Looking for a bit of guidance and advice. I’ve done quite a bit of reading elsewhere and then found this site and feel like I’ve found the real, uunbiased information I had been looking for all along.
Here is a bit about the sleepers and some background:
Me: 5’11" 195lbs. 41 years old. 100% side sleeper. I’ve been waking up with soreness in my hips and I do have some lower back problems which essentially come down to arthritis (facet disease & degenerative disc disease). My wife likes to call me the “Prince and the Pea” because it has traditionally been difficult for me to find a quality, long-lasting mattress.
Wife: 5’6" 160lbs 40 years old. 80% side sleeper 20% back sleeper. No significant issues and much less fussy when it comes to mattress selection.
The best mattress I have had to date is a Dormeo 5500, which I purchased from Sleep Country about 6 years ago. When I first bought it I had never slept better in my life, but last year after we moved we decided to get a new mattress, and boy did we make a big mistake. We didn’t want to get anything very expensive, so I bought a Sleep In Mattress “Bella” model, which was recommended to me at a local furniture store. It’s a hybrid which they say is “foam encased with gel”. Sufficed to say it’s not meeting our needs after just over a year since we bought it, so now we are doing a lot more research and trying to find something that will satisfy those PPPs and be durable enough to last enough at least 5 years.
From all the research I’ve done so far, I have landed on latex, and from there have decided we are going to take a look at Dormio and Foamite since they are both relatively close to us and seem to be well reviewed on the site here. We went to Dormio in Mississauga today, and spoke with a friendly, patient, and well-versed salesperson named Lance. There was no pressure whatsoever, and he gladly answered any questions we had. After testing 6-8 different models we finally settled on 2 that we thought were contenders:
And then in terms of density, he gave me the following information:
Firm = 90 K/m3
Medium = 75 K/m3
Soft = 65 K/m3
LGU = 55 K/m3
We are planning to go to Foamite on Tuesday and see what they are offering. One thing I like about them is that they supply foam for many of the bigger and smaller mattress companies around, so I figure they should be absolute experts on the subject. I will post again after we have been there, and I’m not sure exactly what kind of guidance or recommendations one can make from the information I’ve provided, but any input would be greatly appreciated.
Welcome to the Mattress Underground ! Thanks for joining the forum, for your kind words on the site, and for your question.
Congrats on your girlfriend becoming your wife, Tim ! I am sorry to hear that within the past several years, two mattresses have caused a variety of aches and pains for you. What type mattresses were they and what size? It would be good to know a little more of your mattress history to better understand where they failed in providing proper comfort and support for you.
[quote]Personal stats:
I am an athletic guy at 180 cm (5ft + 10,87in) and 75kg (165,34 pounds) with broad shoulders and long arms. I also have had serious hip issues in the past stemming from overuse (do to judo). I feel I need a way “softer” mattress, so a mattress that gives me more pressure relief as I currently feel like I don’t sink into the mattress enough at the shoulders and the hips. My wife is 158 cm (5 feet 2 inches) and 55 kg (121,25 lbs) and is getting more athletic right now. She always had wide hips.[/quote]
Thanks for including both yours and your wife’s personal stats for better understanding your needs. Your body shape and weight distribution play important roles in the type softness and thickness of the comfort and support materials and construction needed. Generally, curvier profiles such as your broad shoulders and her wider hips need thicker comfort layers to provide just enough “sink” for conforming to your sleeping positions. Perhaps I missed this detail somewhere in your beautifully detailed post, but what are your preferred sleeping positions? I’m guessing side/ side and combination?
That one of you has no particular requests of the mattress makes the selection process a little easier for you both. We are seeing more interest in split comfort mattresses, so that option is available in areas where that request is more popular.
[quote]After reading the website, it seemed to me that a latex mattress has virtually no disadvantages beside the price? Since this isn’t an issue I would like to go with such a kind of mattress.
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Price is one consideration of several regarding an all-latex mattress. Both natural and blended latex are high quality, highly durable materials, prized for their pressure-point relieving comfort and high support factor. The latex manufacturing process is more costly but yields a product that far surpasses many other components in terms of longevity, hence the higher price point. The other consideration is a latex mattress creates quite a heavy mattress. It requires a foundation that can support both the weight of the mattress and users evenly across the mattress’s entire support surface, as well as allow for proper air circulation of the mattress itself. Latex mattresses also respond and perform quite differently than traditional innerspring or memory foam mattresses. Do you have access to testing latex mattresses locally?
[quote]My questions:
I couldn’t really find anything on the beds themselves? If I go for a Latex-mattress what is the best type of bed to place underneath? Does it have any effect on the mattress? I’m leaning towards a boxspring. But does this affect the mattress and how it supports me? Most latex manufactures claim their product works on any surface.[/quote]
A boxspring should be fine, Tim; it need not be fancy or expensive. Any foundation that provides even support across the bottom surface of the mattress and appropriate air circulation will work well for you. Other types of foundations commonly used with latex mattresses are platform beds, slatted wood RTA foundations, and adjustable bed bases.
The latex itself is inherently resistant to dust mites; however, encasements , pillows and linens are all fabrics and therefore are not. A well-constructed waterproof mattress protector should help fend off those nasty creatures. You may find these NIH allergy reducing suggestions from trusted member Spindle Mattress’s site helpful.
[quote]3. Since I’m athletically built but I’m not really that heavy, I fall in the "lighter weight category and the curvy category (wide shoulders).
When I read this on the website:
Lighter weights will need softer and thinner comfort layers
Curvier body profiles will need thicker and softer comfort layers
I’m not sure what my best pick is. I would lean towards thicker and softer comfort layers, so if I just buy a thicker latex mattress I should be fine?[/quote]
TMU’s recommendations are based on compiled research and the deep knowledge and experience of our trusted member manufacturers who understand what consumers’ comfort and support needs are. While you may find the guidance difficult to apply specifically to you, the suggestions are based on historically proven combinations of what body profiles, weights, heights (BMI indexing), and personal preferences correspond best with the individual user. Unfortunately, it is impossible to choose any particular mattress or construction for someone from a forum conversation; however, our trusted members are here to share their expertise and help guide you through the mattress selection process. Choosing a model with thicker and softer comfort layers should be a good start, but that doesn’t necessarily equate to a “thicker” mattress.
[quote]4. So in summary: as I see it now my pick would be a Boxspring bed with a Latex mattress. I found a service that delivers the mattress in different parts and let’s you assemble it yourselves. They have a 100 days of testing and a “no questions asked” return policy. They claim 100% natural Dunlop latex (and they seem to have certificates to back this up). The cover is 70% organic cotton and 30% organic wool.
They have two options:
Also, they have different layers of Latex foam which you put in the tike yourself. This allows you to configure it in a way that gives you the most comfort. And if my wife ever feels she needs a different kind of support or comfort, we can change her side as well.[/quote]
Thanks for including the Una site links for review of your choices, Tim. Both their Essential and Delux models are Natural latex/ all latex mattresses featuring multi-zoned layers that are interchangeable within a zippered cover. Their marketing and certifications do support a “natural” story, if organic is preference for you, and they offer a fair return policy.
[quote]What do you think? Does this seem legit? The reviews look great. They have certificates stating that their products are 100% natural. These links are from the UK website. I’ll be buying from their Dutch website based in the Netherlands. It seems like they just expanded to this market because I see a lower amount of reviews on this particular website.
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Una is an international brand that I do not have experience with, so I cannot speculate on either their quality or their reputation. The site is quite transparent regarding the mattress’s component’s specs and product details, and that is important for creating trust with consumers. Please take any site’s product reviews with a grain of salt, Tim. One person’s great experience with a mattress could vary widely with your expectations and experience, so please keep both extremely positive and terribly negative comments in mind when evaluating consumer reviews.
Please accept my sincere apologies on the delayed response and hope that these thoughts help you somewhat. Have you made any further decisions on your purchase?
We went to Foamite and I’ve got to say the experience was quite different and a lot more reassuring than Dormio. We spoke with Bob who was incredibly knowledgable and answered all of our questions to the fullest extent. Overall, the word that keeps coming to mind is “transparent” and that is not just about Bob, but also quite literally as they have foam just about everywhere in the showroom, including a massive display of dozens of different types of foam near the front desk. I guess that’s what happens when you deal with an actual foam manufacturer directly. What gave me a lot of peace of mind was not only that Foamite supplies many of the biggest brands in the business, but also that next to each floor model mattress was a cutaway showing you exactly how each one is constructed. That’s just how transparent they are with their products.
Through speaking with Bob I began to have a few doubts about my experience at Dormio. First of all, he was unfamiliar with them as a company and also with LGU as a latex material. Since Dormio sells latex mattresses I am very surprised that Foamite wouldn’t be aware of them since Foamite is such a large distributor/manufacturer. Then, when I mentioned that Dormio wasn’t overly clear about their foam densities, and that they used K/m3 rather than speaking in ILD and lbs/inch2 that also seemed to hit a nerve. So a couple of red flags, but considering these are coming from a competitor, I know I should be taking them with a grain of salt.
Bottom line is that I felt much more confident in the quality and the product that Foamite offers. They base their suggestions and guidance on what they call Ergo Numbers, and this is generally to do with one’s weight and sleep style, along with a number of other factors. Not only that, but they will customize the mattress to your specifications. So we can have zoning that allows the mattress to be softer at the shoulders and feet than the hip section, and I can have a different firmness on my side of the mattress as compared to my wife’s side if we have different preferences. They also make the mattress double sided so we can have one firmness on one side and a different firmness on the other should we want to switch. I believe there is also the option to just switch the placement of the layers ourselves by unzipping the cover. After trying 3 of their product lines and several firmness options for each, we settled on the following:
10" thick mattress overall
LX26 = medium firmness 100% all natural latex
PR28 = medium firmness high resiliency soy-based bio foam
KN41 = firm firmness Koosh Natural 2.6lb high resiliency foam
Top: LX26 all the way across
My side: PR28 then KN41
Her side: PR28
Firm edges with KN41 all the way around
Latex/C-pkt hybrid with silver pure 2-sided zippered cover
At this point, I am pretty sure about this choice. We are going to go back to Foamite on Tuesday for another test and possibly to purchase. Any insights folks might provide before then would be greatly appreciated.
First the 2 most important characteristics with foam are usually density (helps to understand the durability of the foam over time) and ILD (effectively translates to a pressure or force over a given area at a certain deflection percentage). Some foams like latex don’t usually list density because manufacturers are few and durability of the foam is usually very high. Additionally there are different types of latex foam which includes both dunlop and talalay which have very different feel (the more curvy you are the more talalay will likely suit you better as a comfort layer). There is no mention of what type of latex this is so I suspect it’s likely dunlop. Poly foams you usually want at least 2.0 lb/ft3 and the higher the better in terms of durability so I would ask about the densities of the other layers (I suspect the foam names indicate their ILD ratings but it would be good to verify this on the data sheets). If the manufacturer is being fully transparent then I would ask for the data sheets on all the foams which should list all the ASTM specs to be able to evaluate the performance of the foam over its lifetime.
I did see this from Foamtite: https://www.foamite.com/foam-grades/ (I don’t see any data sheets though, should specify what ASTM testing was performed)
! Thanks for joining the forum, for your kind words on the site, and for your question.