Hello! I am in need of some help…I have been having a heck of a time with mattresses and issues with low back pain. I have a Luma Hybrid and that has been the least problematic so far and I am hoping with some tweaking it may be perfect. Mattress consists of 8" QE Bolsa pocket coils (not zoned), a 2" natural latex (I believe dunlop medium) transition layer over the coils, I opted for the 3 inch topper (over the 2" topper) and went with talalay. Struggling with mattress issues has caused me to switch from being a primary back sleeper to a side sleeper as I have not been able to be comfortable on my back for long. Been sleeping on the mattress for 5-6 weeks, low back pain has lessened, but waking up with hip pain, feeling like waking up with pain/aches I did not have when I went to bed. Wake up during the night to change positions due to discomfort (that has been going on for some time, does seem like it is decreasing a little). I have a split topper, plush and medium. Have tried both toppers, no major differences, I think the plush feels a little more comfortable on me heels when I am on my back.
I have removed the topper, just sleeping on the latex transition layer (same as the Luma original bed) and that was a miserable 2 nights, felt very firm. No issues with numbness, tingling, etc. I have been in touch with Luma, and they have been really wonderful. Luma customer service thinks the zoned pocket coils would have not been a good option and would have been uncomfortable for me, given the entire back story…Suggested trying a wool topper over the latex topper. I have a wool topper, about 1.5 inches, that I put over the topper. Hip pain much improved and so did the low back on the plush side. I tried sleeping on the medium side and hip pain is gone (yay!). I am still sleeping on sides and back, trying to see if can sleep more on my back, seems like I am. I am still having low back discomfort and achey in the morning.
I am thinking the 3 inch topper is too thick for me since I responded well to the increased firmness after the wool was added. I contemplating going to a 2" topper so I would not be so far away from the support layer and not need to use the wool topper? I think talalay is still a good option for me for the comfort layer, whether plush or medium?
Am I on the right direction with my thought process? Thank you so much!
I’m sorry to hear of your chronic low back pain, Sparkles. Is this past-injury related? What other mattresses have you tried in the before your Luma and how did they fare? From your description, I’m guessing you have their Natural Latex Hybrid Model with Talalay upgrade?
As you have been using your mattress for 5-6 weeks, your body should be well into the new mattress adjustment period. I am curious about the development of hip pain with the 3" Talalay topper and split plush/ medium build. Regarding your personal stats, do you mind sharing your height, weight, and body profile details? It would seem that 3" of Talalay would respond well to a side sleeping but this also depends on your body size and profile type. A plush firmness could suit a lighter-weight individual better, whereas a medium could be somewhat better for a normal/ higher BMI range. A mattress’scomfort feel is quite subjective, however, and is uniquely felt by the user.
Happy to hear that you received good customer support from Luma Sleep, they are one of TMU’s expert trusted members and are deeply experienced in the Latex category. A combi-zone support unit does sound as though it would be too firm for your needs, and adding the wool topper to the plush side likely added some firmness to its feel. Are you saying that you like the feel of the medium side with the addition of the wool topper as well? I’d still like to hear more about your back pain history and its origins.
You could try moving from the 3" thickness to a 2" and see if that indeed feels better. I checked Luma’s site and the Natural Latex Hybrid model has another 2" of natural/ dunlop latex between the topper and Bolsa coil unit, so the inch less of topper could have something of a more firm feel, depending on whether you go with a plush or medium topper. What advice did Luma have regarding changing thickness?
Your thought process seems sound, Sparkles. You are taking the time to experiment carefully, ask thoughtful questions, and listen to your body’s response. Ultimately, you will have to decide after gathering all of the information, as only you can feel what you feel on a mattress. Looking forward to your updates and good luck with your resolution .
Thank you for your response. I am glad to have verified my thought process is sound. As far as my low back, I have always had SI instability, but that was really more of an issue with lifting, sitting on too soft of a chair, etc being triggers; was not a sleeping issue until the Tempurpedic started to break down. Female 5’6" 170 lbs. I did try just last night moving the latex topper and placing the wool topper on top of the base layer (the 2" transition layer over the coils); just as before when I tried it, was a long, miserable night, although was not as uncomfortable on my side as I would have thought. The hip discomfort, I am convinced, is due to the thickness of the latex topper, since the wool topper firmed up the surface and the issue disappeared. With the wool topper, the medium latex side, ended up being less painful than the plush side. I am going to be contacting Luma again shortly, but I wanted to run by my thoughts with an expert. Luma’s last thoughts (but it was with a different person verses the person who originally suggested the wool topper and I am planning on specifically touching base with that particular person) were that I would not necessarily feel a difference between the 3 and the 2 inch, with the wool topper. But I am really thinking I need more firmness for alignment, and ideally that I would not need the wool topper. If I was at the ahh, this is perfect stage, I would not care what configuration I am at…but I am not there, yet.
Understood; I totally get what you’re saying. You’ve done your homework by testing all possible configurations on your end, so perhaps its time to move forward with a different strategy. If you feel the topper thickness is the problem, let Luma know and they will be happy to work with you on swapping that, you do still have the initial free comfort exchange option, don’t you? Hopefully, you will arrive at the “ahh, this is perfect stage” soon and find better rest, Sparkles. Let us know how things work out and good luck .
! Thanks for your question.
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