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After much research (and reading posts in this forum!) we decided to replace our old "S" mattress with a latex model. I liked the product sold at Sleep EZ and Shawn was very helpful. We ordered the 10000 model (Queen size) with both sides configured Firm/Medium/Soft per Shawns recommendations. My wife is a side/back sleeper and is 120 lbs. I am primarily a front sleeper and weigh in at 150 lbs. I was initially concerned that a soft top layer would cause back issues for me but Shawn suggested that since I was relatively light weight the soft should be OK. I decided to go with his recommendations. We set up the bed on Tuesday and after 2 nights my wife and I were both pretty satisfied although I had a sense that it was a bot too soft for me. This morning I woke with intense lower back pain confirming my suspicion that I need more support. My wife continues to be happy with her side. So, I need to switch things up but not exactly sure how to proceed. Should I go with XFirm/Firm/Medium, Firm, Meduim, Medium? Something else? Anything I can try with what I have to get me through the next few nights? I plan to talk to Shawn to get his suggestions but since he already missed once I thought it would be good to get some other opinions. Thanks in advance for reading and any suggestions. |
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What kind of foundation do you have this mattress on? If that is not firm, it can cause problems as well. I tend to agree with you that if it is causing severe pain, then it is not just a matter of taking time to adjust. However, I think you are probably using a bad configuration for you. It seems that you need something pretty firm, so having the soft on the bottom and probably the medium in the middle is not great. It is possible that you need 2 layers of XF and one a bit softer. Only some trial and error will tell. I recall some Flobed people using 3 layers of XF (36 ILD) with the softer 2" convoluted layer on top. You may want to have him send you an XF and another F layer, so you have more choices. If your wife can sleep on your spare bed, you may want to swap out the soft for her firm to see if that helps things at all. I would note that some people end up just not liking an all latex mattress. You may be one of those, but I would say that it is too early to tell until you try something much firmer.
p.s. As a temporary measure you may want to try just 6" using the XF & M. The bed will be unbalanced of course, but your side will be firmer. p.s.s. If you really want firm support, you can also consider getting dunlop instead of talalay for 1 or 2 of the support layers. I see that sleepez XF is 44 ILD. That is pretty firm stuff for most people. This message was modified Jan 16, 2011 by sandman
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I also seriously doubt this is an "adjustment" process ... especially considering that the overall construction does not seem suitable for you even in "theory". The "rigidity" you are talking about in a "normal" mattress comes from the innerspring and is a side effect of how it is constructed and what it is made of ... not from it's softness or firmness. Much of this "rigidity" comes from the steel border rod (which is why an innerspring is constructed differently for use on an adjustable bed so it can "bend"). Even the "softest" innerspring would be more rigid than either latex foam or the layers of foam above the innerspring in a standard mattress even though it may be softer and "less suitable" for someone in actual use than a very firm foam. This "rigid" layer is also at the bottom of a mattress and usually has a non rigid layer of foam (sometimes a quite thick layer of foam) above it. It is the firmness or softness of an innerspring and it's spring rate that determines what it does in the mattress construction ... much like firm foam which is (usually) also in the bottom layer like an innerspring so when they are both flat ... rigidity does not come into play. There are good videos of a "typical" mattress construction and innerspring construction here Most of the standard mattresses ... even the firmest ones ... have some very soft foam above the firmer layers. This is usually even softer than the softest 14 ILD laex you can buy. Most people have no idea that they are often sleeping on top of very soft foam when they lay on a very firm mattress because the mattress feels so firm. In your case ... how far you are sinking down into the mattress and the thickness of the upper layers (the comfort layer) is a very important issue. The pillow under your hips may solve your issue while you are "fixing" the construction. I believe that the 8500 would have been more suitable for you as the upper layer would have been only 1.5" of soft and this could have been on top of 2 layers of firm or extra firm ... much more like a traditional "firm" mattress. With 3x3" with even medium on top you may still sink down too far and with say 3 layers of Xfirm or even with a firm on top you may end up with pressure issues as you may need a thin soft layer on top just like a "regular" mattress. Given how light your wife is the 8500 may also work fine for her (she probably doesn't need a really thick comfort layer because of her weight and could have softer foam than you under it to make up for any additional "cradling" she may need). I also agree with sandman that an Xfirm under medium is the most likely "short term" solution to your problem (besides the pillow). If I was in your shoes ... I would either consider a topper on top of xfirm or firm layers under or consider switching to the 8500. Phoenix This message was modified Jan 16, 2011 by Phoenix
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| Thank you for the feedback. Much appriciated and it all makes sense to me. In retrospect the 8500 does seem to perhaps be the better choice. Before I switch to another mattress I am going to try some firmer layers on my side. Per Sandman's recommendations I called Shawn and asked him to send out 2 new layers (XF and F) and I'll initially try XF/XF/F on my side. My wife is happy with her side right now so we'll leave it alone. If this works out but I still feel I need more softness on top I can use Phoenix's suggestion of a 1" topper. New layers should arrive next week and I'll post my experiences with them. I am oprimistic that I can get this right.This forum and the people here are really a great resource. Thanks again. |
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I purchased a Flobed in November and, like you, am a stomach sleeper. My side was M/F/XF and dh had F/XF/SF. I was still having some backpain, although not as bad as with my crappy S-brand. It took sleeping on it for over a month before I really felt better. DH thought his side was too firm, so we switched our top layers. So now, I have F/F/XF and he has M/XF/SF and I like this configuration even better (so does he, but he is a side/back sleeper). I thought I'd like a softer side better, but this is great for me. FWIW, I am 5'6", 135 and dh is 6'4" and 220. On a side note, I found out I am wheat/gluten/yeast intolerant. During the week that I eliminated those foods from my diet, I had no back pain. None. Need to get back on that bandwagon but it's tough. |
| We got my wife sorted out by giving her my M layer to try out. At this point she is very pleased with F/M/M. She is side/back sleeper so the softer top layers seem to work well for her. Since this left me with F/S/S I have taken up residence on the spare bed until my new layers arrive. I called Shawn yesterday and ordered a XF and M to repleace the 2 S that neither of us want. I will report back next week after more trials... |
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metamora wrote: ... this left me with F/S/S I have taken up residence on the spare bed until my new layers arrive... Have you tried S/F/S? Or even S/S/F? You might be surprised... Steve |
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Steve, no I haven't tried that combination. I did try F/M/S, S/M/F and M/F/S. It seemed to me that no matter where the S layer was it created a "swayback" situation for me as a stomach sleeper and it caused terrible lumbar back pain. At this point I am letting my back recover before I make another go at it next week. Someone had asked what my bed base was composed of (Sandman perhaps?). We have a Euro style bed with 1" x 4" maple slats spaced at 3" intervals. Shawn said that this was fine. I suspect that they flex a little bit at my weight (150 lbs) but probably not enough to be causing the problems that I am having. Just to be sure I'll have my wife take a look when I lie on the bed. More next week... |
| Our new layers arrived from Shawn at SleepEZ on Tuesday. With much anticipation I swapped out the 2 S layers for a F and XF. Both new layers went on my side as my wife continues to be pleased with her configuration (F/M/M). I set up the new layers as XF/F/M (bottom to top). I sensed a very noticable difference right away. The whole setup was much firmer and more to my liking. My first night was fairly comfortable. I woke up once because I was too hot but otherwise it felt OK. After the second night I woke up with back pain again. Not as bad as my previous set up but still pretty noticable. Still not sure what it is about this mattress that is causing me to have back pain. I will need to try something else tonight. Since the F may be too hard for me to sleep on I am thinking I may try XF/M and loose the F altogether just to see how it feels. As you may recall I am a stomach sleeper and need a fair amount of support to keep my back from sagging. I will post an update with more info. |
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Glad to hear you are making some progress. As we expected, you needed something firmer. XF/M should be a good experiment, but that may not have a lot of depth. If that seems close, then you probably want to add another XF on the bottom to use XF/XF/M. If you really want just a firm 3" base, get the XF in dunlop. I don't know if you tried F/XF/M. That should be slightly firmer than XF/F/M. p.s. I think stomach sleepers are the hardest to get right. As Phoenix noted, you maybe need an extra support under you hip area. Maybe a pillow or a 1" firm piece of foam to put under that area. This message was modified Jan 27, 2011 by sandman
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metamora wrote: Our new layers arrived from Shawn at SleepEZ on Tuesday. With much anticipation I swapped out the 2 S layers for a F and XF. Both new layers went on my side as my wife continues to be pleased with her configuration (F/M/M). I set up the new layers as XF/F/M (bottom to top). I sensed a very noticable difference right away. The whole setup was much firmer and more to my liking. My first night was fairly comfortable. I woke up once because I was too hot but otherwise it felt OK. After the second night I woke up with back pain again. Not as bad as my previous set up but still pretty noticable. Still not sure what it is about this mattress that is causing me to have back pain. I will need to try something else tonight. Since the F may be too hard for me to sleep on I am thinking I may try XF/M and loose the F altogether just to see how it feels. As you may recall I am a stomach sleeper and need a fair amount of support to keep my back from sagging. I will post an update with more info. how do you pack them and in what kind of box if any? are they not hard to fold and pack? how much is it costing you to "exchange" them? are you then getting "brand new layers" in exchange? Thanks. |