Pressure Points With Sleepez

[phoenix]

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)

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.

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