Parklane Mattress Comfort Exchange Update

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

Hi Phoenix (and fellow sleep seekers),

Update from my posting of February 9th 2012 “Update and further advice needed and appreciated.”

To recap: ((My specs: Fall asleep on my side, wake up sometimes on my back, so I must be a combo sleeper. 5’6" tall, 150 pounds. Have chronic headaches, neck and shoulder pain, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis, sometimes lower back pain (muscle spasms). I’m in my mid 50‘s…I know, I seem to be falling apart! :wink: That’s it!))

I went back to Parklane in Portland OR. with the goal of trying the all Latex Rogue, Whistler, McKenzie, and the offset coil Crestwood and Arcadia.

I explained to the young lady my problems and feelings about my issues with the Brentwood which I had delivered on Jan 9th. I tried laying down on the Rogue again and it felt very comfortable, both on my side and on my back. It felt very close to the Brentwood. The only thing that kept nagging me was, what would happen if it was too soft like the Brentwood and didn’t give me the lower back support and alignment that I needed for my back? the pressure points seemed to be calm on it… but since I knew that I couldn’t make it firmer if needed, I had reservations on exchanging the Brentwood for it.

I asked the gal if they carry the Whistler and the McKenzie in the showroom so I could try them. The McKenzie is Dunlop 6" core and 3" topper and the Whistler is 100% natural talalay 6" core and 3" topper. The Whistler (same ILD’s as the Rogue) should feel very similar to the Rogue and they McKenzie should feel firmer. Unfortunately the gal said that they are online purchases only, so they don’t have any in the showroom to try. :unsure: So…

I asked to try the Crestwood, 14 gauge offset coil with 3 inches of 19 ILD latex (3inch, 1 inch layers water-based glued together), euro top with a bamboo cover. I also tried the Arcadia, 14 gauge offset coil with 2 inches of 19 ILD latex ad 1 inch of Coolsleep memory foam, (a sandwich of 2 inches of latex with the memory foam in the middle, for a total of 3 inches), Bamboo cover. I also tried the Dunthorpe, which was 14 gauge offset coils followed by micro pocket coils, topped with 2 inches of 19 ILD latex topped with aloe vera fabric.

I laid on all three, in all positions, and felt the Crestwood felt the softest for my side sleeping. The gal said that the Crestwood floor model was 6 months old and had been broken in so it made sense that it would feel the softest. The Arcadia felt good too, but a little less soft and didn’t have as much give in the shoulders for me. The Dunthorpe felt similar to the Arcadia, a smidge softer than the Arcadia, but also comfortable on my side and back. It is a very tall mattress (15") and since I had already bought the 9 inch foundation, I would have to have a ladder to climb into bed! I think I was leaning towards having the comfort layers be all latex (for maximum durability) or as much latex as possible. After trying all three again, laying on my side and back, I decided on the Crestwood. The gal said that when I first get it , it will feel firm, but over time, it would break in and feel similar to the one on the showroom floor.

I payed the difference in price with the Brentwood, and $75 for the comfort exchange delivery. The Brentwood was exchanged for the Crestwood on March 23rd.

I have slept on it since and I can say that I feel better so far on it than the Brentwood. It is definitely firmer than the Brentwood, for sure. I guess I prefer the firmer feeling on my lower back. It feels fine while lying on my back, soft enough and supporting my lower back. I don’t feel as though I am sinking as much as with the Brentwood. On my side it is still not quite as soft enough for my shoulders and pressure points. I know I’ve only slept on it for 1 week and it still needs to be broken in. I’m hoping it will get softer over time, but it definitely feels firmer than the one in the store.

I thought of giving it some more time to soften up and if it still feels too firm, then maybe trying a 1 inch latex 20 ILD talalay topper I have (by FBM) on top and see if that helps. What do you think? Do you think that would be thin enough to help with the side sleeping and pressure points but not affect the back alignment?

I also wonder the arrangement of the layers. Right now I have the mattress covered with a breathable Novoshield waterproof thin mattress protector topped with my sheet. If I add the 1 inch bare latex topper, should I put it directly on the mattress bamboo cover and cover that with the breathable Novoshield protector? Or should I keep the Novoshield on the mattress and then put the 1 inch bare latex on top and then cover the latex with a thin mattress protector followed my sheet. My concern is that the Novoshield has a membrane backing that feels a bit rubbery and I think it might cause friction between it and the bare latex. I wish that the 1 inch topper had a cover of its own.

I will give my body more time to adjust to the new sleeping surface and then report back on how it feels.

Who knew that trying to find the right and best sleeping surface would be so challenging!:blink:

Thanks again, DormiBene :slight_smile:

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Hi DormiBene,

I think that one of the “dangers” of knowing more about mattresses (or anything else for that matter) is that we become more sensitive to the more subtle things that make a difference and “tolerating” things that we once thought of as “normal” is replaced with “adjusting” things in a quest for perfection that can be a side effect of more knowledge. Of course it leads to better choices and a much better and longer lasting sleeping surface but it also leads to challenges along the way that those who can “sleep on anything” or just “accept” things as they are don’t have to face. Knowledge can sometimes be dangerous … or frustrating :slight_smile:

All the mattresses you were looking at were in the “medium” and “combo” range but the Crestwood probably has among the softest comfort layers of the alternatives you tried so I can see why you chose it. It will also soften a little in the first few weeks (as you know from lying on the floor model) and I would definitely wait for a while before adding anything which may not b necessary a few weeks down the road. The innerspring is firmer and more supportive than the Brentwood and because it also has less polyfoam and more latex in the comfort layers … it will soften less over time than the Brentwood. I think this is a good choice.

Your “20 ILD” layer from FBM is almost certainly not 20 ILD. What they are selling is highly unlikely to be what they are describing and is almost certainly Dunlop latex in a firmer ILD than they are advertising. It is also questionable if it is even high quality Dunlop. You can see more of my thoughts on them in post#2 here. In other words … it may be worth trying the FBM to see what happens but it’s effect would not be possible to predict because it is an “unknown” layer. It would certainly be the thinnest additional layer you could add so in terms of it’s thickness would be the least likely to affect support but it may also feel firmer and “dominate” the layers below it and any additional thickness using a foam can reduce support slightly by putting you further away from the support system of the mattress.

A latex topper should always be covered in a fabric that protects it from degradation from ozone and ultraviolet light which will degrade the latex much more quickly. Sheets or a mattress protector are not really effective or appropriate for this. In the short term while you are using it for testing it would probably be OK but in the longer term it will shorten the life of the latex. As you are mentioning … a thinner layer of latex can also be affected by rubbing especially if it is on top of the mattress. So a latex topper should be covered in a fabric and then used under both the mattress protector and the sheets.

I think that this is probably the best idea of all for the time being :slight_smile: Once the first few weeks have passed and any “breaking in” of materials is done … then an evaluation can be more accurate in deciding if there is any fine tuning needed and what the best options may be.

Phoenix