I have now slept on my new latex mattress for a couple of days short of 5 weeks. It is the most comfortable mattress I have ever slept on in my entire life! I am so happy with my decision to take the leap and purchase a latex mattress online. I want to thank Phoenix, this website, and also SleepEZ for helping me make my decision. I am glad I went with the soft, medium, firm instead of medium, medium, firm for the layer configuration. I am very happy with the talalay as the type of latex for all three layers. I am also very glad that I decided to go with the wool cover. I am in love!! Thank you!!
Hi suz111,
Thanks once again for taking the time to share another update ⌠I appreciate it.
Itâs great to hear that your choice worked out so well for you and now that you are past the break in and adjustment period you should be sleeping well on your mattress for many years 
Phoenix
Iâm not sure if this is the right place for this butâŚ
About 6 months ago I bought 3 3" queen Dunlop latex layers from SleepOnLatex. They seem to be high quality, no complaints there. I chose a firm, medium, and soft. I assembled them in that order with the firm on bottom, of course, and gave it a whirl.
I am a big guy, 250lbs, muscular, broad shoulders, not overweight, I workout pretty often. I slept on my stomach my whole life, until about 8-9 years ago, when i changed to my side. in the last 3-4 years, iâve struggled with upper back pain and have had trouble getting a while nightâs rest because of it. This pain is the reason i started looking into latex and mattresses in the first place.
I believe that my shoulders, when iâm laying on my side, are being pushed together and causing this pain. I think the shoulder that is not against the mattress is tending to fall, gravity is pulling it down, and i am kindof âhunchingâ during sleep and it strains muscles around my spine and leading to a deep soreness. My shoulders are muscular and very heavy. To address this, i turn onto my back to relieve the pain around my spine, but then my lower back becomes sore after awhile.
I switched the soft and medium layers, with the soft in the middle and medium on top, and have been sleeping on that for awhile now. I think it helped, but the pain is still pretty intense.
I feel like the mattress is too firm and does not allow my shoulder to sink in enough, but if i make it too soft then my hips will not be supported.
Iâm thinking about getting another latex layer, a medium. What do you think? Do you think another 3" topper will allow more room for my shoulder to sink into and relieve the pain? Have any of you experienced this spinal soreness in your upper back?
Thanks for any insight you provide!
SaintLouisSleeper wrote:
Two easy and inexpensive things I would tell you to consider before making layer changes:
- Reevaluate your pillow. Make sure it is thick enough when you are on your side to maintain a decent alignment and make sure that if you roll to your stomach that you are not using that thick pillow.
- Change the way you sleep on your side. Try placing a large pillow behind your shoulders/upper thoracic area to allow you to slightly lean back against it when you are on your side. This takes some of the stress off of the shoulder joint against the mattress and also allows for some support for the shoulder not against the mattress. Additionally, try âhuggingâ a pillow in front of you when sleeping on your side. This can help to take some of the stress off of the shoulder that is against the mattress, and also helps to support the shoulder that is not against the mattress. You didnât mention how you position your arm that is against the mattress. If you find âhuggingâ the pillow top be uncomfortable, I would still tell you to place a pillow in front of you and use it for a ledge upon which you may place your free arm that is not against the mattress. This will allow for extra support and take some of the stress off of this area and the upper thoracic region.
Having a mesomorph somatotype creates specific conditions that often require unique solutions. Highly trained athletes are often some of the most susceptible to waking up with issues, as their bodies are frequently placed under extremely heavy loads and vulnerable to alignment problems.
As a former athlete/coach who trained the back region with extreme intensity, these techniques worked well for me, regardless of the mattress I used. I will mention one other thing that has personally provided me tremendous relief, and that was using a power foundation under my latex mattress. By slightly raising the feet and slightly raising the head elevation, I was able to create a bit of an area for my hips to âsink inâ, and then the slight elevation took a bit of stress off of my shoulder area. Please note - this worked for me and I donât recommend that you run out and purchase a power base. I would tell you to investigate the first two things I mentioned previously. I just wish to point out that by making subtle variances in the direction that gravity âpullsâ on us, we can dramatically improve our sleep and restoration. And of course, you always have the option of changing out your foam layers.
Good luck!
Hi SaintLouisSleeper,
I switched your post to a new topic of its own.
While itâs not possible to âdiagnoseâ mattress comfort issues on a forum with any certainty because there are too many unique unknowns and variables involved that can affect how each person sleeps on a mattress in terms of PPP or any âsymptomsâ they experience ⌠there is more about the most common symptoms that people may experience when they sleep on a mattress and the most likely (although not the only) reasons for them in post #2 here.
There is also more about primary or âdeepâ support and secondary or âsurfaceâ support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the ârolesâ 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 âsupportâ and âpressure reliefâ and âfeelâ.
These posts are the âtoolsâ that can help with the analysis, detective work, or trial and error that may be necessary to help you learn your bodyâs language and âtranslateâ what your body is trying to tell you so you can identify the types of changes that have the best chance of reducing or eliminating any âsymptomsâ you are experiencing (at least to the degree that any symptoms are from your mattress rather than the result of any pre-existing issues you may have that arenât connected to a mattress).
Overall (and not surprisingly since he is an expert in these types of issues) I would agree that Jeffâs suggestions would be the first place I would start to see if they can help solve the issues and âsymptomsâ you are experiencing.
While your own personal experience is really the only way to know whether an extra layer will be helpful ⌠there is more about the effect of thickness in post #14 here. âIn theoryâ it could be helpful but I would try some of Jeffâs suggestions first.
Various zoning systems can also be very useful and worth considering for people who have more challenging circumstances or sensitivities, body types that are more difficult to âmatchâ to a mattress, or who have a history of having more difficulty in finding a mattress that works well for them. There is more about zoning in this article and in post #11 here.
Phoenix
[quote=âSaintLouisSleeperâ post=58320]
I switched the soft and medium layers, with the soft in the middle and medium on top, and have been sleeping on that for awhile now. I think it helped, but the pain is still pretty intense.
I feel like the mattress is too firm and does not allow my shoulder to sink in enough, but if i make it too soft then my hips will not be supported. [/quote]
To add onto the zoning idea, if your case is zippered, you could make your own zoned mattress from the latex you have.
Horizontally cut both your soft and medium layers at waist height for you: lie on the latex and put a dot of permanent marker on the latex between your hips and shoulders where you need the least bodily support and would notice two different firmnesses of latex the least. Draw your cut line at the dot for both pieces. You do want the cut on each piece to be in as much as the same spot as possible.
Then take half of the medium and put it on top of the latex stack, under your hips with the soft underneath it and place the smaller half of the soft under your shoulders with the medium underneath it. I say smaller half because for most of us, our waist up sleeps on a smaller bit of a mattress than our legs down do.
While it would cost you the time to cut the latex, if the new configuration doesnât work for you, you arenât out the cost of a new mattress. In fact, you could go back to your previous mattress configuration, just by putting the pieces back in their right order.
Your sleeping situation is not uncommon. This is one solution that some have tried.
Update:
First off, thank you all for your thoughtful responses. This is a valuable resource to be able to confide in and receive expert feedback!
To summarize my issue, my 3 layered Dunlop topper configuration of firm on bottom, medium in the middle, and soft on top was causing excruciating upper back pain between my shoulder blades, while side sleeping, and lower back pain while sleeping on my back.
After reading a post that Phoenix shared, regarding spinal alignment and mattress density, I thought my 250lbs to be too heavy for such a soft bed, that I needed a firmer mattress, that my hips were sinking too far causing stress on my spine.
To test this, I left the firm on bottom, folded the medium over onto itself lengthwise, and completely removed the soft. This essentially allowed me to experience a firm on bottom and two medium layers on top, without having to commit to buying a potentially unnecessary layer. This configuration caused the same pain, no relief.
I then returned the medium back to normal and put the soft back on top, this time folding the soft lengthwise on top. So I had a firm on bottom, medium in the middle, and two soft layers on top, all 3 inch Dunlop layers. SWEET RELIEF!!! Like a light switch, all my troubles floated away! Iâm in heaven now, all that money spent on latex has finally paid off.
I now plan to buy a soft talalay layer to put on top. My back pain was from a mattress that was too firm. If you have pain as Iâve described, it MAY be because your mattress is too firm. I should say now, that I was convinced that it was the opposite. I almost purchased another firm layer, convinced that my hips were sinking. Boy was I wrong! Keep in mind that I am a muscular 250lbs with broad shoulders and a little but of a gut.
If you spent a lot of money on latex and feel frustrated, know that all is not lost.
Thanks again guys!
Glad you updated your post because it pushed it up to the top so I was able to see it. I have the same issues as you, and am of similar build (6â1", 260lbs, muscular w/ a little gut). I am going to look into this solution. Just wanted to say thanks for the update.
Hi SaintLouisSleeper,
Thatâs great news ⌠and thanks for sharing the results of your trial and error on different layering arrangements on the forum. I appreciate it
With your broad shoulders it makes sense that you would need some additional softness so your shoulders can sink in a little more.
My only caution with your plan is that it may be worth considering a soft Dunlop layer that is the same as your current soft layer instead of Talalay since that is the specific layering combination that seemed to work well for you.
Phoenix
Phoenix, this is actually a real concern of mine as well. I just placed an order for 3" soft talalay because Graig (or Gary?) over at sleeponlatex recommended it, after I explained my situation. Since placing the order Iâve been thinking that I should really just keep what is working, after my experiment, that I should get soft Dunlop instead.
I do have a few days to change the order.
My logic is this:
Iâve been sleeping on toppers that are NOT encased in any type of mattress zip cover or anything. Just bare latex toppers on a slatted platform bed with sheets and a polyester blanket. I can feel the latex in high fidelity. I just ordered a high quality juma wool and bamboo zippered mattress encasement along with the talalay, to protect the layers. I expect that the soft talalay will be softer than the soft Dunlop, but I also expect the wool encasement will firm it up a little. Iâm not sure if this is right and I hope someone will weigh in on this.
Also, Iâm curious if a medium talalay is similar in feel to a soft dunlop. I can keep the soft talalay order, or change it to soft Dunlop, or Iâm kind of considering changing it to a medium talalay.
What do you think?
Hi SaintLouisSleeper,
Every layer and component in a mattress (including the cover) will have an effect on the feel and performance of every other layer and component above and below it so there is no way for me to know which combination of layers will work best for you ⌠especially when you are adding another variable (the mattress cover).
There is more about some of the differences between Dunlop and Talalay in post #7 here. If both layers are the same thickness and in the same position in the mattress and their ILD was measured in the same way (which isnât always the case ⌠see post #6 here) then for most (but not all) people a âone stepâ firmness difference where the Talalay was in the range of about 4 - 5 ILD firmer than the Dunlop would probably feel like they have a similar firmness although they would still âfeelâ different.
There is also more about the pros and cons of a wool quilted cover vs a more stretchy knit cover in post #6 here.
While I can give you more information about the pros and cons of different options ⌠the only way to know whether any combination of materials and components will be a good âmatchâ for you in terms of PPP will be based on your own personal experience.
My comments were based on the premise that itâs hard to argue with success :).
Phoenix