We purchased a flobed vzone a year ago. It came with a convoluted latex topper. We felt it was too firm abd springy and changed it for a 2 1/2 inch memory foam topper.
We are 200.lbs each side sleepers.
We wake up with all kinds of aches and pains, mostly shoulder and upper back. Wife experiences tingling in the hands. Bed feels warm with varying temps depending on night. We toss around a lot and change position every couple of hours to avoid pain increasing.
Bed is setup with (2) ild 36 talalay layers (xfirm), 1 vzone and memory foam topper. Vzone is setup to sink shoulders a bit (soft), sink hip a bit(med) and the rest is firm latex.
I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. Bed feels medium soft due to memory foam topper and comfortable to start sleep. Two hours later tossing begins, shoulder pain follows and we wake up with upper back pain.
I was thinking of replacing the memory foam layer with a 2 inch 20 ild soft topper to solve the heat retention issue. The temp changes as the night progresses may be a factor in tossing. I am just not sure how to solve the shoulder pain and upper back pain.
At your BMI’s and side sleeping positions you most likely went right through the convoluted latex comfort layer and bottomed out onto the firmer latex layer below. You did well in your attempt to make the mattress a little softer by adding/exchanging a softer topper/comfort layer and trying to dial in on the appropriate balance of support-comfort for your needs and preferences for both sleepers using the mattress. This support-comfort balance though should be worked out based on the type of material you select (each material has different qualities when combined with the other layers that address specific needs), your Stats (Height, BMI, Sleeping positions), and any underlying health condition) and your PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences). So far so good…
Typically, when you lie on a memory foam mattress, it will soften with heat and pressure and become semi-solid (it is a viscous material). It tends to sleep hot for those who are sensitive to this and even the newer generation more breathable memory foams are not as breathable or open-celled as other types of foam. Each material has different qualities when combined with the other layers that address specific needs While memory foam is very good at pressure relieving (at least when the night starts off) it has some drawbacks that may certainly affect how the mattress responds to any sleeper during the night. Depending on its density and chemical formulation memory foam has different degrees of various properties.
One of the properties that most people complain of is temperature sensitivity which is most likely why you feel good when first going to sleep but later in the night experience pains and restlessness. It will feel firmer when it is colder but as it forms a cradle and conforms around the body because its cells are less breathable than other foams it will trap that heat that the body generates which leads to softening as it’s warmed up. It is difficult to control how far you sink into a memory foam layer as it may soften over the course of the night and what started out as correct spinal alignment could turn into a “hammock” position and a backache by morning …or … as you’ve experienced, it can soften to the level that it will bottom up to the firmer layer underneath and create the pressure points around shoulder areas and result “tingling in the hands”
Common causes for lower back pains are issues with alignment caused by a support layer that is too soft or a comfort layer/topper that are too thick or soft for your body type or sleeping positions…but a mattress that is too firm or doesn’t provide adequate support under the recessed parts of your body can also cause back pain.
It looks like you have the (9") Select Talalay Latex Mattress version of the vZone. You are not saying what your height is but I am guessing that your BMI is in the higher ranges. In this case, at your BMI and side sleeping positions, I would have gone with a 12" Deluxe Talalay model which has 3" layer for added comfort.
I’d personally fall back on FloBeds Adjustable Firmness program where you have 20 years to change the firmness for only around $75 for the comfort layer with their Goldilocks Guarantee here. I doubt that you can find another layer just for $75 even for memory foam. Talalay in soft has equivalent pressure-relieving qualities as Memory foam minus the dead sand feeling when you move or change positions during the night. Additionally, you get personalized expert advice if you call them. They are very skilled at “fixing” a mattress for issues like the ones you describe.
A higher BMI individual can go through the softer comfort/transition layers very quickly and feel the firmness of the layer(s) below. You can certainly work with Dewey at FloBeds and rebuild your mattress to get a minimum of 12" thickness. With a 12" mattress … you could replace the convoluted layer with a soft or medium firmness Talalay and make good use of the 2 X-firm layers below because a thicker mattress will “act” softer for most people. Then you can buy a topper cover and enclose the convoluted latex and use it as a topper for adding more comfort.
One other option is to get their “custom Vzoned latex upper core” that can be customized to fit more special body types (e.g. softer areas under the shoulders for side sleepers with wide shoulders)
I’d keep in mind that generally if you make changes to one of the specs (such as the mattress thickness) … then you may also need to make other changes to the other layers to compensate.
To mitigate the heat retention issue with the memory foam topper you also have the option of replacing it with – FloBeds solid, shredded, or convoluted Talalay toppers, as well as many of the other, Trusted Membersof the site offer latex toppers in different densities.
Hopefully, the information provided can put you on the right track with fixing the bed and getting some restful sleep.
Let us know if you have additional questions.
Phoenix
