Hello! I would sincerely appreciate any guidance in selecting between the DLX Premier Hybrid or the LatexLux Hybrid (twin XL). I am a 60-year-old female side sleeper, 5’5”, and 245 lbs currently (it’s slowly going down!). Even though I’m a side sleeper, I don’t like too soft a sleeping surface – I prefer to sleep on a bed, not in it. I also sleep warm – it is literally never cool enough. I’m leaning towards the LatexLux, but I don’t know if my BMI (41) might just be too much for a latex hybrid. I’ve spent a lot of time reading the mattress tutorials here and a lot of posts, but I think I’ve just completely overwhelmed my brain. Would one of these mattresses work for me? Should I think about all latex or something completely different? I would be grateful for any assistance! Thank you.
Thanks for considering DLX. We’re happy to be transparent and give honest guidance if it’s a good fit or not. To give a better assessment, can you tell us about your current mattress (brand and model) and what you like or dislike about it? And if you have owned or tried any others in the past 5–7 years, let us know about those, too. We’ll give you a straightforward assessment of whether our mattress would likely be comfortable for you.
The LatexLux may sleep slightly cooler because latex is more buoyant and resilient so you sleep more on it than in it and are less enveloped in the materials. To be straightforward, our mattress isn’t designed as a cooling mattress, but it doesn’t tend to trap heat like memory foam models. It uses springs and avoids memory foam, which helps a bit with breathability, but we wouldn’t market it as especially cool.
Please note that the firmer the mattress, the cooler it will sleep. Memory foam tends to sleep the warmest because it envelops you and is very dense in most cases around 4 or 5 pounds for quality foams. With hybrids or spring mattresses, the less padding over the coils, the cooler it will sleep because there is more airflow and breathability. But there are tradeoffs for some people in terms of comfort.
Our mattress uses 1.8-pound foam compared to mass-market ones with 1 or 1.2-pound foam. While less durable, these lower-density foams tend to sleep cooler because of better airflow. Our quilting foam is at least 50% more dense than a lot of others so there’s less airflow and breathability compared to the mass market meaning it might sleep a little warmer.
In the end, there is no clear-cut solution for sleeping warm. It comes down to breathability and airflow, but you may trade off comfort for breathability and airflow, as the coolest-sleeping mattress would be a spring unit wrapped in fabric with no foam or padding for maximum airflow and breathability, but it wouldn’t be comfortable for most people.
Many materials that have cooling technology are applied to the foams or fabrics. These are phase-change materials that have a cooling sensation but might only last about 15-30 minutes. Plus, you are putting a mattress protector and sheets over the mattress which will lessen the overall impact.
In most cases, bedding has a bigger impact on sleeping temperature than the mattress itself. Mattress protectors, sheets, comforters, and blankets all play a role. For example, I once swapped to a heavier comforter on a mattress I’d slept comfortably on for 10 years and immediately started waking up hot. Highlighting the mattress wasn’t the issue.
Lighter bedding with more breathable materials can make a big difference. Cotton, while natural and breathable in some cases, tends to retain more moisture than synthetic materials. Think about working out in a 100% cotton T-shirt versus a moisture-wicking performance shirt like Nike Dri-FIT. The same logic applies to bedding.
Many people use duvets, which add more layers on top of the body and trap more heat. Even without the insert, a duvet still consists of two fabric layers. Add your sheets and you’ve created multiple layers above you. Imagine working out in one T-shirt versus three that’s what you’re doing when you sleep under a duvet. Some people even have different sets of bedding depending on the season or weather. What you wear to bed also plays a role.
If you’ve tried all of this and still find yourself overheating, you might want to consider a product like BedJet, Chilipad, Eight Sleep, or SmartDuvet by Rize Home. Ultimately, it’s not just about the mattress you need to look at the full picture.
Thank you for your response and encouragement! So much to learn if I want to make the best choice but I am grateful for those who share their expertise. Thanks again!
Wow! Thank you so much for your lengthy response!
I am currently trialing (if that’s a word) the Leesa Plus Hybrid mattress, and that has been an experience. I went with the Leesa Plus because I had read great reviews, it seemed to fit my needs, and I had experience with the brand. The initial break-in period was terrible for my shoulder and hip and I had never experienced anything like that before. It’s been about a month now and while I like the firmness of it and the fact I sleep on '“top” (vs. “in”) of it, I feel as if I am right on top of the coils – whatever comfort top material is there just seems gone. Leesa sent me a complimentary cooling mattress topper (very thin – probably 3/4” thick at most) but that hasn’t changed anything. It is also the first mattress where I sleep consistently hot. I do have a full mattress encasement and the mattress topper on it and all my bedding is linen currently, sometimes Turkish cotton. I have tried sleeping on every other mattress in my home (all in full mattress encasements) with percale bedding and never have an issue with sleeping hot.
Before this mattress, I slept on a futon I purchased in Japan (I lived there for years). Before I was widowed in 2012, my husband and I slept on some terribly expensive Beautyrest or Sealy posturepedic mattress (his pick – back then I could sleep on anything anywhere). Occasionally I would sleep on the guest room mattresses in my home – both purchased in 2015 – to make sure they were still comfortable: a Leesa original memory foam mattress and a Brooklyn Bedding original mattress (firm).
I’m more interested in getting a supportive and resilient mattress that will last for at least 5 years. I like the idea of being able to change a layer without purchasing a completely new mattress. Sleeping hot is something that seems to be isolated to the Leesa Plus Hybrid mattress (menopause is long behind me) and I know there are other ways to deal with that.
I appreciate your help and am hoping to decide on a mattress within the next week or so. I need to return my current mattress and find the right one. Thank you so much.
Glad it was helpful.Thanks for the additional information.
At this point, it’s hard to say definitively either way whether our mattress probably won’t work or there’s a good chance that it will be comfortable. Without knowing exactly which Brooklyn Bedding mattress you had, I’d guess that if it was from 2015, it was their #BestMattressEver, which was an all-foam model. The original Leesa was also an all-foam mattress. And then you’ve had the futon experience too. Based on that, I might not recommend a hybrid mattress or spring-based mattress for comfort.
If you like the idea of being able to change out layers, you might want to consider a latex mattress. There are members here who sell all-latex mattresses in layers, which allows you to change them out down the road. Latex is known for being buoyant and resilient where you sleep more on it than in it.
We’ve found that people who have done well on a futon often transition well to an all-latex mattress. We don’t sell one ourselves, but there are plenty of solid options worth exploring here on the Mattress Underground.
As for why your current mattress is sleeping hotter than others, it’s hard to say for sure.
Best of luck with the mattress search!
Thank you very much for your help. I appreciate your time.