Hey there… new to the forum and with all the wonderful information present here and the exhaustive reading I have done I believe I have decided on a SleepEz latex mattress. My question, which I didn’t see a recent post, is how does one figure out what layers to put where? From what I have read the folks at SleepEz are amazing, but I wanted to know more especially when I have the bed at home and want to adjust it. I am a back/side sleeper over 220lbs and 5’10 female trying to get out of terrible, painful latex over spring mattress now. I was much happier with a pad on the floor as far as firmness is concerned. Phoenix… with your seemingly infinite wisdom, how does one choose to layer? Sorry if I missed a post about this already. Thanks for your help! :cheer:
Hi ChandlerSteph,
In general there are two ways to choose layering combinations or a specific mattress. The first is with your own personal experience and testing. For example you may test a local mattress that was very similar in terms of materials, layer thickness, and design and components and then choose the layer combination that best approximated what careful and objective testing showed was best for you in terms of PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and personal preferences). Another form of personal testing of course that can be even more accurate is to use your actual sleeping experience.
If personal testing is not possible or there are no local mattresses that are close enough that they can reasonably be used as an approximation (as you can see in post #14 here sometimes smaller differences may be more important for some people) … then the next best way to make a choice is with more detailed conversations with a retailer or manufacturer that sells a mattress because they have much more detailed knowledge about the mattresses they sell and the options they provide and can provide some ideas and insights into what other people that were similar to you in terms of body type or sleeping style would normally do well with “on average” which can work well as long as you are in an “average” range.
As long as you choose a mattress that covers a range of possible combinations or other possibilities (such as exchanges) that are close to your ideal balance between comfort/pressure relief and support/alignment or PPP then you would normally be fine and re-arranging layers or possibly even exchanging layers or other forms of fine tuning will be all you need in the large majority of cases.
As you can read in the posts that a search on “putting the layers together sleeping style preferences statistics” will bring up (you can just click this) there is a great deal of generic information on the site about different types of layering and combinations but because of the near infinite differences between people in terms of body type, sleeping style, medical issues, sensitivities, age, physiology, and other specific circumstances, there is no formula that can possibly be as accurate as your own testing or the experience and knowledge of a manufacturer or retailer that has “matched” their mattresses to people for years.
Trying to use theory or complex specs to design your own mattress can be much more complicated than most people suspect and can lead to “information overload” or “paralysis by analysis” in many cases with no significant benefit in making better choices as a tradeoff. Outside of more general information that allows you to understand some of the “basics” a little better (which is why I generally suggest reading (but not “studying”) the overviews on the site … your own personal experience or the knowledge and experience of a manufacturer or retailer that already knows what you would otherwise need to learn is the most effective approach.
The same would hold true if you find you need to make changes in your layering. There are many posts on the forum (such as post #6 here or some of the posts that are linked in post #5 here and many others) that can help with this but these can also become very complex if you are outside of “normal” averages because of more complicated or unusual circumstances (like medical issues) or “hidden” causes for your experiences or symptoms unless you are looking to make more simple changes which will deal with the large majority of cases. In this case the manufacturer or retailer will generally be your best source of guidance about what changes or exchanges to make that have the best odds of success in changing the balance between pressure relief and support/alignment that would be most suitable for your needs and preferences.
With an online purchase … the goal is to do “enough” testing so that your initial choice has good odds off being “close enough” that layer rearranging or exchanges or other methods of fine tuning can take you the rest of the way within the limitations of the design and to use the knowledge and experience of the manufacturer or retailer who knows more about their mattresses and how they “fit” different people “on average” than anyone else. I would tend to avoid the complexities of “becoming an expert” yourself when they already know what you would otherwise need to spend a great deal of time, experience, and possible frustration to learn.
While more complex theory can be both challenging, fun, and rewarding and even effective for those who have the time and patience or the desire to learn … finding the experts instead of becoming one, the KISS principle, and using your own careful and objective testing along with the knowledge and experience of retailers and manufacturers is generally more effective and by far the simplest approach to making the best possible choices either initially or through any exchanges that may be possible.
Phoenix
Thank you for all of the information… looks like delivery may be sooner than later. I will post how I like the SleepEz mattress… so far their help and service is top notch.
Hi ChandlerSteph,
I’m looking forward to your feedback when you receive it.
Most important … congratulations on your new mattress 
I don’t think you can go very far wrong when you are dealing with such a high quality manufacturer with such a versatile mattress.
Phoenix