Hello! I am interested in buying a Latex Topper but I do not know where to start. I tried looking around on the forums but I feel that it would be best to ask directly for advice for my situation since I would like advice from a professional.
I want to buy a new mattress, but in my currently living situation it would be difficult, so I am trying to make my worn out mattress last for 3 years before I can move out and completely replace my old mattress. It is fairly worn out and I do not think it has springs in it and I have no idea what the filling is… maybe some kind of cotton? I have read that a latex topper could be a good way to extend the life of an old mattress and relieve some back pain.
I often have neck and lower back pain when I sleep so I would be very happy if I can just improve my sleep a little. I think the neck pain is at least partially because of my pillows (which are worn out also… I am debating about getting a bamboo pillow since some friends are suggesting those for coolness and comfort). I’m not sure what kind of information is needed so that you can give advice about what kind of topper would be good in this situation so please let me know what kind of details are needed. I am around 5’ 3" and weigh around 160 pounds. When I used to weigh less, I felt that I did not have as many back problems so I wonder if part of the reason my back hurts is because my bottom sinks into the mattress a lot but my back doesn’t feel like it has support. I am usually a side sleeper, as sleeping on my back seems to give me really bad back and neck pains because I feel like the bed sinks in too much. When I am unable to sleep possibly from being very uncomfortable, I often feel like I have to crack my neck and back to feel comfortable again every thirty minutes that I cannot go back to sleep. Sometimes I have to put some kind of cushion under my lower back or a shirt just to make it hurt less on days that I need to sleep on my back because of my allergies.
Any advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Hello and thanks for reaching out! Back pain is normally attributed to a mattress being too soft or not supportive enough, but I can help figure this out with a few questions: Is your current mattress made of only cotton? About how thick is it? Do you feel like it’s too firm or too soft?
I would recommend changing the pillows to see if the pillows are the mattress are causing your neck pain. We sell shredded pillows that are very popular and known to help with neck pain because you can make the pillow thinner / softer if needed. Also, you can mold the pillow to a specific shape and the friction between the latex shreds helps the pillow to hold it’s shape through the course of the night.
Hello! Thanks for responding!
I think that my mattress is only made of cotton but I don’t have a way of finding out. Do you mean how tall it is when you ask how thick? I think it is about 4.5 to 5 inches. I think that the mattress is too soft because I feel like I easily sink down and feel the wood base under it during some nights that I am unable to sleep.
I may be interested in the pillows. If I am sensitive to smells, do the latex pillows or toppers leave any kind of smell or need to be aired out before usage? Thanks!
Thanks for the extra information. If the mattress is too soft, that’s almost certainly what’s causing the back pain. It’s likely that neither a firm nor extra firm topper will help beyond a negligible degree, even if you purchased a 3" topper. Support has to come from the mattress, not from the topper. Also, latex will conform to whatever surface it is on, so if your mattress is soft or sagging the topper will take on the characteristics of your mattress. The topper that has the best chance of working for you would be a 3" extra firm Dunlop topper. If you try that and it doesn’t help, you would certainly have the option to use that extra firm layer to make a DIY latex mattress, you would just purchase two more layers and a 9" cover to encase them. Outside of that, you would also have the option to return the topper for a full refund minus a flat-rate $45 return fee.
Thank you very much for the advice! Your post was very informative and helpful. I will discuss with my family about the advice you have given me and if I have any more questions I will post in this thread again. Thank you!
OK perfect, let us know how it goes and we’ll proceed from there!