Selecting the right material and support for latex topper

Hi! I’m back on the mattress underground a year after the knowledgeable folks here helped advise me on a mattress! I have been very happy with the one I went with, the Brentwood Cypress Hybrid, but I found I needed a little extra cushion on top. I purchased a cheap 1.5" memory foam option from Kohls that is not providing me enough support (I think my body joints are squishing right through it), and I’m ready to make the switch to Latex.
For reference, I am a 5’8" 118 pound 30 year old female with chronic pain and joint issues. I slept on my stomach prior to getting my Brentwood mattress but now I wake up on my side quite often.

My questions are - will Dunlop provide more support than Talalay? Based on what I’ve read here I am leaning towards going with Talalay but I’m still unclear about the differences between the two materials at the same ILD. I’m also wondering if anyone has a recommendation for what ILD level and thickness I should be going for - I need more support than my memory foam is providing, but a lot of comfort as I’m extremely bony and my mattress alone hurt my hips and shoulders. Is there a significant difference between 15 and 19 ILD, or 19 and 22?

Based on what I’ve read on here, I’m considering a soft 2" Sleep on Latex topper for Dunlop, or these 2" options for talalay:
Latex mattress factory, 19ILD,
Latex for Less soft (unsure of ILD)
DIY Mattress, ILD 20-24
Arizona Premium, but unsure if the supersoft (ILD 15-19) would be too soft
Flexus comfort, ILD 22 (unsure if this would be too hard)

Any advice is very appreciated, thank you!

[quote=“CEMDaughter post=90618”]My questions are - will Dunlop provide more support than Talalay? Based on what I’ve read here I am leaning towards going with Talalay but I’m still unclear about the differences between the two materials at the same ILD. I’m also wondering if anyone has a recommendation for what ILD level and thickness I should be going for - I need more support than my memory foam is providing, but a lot of comfort as I’m extremely bony and my mattress alone hurt my hips and shoulders. Is there a significant difference between 15 and 19 ILD, or 19 and 22?
[/quote]

ILD simply refers to a force required to displace the mattress under testing conditions (explaining details on this would be more confusing than helpful). What you need to know is that for a given force/area talalay is more conforming than dunlop. This is not a good or bad thing since there are different reasons you may want one or the other material characteristics. In your case because you are bony (conforming is helpful) I would definitely chose talalay for the material. Again there are 2 main issues with mattresses that people typically have as problems, pressure and alignment. It’s not totally clear to me which one you are having issues with (perhaps both). Check your spinal alignment on your side by taking a photo at bed level and make sure it’s straight. If so then likely this is a pressure related issue (typical of pain in the hips/shoulders on bony body types). At 5’8" and 120 lbs your BMI is quite low so likely anything from a 19-22ILD talalay should work well. If you go too soft/thick it can cause alignment issues so I would stick to 2" for now and then increase it if needed for pressure relief. I’m sure others will comment too but hopefully this helps.

Hi,
Thank you so much for your response! As far as pressure/alignment, the problem is definitely both. I think the reason I am waking up on my side now is the alignment in my previous sleep position (stomach) is so awful that my body can’t take it. My hips dip extremely low, and if I lay on my back it’s very arched. When I am laying on my side, though, there’s extreme pressure on my hip and shoulder hitting the mattress. When I first got this mattress a year ago, alignment was perfect, I just needed an extra layer because of that pressure. I really hope this is all due to the 1.5" topper and not the mattress sagging less than a year in. I went ahead and ordered the 19ILD talalay option from Latex Mattress Factory based on your advice - thank you! I’m also going to try removing the topper I currently have and taking a look at my mattress to see if it’s somehow losing support after less than a year since it’s still under warranty.

Hi @CEMDaughter

I was just writing to see how you liked your Brentwood Hybrid? I just ordered it and it should be here tomorrow. Had I found this site earlier I probably would not have ordered it. I went with the 13’’ Hybrid LUXE king. Can you tell me about your experience? Thanks!