So I’m having the hardest time right now figuring out what configuration in a latex mattress might work for me.
Here’s some back story:
I had a baby 9 months ago and our king size innerspring mattress had developed holes where we slept a long time ago. We used blankets and the such under the mattress to make it work a little longer. After I delivered the baby we decided to get a new mattress and went with a memory foam and that was the worst decision ever. I basically lay in a cradle in the memory foam and after a few weeks of that it got to the point where I was awake 80% of the night and asleep 20% of the night so now we sleep on the couch and it’s been that way for 8 months, give or take. I’m dying to get good rest and so I have read the five steps to your perfect mattress and have gone a-testing. I weight about 115lbs and am 5’6" and there’s not much cushion on my hips and my waist is considerably smaller than my hips.
In the past few days I’ve tested a PLB (Pure Latex Bliss), an OMI (Organicpedic) and a Savvy Rest (actually several of all three). The salesman told me the PLB was the “blissipedia” model with ILDs of 24, 28, and 36. The OMI mattress was the “Duo” model and had all Talalay layers and was configured, top to bottom, soft-soft-medium. The Savvy Rest (I believe the “Serenity” model) I changed around several times and the most comfortable configuration was soft talalay-medium dunlop-soft dunlop (top to bottom).
My biggest problem is that on NONE of these beds did I ever feel like my spine was completely straight and I had twinges of pain, although my back muscles are a bit of a mess right now. I just cannot get enough support under my rib cage and waist line and I don’t know how to do that and still feel enough pressure relief in my bony hips.
Do I need to also get a topper to fix this? I tried the PLB and OMI with several different toppers (latex and wool) and though I liked the feel better and it relieved more pressure, my spine still wasn’t aligned.
Also, I like the idea of being able to have a different mattress configuration on each side of the mattress so my husband can also sleep soundly and I don’t want to have to buy a whole new bed when it starts to wear. With latex layers it seems like that is easily fixed by purchasing a new comfort layer.
The first place I would start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choices … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
There is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here that can help you make more meaningful comparisons between different mattresses.
Unfortunately nobody else can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone else to know which mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of PPP based on either specs (yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” so for this part of your research you will be reliant on either your own personal testing or on more detailed conversations with an online retailer or manufacturer that can help “talk you through” the options they have available that would have the best chance of success based on the information you provide them and on the “averages” of other people that are similar to you (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
There is also more about the different ways to choose a mattress (local or online) in post #2 here that can help minimize the risks involved with each of them.
If you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know about any of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.
The tutorial post also includes a link to a list of the members here (in the optional online step) that sell mattresses online and if you prefer latex over other materials then many of them sell latex mattresses that use different types ad blends of latex and have a range of different designs, features, options, price ranges, and return or exchange policies that may also be well worth considering in addition to any local options.
[quote]In the past few days I’ve tested a PLB (Pure Latex Bliss), an OMI (Organicpedic) and a Savvy Rest (actually several of all three). The salesman told me the PLB was the “blissipedia” model with ILDs of 24, 28, and 36. The OMI mattress was the “Duo” model and had all Talalay layers and was configured, top to bottom, soft-soft-medium. The Savvy Rest (I believe the “Serenity” model) I changed around several times and the most comfortable configuration was soft talalay-medium dunlop-soft dunlop (top to bottom).
My biggest problem is that on NONE of these beds did I ever feel like my spine was completely straight and I had twinges of pain, although my back muscles are a bit of a mess right now. I just cannot get enough support under my rib cage and waist line and I don’t know how to do that and still feel enough pressure relief in my bony hips.[/quote]
I don’t know of a PLB mattress called “Blissipedia” or that uses the ILD’s that you listed. You can see the specs of their models that use blended Talalay in post #2 here.
I would make sure that you are using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post when you are testing mattresses rather than just testing for the overall subjective “feel” of a mattress (which can lead to some unsuitable choices) because you may be attracted to mattresses that are too soft for you which may “feel” very comfortable but may not provide the support/alignment that you need.
There is also more about primary and secondary support and their relationship to pressure relief and firmness in post #4 here and in post #2 here that may help you visualize what good support/alignment and pressure relief “looks like” and may also be helpful.
With your much lighter weight it’s possible that you may need softer comfort layers than “average” and that were used in the mattresses you were trying (perhaps as low as 14 ILD) to provide the contouring, pressure relief, and secondary support you need but with deeper support layers that are “firm enough” to keep you in good alignment.
When someone has more challenging circumstances or finds it more difficult to find a mattress that is a good “match” for their body type and sleeping positions or because they have a narrower comfort or support range that seems to work well for them then zoning may be helpful because the firmer zones under the heavier parts of your body can allow you to use softer comfort layers with better pressure relief with less risk to alignment. There is more about zoning in post #11 here and the posts it links to.
A topper can be a good choice with a mattress that is too firm and only needs some additional pressure relief or “comfort” but it’s not generally a good option to “fix” a mattress that is too soft or that allows the heavier parts of your body to sink down too far and in many cases it can even make these types of issues worse.
A component latex mattress that also has an option for side by side split layering can certainly have some advantages (including the ones you listed in addition to being able to fine tune the mattress by rearranging or exchanging layers) and there are many manufacturers that make these (including several of the members here that are on the online list). There is also more information in the first part of post #2 here that talks about some of the ways that a mattress can accommodate a couple that have very different body types or different needs and preferences in a mattress.
Thank you for the reply Phoenix. I understand that my PPP is going to be different from anyone else’s PPP and that’s only something that I can determine but even after reading many many posts on this site and now reading the ones you suggested in your response, I’m still at a loss for how to try to configure the layers of a latex mattress to provide the pressure relief I need while getting the support in my torso/waist area.
I live in the Asheville, NC area and have been to Colton’s (working with Mike and he is ordering a latex layer with a 19 ILD to try on a mattress where the layers can be changed), Sleep World where I am working with Jeff and laid on the PLB and OMI (Organicpedic), and Nest Organics where I tried the Savvy Rest. In all of these stores I could find good pressure relief but my spine was never quite in line. I even brought in a broom handle as you suggested and took a few pictures.
I asked Jeff about the ILD of the layers in the OMI and he contacted the manufacturer who told him that this information was proprietary and they could not release it. Does that sound weird and/or sketchy? I just want to know how soft the top layer is in comparison to other soft layers I’ve tried. I also asked Jeff if we could change out some of the layers in the OMI and he only has the one bed so there is the top layer that spans the bed (soft) and then he has one side with soft and then medium and one side with medium and then firm. While I was in the store testing beds Jeff suggested I use a topper to fix the problem of support in my torso area. I tried two different kinds and didn’t feel like that was the solution.
I also called Savvy Rest today to see if they could help me figure out a configuration to try that I hadn’t already done (I tried soft talalay-soft dunlop-medium dunlop / soft talalay-medium dulop-firm dunlop / soft talalay-medium dunlop-soft dunlop) and the women suggested soft talalay-soft dunlop-firm dunlop. I plan on going back to test this configuration but wondered if there is another configuration that you might suggest for someone of my build. (It is hard to get out of the house with a 9 month old so I have to make every trip worth it)
The first one is generally the least risky which is based on your own careful and objective personal testing (see post #4 here).
The second one is if you are purchasing a mattress from an online retailer or manufacturer that you can’t test in person before a purchase which would involve a more detailed conversation on the phone with the retailer or manufacturer you are considering. They will always be your best source of guidance about their own mattresses and the options they have available.
The final way would be if you are designing and building your own mattress from individual components and a cover that you purchase separately and for those who are considering this I would make sure to read option 3 in post #15 here (and the posts it links to) to make sure you have realistic expectations of the learning curve, trial and error, and in some cases the additional costs that may be involved if you make any “mistakes” in your initial layer choices and they can’t be exchanged or returned.
If finding a suitable mattress is particularly challenging for you because you have an unusual body type or heath considerations or because you have a narrower range of mattresses that would be suitable for you in terms of PPP than most people then zoning may be a good option to consider.
It sounds like you may have seen this already but the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Asheville, NC area are listed in post #4 here.
This is more the norm than the exception in the industry because ILD’s are “comfort specs” that many manufacturers wish to keep proprietary because they have little to do with the quality of the materials and aren’t important to know when you are testing a local mattress because your body will tell you much more than the ILD’s whether a mattress is a good match for you and if they release the “comfort specs” then they would be opening the door for their potential customers to try duplicate the layers and components of their mattresses (which may or may not be successful) which may cost them business that they would rather have themselves.
Unfortunately as I mentioned in my last reply, there are too many unknowns and variables and personal preferences involved for anyone to make specific suggestions or recommendations based on specs (either yours or a mattress).
I’m happy to help with “how” to choose but the specifics of “what” to choose are always up to each person’s careful testing or a more detailed conversation with an online manufacturer.
