My latex mattress is causing me intense pain. What can I do?

Hello,
For several years I’ve had a memory foam mattress and I’ve been very happy with it. But recently I started to have back and shoulder pain so I inspected it and realized the glue holding the layers together had worn away or something and the layers aren’t lined up any more. My husband has always had back problems from being out of shape, and I have a herniated disk low in my back as well as an old shoulder injury to both arms. We’re also both overweight (350lb and 230lb). But we never had back or neck problems on the memory foam mattress until a few weeks ago and since then we’ve been sleeping on a blow-up mattress while shopping for a new mattress. Surprisingly the blow-up mattress has been very comfortable, but it won’t last long.

I researched carefully for several days and settled on this model by Latex For Less. We chose it for several reasons:

  1. I have tons of allergies and sensitivities so I wanted a mattress with no chemical or fiberglass flame retardants, that was hypoallergenic and antimicrobial.
  2. Latex is supposed to last a long time and then it’s biodegradable.
  3. It’s made of natural Dunlop latex, wool, and organic cotton and that’s it.
  4. It’s made in the USA, has a 90-day return policy and a 20-year warranty.
  5. It’s two-sided. Firm and medium depending on what you want.
  6. It had good ratings and I managed to get it for around $750, which seemed like a steal.
  7. I sleep very hotly and latex is supposed to be much cooler than memory foam.

So we got it on the 23rd and have been sleeping on it for one week. The first two days we slept directly on the mattress, turned to the medium side. But the pain in my hips and low back was just terrible. Like, so bad I had trouble walking. So we added a two inch memory foam topper. Same problem but slightly better. So then we added several blankets to add a ‘plush’ topper over the memory foam. Again, slightly better but not by much. So then we flipped it to the firm side, assuming that maybe more support would help, and put the memory foam and fluffy blankets back over it. If the pain was a 10 on the first couple of days it’s a 7 now, 6 at best. I wake up at least twice a night and have to sit up and massage my back and hips because they’re spasming so hard. The pain is the worst first thing in the morning and fades after an hour or so out of the bed.

I really want to love this mattress but I don’t know how much more of this I can take. Our bed frame is an Ikea bed with the drawers under it and the slatted base. I had my husband pull a drawer out and look under the bed while I laid on it to see if it was bowing a lot. He took a picture and I can see that it’s bowing slightly at the shoulders and hips but not drastically so. This is the same frame we had the memory foam mattress on and that mattress was thicker and heavier than the latex mattress. If I can find a way to fix this soon, I’ll have to return it. $750 was a good deal but it’s still a lot of money for me and I can’t afford to waste it.

Any ideas on how we can make the bed more comfortable or should we just return it?

Hi BettyBye,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

I’m sorry to hear your memory foam mattress is becoming uncomfortable for you (and coming apart). I’m also sorry to hear about your various health issues.

This could have been the result of your foam layers coming apart and a shift of materials in your mattress, or it could be the result of the foams losing some of their structure over time and not providing you wither the support or comfort that you desire. If you are sinking more than before, this could be the cause of your neck issues (pillow not providing proper alignment anymore with you sinking into the mattress too much) and also could be the reason for your lower back issues (sinking in too deeply and not providing adequate alignment). But this is a generalization and without seeing your product and how it performs I can’t be too specific in my conclusions.

Having a high BMI presents special challenges and generally requires firmer materials (in the support layers especially). This could be firmer latex or innersprings (the type of support component would be a personal preference and in the right design either could be suitable) or even a zoned construction. The same overall guidelines apply with higher weights though that PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) along with using high quality durable materials that will maintain their feel and performance for longer periods of time are the way to make the best choices. Heavier people in general will need firmer and thicker comfort layers and firmer support layers than those who are lighter and because no materials will last as long with much higher weights the quality and durability of the materials and components is even more important than normal. I wouldn’t “rule out” any types of mattress and base your choices on your own personal testing. Post #3 here has more information and suggestions about heavier weights that is worth reading.

This tends to support (no pun intended) my theory that perhaps the foams in your mattress are no longer providing adequate deep down alignment (not that the air mattress is perfect). And yes, it is only a matter of time before it starts to leak!

This is a flippable latex mattress. While they don’t list specifications on the multiple online channels in which this product is offered, I was able to find out these specifications through one of their FAQs:
Cover using GOTS certified cotton
0.5 inches 100% natural wool
6 inches of 100% natural Dunlop latex 29-31 ILD
2 inches of 100% natural Talalay latex 24-26 ILD
0.5 inches 100% natural wool
These would be good quality materials. No suppliers for the latex are listed, as well as no safety certifications for the latex or a copy of the GOTS certificate for the cotton.

The phone number listed for Latex For Less (805-222-0839) is the same as listed for The Natural Latex Company, and also the same as for Plush Beds. The former two seem to be names used for online channels of selling product at places like Home Depot, WalMart, etc.

Regarding a few of your other comments:

[quote]We chose it for several reasons:

  1. I have tons of allergies and sensitivities so I wanted a mattress with no chemical or fiberglass flame retardants, that was hypoallergenic and antimicrobial.[/quote]

Most mattress companies are using inherent flame retardant fibers or socks (not chemicals) or wool to pass FR regulations these days.

Latex is quite durable, you are correct. Natural latex is biodegradable, but the finished foam isn’t (you wouldn’t want your mattress crumbling beneath you :cheer: ). Over time liquid natural rubber is biodegradable, but the finished foam product isn’t as it is part of product made of molecules that can not easily be undone. In degradation studies, the latex does break down into smaller and smaller units and would eventually be to a size that you couldn’t see it any more, but this would be more correctly termed as deteriorating instead of biodegrading. This is of course in studies with the foam being buried in the earth or a similar environment. Latex foam itself is a very durable product.

There’s also some Talalay latex in it.

While other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful … I would always keep in mind that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and I would be cautious about using anyone else’s suggestions, experiences or reviews on a specific mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you. In many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range). In other words … reviews or other people’s experiences in general won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here).

It seems that you still prefer a bit of a softer surface comfort, which would make sense having some from a memory foam mattress. There will always be a period of retrogression where you lose some of your “learned alignment” to your old mattress, and your new mattress will also lose some of its “false firmness”.

A true spasm usually is an issue of muscle contractions due to poor alignment, but in your case you seem to be stating that you prefer to sink in more to the mattress, so I’m not sure if the “spasm” you’re referencing is more of a pressure-point issue, which would be more indicative of you desiring something allowing for more pressure point relief. Unfortunately, I can’t diagnose comfort issues via an online forum, so the best I can offer is general advice.

I would give it a bit more time if you could, and then if it doesn’t work you may wish to consider a return. Most people attempt to find a comfort of a mattress without having to add a topper initially from another manufacturer, which can further complicate finding your comfort preference. It could be that you don’t have an affinity for the feel of latex, or that you need more comfort layers to increase your comfort cradle, or that you desire a softer surface comfort, or a combination of all of these things. But at least you did make a good choice of an item that does have a good return policy, just in case things don’t turn out as well as you had hoped.

Phoenix