Hi All - Hope you’re well. This forum has always been an excellent resource. Using this forum I purchased my last bed ~10 years ago from Brooklyn Bedding (whatever was their flagship at the time, regular firmness, king size). At the time it was quite popular, but looks like its fallen from grace. It’s been a good mattress for my wife and I, until we recently went on a two (2) week vacation. The rental home had a great mattress and provided a much better quality of sleep. So we’re on the hunt:
I think the Brooklyn Bed has just worn out over time. We’re both 6’ ~200lbs or so. What’s something similar to the Brooklyn Bed of 10 years ago … if there is such a thing.
The bed in the rental home was super comfortable for both me (stomach sleeper) and my wife (back/side sleeper). I know it’s a newer bed, but only three things were really noticeable … (a) I’m a warm sleeper and the bed was cooler even when I was hot (b) it seemed to form to our body when we laid down (c) when I got out of bed there was a noticeable ‘hiss’ like the bed was filling back up with air.
Any thoughts or comments to help steer me through the vast resources of this forum is GREATLY appreciated. Thank you!
Glad to have you back on our Mattress Forum and to hear that your BB Latex mattress served you well for a decade or so.
Generally, Latex is the most durable of all types of foams and while I can’t be sure of what may have caused your current mattress to be “worn out over time” I’d venture to guess that there may be a combination of factors. and it would be helpful to check out a few things.
How did you assess that your current mattress started to fail? I am asking this because sometimes, while the mattress is still in good condition if some weight gain is involved the mattress may no longer provide good support/comfort to be the best match for you and your wife’. If your BMI is similar to what it used to be 10 years ago and the mattress started to wear out it is possible that your higher BMIs in combination with a softer uppermost comfort layer (if this is the case) are wearing out faster especially for sleepers that move more during the course of the night. Either way, it would be good to determine this before starting the “hunt” for your next mattress.
From your post, I am unsure if you want to stick with the same type of mattress as the current one as you state in point 1) and you just want a better support/comfort fit and sleep a little cooler, … or … as you mention in 2) if you are also looking for a second option that would allow you to replicate the feeling of the rental home bed. With the latter, while you can use it as an indication of the mattress feel you looking for, it would practically be impossible unless you manage to provide the exact specs of the bed (including the cover material).
To start off I’d do some reading on some of the criteria that seem to be high on your list.
• Temperature regulation and the variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress in post #2 can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range. Latex itself is a quite breathable material.
• As you are a prone (stomach) sleeper, as you may be aware, this can create issues for your lumbar region if the sleeping surface is not supportive enough to keep your spine in neutral alignment. Your muscles relax a bit when sleeping at night, so maintenance of alignment falls mostly to the mattress itself. Usually, someone who sleeps prone needs a surface that is firmer and less forgiving. There’s a bit more information about common sleeping positions and appropriate sleep surfaces here.
• As you have a little higher BMI I’d especially make sure to choose mattresses with materials and components that are durable.
• I’d revisit The mattress shopping tutorial here which has the basic information, steps, and guidelines including suggestions about how to test a mattress for what is called PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) that can simplify your search and help you make the best possible choices.
• Some local testing is important so you have a reference point for how all the different specs and combinations feel and perform for you (I personally wouldn’t buy a mattress based on theoretical specs or what I call “theory at a distance” alone) I’d focus on finding some transparent and reliable local retailers/manufacturers that are willing to share the mattress specifications you need to know so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the mattress durability guidelines here I would not visit their store if they are not able to provide this information to you.
These initial readings and questions should narrow things a bit and help “steer” you through the “vast resources” so once you had a chance to peruse them let us know and we’ll be happy to guide you further.
Phoenix
Thank you so much for taking the time to provide such thoughtful input! Sorry it’s taken so long to respond, life got in the way!
We went on vacation and slept in a new bed for ~10 days. Slept great. Came home and had a long of back issues and noticed how where we sleep doesn’t feel the same as the mattress does between the both of us. BMI/weight has remain largely the same over the last decade or so. BMI is ~20-25 and we’re both 6’ 200lbs or so. Wife is a side/back sleeper and I’m almost exclusively a stomach sleeper.
Looks like we should pursue Talalay, but also pay special attention to the mattress cover and sheets.
Seems like this might be tricky … I probably need something like 1" of softer material, but as a back/side sleeper my wife would need 2-3" of softer material. Between the two of us I seems to be the most unaffected overall by bedding (no idea why this might be).
This is an excellent resource. I’m going to read through and probably post some questions.
Hi Phoenix - Almost a year now of reading and researching. We’re getting closer to buying a bed … leaning towards a King 13" SleepEZ Organic Latex Mattress ($2,700). We’re both around 6’ and 200lbs … one of us a back sleeper and the other stomach sleeper. It seems clear we need a split mattress and we’re attracted by the longevity of latex.
Based on the SleepEZ calculator, we should do the below. Not sure how accurate / inaccurate it is. Unfortunately, we don’t have somewhere nearby we can test the below. Seems SleepEZ will allow us to swap firmness as needed, but we’ll need to pay for shipping each way. Care you share your thoughts?
3" Medium Talalay across the top
Left Side - 3" Firm Dunlop / Right Side - 3" Medium Dunlop
Left Side - 3" Extra Firm Dunlop / Right Side - 3" Firm Dunlop
Left Side - 3" Extra Firm Dunlop / Right Side - 3" Extra Firm Dunlop
Great to see you back! It has been some time since your last post in April. Thank you for providing more details in your response to my questions.
A split mattress will “clearly” best accommodate the specific needs and different sleeping positions for you and your wife and latex as your material of choice has the additional benefits of both being durable and the most breathable of all types of foams which greatly assists with the temperature regulation and microclimate issues you were mentioning in your first post.
Based on the SleepEZ calculator, we should do the below. Not sure how accurate / inaccurate it is. Unfortunately, we don’t have somewhere nearby we can test the below. Seems SleepEZ will allow us to swap firmness as needed, but we’ll need to pay for shipping each way. Care you share your thoughts?
SleepEZ’s “Build Your Mattress Now” calculator is based on an algorithm that encompasses the experience of almost 5 decades of mattress manufacturing of different designs and mattress builds which are also based on the “averages” of sleeper’s specific information such as BMI and sleeping positions of thousands of satisfied customers. While the calculator’s result for your stats input is a great indicator of what mattress build you may do well with … you’ll still need to look at this output through the filter of some other personal interrelated variables that are very specific to you and your wife. Your body type, where you carry your weight, your preferences in terms of material, layer thickness & firmness, history on other mattresses, and any results of local testing, etc. can be subtle but important details that may still alter the final construction choice. I would certainly suggest to you to call SleepEZ themselves and rely on their advice as they are much more familiar with their own mattress designs and materials than anyone else (including me) and they can use the additional information you provide them to fine-tune the result. As you know Arizona Sleep EZ Factory is one of the longtime Trusted Members of The Mattress Underground which means that I think highly of in terms of knowledge, experience, consumer service, and integrity. You can also approach them with any questions you might have on their dedicated Expert Forum Page
Regarding the shipping costs for firmness exchanges, it’s good to keep in mind that even though many retailers and manufacturers offer “free shipping”, in reality, shipping costs are built into the price of the mattress. For all aims and purposes, many manufacturers/retailers prefer to advertise a mattress as free shipping and deal with the “complications” of shipping internally. This eCommerce strategy caters to the average consumer’s ingrained perception of getting something for free and reduces the competition gap between their business and services like Amazon Prime.
In the case of free exchanges and returns the situation is a bit different as many businesses are offering it as a means to reassure the consumer and, and provide consumer satisfaction which usually results in increased customer loyalty and retention. With the current inflation rates, many businesses are more ready to call a spade a spade and keep prices affordable as is the case of firmness exchanges. Building “free” exchanges in the price of the final product would spread those costs among all buyers (regardless if they exchanged a layer or not) thus increasing the cost of a mattress across the board. Many buyers won’t’ need any exchanges and they would rather prefer not to pay higher price points to “equalize the cost”. More and more consumers nowadays seem to do their due diligence before purchasing when it comes to product quality, personal needs, and preferences with the understanding that nobody can tell them for sure if a specific mattress would suit them 100% as everyone is different and as this depends on so many interrelated variables.
[quote]3" Medium Talalay across the top
Left Side - 3" Firm Dunlop / Right Side - 3" Medium Dunlop
Left Side - 3" Extra Firm Dunlop / Right Side - 3" Firm Dunlop
Left Side - 3" Extra Firm Dunlop / Right Side - 3" Extra Firm Dunlop[/quote]
For your stomach sleeping and your wife’s back sleeping, you’d both need good support for keeping the spine in neutral alignment during the night. Stomach sleeping is a “flatter” sleeping position and carries more risk of sleeping in a “swayback” position where the hips sink down too far for good spinal alignment so it may need thinner soft layers on top for pressure relief so you reach the firmer support layers more easily which can “stop” the heavier parts of the body from sinking down too far and sleeping out of alignment.
Looking at the results of the calculator for the 13" Split King Organic Latex Mattress , at a first glance I’d say that this build has a good chance of success for both sleepers. You could do well with both a 13" build but a 10" build can work just as well.
If you look at the results of a 10" built vs a 13" built, the difference is just in the addition of the fourth extra firm bottom layer for the 13" version.
https://mattressunderground.com/media/kunena/attachments/66/(13) Split King Organic Latex Mattress.jpg https://mattressunderground.com/media/kunena/attachments/66/(10) Split King Organic Latex Mattress.jpg
There’s a more unusual option that would allow you to assess mattress suitability in smaller steps and ensure that you wouldn’t need to do an exchange. You could purchase the 10" version of the first top 3 layers to see how well this build fits you and your wife. For this I’d speak with Rodger or Shawn to see if they would consider not sending you the 10" or 13" zippered cover later in lieu of you finding if you need the fourth Extra firm bottom layer or some other firmness. If the 10" built is suitable then it would be easier and cheaper for them to just send you separately the 10" cover. If the 10" feels too firm, then adding another 3" extra the Extra firm bottom layer will make the mattress softer (thickness and softness work together) at that point you can reassess with SleepEZ what firmness layer you may need and proceed with ordering the fourth layer and cover. Your BMI is around 27 which is slightly higher than normal ranges BMIs so a little more thickness may be appropriate
The bottom line is that the overall thickness of a mattress that is either “needed” or “preferred” would depend on the combinations of the layers and components that are needed to achieve the design goal of the mattress and provide the PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences) that can best match each person and their unique body type, sleeping positions, and preferences.
I’d be interested to know which way you’ll choose to go with your new mattress build.
Hi @phoenix - Thank you for your input. Great idea on the 10" vs 13". I know there’s a lot of support for a solid wood foundation, but do you think the metal foundations work just as good? This is what we have and haven’t had any issues.
Also, since SleepEZ comes with an organic cover … do we really need an additional mattress cover or can we just throw a fitted sheet right on the provided cover?
Hi @phoenix- Thank you for your input. Great idea on the 10" vs 13". I know there’s a lot of support for a solid wood foundation, but do you think the metal foundations work just as good? This is what we have and haven’t had any issues.
Also, since SleepEZ comes with an organic cover … do we really need an additional mattress cover or can we just throw a fitted sheet right on the provided cover?
Sorry about the delay in replying, your post fell off my board, and did not see it up to yesterday.
The purpose of any bed frame is to elevate and support the mattress to allow for air circulation beneath it which this frame does with its multiple support points to the floor. The red flag that I can see is the thinner metal wires that are part of the supportive grid which under the weight of the mattress and people on it can put too much mechanical stress on the latex support core and may damage it over time. Some of the foundations from Zinus may not be the best choice for your mattress
Like with everything else it depends on the metal frame. Generally, any frame is fine for your mattress – as long as it is strong and solid to prevent any sagging, it has an adequate supporting surface area (which this type of foundation does not) but most importantly it is approved for use by the manufacturer so that you don’t accidentally void your warranty or any exchange policy, or damage the mattress itself. [The Best Foundations or Base for a Latex or All Foam Mattress] topic (The Best Foundations or Base for a Latex or All Foam Mattress - #970) talks in a bit more detail about the requirements for a good foundation.
Even with a larger surface supportive area that has bars or rods instead of wires you’d need to check on the strength and flex as this can still be an issue and may lead to sagging and spinal misalignment I own an IKEA metal daybed for the guest room. Even though it appeared to have a solid construction the hollow rods that support the mattress do bend under the weight of the mattress and the people on top of it and create sagging that resulted in sleepers having backpains in the morning until I remedied the situation by adding two strips of wooden slats.
The Sleep EZ cover is all you need, and you should be able to cover it with a fitted sheet, you don’t need any additional cover unless you’d like to protect the cover. This cover, having Eco woold batting cannot be machine washed but only dry spot cleaned or professionally cleaned to prevent any shrinkage.
Let us know of your experiences once you’ve had some time with your new mattress!
