When I talked to you last, I thought we had everything figured out. I thought that getting the unquilted mattress cover instead of the quilted one would make all the difference. The new cover does feel better but didn’t fix everything. I continued to have pressure points in my shoulders and my hips.
My husband and I both have the firm/medium/soft configuration in the Sleepez 10000. He is the back sleeper and he loves his. I am the side sleeper and can’t sleep on mine without pain. We even switched out our layers so I have soft/soft/firm. It didn’t help at all. I wake up every time my shoulder starts hurting and I turn over to the other side and have to rub my shoulder so I can get back to sleep. I do this all night until it stops working. I then turn over to my back and make myself go back to sleep. I seem to sleep okay on my back when I am that exhausted.
My husband can’t understand how that didn’t fix it and thinks I am being overly sensitive. I agree that I may be very sensitive but feel like there must be an answer. When I first lay down I can tell that my shoulder doesn’t feel right. It feels like it is being pushed into my side and neck. I tried the shredded latex pillow that we were given but can’t seem to figure out how much latex to leave in to accommodate side and back sleeping. I went back to using my Seven Comforts sectioned latex pillow, which I first saw in a post on this site. I like this pillow but don’t know if this could be part of the problem or not. I don’t think it is but can’t say for sure.
I still wonder about the difference in the feeling between our Sleepez and the Pure Latex Bliss Nature with 2" topper. My husband says it isn’t a fair comparison because we didn’t sleep on the PLB and it didn’t have sheets and a mattress protector on it. I know he is right but I can’t help but think about it. It seemed so much softer but still felt like it had plenty of support. The “only” reason we didn’t but the PLB was because of their no return policy if it didn’t work.
What should I try next? I really want this to work! Thank you for all your help.
Here is my 0.02.
My wife had the same issue with shoulder pain on our new latex mattress. She told me this morning she has been much better the past few nights. I took out the 2" soft latex topper (22 ILD) and it is now “exposed” just under the fitted sheet out side of the wool mattress cover. I put a 2" memory foam topper (unknown firmness) inside the wool mattress case. So now it is (starting from top) fitted sheet > 2" 22 ILD Latex > Wool mattress case > 2" memory foam > soft latex core 27 ILD > mattress case > bed frame (slats). That is my wife’s side setup. I have the same except medium latex core. She was much happier this morning, and yesterday, and did not complain of shoulder soreness.
I believe the latex is still loosening up and is settling in; and our bodies have finally made the adjustment to this setup. It’s been exactly 3 weeks with this new mattress. We have been on this setup for approx 1.5 - 2 weeks. I hope to remove the memory foam once our bodies fully adjusted and the latex is broken in.
My theory is that the memory foam allows more sink in and less “push” back from the latex. We are now sleeping “in” the bed vs. being “properly” supported in all locations like the latex should provide. fyi, i was 80% happy with my setup from the get-go, and assumed i needed more time to adjust. I made this change to appease her and it seemed to help our situation. It actually seems to have a really nice feel to it. I have been sleeping completely through the night with this setup.
I understand that the memory foam may not last forever and is probably poor quality, but it has accommodated us and we are sleeping well. And frankly, isn’t that what its all about? I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions regarding out setup.
Another note. The latex conforms much better when it is outside of the wool mattress case. The mattress case and also mattress protector may be adding to the problem. They will distribute the load, load = YOU, over a larger area of the latex causing more force to be transferred into your body, ie, more shoulder pain. My next step would be to pull your soft layer out of the mattress case and put it directly under the sheet. This worked for me, i cant guarantee it will work for you, but what do you have to lose?
Hi Akirk70,
First of all I’ll make some comments that are more specific to your situation and to latex options but I first wanted to acknowledge Ely’s exceptionally helpful (and “accurate”) suggestions. They are “right on the money” IMO (and I will reply to them separately)
Each person has a different body type and sleeping position so a layering combination that is suitable for one may not work as well for another. In general … the SleepEz layering with soft on top works well “on average” for most people that are weight appropriate for this ILD but for some … even 22-24 ILD latex can be firmer than they are used to and certain body types may need a little extra thickness or softness to reach their “ideal”. The tradeoff with using softer latex is that it can have a greater risk of alignment issues (depending on the thickness of the layer and what is under it) and all materials (including latex) are less durable in softer versions that are used on top of the mattress. These two factors (alignment and durability) are the primary reason that some manufacturers will be reluctant to use softer layers in their mattress.
Having said that … as Ely mentioned there are still many good options and types of “fine tuning” that will produce a sleeping system that works well for people that need some extra softness when they are “outside the averages” of what works for most other people and it is also important to make sure that what you are using on top of your mattress isn’t affecting the latex itself (protector, sheets, and any other layers on top of the mattress). Some of the things I would consider (some of which have already been mentioned) include …
-
You may be able to replace the 22-24 ILD top layer with one that is slightly softer (I’m not sure but I believe that they may be able to custom order it) but this may make the transition between layers more noticeable and won’t provide any extra thickness to your comfort layer (which you may need more than more softness).
-
Layers that are outside of the mattress cover will tend to act softer than layers inside a mattress cover because they are less restricted in their movement (this is also why true pillowtops can be softer than the same materials in a tight top). The “tradeoff” is that they will be slightly less durable (they are subject to more mechanical forces and compression).
-
A latex topper with a lower ILD can add some extra softness. The Nature you tried used softer latex layers on top and the PLB topper is even lower yet (@ 14 - 15 ILD) which together would be softer and thicker comfort layers than your SleepEz 10000. This would give you a thicker softer layering for your lighter shoulders to sink into. Layer softness and layer thickness work together to provide pressure relief and the Nature/topper combination was both softer and thicker.
-
The “risk” of a solid latex topper is that it can put you too far away from the firmer support layers so that there is extra risk of being out of alignment (your heavier parts will sink deeper into the mattress relative to your lighter shoulders). This risk would be different for different people with different body types and sleeping positions. Side sleepers … especially if they are more “curvy” … will tend to need thicker and softer comfort layers than other body types and sleeping positions but if they have more weight concentrated in their lower body/hips (more common for women) … then the extra thickness can be more risky. If you go in this direction then thinner is usually better when it’s being added to a mattress that already has 3" of soft latex on top since you will likely only need some “fine tuning” to the soft comfort layer you already have in your mattress.
-
A shredded latex topper can provide the extra cushioning you need to specific areas of your body with less risk of compromising support in other areas because you can sink into them more evenly. A topper such as the Seven Comforts here (Edit: see post #52 here first if you are considering ordering this topper) or the Lanoodle topper here can often make the difference because they will “displace” more under the more pointy parts of your body (allowing your shoulders to sink in more) while it will “compress more” under the parts of your body with a larger surface area.
-
Finally Ely’s suggestions and layering comments are great ones and I will comment on them in my next reply.
Phoenix
Hi Ely,
Your comments and suggestions are great ones and very insightful IMO.
I am one of those who likes the combination of thinner layers of latex over a fairly thin layer of memory foam and it has several advantages for those who are looking for a combination of the two in terms of “feel” and performance. While latex purists would probably “shudder” and there are also some who prefer to have no memory foam or even polyfoam in their mattress … this type of layering can have several differences between either material on its own. I think it would be a particularly appropriate choice with a 1" to 2" latex layer over a 2" memory foam layer for several reasons … particularly if the memory foam layer was less temperature responsive (didn’t need as much heat to change from firm to soft).
-
This type of layering provides most of the benefits of the faster response and the more resilient feel of latex on top which allows for more freedom of movement and adds the breathability and temperature benefits of latex in the upper layers but the latex will be modified by the slower response and a feeling of sinking in more gradually into the memory foam underneath.
-
The benefit of using both a thinner layer of latex and a thinner layer of memory foam underneath would be that the latex wouldn’t “dominate” the memory foam quite as much. In addition to this … memory foam has a property called “creep” (which is common to all visco-elastic materials) which means that it relaxes over time regardless of temperature or humidity. This can lead to some people being in good alignment when they first get into bed but being out of aignment in the morning as they slowly sink more deeply into the mattress as the memory foam relaxes. This “risk” of thicker memory foam layers is lessened considerable with thinner layers which are used to “modify” the feel of layers above or below them.
-
The mattress you have (which has a 2" layer of latex on top) would be particularly conducive to this type of design (depending of course on body type, sleeping position, and preferences). The latex on top will firm up the memory foam below it (less heat reaches it) which can make the memory foam a little more “supportive”.
-
While this is not the perfect layering for everyone (nothing is “perfect for everyone”) and there will be many that want the more resilient feel of latex without “modification” … for many people this would be a very appropriate combination with some of the benefits and feel of both materials.
-
The latex on top will lengthen the life of the layers below it which means that a 4 lb memory foam would be more durable than it would be on top of the mattress.
-
This could also work with a 3" latex top layer but the latex will dominate the feel and performance of the memory foam more and there would be slightly more risk for some people with 5" of softer material on top of their mattress where they may be closer to the “edge” of their range of alignment needs.
-
Reversing the layering by adding the memory foam on top with the latex underneath would be another possibility and different again because the memory foam “feel” would be more dominant and it would allow more sinking in to the mattress and provide a less “movement responsive” feel to the mattress.
The only thing I would suggest is that if you decide to keep this layering … I would add a cover to the latex topper because ultraviolet and ozone and various solvents can break down and degrade latex faster and a good quality cover (instead of just a mattress protector and sheets) is a good idea for latex.
Thanks for making such great suggestions and comments and for highlighting a great option for those who may prefer the feel and performance of a latex/memory foam combination. It’s clear you’ve done your homework and have accurately “thought through” the benefits of the specific layering you are using 
Phoenix
I need to give my husband his soft layer back, so would I need to swap some of my layers along with trying a topper?
Hi Akirk70,
You already have the softest “standard” layering they provide (unless you use a soft middle layer as well which didn’t seem to help which indicates that you would prefer something softer) so I would start with a softer topper on top of what you have along the lines of the previous suggestions (unless you choose to try Ely’s suggestion which would involve a 2" memory foam layer). I would talk to Shawn first though to see what he suggests (he has the benefit of thousands of customers that have purchased the same layering as you have and can use their feedback and his experience with your mattress to your benefit).
Phoenix