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I recently had to replace an ancient (25 year old) mattress, and I've been in Mattress Buying Hell ever since (the old mattress was getting tired and lumpy, for sure, but I found it perfectly comfortable. My boyfriend, however, hated it. Hence the ensuing drama...). I've done a ton of research and a ton of shopping. Bottom line, I am now convinced that the right mattress for me no longer exists. Because the new mattresses seem fraught with problems that never existed before. In short: we needed a soft-ish mattress that is not too high and that sleeps cool. Memory Foam was out, of course. After practically breaking up in the mattress store, and coming to a complete impasse, my boyfriend and I finally settled on a (pricey) Stearns and Foster Pillow Top -- the one with Latex. Since the mattress got delivered, I've been completely traumatized. First, the thing is SO DAMN HIGH, it's a joke. We are now trying to adjust it -- we're replacing the box springs (more $$) and may eventually have to get a non pillow top (we can't put the mattress on the floor or a lower frame, or we would). So there's the height issue. Can't believe the manufacturer's don't make a thinner coil mattress. But the bigger issue is the HEAT problem. I am absolutely convinced that this mattress is much warmer than my previous, boxspring mattress. It warms up the minute I lie down and stays warm. With the old mattress, as long as I had the right bedding, heat was NEVER even an issue. With this mattress, it sleeps very warm, even on a chilly night. That is not good. I know there are all kinds of correctional steps I can take; cooling mattress pads (do they really work?), cooling sheets, etc. I am willing to try any and all of those. BUT...I would rather start with a mattress that doesn't heat up!! Isn't that possible? I've just paid a small fortune for a mattress -- why do I now have to try to "fix" it?? I only have one chance to return or exchange this mattress, and now I am really concerned that there is NO good Plan B. We can't get Memory Foam. We can't get a really firm mattress. And now, the so-called "cool" Latex mattresses seem too hot, too (I was going to originally get a Sealy Posturpedic...but it has Memory Foam). I know that some new, "micro-gel cooling" mattresses are coming on the market soon. But they are basically Memory Foam with a gel top -- sounds iffy. Comfort-wise, my boyfriend loves the new mattress. But I am not yet sure I like it. And the temperature problem is the key issue. So at long last, here's my question: IS THERE A TRADITIONAL, NON-LATEX, NON-MEMORY FOAM MATTRESS OUT THERE THAT IS NOT TOO WARM AND DOESN'T REQUIRE A BUNCH OF COOLING ACCESSORIES? (I don't want to order online -- need to try the bed out. And also can't afford a 4-$5K plus bed). Please respond if you know of any solutions -- thank you!!
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1) Original poster - are you using a comforter as a top layer? If so, shelve it. Go get a thin quilt instead. Quilts are typically about a 1/4" thick or so. They work well and are much cooler. 2) Not sure why you guys just don't want memory foam. Sleeping too warm is a complete non-issue on my 60 day old TP Cloud. In September, there were a bunch of nights where room was 80 F. It was a little warm, but I did ok. If the room is 65 F to high 70's, it's still great. They have single or dual air flow 'systems' which seem to work fine for me. TP Cloud is best mattress for me in 5 mattresses I had in house this year (Select Sleep, Stearns and Foster, iComfort, SleepEZ and now TP). |
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"It was a little warm, but I did ok." Try having a few (hundred) hot flashes, and you'll know why for some people even "a little warm" is TOO warm! |
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A few suggestions that will make a bigger difference than changing your mattress: 1. Linen Sheets (real linen from flax fibre). 2. Natural fibre filled duvet (ultra light weight down, or a light weight animal fibre filling like wool or camel hair) 3. Machine washable wool mattress protector (search St. Dormeir on these forums) Regarding the mattress, I can pretty much guarantee it is not the latex that is causing the heat issues, its the polyurethane foam and polyester fibres that are being used. But in any event, the bedding makes a bigger difference than the mattress when it comes to heat issues. |
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Thanks to everyone who responded to my original posting (sorry, I didn't see the comments until now...was expecting some type of email alert). I appreciate all the helpful tips. Believe me, I'm already careful about bedding, comforters, etc. That's a given...which is why I rarely sleep with more than a sheet and thin blanket. Have not yet tried a "cooling" mattress cover, but that is next. However, I have read mixed reviews on those. I'm into Week #2 with the new Stearns and Foster bed, and I still intensely dislike it. I don't find it particularly comfortable and the heat issue is significant. (Today, I had smaller box springs delivered, with lowered the height of the bed slightly). The most disturbing thing is that there doesn't seem to be a "regular" mattress even available anymore these days. By that, I mean NO Memory Foam, NO Latex. Just the old fashioned kind with fabric and coils. Why are these no longer made? It's a Brave New World of Mattresses and I am one unhappy (and tired) sleeper! |
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A little over 2 years ago my wife and I replaced our (nearly) 20-year old Sealy Posturepedic mattress with a new Posturepedic. We never thought that would be the beginning of a nightmare. Who would ever expect that the new mattresses would sleep so hot compared to the old ones? After making a dozen calls to stores, manufacturers, manufacturers reps and after reading on-line blogs, we learned that quite a few people are running into this problem since the recent changes in the fire retardation laws promoted changes to the mattreses, themselves. Ours was NOT a foam mattress, but an innerspring pillowtop, with an imbedded thin layer of foam -- but it wasn't located anywhere near the top of the mattress. For the 3 weeks we had that mattress, I could not sleep for more than 3 hours before I had to get out of bed and let the matttress cool for at least an hour. Fortunately, we were able to exchange it for a Serta-made mattress that used latex (again, imbedded deeply) instead of memory foam, but that only helped slightly. Now I could sleep for about 4 hours until I had to get out of bed. So I went on line and discovered a product called a ChiliPad "air-conditioned" matttress pad, which is really a water-cooled mattress pad. After spending upwards of $1,300 on a new mattress, I was not expecting to spend an additional $600 on a product that allowed me to use the mattress, but this product saved my life and allowed me to sleep all night again, just like a normal human being. Unfortunately, ChilPad has some serious quality contol problems. It's been just 2 years since we bought our ChiliPad (and I recently learned that prices are up by 50% since we bought ours), but we already have had to return 3 control units for replacement, and the last one ended up leaking water all over our floor. ChiliPad replaced the first 3 and repaired the 4th. Trust me, we are not abusing the units or rough handling them in any way whatsoever. The first two we had started screeching in the middle of the night, apparently from poor workmanship in the manufacturing process. The third one's motor just became so noisy, it was obnoxious. Perhaps that's why the price has increased so dramatically over the past 2 years -- they must have had to find a higher-quality source for manufacturing. In any case, ChiliPad took care of those issues, and we only had to pay the return shipping costs (which, at this point are nearly $100 cumulatively). But the bigger problem is that after about 16 months, the mattress pad, itself started leaking at what they call the "manifold", which is where the feed tube connects to the pad, and drenched our bed in water. I called ChiliPad and they told me that, unlike the control units, the pads only had a 1 year warranty and we'd have to buy a new pad for about $100 (queen size). Now, just 6 months after buying the replacement mattress pad, the NEW ONE is leaking in the same place (albeit on the other connection on my side of the bed) and the company informed me that their new warranty policy is now only 90 days! They also dropped the warranty period on the control units from 3 years (when we bought it 2 years ago) to 2 years. Clearly their quality control is so badly lacking that they have had to shorten their warranty across the board--not a very good sign. The caveat here for you, fellow hot sleeper, is that after investing $900 in a ChiliPad, it's likely that it won't work very long before you have to buy a new one, or pay for repairs. Personally, I'm willing to pay a lot of money for a product that allows me to sleep again (which the ChiliPad does quite well), as long as it has a reasonable lifespan for the price. It seems to me that, given the steep price, this product should last for a minimum of 5 years, if not longer. But our experience is that we've seldom gone more than 3 months without another issue cropping up. So, if you have the same hot sleeping problem we do, consider the ChiliPad if you have no other viable option that works for you, but be prepared for the fact that you are likely to have to spend considerably more money (beyond the purchase price) over time to keep it operating. In our case, I am not sure what we will do when the control units break again. I just can't see us paying an additional $400 a year to keep it working. That just doesn't seem right. If anyone knows of any products that accomplish something similar to the ChiliPad for effective mattress cooling, please post a reply.
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Do what I did..buy a waveless Waterbed, it's actually called a Sponge bed . I control the temperature with the heater.  |
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The problem you are having is really just inflation. Manufacturers can no longer afford to make mattresses from natural cotton and wool fibers for $2000. i have been looking hard for a new mattress and everything in $2000-3000 range is foam or junk. The best deal I have found for an all natural cotton-wool coil mattress is a VI Spring Elite which sells for about $4300 in king size. It comes with a lifetime warranty that is an actual real warranty that VI Spring has a good reputation for honoring. If I bought this mattress I would want some sort of wool or fleece topper but most people buy these without toppers. THese beds ccan be ordered with dual firmness. VI Spring has a wonderful cotton-wool-horsehair topper that I would love to have but it costs $2200.
If you want to keep the mattress you have, the best suggestion would be to buy a wool fleece topper. There are two types. The first have an all cotton backing for breathability but have to be washed carefully. The second have a polyester-glue backing and can be conventionaly machine washed. Reading reviews on fleece toppers, most people think the polyester backed fleece sleeps cool but there are a small percentage of buyers complaining about the lack of porosity with polyester backing. My personal issue with fleece toppers is that they seem to smell like sheep. I am sure the smell varies with the one you get.
The next "solution" is to get a quilted or tufted wool topper. My experience with these is that the topper needs to be quite thick to actually get a hot bed feeling cool. I would go with a 2-4" topper. A 1.5 " toppper will not work. The wool toppers need fluffing and turning regularly. You will also need access to a commercial washing machine (the large side loaders at some laundermats will do) if you ever want to wash them. If you do wash them you need to soak and spin, don't let the machine agitate. Results are mixed but it will take at least three days to dry out.
The new gel toppers do sleep cooler than classic Tempurpedic memory foam, but I would not say they sleep cool compared to a cotton-wool coil mattress.
I have heard from several people in the industry that people complaining of night sweats or menopause hot flashes have been well satisfied switching to old fashioned natural fiber coil mattresses. This is a real problem and not just something in your head. The problem is that these mattresses have steadily crept up in price for the last 10 years. |
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FWIW, I like the passive temperature control of my 9" Blended Talalay Latex in Bamboo/Joma Wool cover on a slatted platform. I tried the top 3" Latex layer outside the cover to see if the cover affected the Latex contouring. Conclusion: not much affect... but removing the wool interface had a negative affect on body heat and moisture ventilation. While building the platform, the mattress lived on the floor. It slept warmer on the floor than when it was on the former box spring foundation. Now the Latex mattress sleeps cool and dry on the slatted platform... great ventilation. I can lay on the floor under the platform while someone moves around on the mattress and feel and smell the Latex breathing air out the bottom though the slats. It's a well-ventialted bed system on slats. No heaters or coolers required. GK |
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Hello everybody, One of the best mattress toppers you can use for a cooler sleep is made of space-age memory foam. This type of mattress topper provides a cooler sleep surface because the memory foam does not disperse heat, creating a cooler sleep surface. Furthermore, while there are different types of memory foam pads, many of them are designed with open-cell technology, which allows for breath ability. Thanks and regards Michael Bevan |
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just a man with a goal to educate people about mattresses by being something most sales PEOPLE arent.....HONEST.
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Hello
maybe this will help you have to look into getting a all core latex mattress. something like a 8" talalay latex with the new gel top which is gel that is topped ontop of the latex making the mattress about 9 inches high. as far as the quilting you would need to buy it with a thin cover just like the zipper covers that the memory foam mattresses come with. just some simple advice from a mattress manufacture guy. hope it helps dont spend more then $1100 either on it. This message was modified Oct 30, 2018 by a moderator
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