I have been sleeping on a soft talalay top layer, a firm dunlop layer and a medium talalay layer on the bottom-all 3 inch layers). I started feeling tension and knots in my upper back and shoulders even though as a side sleeper, I enjoyed the pressure relief from the top soft layer. I thought the soft layer wasn’t giving me the support I needed for my upper back and shoulders so I am thinking of switching to a medium talalay layer instead. Is this going to give me the pressure relief I need and if so, what other layers should I pair it with. Should I consider a hybrid bed or possibly a flobed to get back to enjoying sleeping again.
You didn’t mention your height or weight and that figures into mattress selection - especially with latex. I’m 5’1", 129 lbs., back sleeper (but not by choice) occasionally sneaking onto my side, lots of musculoskeletal issues. What has worked for me is 3" firm Dunlop, 3" medium dunlop, 2" soft Dunlop (that I already had), all enclosed in an 8" cover. Then I added 2" of Medium Talalay as a separate topper (which provides more “give”), even though everyone advised soft for my weight. The medium fills in the space in my lower back and keeps me from having a backache without putting much pressure on hips, shoulders and tailbone. I had tried 2" soft Talalay as a topper and as lovely as it felt, I “bottomed out” and hit the firm surface below.
Thanks for your input. I am 5’2" and 135 lbs. so close to your size. Since I primarily sleep on my side, I’m not sure if the soft dunlop will give me the compression I need for my shoulder but the medium talalay topper should hopefully help enough. Luckily, I have all the pieces except the soft dunlop so the fix should be fairly easy.
I tried the soft, medium, firm and my lower back was aching from lack of support. I switched the firm and the medium as advised by the vendor and that felt great on my lower back but my upper back was still holding tension and was totally knotted up.
Switching the layers is not going to help because your issue is lack of zoning.
Your shoulders need a different firmness than your lower back.
So switching your layers will just switch which area hurts.
Your options are to either use bandaids like putting a pillow under your lower back or to get a zoned mattresss.
Most latex mattresses aren’t zoned at all. Flobeds makes one but that’s the only one I know of.
Memory foam mattresses tend to be zoned nowadays.
I feel your pain because I am also on a unzoned latex. However unzoned latex for me is still less pain overall than zoned memory foam
Also consider that your pillow heavily affects your shoulders. So prioritize your lower back support with the mattress, and then get a really flat pillow that doesn’t push your neck and shoulders up. I find most pillows are designed for men so you really have to go smaller and flatter than you think at your height. A soft fill down pillow or down/feather blend. Anything other than down/feather tends to just to be too high or too firm. Even fiberfill is too springy. Memory foam pillows could theoretically be okay except that most of them have so much fill (or a big block of foam) that you can’t reduce it down enough without getting a loose pillow cover
Some people with this issue recommend sleeping on your back with just a rolled towel underneath your neck and no pillow at all
Thanks for the feedback. I actually found a good pillow that has relieved a lot my neck issues.
Regarding the mattress layers, I changed things up and it has been a little bit better. I now have firm Dunlop, medium Dunlop, medium talalay and soft talalay. I am testing that right now. I still feel some tension in lower back so I’m giving it another week to see if that dissipates
I feel you, I looked into buying the Flobeds Vzone layer and using it as a topper so it would be zoned latex, but it just not in the budget right now. It would be about $900.
So I’m buckling and getting a cheaper zoned memory foam topper and hoping that 3" of memory foam won’t be as bad as a whole mattress of memory foam like I had before
Switching your soft Talalay top layer to a medium one might provide more support for your upper back and shoulders, potentially alleviating the tension and knots you’ve been experiencing. A medium layer should still offer some pressure relief while also promoting better alignment for your spine and shoulders as a side sleeper.
Since you currently have a firm Dunlop layer in the middle, this setup might work well, as it will still offer solid support underneath the slightly less soft Talalay layer. It’s always beneficial to experiment with different configurations to see what works best for you.
Considering a hybrid bed can be a good option if you’re seeking a balance between pressure relief and support but are still unsatisfied with adjustments to your current setup. Hybrid mattresses typically combine foam layers with innerspring coils, offering both comfort and support.
Flobeds, with their customizable options, can be another avenue to explore. They allow you to adjust layers to find the perfect combination for your needs.
Ultimately, personal preference and comfort are critical, and taking advantage of trial periods for different mattresses or layer combinations can be an excellent strategy in finding the most suitable setup.
Best of luck in finding a more restful sleep solution!