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I just turned seventy and have been suffering mattress woes for about 40 years. Went the water bed, air bed, memory foam mattress, posturepedic, etc etc route. Meanwhile I've gotten to the point where I dread bedtime. We moved recently and all my plans to try a latex mattress flew out the window. We had to buy beds immediately or sleep on the floor. Could find no latex dealer nearby, not with the limited time and a Google search anyhow. So I ended up with an expensive coil mattress again (learned long ago to avoid pillow tops. We decided on twin beds because it was getting difficult for me to make a king up in the morning. Back problems, hip problems, fibromyalgia, weak legs...yuk. The twin is a disaster, not to mention the coil mattress. The saleswoman talked me out of an extra long (so overwhelmed by the sudden move I could barely think). I'm 5'10." I had started sleeping in the guest room at the home we moved from, a full bed with a very cheap hard mattress. On that I used a four inch twin memory foam, one of the two we rescued from the memory foam bed that developed indentations after a year. On the hard mattress is worked fairly well. In this new house there is no guest room. Fast forward new home and new twin bed. With the four inch foam I had to jump up to get into the bed even with my long legs. Then, because the foam is quite soft, it was a struggle to get to the center and it aggravated all the back/hip trouble. After the second night I "slept" in a recliner until we brought out a two inch memory foam that had been set aside because of indentations. A very little better, but one side was still firm and the other squishy. (For some reason my covers keep sliding off the bed so I am using king sized covers to keep them on.) A few days ago we moved the mattress and topper head to foot and the firmness is now only about one fourth of the width of the bed instead of one half. To make things worse, I've gained a lot of weight because of inability to get much exercise, etc. Around 220 pounds, I think. Mostly around the middle. Whatever bed use will end up with indentations in a year or three. I like side sleeping best, but now often sleep on my back because it's a bit less painful. My husband can sleep on anything and, though long suffering, I know he doesn't want to buy me another bed with all the expenses of moving and some needed remodeling, especially since no bed so far has been much better than the last. Hope that's no overkill on background. It's after one a.m. and I'm probably writing more to delay going to bed. :-( I'm wondering if a latex topper would help? I know it needs to be at least three inches thick because of my weight. It would be easier to change positions than on the foam , from what I've read. I'm afraid to push for a whole mattress for fear latex won't be an answer and we will have wasted yet another bunch of money. I'm thinking if I did like the topper, I could later order a latex mattress and even use the topper on that. Until then, I'll still have to jump up on this too narrow bed that seems almost as high as a table, but I'll know if I like latex. I do like memory foam until it loses it's firmness, but have also become sensitive to chemical off gassing so natural latex would be much better. And I think it is supposed to last longer before the indentations show up. The fibro, pain, etc cause me to become overwhelmed easily. The thought of trying all kinds of latex layers, packing them up, exchanging, etc. is overwhelming. But if I do find that latex is helpful and end up ordering a latex mattress, unpacking and moving layers instead of a thick chunk would be easier for my husband (who is in his mid seventies) to handle, since latex is heavy. So with all that background, does anyone have suggestions for toppers as a beginning? Or any other advice? The nearest city of any size near us is Grand Rapids, Michigan, in case anyone knows of a place where I could find latex beds to at least try. If you've made it through this long post, thank you just for reading it. And thank you so much for any advice! |
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The only thing I'm not clear on from your post is what kind of mattress the topper would be going on and this would make a big difference. If it already had a few inches of foam on top then a thinner topper may work better. If it is very firm and has very little foam on top, then a thicker topper may work better. Do you know the make and model? In the meantime ... there are not a lot of outlets that carry either all latex mattresses or mattresses with latex in the comfort layers that you could use for testing but there are a few within a 50 mile or so (one is a litle more) range (at least that I know of) that should give you an idea of what would work. They are ... http://jonathanstevens.com/locations.html Local manufacturer. Maked latex mattresses with a range of different latex comfort layers. http://www.buismattress.net/about.html Local manufacturer. Makes a Dunlop latex mattress and latex over springs. http://www.furniturerow.com/locations/locationsByState.jsp?state=Michigan Regional manufacturer. Makes 2 latex mattresses with latex and an inch of polyfoam in the comfort layers (Aspen and Snowmass) http://store.thirdcoastfutons.com/info.html Retailer. They are a little further away but if they carry both the Dunlop and Talalay Savvy Rest, then they would have a fairly wide range of options to test in a comfort layer. I would call first and see what they have. http://www.acmebedding.com/about-us Local manufacturer. Their website doesn't say if they make latex mattresses but it may be worth a call to find out as they do custom manufacturing. This is all I know about that is reasonably close to you but it should give you some options to test what latex feels like in a comfort layer. Once you know what you need you may be better off ordering it from an online merchant as this may be less than these... but knowing what it is being added to (what is already in your mattress) is a good place to start Phoenix This message was modified Jan 16, 2011 by Phoenix
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Sorry for the delay. I just got back online. I can't remember the name of the mattress. It is a plush, with buttons and too much top padding but still quite firm- likely will become indented though not as badly as a pillow top. It's past midnight again and I would have to wake my husband to check and see if there is a tag with the name. It is a higher "quality" one that needs to be turned. The saleswoman explained the spring system. I think I remember it was a coil system in individual pockets, but am not really sure. I realized last night that the topper I'm using doesn't seem like memory foam at all. It is older and I'm sure it was memory foam because that's what we purchased. But now it seems more like plain foam. It cushions me so there is less pressure on my body and I can sleep on my side more easily. (Better than it was when it was switched foot to head and half was still on the firmer side leaving me lopsided.) But I wake with a back ache because there's not enough lumbar support. The memory foam, when new, relieves pressure and still supported my spine.But it doesn't last a year for me. Lying on my side I seem to be in "contact" with the mattress beneath the foam, but not so much that it's really uncomfortable. Without the topper it gives little pressure relief and is unbearable. I researched latex mattresses about a year ago and I think I read that a medium firmness would be better than too soft, because of my weight. It seemed like it would be easier to change positions than on memory foam. Thank you so much for the information about nearby places I can look. I couldn't find any with a search. Maybe I can get an idea of how much pressure relief the different toppers give.
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OK ... Just to make sure that I'm clear. You have an expensive twin size pocket coil mattress that has "buttons" on top which has a "plush" or tight top but is very firm. In addition to that you have a 4" memory foam topper that seems to be worn out and causes you backache. Finally you have a 2" topper ... not memory foam (if you're not sure just press it in and see if it has the memory foam "slow response") ... but some part of this is also worn out (not sure if you mean upper lower half or side to side half when you are talking about "lopsided") but this one is better than the 4" topper even though you are probably going through it and feeling the firm mattress underneath it on your side. What you are hoping to do is throw away both of these toppers and use a new latex topper instead? Do I have this right? If I do ... the first thing that is important is to identify the mattress or get a sense of what is in it. It may be a very good mattress that just needs a little bit of softness on top. Tomorrow morning when your husband is awake ... if you could find out what it was (or look up your purchase receipt) then we have a beginning point to start from. Any other clarifying information about the 2" topper that would help me understand what you meant by "lop sided" would also help. I think we can "fix" this but it's important to be clear where we're starting from. Phoenix |
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I apologize. My posts are confusing. The mattress is a Restonic CC triple cushion distinction plus. I only used the 4" topper for two nights. It was a disaster because it was too high and too soft, making it painful to adjust positions. I switched to the old 2" topper (we cut it to fit with a bread knife).. It seems it must be memory foam, because that is all we purchased, but the finger press test doesn't act like memory foam; it smooths out in a second or two. It did cut like other memory foam toppers we did surgery on. When I changed to the 2" topper, the part under my left upper body was firmer (seemed higher but that is because it was firmer) than the right. We rotated the whole mattress and topper and now most of the topper is evenly soft. Now where I sleep there is cushioning but no firmness. Because I have fibromyalgia, any pressure, (even a wrinkle) is painful. So I need to buy a topper that has enough pressure relief. The new mattress to many might seem soft enough. On my back it is bearable for a short time. I can't sleep on my side at all on it (without a topper). When memory foam is new it has the needed cradling effect and support, though changing positions is a bit of a challenge. That was true of 2", 3", and the 4" memory foam. Indentations make position change very difficult and painful. I am hoping that latex will resist intentations longer. I read on one site that it will develop them in two to three years. If so toppers will be less expensive to replace than a whole latex mattress. I also read that it is easier to change position on latex. Before we moved, I used a new 2", and then later a 3", memory foam topper on a Spring Air bed that was a bit softer than our new mattress. The Spring Air developed the indentations after less than a year from purchase and that was around the time that fibromyalgia was becoming worse. Most people wouldn't have been bothered by the dips that early, but even small indentations cause me problems. There was still good support with the Spring Air mattress under the memory foam topper. When the indentations and softening on the second topper began to cause difficulty I moved to the middle (king size bed) where it was still firm, then switched to the guest room. That bed was very firm. I used one of the four inch thick pieces that we took off the memory foam mattress we had purchased before the Spring Air. It had become overly soft with time but on the hard mattress it was bearable. It seems in my experience that when the memory foam becomes soft, the indentations disappear. And because the mattress and springs were inexpensive, they were lower to the ground so the extra 4 inches wasn't too high. It was about that time that I started researching latex. I hope this helps make things more clear. Thank you so much for your help! |
| hi, not sure i'd be much help and to take my advice would not be inexpensive: i think you should look into adjustable bases. i suffer from chronic lower back pain and sore joints brought on by autoimmune disease and find it very difficult to sleep flat. i much prefer for my upper body and legs to be raised. as of now i'm sleeping in a reclinder, but have slept in an adjustable bed and the difference is amazing. again, not an inexpensive option as you'd need the bases as well as new mattresses but i wanted to present the idea as a viable option. good luck. |