I bought a firm Sleep on Latex early last year and it started out ok but I started getting mid-upper back pain (around the mid spine; especially feel it when I’m twisting from side to side). At night I wake once or twice because that area feels super tight and I would need to readjust myself. It sort of feels like I’m stuck in the spot? Hard to describe but I wake up with tightness and pain in that area.
I’m around 135lbs, 5’2", and using the small contour tempur pedic pillow.
The SOL customer rep suggested getting a firm 2inch topper since he thought the mattress was too soft. That was a mistake as my back pain ended up getting worse.
I reached out to SOL again; a different rep suggested a 1inch soft topper because she thought the mattress was probably too firm. This was a little better, but the back pain was still there in the morning.
I ended up getting a memory foam topper from Costco (2inch tempurpedic memory foam with an additional fluffly cover on top), but I think this made it worse. Pain in mid back got worse and I started feeling some discomfort in the curve on my back, so I ended up returning that.
Reached out to SOL again and they suggested a 3" soft topper. I ordered that and while it made the pain slightly better, I’m still feeling the tightness and pain in the morning. Still not able to sleep through the night.
At this point, I’m not sure what to do. It’s been a year and I don’t think latex is right for me. I don’t experience the same pain when sleeping in hotel mattresses. This whole process has been frustrating and expensive, and honestly I’m just annoyed at SOL at the initial misdirection of getting me to make the bed firmer. Appreciate any advice.
Sorry you’re having some pain on your mattress. Are you a side sleeper?
Mid and upper back issues can come from several sources. In the case of the upper body then good horizontal alignment is important but lateral (side to side) alignment is also important. For example if you bend your head and neck forward towards your stomach and bend the upper body forward into a forward hunched position then it can bend the upper spine and create tension and pain in the mid and upper back. This can happen during the night if your pillow is too high for example and pushes your head forward when you sleep on your back. It can also happen if the upper layers are too thick and soft.
In the same way … if you push your arms and shoulders forward into a forward slouched position then it can also create tension and soreness in your mid or upper back. This can come from a mattress that has comfort layers that are too thick and/or soft and allows your torso to sink in a little too far but “holds up” the lighter shoulders (pushing them forward).
In both cases your muscles will be tense and working throughout the night to maintain alignment.
Upper back issues can also point to a pillow that is either too high or too low for your body type or sleeping position and doesn’t maintain the gap between your head and the mattress and keep your head and neck if good alignment over the course of the night which can affect the upper back as well.
It sounds like softening the mattress is helping, which is a good data point.
Is your mattress dunlop or talalay?
This could also be a possibility. All bodies are very different and maybe foam hybrids aren’t your best fit.
Besides a potential pillow problem, it may involve the base support. What type of foundation are you using? How old is it? If slatted base, how far apart are the slats? Is there a middle support rail?
Also, when it comes to your pillow, think of it as if has 3 sections. Head, middle and foot (top middle bottom in thirds). (This will not relate to your TP contour, because the the design, which I believe is the wrong pillow here) The TP ProCloud Lo or TP Symphony would be better choices.
You want you head to rest in the middle or between the imaginary line between the top and middle. This will force the foot of the pillow close to your shoulder ensuring your neck is supported. If you rest your head at the “foot” of the pillow, your shoulder will sink deeper into the mattress, your neck will be suspended with no support underneath and your head will most likely be angled up, straining the muscles in your neck and upper back. If your head is on that lower third (foot) of the pillow, the pillow sinks like a wedge, thinner at the bottom edge of the pillow.
When you head is in the center of the pillow, the center sinks, but the upper and lower thirds stay expanded, with the lower third contouring and supporting your neck.
Even soft latex has a firmness (some people call it push-back) that is different than other foams. You might even want to try an ultra soft latex 3". I have slept on an all latex bed (with soft top layer) for the past 8 years (actually two different models), and as I am aging I’m finding it too firm. I’m about the same weight as you, but slightly taller. You didn’t mention what position you are sleeping in but for me as a side sleeper, firm latex would be completely unbearable. Even medium latex is way too firm for me. I am struggling with upper back/neck pain for the past year, and am pretty sure that I’m not getting enough shoulder sink into the soft latex comfort layer. Just food for thought, because of course comfort is completely subjective. There’s also a difference in feel between dunlop and talalay, and I think Sleep on Latex is all dunlop.
I am both a side and back sleeper. I’m using the Tempur-pedic contour pillow and tried both the medium and small size since I originally thought the size of my pillow might have been contributing to the back pain. There was no difference in pain when switching between the two.
The bed is on a slatted foundation with a middle post. I also added vertical slats on top of the existing horizontal slats in case that would help, but it also didn’t make a difference.
The latex is all Dunlop latex. I currently have the 3’’ soft topper, but even when I added an extra 1’’ layer on top to make it 4’', I still get the same pain (albeit marginally better). Frustratingly enough, though, I am seeing some indentations in my topper even though it’s been only a few months. They also don’t stay in one place and tend to slide inwards.
If the slats (side to side) are failing (sinking), the additional slats from head to foot will not improve the condition. The top slats will follow the curve or dip in the original slats.
I have 9 inches of sleep on latex but found the dunlop soft not supportive enough. I switched the top 3 inches with firm “vzone” layer from Flobeds. this allowed me to customzie the layers right under my shoulder to be soft, and the lumbar area ultra firm, and the hips firm. this helped me maintain alignment but maintain shoudler presure relief.
It should be noted that @FloBeds uses Talalay processed latex in case anyone was wondering. They are a very big Talalay enthusiast and use it throughout their mattresses. Talalay will have a different feel than dunlop and the density of talalay layers remain more consistent throughout.
This does not make one “better” than the other as enthusiasts on either side will offer their perspectives on that, but for some users, it is certainly viable that one may prefer the feel of one over the other.
Thanks @Psychmedic for sharing your success story.
