Two-and-a-half lessons learned that apply to layered mattresses

  1. If you have any back problems, use a lumbar support belt (e.g., this Adjustable Back Brace I bought on Amazon). I smartly used it when I first set up the bed. I then stupidly didn’t use it the first couple times I re-arranged the latex layers, and I paid the price. This was “ironic,” I suppose, since the point of the new bed was to help with my back problems, and I couldn’t judge if the bed was helpful until I got over the injury. SleepEZ kindly gave me some extra time to trial the bed.

  2. Right off the bat, keep a diary of how you arrange the layers and how that feels to you. I did it haphazardly – and I had lots of layers to try since I’d bought a split queen with both Dunlop and Talalay varieties of the Medium and Firm (hence five different variables), allowing for lots of permutations, plus I tried different configurations with and without a topper. My wife insists (rightly I suspect) that I was re-trying configurations I had already ruled out. So Keep A Diary of each configuration and enter your opinion of each configuration before you make the next change.

The half-suggestion is this: I wanted more support midway down the mattress so that my butt wouldn’t sink in. SleepEZ suggested I put some thin plywood between the foam layers. That felt terrible. What did work for me was buying a yoga mat, cutting it to size and putting it beneath all three layers (but within the zipped cover). For some people, putting it between the layers may work, but I’m sure almost everyone would be better off with a yoga mat instead of plywood or Masonite, whether they put it between layers or beneath them. It was a help for me, I think, but not enough.

Hi TalkingDog,

Thank you for your well thought out comments. :cheer:

I think the comments about using a back support belt can be very advisable for anyone setting up a latex mattress or adjustable bed base, as you’re often leaning forward with your legs relatively straight, moving your center of gravity forward and outside of your body, putting your back in a very precarious position, as any chiropractor or orthopedist will inform you.

And the reminder of keep a layer diary is also a must for anyone experimenting with a component-style mattress system. Just be sure to give yourself a chance with the different configurations you test. Excellent reminder.

Experimenting with firmer products between foam layers can be a way to help isolate and point you in a direction that works best when you’re having a challenge of ironing out exactly what might work best for you. In one of the zoning posts I just linked to you in your previous thread I talked about taking some material (more like your yoga matt) and cutting it into a 1/3 length mattress piece and you can experiment with placing that under the middle third of the mattress to see if that assist with lumbar support and gets closer to achieving a feel that you desire. Placing the layer closer to the top of the mattress (between the upper first and second layer as opposed to between the third and fourth layer) will result in more prominent differences.

Thanks for the contribution!

Phoenix

Also, I slightly edited your thread topic header to more accurately reflect the content.