SleepEZ latex mattress review

So recently I bought a $2000 air mattress and while I slept OK on it, I couldnt deal with the fact I had spent so much on an air mattress and marketing. I had also purchased a 3" Talalay soft 20ild topper. I would sink right through to the air bladders. I am 5’6" 225. My wife is 9mo pregnant and is 5’4" 200, but is normally around 150 or lower.

So after coming to this site, I decided I wanted to purchase an all latex mattress. I had another thread going and Phoenix sent me to a hundred different links :stuck_out_tongue: . All of which I read and then I searched merchants that were recommended by this site and had some conversations with some people. I landed on SleepEZ because of the price and because I liked them. They answered my questions and were not too difficult to get a hold of. There are some vendors who have still not responded to my emails or calls.

So, Im assuming if you are on this site, you will know the approximate ILDs for soft, med and firm. Because I had already spent $400 on the soft topper, I didnt want to ship it back, but everybody says it would be too soft for me. Another reason I went with SleepEZ is that they gave me a 13" mattress cover at no charge and I only purchased their 10" mattress. My plan was to put my soft topper on top and the other layers underneath as so:

Her Him

Soft Soft
Soft Med
Med Firm
Firm Frim

It felt very comfortable when I layed on it. My wife is one of those people that could sleep on anything, so this has been all about me. After the first night, I could definitely tell the top layer was too soft. I was sinking in way too far and it was causing me pain. I couldnt wait for my alarm to go off. I actually got up an hour earlier than I needed to.

So plan B was to move the soft topper down one level, so my wifes configuration would be the same and mine would be med, soft, firm, firm. That’s how I slept on it last night and I loved it. I will obviously still have to give it a few days, but my lower back wasnt hurting at all and I woke up refreshed and relatively pain free.

Im a side sleeper and I still found my self waking up to switch sides every 2-3 hours. The first night I tried using the shredded latex pillow under my head and my older memory foam pillow (that I love) between my legs.

It seemed like my neck was at an awkward angle with the shredded latex. I think, if I didnt toss and turn, the latex would conform to my head/neck, but I dont know what to do here.

The second night I switched them up and put my head on my memory foam pillow, which I still love and the king latex pillow between my legs. At first, that seemed to work well, but I would wake up and because of the weight of my legs, the pillow would have almost no latex between my legs. Its like the movement during the night pushed all the latex out to the sides. Also, the latex pillow is super heavy. I think thats why I was waking up to roll over. I would have to grab the pillow with my hands to help with the rolling over process.

I think I like smaller pillows between my legs, but I like something that will be supportive and not break down under the weight every couple of months. A small light pillow is easy to roll over with. I can do it in my sleep without waking up. I wonder if it would be possible to remove the latex from the king pillow and insert it into a smaller pillow. But I still think it would be too heavy.

I’m only two nights into this, but I’m glad I made the decision I did. I will try laying my head on the latex again. My wife has my old, smaller, memory foam pillow that works great between my legs, but she wont give it up. :blink:

Hi HoosierLife,

Thanks for taking the time to share your comments and feedback … I appreciate it.

As you mentioned you are still early in the break in and adjustment period (see post #3 here) but the combination you are currently using sounds promising.

It’s not unusual at all to need a different pillow when you purchase a new mattress because you will likely be sinking into the new mattress either more or less than your previous mattress so the gap between your head and neck and the mattress can change. While choosing a suitable pillow in terms of thickness and firmness is an important part of the overall sleeping system because it’s what keeps your head and neck in good alignment … choosing a pillow is also more of a preference choice than choosing a mattress because most people are more sensitive to the “feel” of a pillow that is right against their face than they are to the “feel” of a mattress. There is more information about choosing a pillow in the pillow topic here that may be helpful.

It’s also not unusual that shredded pieces in a pillow can shift away if you are using it in between your knees if the shredded latex is more loosely packed inside the pillow cover.

You could certainly try using the shredded latex in a smaller cover so it was more tightly packed to see how it works for you but your own experience will really be the only way to know for sure and if your wife’s pillow works well between your legs then you have a good reference point of something that works well for you and it would probably be worth buying another memory foam pillow that is very similar. That way all you need to do is decide on which pillow is best for you under your head.

I’m looking forward to any additional feedback you have the chance to share over time.

Phoenix

I will say this, when I visited a local retailer to try out a couple of their latex beds, I used one of their all latex pillows between my legs. I really liked that. I thought at first it would be too much as it was large and fluffy, but it mashed down pretty easily. I just need a few inches of separation and I need something in the standard size and that wont become mashed down in a few months.

Hi HoosierLife,

If you liked the “feel” of a solid latex pillow that was thin and soft enough to use between your knees more than memory foam then latex in general is the most durable foam material in the industry and it would certainly make a good choice in terms of durability.

Phoenix

Well, I slept with 3" soft topper as my second layer for a couple of days. I was still noticing my hips were sinking down into the mattress and I have had a new sharp pain in my lumbar since I got this bed and dull aches in my lower back when I wake up.

So last night I removed the the soft topper all together and just slept on m/f/f and my wife was on s/m/f.

I still woke up with lower back pain, though I seemed to sleep better. My wife complained when she woke up that her back hurt. But she is 9 months pregnant so we have to take her opinion with a grain of salt.

I still feel my hips sinking down further than my shoulders and it is still uncomfortable for my shoulders. A medium firmness is not a very comfortable comfort layer in my opinion. Is there some kind of topper I can add that is comfortable but won’t affect my hips/shoulders negatively? I thought the bed I tried out at the store was super comfortable, but it had a 4" 15 ild layer on top. I’m sure my back would have been killing me in the morning, but I sure loved the feel.

To be honest, the most comfortable I have been and the best pain free sleep I have received was when I put that soft topper on my old spring mattress.

I read about Bowles HD series in this thread.https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/so-i-walked-into-a-mattress-store-today

I drive by Longs Furniture World in Franklin for work. I wanted to try those out, but got hooked on the latex idea and wouldn’t let go. I wonder if their HD series might be a better fit considering my PPP?

I feel so fickle now and if I return this bed my wife is likely to kill me, but I want soft comfort but great support. I don’t think I will get this from an all latex mattress at my weight.

What do you think Phoenix? Also, do you know what the cost is for their HD King set?

I also, obviously, still have the 3" soft topper which could be added to any of the Bowles mattresses if I went that direction. Would I run into the same problem of sinking through and not finding enough support for my hips?

I’ve read all the other threads that mention Bowles mattresses and the HD line is very firm, by most standards. I could always put the medium layers from my SleepEZ on it as well lol.

If I bought this bed, I would have 3 king size beds in my house right now lol!

Was looking on their website and they have other lines that have a lot more coils than the HD. I thought more coils were better? Maybe they are different. The HD line has offset coils.

Hi HoosierLife,

[quote]So plan B was to move the soft topper down one level, so my wifes configuration would be the same and mine would be med, soft, firm, firm. That’s how I slept on it last night and I loved it. I will obviously still have to give it a few days, but my lower back wasnt hurting at all and I woke up refreshed and relatively pain free.

Well, I slept with 3" soft topper as my second layer for a couple of days. I was still noticing my hips were sinking down into the mattress and I have had a new sharp pain in my lumbar since I got this bed and dull aches in my lower back when I wake up.[/quote]

How long did this combination work for you before you started noticing “symptoms”.

This may be too big of a change to make in a single step. I would make sure that you go very slowly and incrementally when you are making changes and give each combination at least a few days so that you give your body time to “catch up” to the changes you are making. Sometimes if you make changes that are too big or too frequently your body can react to the size of the change or the frequency of the changes you are making rather than to the specific change itself.

The most important step though when you are experiencing pain or discomfort on a component mattress is a more detailed conversation with the manufacturer. Have you talked with SleepEZ and have they made any suggestions?

Your hips are heavier than your shoulders so they will tend to sink down more than your shoulders but I would avoid trying to “figure out” how much any part of your body may be sinking down and just focus on how you feel on the mattress and on any actual discomfort or pain you are experiencing. How far it “feels like” different parts of your body may be sinking down can often just be part of the process of adjusting to a different type of material that you aren’t used to.

There are also some suggestions in post #2 here that may be helpful but shoulder issues are usually either from a top layer that is too firm or they can often be a pillow issue as well.

I would avoid speculating about toppers or other larger types of changes until your situation has “stabilized” a little bit but if the time comes that you want to add a topper then the type of topper would be a personal preference based on the type of material you tend to prefer (memory foam, polyfoam, latex, natural fibers, synthetic fibers etc).

If the time comes that you do decide to go in this direction then post #2 here and the topper guidelines it links to can help you use your more “stable” sleeping experience as a reference point and guideline for choosing the type, thickness, and firmness for a topper that has the least possible risk and the best chance for success.

[quote]I drive by Longs Furniture World in Franklin for work. I wanted to try those out, but got hooked on the latex idea and wouldn’t let go. I wonder if their HD series might be a better fit considering my PPP?

What do you think Phoenix? Also, do you know what the cost is for their HD King set? [/quote]

You are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components would be the best “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate than your own careful testing or personal experience … hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

They don’t list prices on their website so you would need to talk with Longs about their prices.

Again the only way to know whether any mattress/topper combination will be a good “match” for you will be based on your own personal testing or sleeping experience.

I would avoid coil counting as a way to determine the quality, durability, or value of a mattress because an innerspring isn’t normally the weak link in a mattress and the number of coils is only one of many factors that determines how a particular innerspring will feel and perform inside a specific mattress design and can be more misleading than helpful. There is more about the different types of innersprings in this article and in post #10 here but I would pay much more attention to your own careful and objective testing which will tell you how the innerspring performs in combination with the other layers and materials in a mattress and to the quality of the materials above the innerspring which is normally the weakest link in a mattress than I would to the number of coils in a mattress which by itself isn’t particularly meaningful.

If I was in your shoes though I would focus on small incremental steps and give yourself more time and most important of all I would make sure to have a more detailed conversation with SleepEZ.

Phoenix

Well I went and laid on some of the HD Bowles mattresses. Funny enough the ones with the 2 inch and 1 inch latex toppers caused pain in my hip as I laid on them. But there are ILD is real low. When I laid on their two base HD models, I had no hip pain. They weren’t too comfortable but maybe adding one of my latex layers will solve that problem. The salesman even recommended bringing in a couple of my latex layers and try them out.

I won’t be able to bring the wife out there until Friday evening. So I will sleep on my current set up for another two nights. So I will see how it goes. It’s not about the latex isn’t giving me a good support and helping with my pressure points, it’s just not that comfortable to me.

Maybe I need to get over that and just focus on being pain-free when I wake up.

And the set up that I’m laying on now is what SleepEZ recommended after I spoke with them.

Hi HoosierLife,

I would go very slowly, cautiously, and incrementally and allow yourself enough time with the mattress and each change you make for your body to adjust and to identify clear patterns in your experience. With a component mattress I would also take advantage of SleepEZ’s expertise and the options you have available and use the full 90 days before deciding on going in a different direction completely.

I have seen too many people that make changes too quickly (either with layering combinations or with replacing the mattress itself) and then years and many mattresses later are still having the same issues that they started with where “nothing” seems to work.

Phoenix

Well, at your recommendation, I have left everything the same. My wife is sleeping on the couch and I wake up in the middle of the night having to roll over from pain. I’ve got pain in the morning I’ve never had before.

I have the soft topper bagged up and ready to ship back. I have two days to make that decision. I’ve asked Chuck at DreamFoam for an extension so we will see. My wife liked the bed with two soft layers. Honestly, we did not give it much time.

I know right now I’m not liking it. I’m ready to scrap it all and go with a pocket coil mattress at Bowles. I know their poly foam is 1.8 density. Which is the lowest grade of HD, but I’m sure it’s still pretty good. I layer on the beds and they felt soft. I like soft.

If I did go this route, what kind of comfort layers would you reccomend? I know I’m all over the place, but I am just really unhappy with both my air bed and latex purchases.

Hi HoosierLife,

[quote]I have the soft topper bagged up and ready to ship back. I have two days to make that decision. I’ve asked Chuck at DreamFoam for an extension so we will see. My wife liked the bed with two soft layers. Honestly, we did not give it much time.

I know right now I’m not liking it. I’m ready to scrap it all and go with a pocket coil mattress at Bowles. I know their poly foam is 1.8 density. Which is the lowest grade of HD, but I’m sure it’s still pretty good. I layer on the beds and they felt soft. I like soft.[/quote]

I would agree that you haven’t given it enough time or had the chance to try some of the different configurations that may be helpful.

There is some information in post #2 here about the most common symptoms that people may experience on a mattress and some of the most common causes for them that may help you identify the reasons for your experiences and “symptoms”.

There is also more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support” and “pressure relief” and “feel”.

The most important suggestion I could make though though would be to stay in touch with SleepEZ about each new combination you test so you can take advantage of their knowledge and experience with other customers that are similar to you that have had similar issues since you may not be making the type of changes that would be the most likely to help with your “symptoms”. They will be the most reliable source of guidance that can help you make the type of changes that would have the best chance of success.

You are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components would be the best “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate than your own careful testing or personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

If you list the layers and components of a mattress on the forum (see this article) then I can certainly make some comments about the quality and durability of the materials and the mattress as a whole but only you can decide whether a mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of PPP.

Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress that is the best “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for that are involved in each of them and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability, durability, and value.

Phoenix

Well here’s the new plot twist. I sleep mainly on my right side and today my right elbow is all red and itchy and it has little bumps like a rash all over it. I’m having a red irritation on my right hip and groin area as well. All places that are firmly in contact with the mattress in.

I think I might suffer from a mild latex allergy LOL.

Hi HoosierLife,

[quote]Well here’s the new plot twist. I sleep mainly on my right side and today my right elbow is all red and itchy and it has little bumps like a rash all over it. I’m having a red irritation on my right hip and groin area as well. All places that are firmly in contact with the mattress in.

I think I might suffer from a mild latex allergy LOL. [/quote]

While a latex allergy is certainly possible … it would be normally be to the dipped latex that is used in gloves, balloons, and condoms etc and it would be very unusual with foamed latex because it is washed and it would usually require direct physical contact with the latex itself without a cover over the latex. There is more about latex allergies and sensitivities in post #2 here.

If you do suspect an allergy though there are some tests that you can have done with your doctor to confirm whether you have an allergy or sensitivity to latex or the curing package that is used to manufacture the latex.

Either way though … I would want to know the cause of your symptoms and would definitely see your health care provider.

Phoenix