Bought a latex king mattress from a local company in El Paso. The mattress is 6-7" of Talalay latex over some regular foam with a new box spring as foundation. We initially bought a firm mattress since I’m a back sleeper of normal size and my wife is petite and sleep on her side. We had a really tough time to adjust to it, both we were feeling the bed too firm and did exchange it for a softer mattress after 10 weeks.
Now, my wife like this new bed, but I feel that it’s really not supportive to my pelvic area. I have the impression of sinking too much and feel strange in my upper back. We currently don’t use any pads since the one we bough made us both very hot. I did try a few pillows and can’t fix my discomfort. It feels just about right when we go to bed, but after 5-6 hours it feels like I sinked in the bed. I end up turning on the side or even on my stomach to complete the night. I almost don’t need any more my alarm clock since I wake up much sooner.
It’s now been more than 4 months since the 2nd exchange and I don’t think the store will help us much. Is there anything I should try (firmer latex topper, wool pads, etc)? This mattress was a fairly big investment … I can’t imagine that I will need to tolerate this for many years.
Thanks ahead of any tips you have.
Note: I try to read through the forum to find an answer, but couldn’t find a search with the proper result.
It sounds to me like the new mattress is a little too soft for you even though it is fine for your wife who is lighter. This is because each different body type or sleeping position has different needs and preferences to maintain good alignment over the course of the night. If you are out of alignment for a short while then it usually doesn’t have much effect but if you are out of alignment in the position you spend most of the night in then the effect can be bigger. Heavier body types and back sleepers generally need firmer support than lighter body types and side sleepers, especially under the heavier areas of the body like the pelvis.
While I don’t know exactly what you are experiencing … the “strange” feeling under your upper back could also be the result of upper layers layers (or the upper part of the mattress regardless of whether there are actual separate comfort layers) that are too thick or soft which allows the middle of the back to sink in more and lead to a hunched position or a position where the shoulders are pushed forward. You can read a bit more about this in post #2 here. It could also be a pillow issue that is keeping your head too far forward.
It is very difficult to make a mattress that is too soft firmer because it would either involve changing the firmness of the deeper support layers or exchanging comfort layers that are too thick and soft.
There are a few things that you can look at though to remove some of the other possibilities that could be contributing to your issues in post #4 here. One of these may be trying the mattress on a firm foundation (or on the floor as a test to see if a firm non flexing support base would make a difference).
A firmer topper over softer comfort layers will usually just bend into the softer layers below them and will put the softer upper layers deeper into your sleeping system where they become transition or support layers so you can end up with a firmer "surface feel’"without actually improving (or in some cases worsening) the support of the mattress.
Improving support usually involves working from the bottom up of a mattress rather than the top down unlike improving comfort/pressure relief which usually involves a “top down” solution where a topper can be more effective.
