I purchased a Natural Talalay DIY mattress about a year ago with the following 3" layers: 38 ILD firm, 28 ILD medium and 19 ILD soft. The mattress cover is quilted 2" wool and cotton (organic). I have tried numerous configurations, including buying a 2" (“28 that feels like a 14”) convoluted Talalay topper. I am 125 lbs and 5’4". I am a side sleeper almost on my stomach. I have only been able to sleep about four hours before waking up in pain and tossing and turning the rest of the night. If I just have the 3 3- inch layers then I end up with hip pain, and if I put the convoluted topper outside the mattress cover, it is too soft and I end up with lower back pain. If I take the soft 3"layer off and put the convoluted 2" inside, I get hip pain. I actually love the sinking marshmallow enveloping feeling instead of sleeping on top but alas the back pain. I am exhausted and miserable. I tried an all Dunlop mattress with the same configuration, but it was much worse. I felt like I was lying in an uncomfortable ditch halfway through the night. I also tried an air bed, but found it to be extremely uncomfortable no matter what I did. I recently took an old 2" Visco-elastic polyurethane foam mattress topper 22 oz. and put it on the firm and medium Talalay layers inside the mattress cover. I slept better on that without pain for about three nights until it started just flattening with no “life” in it and my hips hurt… I do not want to use memory foam anyway because it causes my nose to be very congested, although I do like the way it relieves more of my pressure points. I was wondering about the slow response Dunlop topper that was referred to in one of the threads posted on this forum. Do you have any recommendations about what I should try? It seems that I need just a little something extra that I don’t have but I don’t know what it should be. I have a history of a back injury and a shoulder injury and also have osteopenia. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you!
At this point it just comes down to what works for you. The combination of the 3" #28 and 3" #19 should do the job but it’s not. Adding the convoluted is too soft so the only thing I can think of is 2 more inches of #19. I am not aware of anyone having slow recovery latex anymore.
Ok thank you. I also want to thank all of the experts on this forum for providing such a plethora of good information - I read a huge amount on this site before making my mattress choices. I ended up contacting 4 of the mattress companies on this forum and all were extremely helpful, friendly, and courteous no matter how many times I called to ask questions. I just wish I wasn’t the proverbial “princess and the pea” type of case. I’ll just keep trying…. But if ANYONE one this forum has another suggestion please let me know!
Have you tried knee pillows? The solution may not be the mattress. I find them helpful for both back and side sleeping. I use regular pillows. I have a very thin one for my calves and ankles, and a thicker latex one for my knees and the bottom of my thighs. It’s a cheaper experiment than swapping out mattress layers.
Yes I do sleep with a squishy pillow on my side but I think your suggestion is worth pursuing further. I tried a suggestion to put the middle layer out of the mattress cover which did not work, but surprisingly when I put the soft layer outside it has been so much better. A longer more specific side pillow might be just what I need. Thank you!
Given your lightweight, I’d imagine that the 19 ild is firmer for you than most. And when you use the topper it becomes too soft, leading to lower back pain, tossing and turning. It seems like maybe you only need a touch more softness to solve your problem. I had this same issue a while back with my mattress. I got a 1 inch topper from sleep on latex that solved my issue. There seems to be less choice in the world of 1 inch toppers, but might be something to consider.