Suitable comfort layer for latex mattress

I have written seeking advice for this problem before. After much rearranging of latex toppers seeking a top comfort layer I am seeking your opinion. Here is the makeup of my do it yourself latex mattress from top to bottom.

40 ee el dee blended talalay 3 inches I am on a new tablet and it won’t let me type the letters for pressure indentation

30 blended talalay 3 inches

30 Dunlop 2 inches
30 Dunlop 3 inches

The talalay is from SLEEP EZ and the Dunlop is from SleepOnLatex.

The 30 talalay was originally purchased as a topper for a mattress and I was reassured several times by Shawn that the topper would hold my weight…300 pounds. Gradually I ended up discarded the mattress and box spring as that 30 blended topper did not hold my weight as promised by Shawn. AFTER ONLY 8 MONTHS IT IS USELESS AS A TOP COMFORT LAYER. I am very disappointed. So I have finally the best I can make due with what I have got and that is the configuration above. The 40 blended has held up quite well but is too firm as a top layer. I have spoken to SleepOnLatex on two separate occasions and spoke with two different people and they both offered the same solution. Their idea is to put 2 inches of their soft topper on top of my mattress to add softness. I explained my concern to both that it would not be able to handle my weight. They both assured me that it would. Hmmm…seems like I have been down this road before. SleepOnLatex has an excellent product and SLEEP EZ has a good product as well. Would the Dunlop topper be able to give me the long term softness that the blended was not able to do.?

Hi smmimp14,

I’m not clear why you believe the Talalay top layer is useless or why it isn’t holding your weight. You could check whether the topper is defective by putting it on the floor and using a straight edge or a string to measure any visible impressions in the topper but it’s very unlikely that the latex topper was the problem and it’s much more likely that the issue with “holding your weight” (which I’m translating to mean you weren’t in good alignment) was because of the mattress underneath it.

Don’t forget … every layer and component in a sleeping system such as a mattress/topper combination will have some effect on every other layer and component in the mattress both above and below it and on the mattress “as a whole” so when a mattress/topper combination isn’t keeping you in good alignment then it would be important to identify the actual cause of the problem because it may not be the topper.

40 ILD would be too firm as the top layer for most people … even in your weight range … so I would agree with the opinions that you were given and it’s very likely that you would do better with a softer top layer either by rearranging your layers so that you have a softer layer on top or by adding a softer topper.

I’m not clear about the specific problem you are trying to solve (outside of the top layer being too firm which is certainly understandable and just means that it needs to be softer) or the actual symptoms you are experiencing on your current layering combination or the previous combinations you’ve tried or how your experience on each of the layering combinations you’ve tried changed your experience and compared to each other and without much more specific information about your experience and your “symptoms” on each layering combination you’ve tried I don’t have any reference points I can use so it’s not really possible to make any meaningful suggestions.

If I had to guess though it looks like your deeper support and/or transition layers may be too soft and your top layer is too firm and it may be more effective to start with firmer layers on the bottom and then use softer layers closer to the top of your mattress. Your layering combination seems to be somewhat backwards with the firmest layers on the top and the softer layers on the bottom. A more typical layering combination for a 4 layer mattress or at least a starting point (from the bottom up) would probably be something like X-Firm/Firm/Medium or Firm/Medium depending on your body type and sleeping positions and of course your personal preferences.

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/alignment” and “comfort/pressure relief” and “feel” and how they interact together.

Phoenix

Yes, I started with the 38 blend as a topper for my innerspring mattress. Near the end of the 30 day trial period I was feeling the uncomfortable mattress beneath me. It was recommended by a female salesperson that I purchase that I purchase the 40 blended. That worked for a while when Jeremy told me the problem had to be the mattress which made perfect sense to me so I removed the mattress and boxspring. MY next purchase was a 44 Dunlop which made everything very firm. I then added a 30 Dunlop but that configuration was still too firm so I exchanged the 44 Dunlop for another 30 Dunlop. The fact that my original purchase of the 30 blended was not performing as promised makes me think I should have just returned it. Too late now. Every other configuration leaves me with the same result…TOO FIRM, And with each configuration I do at some point put the 30 blend on top and I may not be sure what is going on but it does not act as a comfort layer for me. When I put the 30 blend directly under the 40 blend, as indicated in original entry above, it does soften up the 40. I would like it to be softer so my question is will a 20 Dunlop with a density of 4.0, hold my weight and ad softness. Remember I have already had a 44 Dunlop in this configuration and it made everything very very firm, so I removed it and replaced it with a 30 Dunlop. SleepOnLatex sells 6 inch 30 I cores and the reviews are good. That is essentially what I have…5 inches of 30 Dunlop. Best guess will 2 inches o’s 2 Dunlop hold me up and give me comfort. I can only work with what I have and know that 30 blend is not adding comfort. The 30 Dunlop feels very similar in firmness to the 40 blend, just for your information. Thank You!

Hi smmimp14,

The mistake you are making is thinking that any individual layer is responsible for how a mattress feels and performs because every layer and component in a mattress will affect the feel and performance of every other layer and component both above and below it and the mattress as a whole. In other words a specific layer may work as part of one combination of layers but not as part of another combination that includes different layers. For example your topic title is asking about a suitable comfort layer but it would depend on the combination of layers underneath it because a comfort layer that is suitable for you on top of one combination of layers may not be suitable on top of a different combination of layers.

It’s also not possible to “diagnose” mattress comfort issues on a forum with any certainty because they can be very complex and there are too many unique unknowns, variables, and complexities involved that can affect how each person sleeps on a mattress in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP or any “symptoms” they experience but 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 (at least to the degree that any symptoms are the result of a mattress and not the result of any pre existing issues or circumstances).

In order to provide you with any meaningful suggestions about layering combinations that may be worth trying (which as you know from your reading here would only be “educated guesses” that would still need to be confirmed based on your own actual experience) I would need to know all the specifics of each layering combination you have tried listed from top to bottom (or bottom to top) and a detailed description of your sleeping experience and “symptoms” on each combination along with how your experience and symptoms changed from one combination to the other.

It would also probably also be a good idea to reread my previous reply in post #2 here in one of your other topics.

It’s somewhat difficult to follow the specific layering combinations you have tried and your layer purchases seem to be somewhat “random” to me and if you are attracted to making a DIY mattress with all the risks involved I would follow a more specific plan that I mentioned in the previous reply that I linked.

Again … the only way that I can even guess at combinations that may be worth trying is to know the specific combinations you have tried already (with every layer listed in order every time you are making comments about a specific combination) and the specific symptoms you experienced on each of them and how your symptoms changed from one combination to another so it’s possible to have some sense of whether your symptoms are most likely related to support/alignment issues or comfort/pressure relief issues. Each combination that you describe needs to include every layer in the combination listed in order (not just comments such as I changed this layer for that layer) with the detailed description of your experience and symptoms and how it changed relative to the previous combination underneath it.

Unfortunately nobody has a crystal ball that can predict which specific mattress or combination of materials and components you will like best or that you will sleep best on with any certainty based on specs or “theory at a distance” so again the only way I can provide any meaningful suggestions about a layering combination that may be worth trying is based on providing information that is clear enough and specific enough about your experience on each combination and how your experience changes with each combination to identify any patterns in your experience and gain some insight about what may be the underlying cause of the symptoms you are experiencing and be able to make an educated guess about the type of changes that would have the best chance of success.

Phoenix