at a faster rate than an innerspring (Dunlop) which means it can be more ā€œsupportiveā€.

Different innersprings have widely different abilities to take on the shape of the body (depending on the number of coils and how independently they function) while latex is much more ā€œpoint elasticā€ than any of them because it can flex in each part of the core with less effect on the area around it than an innerspring.

In general, latex will be more motion isolating than an innerspring.

Firmer latex will be more durable than an innerspring but neither of them would tend to be the weak link of a mattress.

Innersprings have more ā€œairā€ in them so they would be more breathable than latex even though latex is the most breathable of the foam materials but the deeper layers of a mattress also have less effect on the ventilation and temperature of a mattress than the comfort layers.

Most latex is more expensive than most innersprings.

They ā€œfeelā€ very different with innersprings being more ā€œbouncyā€ or ā€œspringyā€ than latex (although latex has more ā€œspringā€ than other foam types).

There are many other more technical differences but the most important differences are the ones you can feel. Either of them can make a good choice for a support layer and in the end, it really boils down to which one you tend to prefer. Both of them can provide good/support alignment. There are so many varieties of both that itā€™s not really possible to make more specific comparisons outside of some of the more obvious and more ā€œgenericā€ differences that Iā€™ve mentioned.

Making more generalized assessments of a mattress only based on one component doesnā€™t take into account that all the layers in a mattress work together and will affect its feel and performance so either one could be part of a mattress that provides you with your pressure relief and alignment/support needs. Assuming that all the materials in a mattress are high quality ā€¦ everything boils down to which mattress design works best for the two basic functions of a mattress.

Good luck, and let us know if you have more questions.

Phoenix

Hi,
Iā€™ve often seen that latex is one of the more durable mattress materials, but Iā€™ve been having issues with that recently. About two years ago, I purchased a latex mattress - a flippable one with a 4" firmer support core and 2" of softer latex glued to both sides. I donā€™t know the ILDs, but I would have called them at least medium firmness out of the bag. To my understanding all the layers are 100% natural Dunlop latex, possibly GOLS certified but I was never able to find our particular model online. The mattress is a queen size, and is set on a narrowly-spaced wooden slat system that more than meets the specs Iā€™ve seen required by any manufacturer (3/4" boards, 3 1/2" wide, spaced about 1" apart, with a center rail).

My wife and I are both side sleepers. Iā€™m about 5ā€™9" and 175 lbs, sheā€™s about 5ā€™4" and 170 lbs. At first, the mattress felt too firm for her, and was causing pressure points on her shoulders and hips. We got a 2" Dunlop topper from the same manufacturer as the mattress (they donā€™t work in Talalay or we would have considered that). This helped a bit, but within a month or two it had developed soft spots around hip level, which led to a sort of ā€˜bowl-likeā€™ feeling when laying on the mattress since the shoulder and knee areas were still firmer. This uneven support was causing both of us neck, rib, back, and hip discomfort which progressed to pain as the unevenness increased. Since the topper was so new, we were able to swap the topper under warranty for a new 3" one in hopes that it would not wear out as quickly; it lasted longer than the 2", but soon started to soften around the hips as well.

We removed the topper one night to see how things felt, it turned out that by now, the mattress had softened up enough that we could sleep directly on it comfortably. However, even that only lasted some months before the mattress itself started becoming soft around the hips like the toppers had. We were able to get more use out of it by flipping and rotating the mattress, but we had to do so far more frequent than the manufacturerā€™s suggestion of a few times per year - once every week or two at first, later once or twice each night to try to get the pain and discomfort low enough to fall asleep. The visible impressions in the mattress are not more than 1/2", but the firmness (and consequently support) varies so much that we just canā€™t use it anymore. Weā€™ve gone back to the mattress we had previously replaced - a poly foam mattress that was showing similar support ā€˜dishingā€™ to what our latex is now, though to a lesser extent. That one took five years to get to that point, and the five-year lifespan was the reason we thought we should upgrade to latex, as itā€™s supposed to be more durable than poly foam. The old mattress is working for now but isnā€™t great and we want to find a replacement ASAP.

Basically, weā€™re at a loss as to why our current mattress and topper are acting like this. We had a previous 3" Talalay latex topper that lasted us for several years on a firm mattress before wearing out, and that mattress was wool and foam construction and didnā€™t actually lose support - we just had to sell it when we moved. Now, weā€™re left wondering why this material which seems to be so durable for everyone else is going from too firm to unevenly soft so quickly. Without any real insight as to why this happened, itā€™s making us question the durability of latex, or for that matter, other materials classified as ā€˜durableā€™. Itā€™s also making it hard to commit to buying anything, since we have no confidence anymore that a mattress that feels good now wonā€™t be painful in a year. And if latex wears out that quickly, will anything else last longer for us? Did we just get some products from a bad batch? Was it possibly partially synthetic latex or otherwise less durable than usual? Is it actually not worn out, and just broken in unevenly due to something weā€™ve done or something about us? Does Dunlop wear that much differently than Talalay, making it just the wrong choice for us? I donā€™t really expect that anyone is going to be able to answer all of these questions for our specific case, but I just wanted to illustrate our current situation and any insight into what might be going on would be greatly appreciated!