What an amazing forum! Like several others, I wish I had discovered it earlier!
We recently bought a Tempurpedic Cloud Breeze 2 Supreme from Sleep Country. (Yes, I realize now that we overpaid!) Our main concern was reducing motion transfer as I am a very light sleeper. And in this respect, the bed has been amazing. I barely notice when my husband rolls over. It is also very comfortable. The sales person pushed us towards the highest end softest version and, having overcome my initial aversion to the “sinky” feeling, I really do now find it a very comfortable bed. In particular, I can sleep on my back all night without any lower back issues - a first for me.
But there is one major drawback. I wake up in the middle of every night in a ball of heat and have to remove covers and changes spots until I’m cool enough to sleep again. It seems that I am a hot sleeper, but just hadn’t realized this before on regular sprung beds. So now we are in a quandary as we don’t want to give up the benefits of memory foam, but I don’t think I can live with the heat issue.
We are still within our exchange period and have just been back to Sleep Country to discuss. The sales person was very nice but simply not knowledgeable enough to answer any detailed questions. He suggested that the Dormeo would remove the heat issue, but I am concerned that it would reintroduce too much motion transfer. We spent a long time lying on 2 of the models in the store (6700 and 8700). They are very comfortable but it was difficult to get a sense of the motion transfer as they were queen size (we have a king) and on box springs (we have a solid platform). Do you know how motion transfer compares between the Dormeo system and solid memory foam mattresses?
Another option may be to stick with a solid memory foam bed (perhaps exchanging for a slightly firmer one to reduce the “sinky” feeling) but add a talalay latex topper to reduce the heat build up. The sales person threw up his hands in horror at this suggestion (“you can’t mix materials!”), but my online research suggests that this may be an option. Do you think so?
Do you have any other suggestions for keeping the benefits of memory foam but without the heat build up?
While it’s not possible to quantify or predict the sleeping temperature of a mattress for any particular person with any real accuracy because there are so many variables involved including the type of mattress protector and the sheets and bedding that you use (which in many cases can have just as significant an effect on temperature as the type of foam in a mattress) and on where you are in the “oven to iceberg” range and because there is no standardized testing for temperature regulation with different combinations of materials … there is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress or sleeping system in post #2 here that can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.
In very general terms … the layers and components of a sleeping system that are closer to your skin will have a bigger effect on airflow, moisture wicking, and temperature regulation than layers and components that are further away from your skin and softer mattresses will tend to be more “insulating” and tend to sleep warmer than firmer mattresses.
Most of the more modern memory foam or gel memory foam formulations will tend to be a little more breathable and sleep a little more “temperature neutral” than most of the older memory foam formulations but memory foam or gel memory foam can still tend to sleep warmer for some people (especially if you are closer to the “oven” end of the oven/iceberg range) than other types of foam materials such as polyfoam and latex (which in general is the most breathable and temperature neutral of the foam materials). Natural fibers will tend to be more temperature regulating than any type of foam.
I’m not sure you are clear between the difference between a box spring and a foundation. A box spring has springs inside it that flex under the mattress and there are very few one sided mattresses today that use them as a support system and in many cases they will invalidate a mattress warranty. Most mattresses in the industry today need a steel or wooden bedframe with a foundation that has minimal to no flex (vs a box spring that flexes) or a platform bed which also has little to no flex under the mattress. There are many in the industry that mix up the terminology between box springs and foundations even though they are very different products.
The Dormeo mattress was almost certainly on a foundation (not a box spring) that would have little to no flex so it would feel the same or at least very similar on the foundation as it would on your your platform bed. There are so many variations between different mattresses (even if they are in the same general category) that the best way to test for motion transfer would be based on your own careful testing in the store with both of you on the mattress in the positions that you normally sleep in and with one of you bouncing a little on the mattress or getting in and out of the mattress so the other one can feel how much of their movement they can feel. Since you would probably be closer together with a queen size mattress than you would on a king … if a mattress provides good motion isolation with a queen it will be the same or better with a king because how close together you sleep will also affect how much of the other’s motion each of you will feel.
I would also be cautious with the Dormeo mattresses and make sure that you find out all the information in this article about all the layers in the mattress so you can compare them to the durability guidelines here to make sure that there are no lower quality/density materials or weak links that would compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress. I would avoid any mattress where this information isn’t easily available to you from the store that sells it.
The Dormer uses lower density memory foam in the top layers than the Tempurpedic that may be a little bit more breathable and it may also be a bit more temperature regulating because of the design of the memory foam “cylinders” in the mattress but the top layers are still memory foam so it may still sleep a little warmer than you are comfortable with. Of course this is just “theory” based on the materials and on probabilities and the only way to know for certain whether any mattress will be “temperature regulating enough” in combination with the mattress protector, sheets, and bedding you use along with the temperature and humidity in your room environment will be based on your own personal experience.
This would certainly be an option and there is nothing inherently wrong with any combination of materials and components in a mattress because they are preference choices more than “better/worse” choices but I would be cautious with this because a topper can completely change the feel and response of a mattress. A latex topper would provide a much more resilient (springy) sleeping surface than memory foam which you may or may not like as much (you would need to test some latex to know how you like it) and it would also reduce the ability of the memory foam underneath it to warm up and soften with the heat of your body. Latex is also a little less motion isolating than memory foam. In other words they are very different materials with a completely different feel and response. There is more about the pros and cons of latex vs memory foam in post #2 here).
While a latex top layer may improve temperature regulation because latex in general is a more breathable and temperature neutral material than memory foam … you may end up with a mattress that doesn’t work as well for you as your current mattress (outside of temperature regulation) and I would always keep in mind that the only way to know for certain whether any mattress/topper combination will be a good “match” for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own personal preferences) will be based on your own personal experience on that specific combination. You could end up with a sleeping system that is better in terms of temperature regulation but worse in terms of PPP.
The more and thicker layers you put on top of memory foam the more they can affect the feel and response of the memory foam. All the layers and components in a “sleeping system” will have some effect on the feel and performance of all the other layers and components both above and below it and on the sleeping system "as a whole. In very general terms … the properties and firmness of materials and components that are closer to the top surface of a sleeping system will tend to have a bigger effect on the overall “feel” and firmness of a mattress than materials that are deeper in the sleeping system, thicker layers will contribute more of their feel and firmness to the overall sleeping system than thinner layers, and a thinner layer would “allow” more of the feel and properties of the layer(s) and components underneath it to “come through” than thicker layers.
If you prefer the “feel” and response of memory foam over other types of materials then some less “radical” options that may help would include …
I’m not sure what type of mattress protector or sheets you are using but if you are using a “thin membrane” type of protector then this may be affecting your sleeping temperature and it may be worth trying a different type of mattress protector that would be more breathable and would have less effect on the feel of the memory foam than a thicker topper. There is more about the pros and cons of different types of mattress protectors and some examples of each of them in post #89 here.
Using sheets that are made from natural fibers (such as cotton, silk, or especially flax linen) or with “semi synthetic” rayon/viscose materials (such as Tencel or bamboo) may help as well if you are currently using sheets that are made from synthetic fibers.
Reducing or changing the type of blankets or bedding you are using so that they are a little less insulating may also help keep you inside a temperature range that is comfortable for you.
Adjusting the temperature and humidity in your room may also help.
In some cases changing your pillow to a material that is more breathable and temperature regulating can also help because your head can release a significant amount of heat during the night and if your pillow retains heat then it can affect the temperature of the rest of your body as well.
Thank you so much for your advice. We have actually had success with your suggestion of changing other parts of the bedding, rather than the more drastic measure of changing the mattress itself.
I decided to try creating a more breathable layer between us and the memory foam. I lay a thick wool blanket (a very heavy one from Peru, not a soft throw type) over the mattress protector and under the cotton sheet. I immediately preferred the feel of the mattress as it just slightly removed the sinky “quick sand” feeling, but the mattress remained very comfortable. The extreme heat that I’d been waking up with every night since getting the mattress simply disappeared. The bed is still lovely and warm, but in the comfortable range now. I’m not sure if it’s because we don’t sink in quite so far, or because the wool creates a breathable layer, or a combination of both. But the result is great!
So thank you again. Your advice was extremely helpful. I hope this post will be of use to other hot sleepers like myself
