Mattress Forum

That seems to be the question of the day here, and it's what drove me in desperation to find this forum. All of us who haven't mattress shopped in many years certainly were in for some shocks. I too was seduced by a Stearns & Foster pillowtop, but soon realized it had to go.

I also did not want memory foam due to the heat complaints I read, and didn't want to order a latex topper without having the chance to try it out beforehand. I got my answer on this forum and that was to buy a firm, non-pillowtop mattress and soften it with toppers. I had to try a few combinations but finally got a bed I now adore. Yes, I was kind of outraged that after spending so much on a new bed I had to spend yet more to make it comfortable, but it really seems to be par for the course now.

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).

Try having a few (hundred) hot flashes, and you'll know why for some people even "a little warm" is TOO warm!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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.