Hi Kabudel,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum! … and I’m glad you found us :).
It sounds like you have completed steps 1 and 2 of the mattress shopping tutorial and are working on step 3 (where to test mattresses).
[quote]Here is what I have concluded from your site:
- I need thiner layers.
- Latex is good for me. Dunlop is harder, and probably better for me.
- One option is a thin latex layer on top and then innersprings or poly foam in the support layers.[/quote]
I would always keep in mind that these are only “theories” and while they may be accurate in very general terms based on “averages” (except your belief that Dunlop is “harder” because Dunlop latex comes in a wide range of firmness levels from softer to firmer so whether it was firmer or not would depend on what you were comparing it to) … every “theory” needs to be confirmed based on your own careful testing and personal experience and your actual experience will always “trump” any theory. Without personal experience all the theory or specs in the world will mean very little to you.
There is more in post #2 here 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 as you can see “theory” and “specs” are among the least effective ways to make your choice because there are so many variables involved that what may work in more general terms for some people may not work nearly as well for you specifically.
[quote]4. Perhaps dixie foam is good. I’m considering the dreamland deluxe super firm.
5. Perhaps sleep ez is good
6. Clean bedroom might be a place to shop
7. Plaza Furniture on Long Island might be a place to shop.
8. Savvy Rest might be an option for me.[/quote]
All of these carry mattresses that use good quality and durable materials and that don’t have any “weak links” in their design with the possible exception of Plaza Furniture which outside of Savvy Rest carry some mattresses that I would tend to avoid (and they may not be able to provide you with the information listed here which you would need to make an informed choice). The Savvy Rest they carry is certainly a high quality component latex mattress but it’s also in a much higher budget range than many other mattresses that use the same or similar materials and have the same or a similar design that are in much lower budget ranges (such as SleepEZ).
There is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here that can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses.
[quote]I have no idea how to put this all together. I am pretty desperate here, I am tempted to check into a hotel some nights thats how bad it is.
What can I do? I really, really need very specific advice.[/quote]
You are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are always too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to be able to predict which mattress or combination of layers or materials would be the best “match” for you in terms of PPP or whether one mattress will be a better match than another one based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate than your own personal testing or sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
The best “specific” advice I can provide is that it’s time to start testing mattresses (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) so that you can find out whether any of the more theoretical information you mentioned works out in “real life” based on your actual testing and what your body tells you. Again … I would keep in mind that your personal experience always “trumps” theory.
I think you’ve probably seen this but the better options or possibilities in the New York City area (subject to the quality/value guidelines I linked) are listed in post #2 here and the next step would be to call some of them on the phone and talk to them to help you narrow down which of them carry mattresses that you are interested in testing and that fit your more general criteria and then decide on which of them to visit based on your conversations.
Phoenix