Mattress comfort layers - latex

[phoenix]

Hi Yodwinder.

It looks like you are making good progress and are on the right track.

The reasoning behind 15" is really just for the aspect of fine tuning and was actually inspired by the 16" offering from Foam Sweet Foam, though they include the wool in the cover in their measurement. I am not dead set on a 15", it just seemed like the option with the most flexibility for customization now and in the future. The misalignment and lack of support, however, is exactly what I was worried about. I had a feeling that would be the case, but I wanted to be sure before I purchased anything.

Aside from being a preference choice, the main benefit of a thicker latex mattress is that it can be more adaptable for heavier weights (30 + BMI) and multiple sleeping positions. It will compress from softer to firmer more gradually which means that there is more “range” of compression without the mattress becoming too firm for heavier weights (or parts of the body).
As your BMI is 33+ and a side sleeper I understand why you are looking at thicker options that allow for after purchase customization, but IMO a 12" would be enough for to give you the best of both worlds. Just to give a bit of perspective, in the large majority of cases … 8" - 9" of latex is thick enough to include the combination softer layers (or sometimes sections) for pressure relief and firmer layers for the support that most people of average or even higher weights would need. People that have much higher body weights or larger body types may choose more than the “average” thickness and may prefer the feel and extra adaptability of say 12" of latex. Thicker mattresses can also use firmer materials because thickness and softness are closely related and work together. These would be all good questions to ask the manufacturer or retailer of a mattress/components so they can discuss the differences between the different options they have available in terms that are more specific to the layers they use or options they provide.

The most important qualities would be as much plushness as I could reasonably get while maintaining proper support and alignment. We are both side sleepers, and occasionally back, though I feel that has more to do with how “hammocked” the current mattress is.

At your BMI and being primarily side sleepers, 12" thickness would be more than enough to achieve the right comfort/plushness level you desire and provide the needed support, and I would tend to agree with you about the “hommocked” issues in your current mattress.

This is where the advice differs and the waters get kind of murky. Arizona suggested simply removing the #3 layer which would have been the Puralux topper and opting for the Rejuvenite topper for layer #2. That would have left the layers at 15/19/31-35. That is greatly different from your suggestion and would seem like it may run into the aforementioned issue of lack of alignment and support due to the 19 ILD essentially amounting to the “transition” layer, instead of your suggestion of a 28 ILD foam.

Arizona mattress advice is very valuable and appropriate as it relates to your particular needs and preferences; To clarify… the “suggestion” in the previous post was not tailored specifically for you and for your personal preferences (e.g. “as much plushness as I could reasonably get”)… it was a general example connected with the thickness aspect of a “typical” construction for someone of your BMI to show that 16" thickness is more than most people would need. I do not make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here ).

I would work closely with Ken/Arizona or in general with any manufacturer or retailer that supplies your components as they are much more familiar with their own designs and materials than anyone else (including me) and they can use the information you provide them about your body type and sleeping positions, your preferences, your history on different mattresses, and the results of your local testing to make suggestions based on the “averages” of other customers that may be similar to you.

That brings it down to 13" and the layers are more balanced while still retaining the copper topper as the uppermost layer. … I also wanted to use the 3" copper topper because of the heat conductance/dispersion effects, though I don’t know how much of an impact it would truly make as I was unable to find much in the way of feedback on that particular product.

You are correct that a 13" is more realistic and as far as the copper topper… Talalay Global adds copper in one of their specialty products to add a small addition of heat transfer. Latex, in general, is the most breathable and “temperature neutral” of all the different types of foam materials but the firmness of a mattress and how much you sink into it can also affect sleeping temperature as well. Keep in mind that there are so many variables involved (including your room temperature and humidity, your sheets and bedding and bedclothes, your mattress protector or any mattress pads you are using, and where you are in the “oven to iceberg” range) and some people can sleep warmer on mattresses that most people are generally fine with … there is more about tracking down a potential cause or causes for temperature regulation issues (at least to the degree possible for a specific mattress) in post #2 here and the posts it links to that may be helpful.

Also, due to the lack of a 13" cover, I chose the 14" as not to “pre-load” the layers with the 12", though I do worry about the layers sliding. Would be interested in your opinion on that as well, don’t really care to straighten layers every night before bed.

A tighter cover, of course, would allow for less shifting than a looser one. Generally speaking a zip cover with loose layers can have some layers slightly shift or bunch a little and this has to be weighed against the advantage of changing layers either initially or down the road if one layer softens or wears out faster than the others or if needs or preferences change so you can replace an individual layer without replacing the whole mattress. Separate layers also act a little more independently and will “act” a little softer although other factors (such as ILD or layer thickness) will affect this as well. Latex is very sticky so loose layers tend to stay put and if for some reason they do shift over time or because you move the mattress or put it on its side it’s an easy process to unzip the cover and “wave” the layers back into position. There is more about a finished mattress that is tape edged vs a component mattress with a zip cover in post #2 here.

I look forward to hearing about the construction you’ve settled for after you had a chance to speak it over with Ken. I am sure that many visitors would benefit from your learning experience

Phoenix