I would love your advice. I purchased a Prana Super Vinyasa Luxury Plush from Jordan’s furniture. It was manufactured in January of 2016 so I assume its 5th generation. During the coldest nights of the winter, we found it very cold so we purchased a St. Dormier Wool Mattress protector. We now find the bed very hot–though we have not removed the mattress cover.
We find that the bed developed a dip where we spoon at night and the lump at the top of the dip is uncomfortable. More important is that the pressure relief I got for my hip has disappeared. I am 210 lb and 5’8" and I see that some latex beds are not recommended for people above a certain BMI. I wonder if this is the problem we have with this bed.
I have shoulder and hip pain and had been sleeping on a Windsor mattress which was great for no motion transfer but did not seem to help my hip which hurt all day and night. Within days of getting the Prana bed, all of my hip pain of 3 years went away. Now that the bed is broken in, I find I have the hip pain when sleeping on that side but not during the day.
I have to choose a new mattress at Jordans in the Boston area in the next week. My priorities are to sleep cool, minimize motion transfer, and relieve pain. I hate memory form since I move all night long and it makes me feel trapped. I like the floating feel of the latex but I am not wedded to it. Jordans has recommended a Beautyrest which has cool gel and memory foam. It feel about the same as the Prana Vinysas plush (less foam on top than the one I bought) and I don’t notice the memory foam in the store–but i might feel different when it gets home.
I would love to hear what you think I should look at from the Jordan stock. I get to make one re-choice. No returns after that. I was thinking of the Prana Karma line since I wondered if the innerspring might help with my weight and still give me the pain relief and coolness of latex. (Or is latex hot in the summer?)
It would be unusual for someone to sleep hot with a St Dormier wool mattress protector since wool is generally a great temperature regulating material (in both directions). While it’s not always possible to to track down temperature regulation issues for any particular person on a specific mattress because 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.
If there is a visible impression in your mattress that is more than the warranty exclusion of 1.5" then you would probably qualify for a warranty replacement. I’m not sure what type of support system you have under your mattress but it’s also possible that it could be contributing to the problem as well. You can check this by putting your mattress on the floor to see if it makes any difference. ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: pranasleep.com/pdfs/warranty.pdf
Latex in general is the most durable of all the foam materials so weight or BMI wouldn’t be an issue in terms of durability but it’s also important to make sure that any mattress is a good “match” in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) and those that are in a higher weight ranges or BMI may need a firmer mattress than those that are in a lower weight range or BMI (regardless of the materials in the mattress) so that the heavier parts of their body don’t sink down too far and compromise support which can lead to lower back issues.
When a mattress breaks in it becomes slightly softer so this would seem to point to your mattress being a little bit to soft which can lead to your back and joints being out of their neutral alignment but of course this is just guesswork because you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress.
While it’s not possible to “diagnose” mattress comfort issues on a forum with any certainty because there are too many unique unknowns, variables, and complexities involved that can affect how each person sleeps on a mattress in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP or any “symptoms” they experience … there is more about the most common symptoms that people may experience when they sleep on a mattress and the most likely (although not the only) reasons for them in post #2 here.
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to 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).
Most people wouldn’t have any temperature regulation issues with the Prana Super Vinyasa Luxury Plush (especially with a St Dormier protector) but the link I posted earlier in this reply may provide some clues about why it may be happening for you. Latex in general is the most temperature neutral of all the foam materials but I would also keep in mind that the top 2.75" of your mattress are polyfoam (not latex) which can sleep a little warmer than latex and that you will sink into a softer mattress more deeply so it can be a little bit more insulating and can sleep warmer than a firmer mattress that uses the same materials as well.
There is more about motion transfer in post #18 here. Memory foam is the best at motion transfer but latex, pocket coils, microcoils, buckling column gel, and even polyfoam are generally good as well but it will depend to some degree on the specific design of the mattress, on your relative weight ranges, and your sleeping style (such as how close you sleep together). While pocket coils are good for motion transfer … innersprings that are linked with helicals (vs pocket coils) are generally poor to fair depending on the specifics of the innerspring and the foam layers above it. Once again though … the most reliable way to know whether a mattress is “motion isolating enough” would be based on your own careful testing or your own personal experience with both of you on the mattress in the positions you normally sleep in.
Assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the quality/durability guidelines here relative to your weight range … the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses are more of a preference and a budget choice than a “better/worse” choice (see this article). The best way to know which type of materials or which type of mattresses you tend to prefer in general terms will be based on your own testing and personal experience because different people can have very different preferences.
I certainly would be very cautious about exchanging your mattress for a major brand mattress. The major brands such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta all tend to use lower quality materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors that will tend to soften or break down prematurely relative to the price you pay which is why I would generally suggest avoiding all of them completely (regardless of how they may feel in a showroom) along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here).
There is more about the 3 most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
Again … I can’t make any specific suggestions because you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress but if you are considering the Karma line I would make sure that the specific model you are considering doesn’t have more than “about an inch or so” of lower quality/density materials in the top layers of the mattress because once you have about 2" or more of lower quality/density materials it could be a weak link in the mattress that could reduce the durability and useful life of the mattress.
The advantage of dealing with Jordans is that they are very transparent about the type and quality of the materials in their mattresses.
In its simplest form choosing the “best possible” mattress for any particular person really comes down to FIRST finding a few knowledgeable and transparent retailers and/or manufacturers (either locally or online) that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in that are in a budget range you are comfortable with and that you have confirmed will provide you with the all the information you need about the materials and components inside the mattresses they sell so you will be able to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …
Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.
Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.
Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.