Recommendation for softer topper to top another Latex mattress

I bought the Talalay Wewatta (Sleep Nation)
https://mysleepnation.com/products/7346/Wewatta-St-Firm-
mattress last year in Colorado. It’s made of a 6" Talalay firm (they wouldn’t show their proprietary foam layer, nor would they provide a density rating for it) . There is another 6" of Talalay Latex underneath it. It’s wrapped in a slippery eucalyptus fabric.

I slept on it for 6 months and decided it was too firm. I am 140 lbs (6ft tall) and my husband is 170lbs (6 ft tall). I am a side sleeper with chronic back pain. My husband sleeps on his back and can snore if the mattress is too soft. The Wewatta foam mattress causes pressure points on my shoulder/hip and really stiffens my upper back.

I cannot return it because I live out of country (and there’s financial penalties for the “comfort exchange”, so I’m needing a topper. I’m fearful of picking the wrong topper due to this most recent costly mistake. I would prefer Talalay for it’s temperature controlling properties.

Which topper thickness and density would you recommend to make me want to sleep on my latex bed?

Thank you for reaching out, if you can find it I would recommend 3" of #19 Talalay either from Talalay Global or Vita Talalay in the Netherlands. That is what I sleep on and I am a pure side sleeper and this gives me no pressure points @ 175 lbs.

Thanks for the reply. Is there a reason why you suggest those two companies over others that sell Talalay toppers? Are there different qualities of toppers?

I think my question is similar. I’m a 137 lb 5’ 3" side and stomach sleeperfor what that’s worth.
I’ve tried:
6" 85 kg/m3 core with 3/4 inch soft latex quilted into the cover- too hard, hips and anterior superior iliac spines feel bruised

6" 75 kg/m3 with 3/4 inch softer (I think 65) quilted into cover - still getting pressure points with side sleeping, and now waking with low back discomfort and stiffness.

Tried 1 inch 65 kg/m3 and also 3 inch of 65 on top of 6 inch 75 - still a bit bruised feeling and is course even more low back discomfort by morning.

Tried 6" 95 with 3" 65 on top - worse pressure points, as one might expect

Tried 6" 85 with either 2 or 3" of 65 kg/m3 on top - this is the best overall but still have some degree of hip pressure point discomfort, and slight lower and now upper back stiffness in the mornings, although feels pretty good as I fall asleep a and I like that I can sleep on my stomach as well as my side without feeling low back strain.

Do I need to try a couple inches of 75 between the 65 and the 85?
I know it’s quite personal, but this has been tough to figure out!
Open to springs for the support later too, but it still seems like it’s more about the right compression/support than which material.

Thanks for any suggestions!

The numbers you provided are densities. One can guess firmness from those numbers, but it would be better if you replaced densities by firmness (in ILD).

Based on all that you have tried I would suggest a 2" 75K transition layer. You’ve tried pretty much everything else.

thanks! I thought 2 in of 75 made sense. This company’s ILDs don’t match anyone else’s for their densities at all, and they couldn’t tell me how they measure them, so didn’t seem too help to share.

What do you think of the suggestion that switch back to springs for the support layer is what I need to do?

Is this dunlop or Talalay latex that you have? I’m guessing dunlop

@MattressHuntress, I would definitely recommend switching to pocketed coils. I think that, when using only foam and latex in a mattress, it is much harder to nail proper alignment than when using pocketed coils. I don’t know what choices you have around where you live, but since you are in Arizona Premium forum, they have a nice hybrid mattress on their website: Ultimate Hybrid- Pocket Coil/Latex. I also sent you some additional options via MU private message, so check you inbox.

Yes, Dunlop.

I am going through a similar experience and could use some assistance. I have a Sleep on Latex firm mattress, and added a 2" soft latex topper (Sleep on Latex as well). I am former stomach sleeper who has switched to side sleeping but need extra support as my arms fall asleep while I’m sleeping. I am broad shouldered, and have a damaged labrum in one shoulder. So that shoulder support is key. I am using an Easy Breather Side Sleeper pillow

I am trying to understand if I can add a second topper - in addition to what I have now, rather than replacing one with the other. If that is possible, I’m looking to understand the type of “layering” I would need. I am assuming I would need a medium topper, with the 2" soft on top of that.

For context, I am 6’2, 225 (broad shouldered). My wife is 5’6", 140 with chronic hip tightness.

Any guidance would be appreciated!

You can add another topper to your SoL firm (assume their Standard Firm) in addition to your current 2" soft, and the two would layer well on top of each other since latex layers tends to stick to each other well and maintain their relative positions. I tried the SoL Standard Firm myself, which is constructed of 6" of 44ILD with 2" of 28ILD. I’m heavier than you at 300 lbs, but I found that exceptionally firm and almost like the feel of sleeping on a carpeted floor. So I tried to add a single 2" medium topper of 28ILD but found the combo to result in too thick of a comfort layer which allowed me to sag resulting in immediate lower back pain.

It’s hard to predict since you’re lighter than me but I’d be concerned whether adding a second topper to your current configuration might end up causing you a similar problem. I’d suggest discussing the possibility with SoL directly since they know their product best. You should also keep in mind that while they’re a great company to deal with they only allow one return per customer per year in each product category. So that means one mattress and one topper return allowed per year if the setup ends up not meeting your needs.

Good luck and I hope my experience may provide you with some points to consider.

Best regards and stay safe!

  • Bill

Yes, you probably would do better adding a Medium under the soft layer. If the soft layer is inside a cover then you need to remove it and place the medium there in it’s place and put the raw topper over it outside the cover. I don’t think the cover is designed to cram another 2" inside it. You should get a topper cover for the raw topper to help protect it from flaking.

[quote=“Arizona Premium” post=84598]Yes, you probably would do better adding a Medium under the soft layer. If the soft layer is inside a cover then you need to remove it and place the medium there in it’s place and put the raw topper over it outside the cover. I don’t think the cover is designed to cram another 2" inside it. You should get a topper cover for the raw topper to help protect it from flaking.
[/quote]

@sweetdreams had it right - my SOL mattress is an 8" that is comprised of a 6" firm (44) and 2" (32) medium. I had added a 2" soft (20) topper. I think my move is to move up to 3" for the shoulder relief. The SOL mattress is dunlop latex, but my research has led me to believe that talalay is better for a topper. At a 3" depth, should I be looking at blended talalay, or would a natural talalay have better durability at that greater depth?

It’s generally agreed that blended Talalay is actually more durable than natural Talalay as well as being less expensive. Blended Talalay is also more precise in its ILD ratings due to the way it’s manufactured, while natural is generally specified in an ILD range. You are correct that most find Talalay latex superior to Dunlop when used as a topper for pressure relief while Dunlop is best suited for the base layers.

  • Bill

I’m mulling over two approaches right now: Adding a 2" medium layer under the 2" soft layer, for a 4" comfort layer (on top of the 8" support layer). OR, switching to a 3" soft comfort layer, with a wool cover.

Double-checking my thinking, I’m not going to run into any ‘redundancy’ concerns by putting a 2" medium layer on top of a 2" medium layer, right?

[quote=“Sweet Dreams” post=84606]You are correct that most find Talalay latex superior to Dunlop when used as a topper for pressure relief while Dunlop is best suited for the base layers.

  • Bill[/quote]
    Do you have any sellers of blended talalay that you would recommend? I’ve visited the trusted partners page, but haven’t seen anyone selling blended talalay (admittedly, I haven’t visted every single page).

Arizona Premium Mattress should be able to help you with your Talalay latex needs, and this is their forum! :~)

Great point! :wink:

I’ve kept chewing over what I think I need in my reconfiguration. My current issue seems to be that I am “pushing through” my 2" soft (20 ILD) comfort layer, and “running into” my firm base layer - which is causing my arms to fall asleep.

At the same time, I am concerned with having too thick of a plush comfort layer, where I may run into alignment issues.

To that end, I think my best solution may be shifting from a Differential, to a Progressive construction. Here I would layer a Soft Layer, on top of a Medium layer. I’m thinking this would be 2" of Soft on top of 3" of Medium (or vice versa).

My ongoing question is this: If my core mattress is built of 6" of Firm + 2" of Medium - is adding another 2-3" of medium making a difference for me? My understanding is that the answer is “Yes,” and that I would be putting myself 2-3" further away from the firm core that’s causing my arms to fall asleep, but not risking alignment issues that might arise by using 4" of soft comfort layer.

I’m asking to ensure that I’m not repeating the same issue (a too-thin soft layer on top of a medium layer), just 2-3" higher off the ground! Does that make sense?

Thanks in advance!

Yes, 2" of medium will give you a little more separation from the firm core. So would a 3" soft topper instead of the 2".