Powder used in Purple mattress?

[phoenix]

Hi st27,

I was wondering if you knew what type of powder is used in the purple mattress and if it is non-toxic?

You can see my comments about the type and quality of the materials and components in the Purple mattress and the buckling column gel they use in post #2 here and the posts it links to. I’m not sure what you are referring to by “powder” but the polyfoam in the Purple mattress is CertiPUR certified and the buckling column gel is also a safe material so I wouldn’t have any concerns about the safety of the mattress.

Also, I read your sleeping position recommendations. I am a combo sleeper (~50% side, 25% back, 25% stomach). I am 5’6 and ~160lbs with broad shoulders and thick hips with a fairly muscular build so pressure relief/ body gap contouring is important for me, especially while side sleeping. You recommend to start with a comfort layer of 3" for side sleepers and adjust from there. My concern is the Purple mattress’s comfort layer is 2" with a 3.5’ layer of 1.8 lb HD polyfoam under, followed by 4" of 2 lb HD poly. Would the 1.8lb HD polyfoam create pressure points if my shoulders/hips were to sink through the 2" comfort layer while side sleeping? Or is there enough “give” in 1.8 lb polyfoam to dissipate that pressure ?

These are only very generic guidelines that aren’t specific to any particular person and like any very general guidelines I wouldn’t read too much into them. I would also keep in mind that there isn’t a specific definition for “comfort layers” because a layer (or even part of a layer) that would “act” as a comfort layer for one person may “act” as a transition layer or even a support layer for someone else . In very general terms side sleepers tend to need thicker/softer upper layers than back sleepers and stomach sleepers tend to need the thinnest comfort layers of all and combination sleepers tend to need upper layers that are “just enough” in terms of thickness and softness to relieve pressure points in their most pressure prone position (usually on the side) but no more than that so that the risk of alignment issues in the other positions is reduced. Again though … these are only very generic guidelines and when it gets down to the specifics that would work well for any particular person then only your own testing or personal experience can tell you whether any mattress is a suitable “match” for your body type and sleeping style.

While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

I’m currently looking at the purple mattress, Novosbed, Dreamfoam UD 12" Supreme gel. Purple mattress is intriguing as I sleep HOT and it apparently dissipates body heat amazingly well.

You are certainly looking at some good quality/value choices.

I would also keep in mind that the holes in buckling column gel are from top to bottom but the gel material itself isn’t porous so any airflow would only go from top to bottom and the buckling column gel may “trap” air inside each cell so the overall temperature regulation would also depend on how much airflow there was in the layers underneath the buckling column gel.

While it’s not possible to quantify the sleeping temperature of a mattress for any particular person with any real accuracy because there are so many variables involved including the type of mattress protector and the sheets and bedding that you use (which in many cases can have just as significant an effect on sleeping temperature as the type of foam in a mattress) and on where you are in the “oven to iceberg” range and because there is no standardized testing for temperature regulation with different combinations of materials … there is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress or sleeping system in post #2 here that can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.

Outside of these very general guidelines … the only way to know for certain whether a mattress will be “temperature regulating enough” with the sheets and bedding and mattress protector that you use will be based on your own personal experience because there are always some people tend to sleep warmer on mattresses that most people would be fine with.

When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.

Also looking at the DIY option. Are there any other quality polyfoam base mattresses other than Sedona Sleep’s?

Some of the better online sources I’m aware of for DIY mattress materials and components (including polyfoam) are listed in post #4 here.

If you are attracted to the idea of designing and building your own DIY mattress out of separate components and a separate cover then the first place I would start is by reading option 3 in post #15 here and the posts it links to (and option #1 and #2 as well) so that you have more realistic expectations and that you are comfortable with the learning curve, uncertainty, trial and error, or in some cases the higher costs that may be involved in the DIY process. While it can certainly be a rewarding project … the best approach to a DIY mattress is a “spirit of adventure” where what you learn and the satisfaction that comes from the process itself is more important than any cost savings you may realize (which may or may not happen).

There is also more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support” and “pressure relief” and “feel” that may be useful as well.

For those who decide to take on the challenge then I would either use the specs (if they are available) of a mattress that you have tested and confirmed is a good match for you in terms of PPP as a reference point or blueprint and try and “match” every layer and component in your reference mattress as closely as possible or use a “bottom up” approach (see post #2 here).

Phoenix