Hello. I am writing to request suggestions for a topper for my mattress. I bought the Arizona Premium Mattress Company latex mattress, with 2" latex top layer, back in August. Overall I have been happy with it, but I was missing the feel of memory foam, and especially its body-conforming properties. So I decided to order a 3" gel memory foam topper from Brooklyn Bedding.
With the gel topper, the mattress felt perfect, both soft and supportive, a lot like the Tempurpedic Cloud Luxe. Problem is that, every time I slept on it, I would wake up overheated several times per night. Someone suggested a wool mattress pad, so I bought one from Amazon that is 1.5" thick. I am no longer overheating with the wool on the bed. The problem is that, with the wool on top, I can no longer feel the memory foam and it no longer conforms to my body as it did before. Thus I have returned the wool topper.
So I am looking for a thin top layer, to go over the memory foam and help me regulate temperature. I tend to sleep hot all the time, but this issue was much better with just the latex or with the wool topper than with the gel memory foam. I was thinking maybe a silk sheet would be helpful, or maybe that would not provide enough of a barrier from the foam.
You can see some of the many factors that can affect the sleeping temperature of your mattress in post #2 here including your mattress protector and any sheets and bedding you are using. This can help you identify which of the many factors that may be involved might be contributing to the warmer sleeping temperature.
In general any layer over memory foam other than more memory foam will affect the feel and response of the memory foam below it because memory foam is a temperature sensitive material and a layer above it can reduce the amount of heat that reaches the memory foam and slow down or reduce it’s ability to soften and conform to your body shape. Thicker softer layers of any foam will also be warmer than firmer thinner layers because you will sink into the mattress more and all foam is an insulator although memory foam tends to be warmer and less breathable than other foam types.
Thinner layers of wool will have less effect on the memory foam and can still provide some temperature regulation but the first thing I would check is your mattress protector and sheets. Some of the semi breathable membrane type protectors can have a noticeable effect on temperature for some people (see post #89 here about the tradeoffs involved with different types of mattress protectors)
Natural fibers are generally more breathable, wick moisture better, and are cooler than synthetic fiber sheets and both linen and silk sheets are among the coolest fabrics. Bamboo (which is semi synthetic) and cotton sheets can also provide better ventilatioin, moisture wicking, and temperature regulation than synthetic sheets. Thinner less insulating blankets can also make a difference and of course the room temperature will also play a role.
Thicker softer layers that include memory foam on top will tend to sleep warmer than most other foam materials for some people and it can be one of the tradeoffs involved with sleeping on memory foam or thicker and softer comfort layers. A thinner memory foam topper would probably also reduce the temperature to some degree as well but of course it won’t generally “feel” as soft or allow you to sink into the memory foam as much.
Hi. I was using an IAllergy waterproof mattress encasing on top of the mattress only, and not on top of the gel memory foam topper, which was right under my sheet. Yesterday I removed the IAllergy encasing, and I found that I slept much better on the mattress + gel topper, and I did not wake up overheated. It was still a little toasty, but not to a degree that interfered with my sleep. So I think I have a successful formula! With no mattress protector, this thing feels like gel memory foam and does not overheat.
The mattress is a split soft/medium firmness core from Arizona Premium Mattress Co. I still have 10 days left in the period in which I can switch the cores. Now that I have the soft memory foam topper, I’m considering switching to two medium cores. I now longer need softness coming from the core, and I’m afraid the soft core will wear more rapidly than a firmer, denser latex layer.
A firmer core will increase the primary support under the mattress but it won’t likely make that big a difference in terms of durability. The deeper layers of a mattress are compressed less than the comfort layers when you lie on the mattress and are not generally the weak link of a mattress even though it’s true that softer materials are slightly less durable than firmer layers if you sleep on them directly. With your topper and with now having thicker comfort layers though … a slightly firmer core may be a little better choice over the long term in terms of support if your experience indicates the medium side of your mattress is just as good a match in terms of PPP as the soft side.
Interesting. It is possible that the sheets on ebay are different from the ones on the website. I will email the company directly or clarification. The ebay listing says 100% linen, and the sheets on ebay are marked as “linen.” If I order, I will pay with American Express and, if necessary, dispute the charge if I receive something other than 100% linen.
Linen can be a generic term (such as bed linens) or refer to a linen weave texture and while it usually refers to a fiber made from flax it can also be used for other types of fiber as well.
In this case they could be selling 100% linen even though the fibers are cotton.
I suspect that their “linen” sheets are all made from cotton.
I can confirm they are more expensive. Quite a bit more. I got mine, St. Geneve, via tmasc.ca. I’ve also read good things (never personally experienced mind you) about linoto.
Before you decide linen, you might want to feel it first. It’s rougher than cotton. I like the feel, which is supposed to continue to soften the more the linen is washed, but my wife hates the feel. Since real linen is expensive, you probably want to know that before hand.
@toddking2. The eBay listing looks very much like real linen. I’d be surprised if the item pictured were cotton. That said, it’s one of the lower prices I’ve seen for linen. May be related to coming from Belarus. The material looks like linen though.
If you’re curious, the places I’ve seen good linens or good reviews
Thanks for the reply. I agree that it looks like linen. Also the seller has hundreds of positive feedbacks and zero negative feedbacks. If they were using the term “linen” deceptively, I would speculate that a customer may have complained by now.
Todd
I managed to contact the maker of the sheets in Belarus. According to this company, they are 100% flax sheets. I hope this clarification helps. Seems like a great value, if the quality is good.
Todd
Given the price I would suspect that either the raw material, the fabric weight, or the weave may be in a lower quality range but regardless of any of this it certainly seems to be good value.
If you buy them I’d hope you have the chance to share your feedback.
Yes I plan to order a set next month and will post a full review. BTW I am enjoying my Arizona Premium Mattress Co mattress with gel topper from Brooklyn Bedding. Love the combo of softness and support–a lot like the tempur cloud luxe but much cheaper.
That would be great … and I think that there will be many others that are interested as well.
Thanks for the update on your mattress as well. It sure sounds like you found the right combination to me and I’m glad that you didn’t end up needing to exchange the core.
