I have now had my mattress from SleepEz for about 5 weeks. I had tested Savvy Rest mattresses locally and found a soft top layer the most comfortable, and alignment seemed fine (I think I was happiest with the soft-med-firm they had on display, but I think the top layer may have been Talalay in the store, not Dunlop). I talked to Shawn at SleepEz and went with his recommendation of Dunlop soft-med-firm split layers. Everything went very smoothly with delivery and set up. I will mention that neither my husband nor I have any pain issues, and we were sleeping reasonably comfortably on our old innerspring mattress. I was just tired of the huge depressions we were trapped in all night long.
We both agreed after one night that the soft layer was too soft for both of us. For the second night I put the medium on top and moved the soft layer to the middle. I was pretty happy then, but still too soft for my husband. After lots of experimentation I am comfortable with the medium layer on top. Currently the firm is in the middle and the soft on the bottom on my side.
My husband now has firm on top, then med, then soft, and would like it to be firmer. He’s pretty thin and a stomach sleeper. So I need to send a layer back, I guess, and am wondering what to get. Clearly extra firm on top should be tried for my husband. It seems to me we have no use for the soft layer at all; it doesn’t seem to make much sense for it to be on the bottom and I can’t imagine either of us ever wanting it as the comfort layer. Maybe I should try firm-firm-med for my husband and med-soft-soft for me before making an exchange?? DH does not have much to say about all this except 1) He still finds it a bit too soft, 2) He’s tired of all the switching and me asking him how he likes it.
I am planning to call SleepEz today but wanted some outside advice first. Should I just exchange 2 soft halves for 2 extra-firm halves? An extra-firm and a firm? Extra-firm and medium? I want to have the most flexibility to make more changes if needed. I don’t know what should underlie an extra-firm comfort layer. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Hi sagefemme,
The best source of guidance would normally be the manufacturer themselves who will have more experience with their mattresses and adjusting or exchanging layers (for the many different types of people with different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences) than anyone on the forum (including me). In many cases if you ask for specific suggestions from a large group of people with very different body types, sleeping positions, sensitivities, and preferences than you then you will get so many conflicting suggestions that have worked well for them but may not work as well for you that it can end up becoming more confusing than helpful.
I (and SleepEZ as well) would agree that if your ideal configuration ends up with a soft layer on the bottom (because there is nowhere else to put it) then it would probably be better to exchange it for a firmer layer.
I would be very cautious with this because it will depend on what “type” of firmness he means (see post #15 here). For most people an extra firm comfort layer would end up being firmer than they would end up preferring. His sense of “firmness/softness” may be coming from the deeper layers.
In very general terms … the top layer is mostly about pressure relief, the deeper layers are more about support, and the middle layers can contribute to both. Moving firmer layers closer to the top and softer layers deeper in the mattress will generally improve support. Moving softer layers up and moving firmer layers down will generally improve pressure relief. Changing the “feel” is just a preference issue and would be based on your own experience rather than on any “symptoms”. A mattress protector, mattress pad, or other thin layers on top of your mattress along with your sheets and bedding can also change the “feel” of the mattress. It’s important to know which of these you are trying to change and how you are trying to change them (support/alignment, comfort/pressure relief, or feel and personal preference issues) because each one can require a different type of change.
Post #2 here and the posts it links to have much more information about the different types of “symptoms” that people may experience on a mattress and some suggestions about the possible underlying causes for them and the types of changes that can be effective but this can become quite complex for those who are not familiar with mattress design theory and the effects of changing or rearranging different layers and it’s important to make the “right changes” to the “right layers” to get to the combination that is best for you and this would generally take more specific information than you have provided.
You will usually be better off talking with SleepEz where you can provide much more detailed and specific information that is relevant to you and have a more detailed and “interactive” conversation in “real time” about the specifics of what you are trying to change and the actual symptoms you are trying to alleviate and whether any issues you have are related to comfort/pressure relief, support/alignment, or just the “feel” of the mattress.
With their layer exchanges they will also ship you the new layer first so you can use it to try different combinations before you decide on which layer to send back.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix–I had forgotten that SleepEz will ship the new layer first. I still think the obvious layer to send back will be the soft. I think tonight I will switch my husband to firm (top) and firm (middle) and see what he says about that before talking to Shawn. Thanks for the caution about the extra-firm. I do remember trying that in the Savvy Rest showroom and wondering how anyone could choose it.
One of my biggest problems is getting my husband to elaborate on what he’s feeling. He has little patience for this sort of detail. He honestly doesn’t care very much and I’m probably never going to hear him say WOW what an awesome mattress this is. Also he is not finding his comfort or sleep quality compromised in any serious way. He’s usually so exhausted at the end of the day he sleeps pretty soundly.
I’ll let you know what happens. Thanks for all the information.
Hi sagefemme,
You may be correct but I would decide after you have decided on the layering that works best for you and would leave all your options open at this stage.
It’s important that you are clear what your husband means when he says the combination is “too firm”. Only he can feel what he feels on a mattress. It may be worth trying two firm bottom layers (for support) and then a medium layer on top (so he has a little pressure relief on top). Another option would be firm on the bottom, medium in the middle, and firm on the top (a little less “supportive” but a firmer sleeping surface). The next step “up” in firmness for both pressure relief and support would be firm firm firm (or x-firm layers somewhere in the mix) but I would start with what you have.
I would go very carefully and slowly and take small, logical, and progressive steps so that you don’t “skip over” the layering that may be best. I would also make sure that you spend several nights on each combination so that you don’t make so many changes so quickly that your body doesn’t have time to “catch up” or you decide to make a change based on only your experience for a single night or two which may be an anomaly. I would assess each combination carefully for support/alignment, comfort/pressure relief, and “feel” so that you are clear what you like and what you don’t about each combination. The effect of each step in changing layers compared to the last one in terms of each of the 3 “P’s” can help “point the way” to the direction and final combination that may be best.
If he really doesn’t care and is one of the fortunate few that can sleep on anything then I would probably try the two combinations that I suggested and then have him pick the best out of the combinations he’s tried and then focus on your side of the mattress after that.
I would also generally suggest sleeping on any initial configuration for at least a couple of weeks so that you have a chance to get used to the feel and performance of latex because what is too soft or firm at first may change in a few weeks down the road as you and your body get used to a new and “different” type of sleeping experience compared to your old mattress. Of course if it’s obvious that a particular combination isn’t working at all for you or you have significant pain or discomfort that doesn’t seem to be getting any better (or may be getting worse) then I wouldn’t wait for two weeks.
Phoenix
Thank you for that very logical advice. It will stop me from making hasty decisions. I am going to do exactly what you advise, in that order, starting tonight!