i am 6’3 and around 245 and a back sleeper. Need advice to give me what my layer should look like?
Hi mraus,
Welcome to the Mattress UnderGround.
You will find that there is no one answer to your question. As a back sleeper, it is important that you have a mattress build that offers enough support that your back does not sink or hammock your back and cause your body to strain to stay in good alignment throughout the sleep night.
I would guess that most of the latex experts will likely suggest a Firm support layer 36-44ILD, medium to medium firm, middle comfort layer 28-32ILD and a medium upper comfort layer 24ish ILD.
Much of it will depend on what your general preferences are like. I am 6’ 220 (formerly 250+) so, in your ball park, but I like a very firm, sleep on the surface mattress. Although, in the past month or so, I have tried some mattresses that are not quite the firmness that I have been accustomed to over the past couple of years.
You certainly can collaborate with some of the TM experts on TMU, such as @Arizona_Premium, @Sleep_EZ, @DIYMattress and @Latex_Mattress_Fact1 who are excellent at helping folks create their own mattress design. They are over 90% successful when you allow them to work with you in creating that feel you prefer in conjunction with your sleep position, posture and alignment, pressure relief qualites and personal preferences. Their designs are such that they can be modified in your home with the rearrangement or swapping of a layer.
You can discuss with them the choice of a spring support layer vs a firm latex layer. Remember these folks fit hundreds of folks like you on a regular basis, and their knowledge and experience, combined with the feed back they receive due to their close relationship with the folks they work with.
Also, your foundation, pillow, cover and potential topper options are all critical to your final creation. So the selection of the mattress layers are not the final step in a successful mattress system.
There are other TM’s like @FloBeds, @EuropeanSleep, @TheCleanBedroom and @CST that offer customizable pre-bulit options that are spring and/or latex based support.
Best of luck to you, I am sure some of the TM’s will chime in and offer their guidance.
Maverick
Hi mraus and welcome to the forums and thanks for the inquiry! You might want to consider the 10" organic latex mattress by Sleep EZ - https://sleepez.com/product/organic-latex-mattress/
Based on the information you’ve provided, I would normally recommend the 10" organic mattress with medium Talalay for the top layer, medium Dunlop for the middle layer, and firm Dunlop for the bottom layer. The top Talalay layer should provide all the contour and pressure relief needed to avoid any pressure point issues and will add secondary support to the mattress. Secondary support is needed to fill in the gaps between your body and the mattress – back sleepers normally need secondary support to fill in the gaps between the small of their back and the mattress; side sleepers normally need secondary support to fill in the gaps between their mid-section and the mattress, and stomach sleepers normally need this under their belly or in their upper shoulder / clavicle area. If these parts of a person’s body aren’t supported by the mattress, their muscles will work throughout the night to hold these parts of the body up, and by the time they wake up they’ve got back pain. So the top 3” of Talalay latex will provide contour, pressure relief, and secondary support. The remaining Dunlop layers should provide all the support needed to maintain proper spinal alignment and avoid back pain. Please keep in mind that our initial recommendations have a 90% success rate (we only have a 10% layer exchange rate and a 3%-4% return rate) so there’s a 90% chance that the above recommendation works perfectly for you.
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