Hi m00se.
Thank you for your words of appreciation for the site. Youāre certainly doing a great deal of research & learning and seem to apply it very well in your testing From what youāve described throughout your post it seems that you get good feedback and are well-tuned with your body.
All layers work together and the thickness and softness are interdependent and it may be that the feeling of āsquishinessā that you are experiencing may be connected with the firmness/softness of the layer underneath rather than being āsquishyā by itself, but you are correct that the difference between a 2" and a 3" comfort layer can be quite dramatic and it also depends on a personās weight, shape, and sleeping positions. The thinner a layer is ā¦ the more youāll feel the properties of the layers below it. As you are a side sleeper you will notice this more (the surface area in contact with the mattress is smaller and youād be more likely to go āthroughā a thinner comfort layer) and feel more of the properties of the layers below it.
The Serenity mattress is designed with the ability to fine tune it to a wide range of needs and preferences and just to make sure that you did not leave any stone unturned and got all clues youād needā¦ have you also tried Dunlop on top of a Talalay layer? ā¦ As you already discovered Talalay on top would feel lighter and ālivelierā than Dunlop (which may equate with the feel of "squishiness " and ābouncinessā that youāre trying to get away from) ā¦ but you might like the feel of a thinner layer of Dunlop on top of Talalay. The cover too can be a significant part of the performance of the mattress so youād need to take that into account as well.
[quote]Iāve zeroed on in Sleep-EZ because of the flexibility with exchanging layers, the split sides (am sharing with a partner who is a similar size and similar preferences, but mostly back sleeper), and the 2" comfort layer. The two possibilities Iām working with now are:
āS/M/F in their 9" mattress. This seems like the most common set-up, and seems like it would likely be appealing given my experience with the Obesan and Savvy Rest. Advantage is that this can be re-arranged, e.g. to try a M/S/F, which could provide a firmer feel but also some support.
āM/F or S/F (possibly split, in order to try out) in their 7" mattress, plus a 2", 5.3lb memory foam layer from Foamorder. Iām still interested in this for a couple of reasons.
My sense from trying out the Obesan and Savvy Rest is that a comfort layer with a firmer āfeel,ā then a ācontouringā layer below for pressure relief, would be the best option. And my experience on good memory foam (eg Tempurpedic) has given the best sense of āpressure relief,ā so combining that with the top-layer feel that I like would seem to be the best of both worlds. This would also be $200 cheaper than the 9" Sleepez, while still leaving open the possibility of returning the memory foam, and then adding in another layer from Sleepez if it doesnāt work out.
My question is, from reading the various posts and Overviews about mattress construction (both progressive and ādominantā construction), it sounds like Iād want the top latex layer to be 2" rather than 3," especially given that both my partner and I have low BMI (~5ā8" and 130), to allow the properties of the memory foam layer to come through. (Especially with a āmediumā-firmness layer on top, 3" would seem to be too thick). Does this thinking sound right? And does anyone know if its possible to order a 3+2(+1 cover) mattress from Sleepez? On their website, they only seem to have either 3+3+2 or 3+2.[/quote]
You are correct that at your BMI there would not be any reason to go with a thicker mattress and you can do very well with both the 9" or the 7" + 2" (or with the customized 6" + 2") but again if you change the thickness this will also have an impact on the overall comfort/support of the mattress. If I understand you correctly it seems that you are more inclined towards a ādominant layeringā which can work well for some people. Generally, a medium over soft would āstopā the hips a little faster but would result in a little firmer support under the recessed waist and would result in a firmer/ācrisperā sleeping surface ā¦ that you seem to like. Generally, it is unusual to use a soft layer of Memory Foam under a firmer layer of latex as in some cases it can have a negative effect on whether the deeper layers are firm enough to keep your spine in good alignment over the course of the night but any arrangement that is a good āmatchā for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP would be OK. Sometimes there are multiple pathways to similar goals but the key is always to look carefully at the effects of each change to see the āpatternsā they produce and as much as possible to keep it as simple as possible ā¦ and always work towards identifying āpatternsā. The strength of multiple layering is the degree of fine-tuning that can be done. in some cases, though it can also be surprising what effects certain changes can produce because of āunknownsā that are more difficult to identify. As far as pressure relief memory foam is generally considered to have the ability to distribute and relieve pressure. This does not mean however that it is dramatically better than the best of other materials as there are other types of foam like latex or high-quality polyfoam that in their softer versions through compression alone are very close to memory foam in their ability to distribute pressure to levels below personal detection for most people.
You seem to have a very good grasp of the feel you wish to achieve and at this stage, I think a good conversation with Shawn at SleepEZ would be the best way to move forward. As a manufacturer, SleepEZ would be able to make all the adjustments that youāve mentioned. When I spoke with Rodger a few days ago he mentioned that theyāll always go above and beyond to accommodate customers coming from TMU as working with an informed and educated customer that is able to accurately describe their needs and testing history helps them zero in on their suggestions.
You are certainly considering a good quality/value mattress from SleepEZ and as you already know they are one of the manufacturing Trusted Members of this site and like all the members here I think very highly of and consider them to compete well with āthe bestā in the industry. They are very knowledgeable and very skilled in guiding their customers to make the best possible choices out of the many options they have available.
I hope that the information provided helps you out. Iāll look forward to learning about your progress and the results of your discussion with SleepEZ and of course any other questions you might have along the way.
Phoenix