Mattress Forum

1)     You sleep IN a memory foam topper because memory foam is viscous and thus ‘flows’ whereas you sleep ON a Latex topper because it compresses underneath you rather than ‘flows’ away from body pressure.

2)     Memory foam will sleep ‘hotter’ than Latex; though new types of memory foam such as Foamex’ Aerus will be ‘cooler’ than standard memory foam, and Latex International’s Celsion will maintain a consistent body temperature.

3)     If the memory foam is too soft, it won’t provide much, if any, support (e.g., you bottom out).  If a Latex foam is too hard/resilient, it might not alleviate pressure points.

I’ve read that memory foam provides more support than Latex and I’ve read that Latex provides more support than memory foam.  I would think that, in theory, memory foam could provide more support than Latex under ideal conditions (e.g., ideal mix of person’s weight, ILD of the foam and temperature).  I’ve also read that memory foam is better at alleviating ‘pressure points’, but again, I don’t know if that is correct. 

I ordered a Sealy Plush mattress form US Mattress in September and it is was way too soft (nothing like the comparable model I tried locally).   I can’t return it, but I can exchange it, and I did, to a top of the line very firm Sealy: http://www.us-mattress.com/sealy-greenhurst-firm.html which I should get in a few weeks.  Based upon the mattresses I've checked out locally, I know it is going to be so hard that it will not ‘fill up the space’ under my lumbar region when I sleep on my back (I side sleep too) and that I will want a bit more cushion/comfort.   I’m 6’1”, 190 lbs and fit.  However, I’ve also had 2 micro-discectomies at L5-S1 due to herniations and I definitely want lumbar support, and I’d like to have it be comfortable ;)

I know that I don’t want to sink into my topper.  I also know that I don’t want to sleep ‘hot’ as my body doesn’t seem to do a very good job of regulating temperature (e.g., when I go to bed I’ll be on top of the covers because I’m roasting, even though the room is under 65 degrees and my S.O. is buried under the covers because she’s freezing.)  When I wake up in the morning, under the covers, I’ll be freezing.

Here are the toppers I’ve considered:

Aerus: I thought about getting an Aerus topper because they are not supposed to be as hot as traditional memory foam.  However, I think I’d still have the problem of feeling that I’m ‘sinking in’ the topper. 

Energia: Supposedly, Energia foam feels like a cross between Latex and Memory Foam in that it combines the high resilience of Latex with the shape conforming properties of Memory Foam.  It is made in 3, 4, and 5 lb densities, but only the 3lb/16IFD seems to be available.  Best price is $239 for a 2” king.  http://www.sleepwarehouse.com/energiamemoryfoam.aspx  It is supposed to extremely durable, but it hasn’t been in use long enough for long-term ‘real use’ reviews.

Celsion:  LI’s temperature regulating Talalay Latex sounds perfect for me in regards to temperature sensitivity.  However, I’m not sure if Latex will be able to fill in and support my lumbar region (or hips when I side-sleep).  $250 for a King 1” http://www.sleeplikeabear.com/celsion_talalay_latex_toppers.html

NuForm:  LI claims that you will experience the benefits of Talalay latex with a unique, slow recovery feel:  

Slowly cradles the body without the dense sinking, cave-like feel of visco-elastic foam

Progressive recovery: returns to its original shape faster than visco to eliminate "cratering"

4x more breathable than leading polyurethane memory foam

This sounds pretty darn good (no sinking feeling, somewhat breathable) if true.  Habitat Furnishings trashed it, but I don’t know how unbiased they are. http://www.habitatfurnishings.com/latex_faqs.html.  The bigger problem seems to be that no one makes a NuForm topper.  Does anyone know if there are any NuForm toppers available?  It does seem to be used as a comfort layer on some mattresses.

Natural Latex:  Because they are not viscous and don’t ‘flow’, they won’t really fill up or ‘conform’ to my shape, will they?  Do they come close enough to conforming that they work fine?  Do they do as good a job of alleviating pressure points as memory foam?  If not, if you get the right resiliency do they do a decent job with pressure points?

Any suggestions that you might have on the type of topper, thickness and density/ILD would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks!

Dino

PS...I wish I had found this site before I placed my original order…I probably would have gone with a ‘build your own’ foam mattress.  However, the Sealy I just ordered as part of the exchange has a supposed comfort life of 12 years, so I figure I can get a topper to make it ‘just right’  ;)