Suggestions on configuring my Latex mattress to relieve back pain.

I bought a latex mattress a few years ago. The bottom layer is Dunlop firm, then Talalay medium, Talalay soft and Talalay Medium on top. Originally the soft was the top layer.
As time has gone on and my lumbar back pain gets worse, I wake up in pain every morning. I’m not sure that my mattress is to blame, since I’ve had back problems for years. I have an adjustable base and no amount of adjustment or sleeping position seems to help.
I wonder if there is a best configuration for back pain. Any thoughts on rearranging the layers?

I understand I have a bad back. What if you remove the Soft Layer completely? Or have Dunlop Medium on top? Remove the soft?

Maybe you need firmer. I do know this to Sinking in to much really bother my back so much.

Experienced it also.
Hope you find the right feel and get relief.

Bunny

Have you had a spinal exam lately? Perhaps your back (spine) may need some corrective care.
A mattress won’t fix back problems.

Bunny 1999 - I may give up the soft and use another medium layer. I happen to have an extra one, because my husband transfers to his side of the bed from a wheelchair. We had to reduce his side by one layer, so I have that one to try.
PapaMike - You are right about the back issues. I have a few problems, but the pain is worse when I first get out of bed in the morning. I’m looking for the easiest solutions, because other fixes for my back will be more major.

Hi mimi42,

Unfortunately there is no specific mattress or material that is “best for backs” in general terms … and a mattress that is the “best possible” match for one person that has back issues may be completely unsuitable for someone else with similar back issues to sleep on. In very general terms people with back issues will tend to do better with mattresses that are in a medium or medium firm range but there are also exceptions to every “theory” based on “averages” and there is also no “standard” definition or consensus of opinion for firmness ratings and different manufacturers can rate their mattresses very differently than others. The only reliable way to know whether a mattress is suitable for “your back” (to the degree that any mattress is able to make a difference with your back pain) is based on your own personal experience.

While it’s not really possible to “diagnose” mattress comfort issues on a forum because there are too many unique unknowns and variables involved that can affect how each person sleeps on a mattress in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) or any “symptoms” 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 “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”.

These posts are the “tools” that can help with the analysis, detective work, or trial and error that may be necessary to help you learn your body’s language and “translate” what your body is trying to tell you so you can make the types of changes that have the best chance of reducing or eliminating any “symptoms” you are experiencing.

The most common cause of lower back pain is a mattress that is too soft (either comfort layers that are too thick/soft or support layers that are too soft) so that would be a reasonable starting assumption.

Based on your post here when you purchased your mattress … you only have one Talalay layer and all the rest are Dunlop (assuming that you didn’t make some changes since then).

If I was in your shoes I would probably start by removing the soft Talalay layer completely and sleeping on 3 layers of Dunlop with the D75 on top, the D80 in the middle, and the D85 on the bottom. If you need firmer support than this I would probably try exchanging the D80 with the D85 (the D80 on the bottom and the D85 in the middle). Any additional changes after this would depend on how each of the layering combinations compared to each other and on how your “symptoms” changed on each of them relative to the combination before it. I would also make sure to try any new combination for a few days at least so that you have a chance to identify any patterns in your experience because your experience for a single night can often be an anomaly.

If you wanted to keep the 4 layer combination then I would replace the soft layer with the medium you mentioned and if that is still to soft then you could still move the firmest layer up higher to firm up the deep support under the top layers.

Phoenix

Phoenix,
I didn’t consult my paperwork from the original purchase. All I remembered was the firm on the bottom, then two medium layers and then the soft on top.
I’m hopeful that I can firm up the bed by giving up the soft layer completely. That’s a good suggestion. Now, I need to find someone to help me exchange the layers. My husband is an invalid and at 73, I’m not far behind.
Thank you for your help. I did a lot of research on this site before buying the beds. I just hope it will be fine with a little tweaking.

Hi mimi42,

You certainly have a number of layering configurations that would be well worth trying and I’m looking forward to any feedback you have the chance to share about how each of them change your sleeping experience and the symptoms you are experiencing.

Phoenix