Is it worth it to try to augment an innerspring mattress that feels too firm to begin with?
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So, i recently purchased an older (second hand) sealy posturepedic "firm" mattress. I intentionally bought a second hand one because I am using it on a lofted (aka really high, I can stand under it) platform bed and wanted my mattress to not be too thick, so it wouldn't create a problem with ceiling clearance when i set up. This mattress i bought is in good condition. The only problem is that when i was testing it out, it felt ok, but now that i've gotten it home it feels.. well.. too firm. It has not been used often, and I can't feel the springs, so it's still in relatively good shape (besides apparently being too firm for me.) I'm a side sleeper, and i've been having a lot of weird symptoms lately - numbness in my hands and feet (peripheral neuropathy) that sometimes lasts a bit through the day. I used to be able to sleep pretty well on anything, but those days are evidently past and it seems now that whatever I try (with the exception of some of the super high end mattresses -- if anyone has any info on how the simmons beautyrest line they used to carry at bloomingdales was constructed, I'm all ears, as that's the only mattress in the last month that i've gotten a good sleep on) starts to feel achey after a few minutes. I'd really rather not spend a fortune on a $1500 mattress, and, most of the $1500+ mattresses are too thick to be ideal for my peculiar loft situation anyway. So.. i'm wondering.. is it worth it to bother trying to augment the too firm mattress with a topper, maybe latex? and/or memory foam? Or, will i just be spinning my wheels - ie, will the mattress underneath, which is uncomfy, outweigh the benefit of any topper i might try? I suppose also, in general, i'm really confused by this firm, cushion firm, plush firm, etc business -- seems like "firm" has changed over the years. I've been to a lot of department stores and mattress stores lately, and all of the "firm" ones I've tried in the showrooms seem a lot less firm than "firm" mattresses used to feel (aka my new-to-me second hand posturepedic..) Any insight much appreciated! kind regards, lauren |
Re: Is it worth it to try to augment an innerspring mattress that feels too firm to begin with?
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Good Morning Lauren, Because of the interlaced spring system that Sealy uses, it produces some of the firmest firms you can find out there today. Very firm beds are not good for side sleepers because they cut off blood flow in your shoulders and hips leading to the numbness you've described. If you don't want to attempt a new mattress I would recommend a talalay latex topper. I'm generally not a fan of toppers but I think in your specific circumstances it'd be your best shot. -Alex |
Re: Is it worth it to try to augment an innerspring mattress that feels too firm to begin with?
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lauren_09 wrote: So.. i'm wondering.. is it worth it to bother trying to augment the too firm mattress with a topper, maybe latex? and/or memory foam? Yes! Definitely. It's working for me and a number of people on this forum. If you haven't yet looked through the forum at length, try to find the time to do so -- there are several helpful threads about adding toppers to firm mattresses. People are using latex, memory foam, fiber beds, or various combinations thereof. It might take some experimenting to find the right topper or combination of toppers for you, but it will still cost a lot less than a brand-new plush mattress. This summer I bought a new innerspring mattress, extra firm, minimally padded (and flippable), with the intention of adding toppers to give me the cushioning I needed. That way, if the toppers wear out, I can replace them for much less $ than it would cost to replace an entire mattress. I'm using latex toppers and a thin fiber bed, and the combo is working for me. I am also a side sleeper, and I am no longer waking up with numb arms & hands. -Catherine |
Re: Is it worth it to try to augment an innerspring mattress that feels too firm to begin with?
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After reading on this forum, that was the tact we took from the start, i.e. to 'soften up' a firm inner-spring mattress (Denver Mattress' so-called "Doctors Choice") with foam top layers. For what it's worth, I experimented with dunlop latex, talalay latex, and memory foam. What I ended up with was 1" 24 ILD talalay latex (from sleeplikeabear.com) over 1" 'Sensus' memory foam (from Overstock.com). One inch of foam wasn't enough to stop the pinched circulation when side-sleeping, and three inches produced too little firmness for back sleeping. With latex (bounce) and memory foam (sink) layers, the two-inches of additional 'give' feels pretty neutral. The memory foam sleeps on the warm side, so that's one reason why it's beneath the cooler-sleeping latex. The other reason is odor. The memory foam off-gassed pretty strongly for the first week, unpleasant strong odor, while the talalay latex smelled like creme-brulee at first, not entirely unpleasant, and has gotten to the point where it isn't very noticeable after several weeks. The memory foam's smell doesn't get through the latex layer to reach my nose. |
Re: Is it worth it to try to augment an innerspring mattress that feels too firm to begin with?
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lauren_09 wrote: So, i recently purchased an older (second hand) sealy posturepedic "firm" mattress. I intentionally bought a second hand one because I am using it on a lofted (aka really high, I can stand under it) platform bed and wanted my mattress to not be too thick, so it wouldn't create a problem with ceiling clearance when i set up. This mattress i bought is in good condition. The only problem is that when i was testing it out, it felt ok, but now that i've gotten it home it feels.. well.. too firm. It has not been used often, and I can't feel the springs, so it's still in relatively good shape (besides apparently being too firm for me.) I'm a side sleeper, and i've been having a lot of weird symptoms lately - numbness in my hands and feet (peripheral neuropathy) that sometimes lasts a bit through the day. I used to be able to sleep pretty well on anything, but those days are evidently past and it seems now that whatever I try (with the exception of some of the super high end mattresses -- if anyone has any info on how the simmons beautyrest line they used to carry at bloomingdales was constructed, I'm all ears, as that's the only mattress in the last month that i've gotten a good sleep on) starts to feel achey after a few minutes. I'd really rather not spend a fortune on a $1500 mattress, and, most of the $1500+ mattresses are too thick to be ideal for my peculiar loft situation anyway. So.. i'm wondering.. is it worth it to bother trying to augment the too firm mattress with a topper, maybe latex? and/or memory foam? Or, will i just be spinning my wheels - ie, will the mattress underneath, which is uncomfy, outweigh the benefit of any topper i might try? I suppose also, in general, i'm really confused by this firm, cushion firm, plush firm, etc business -- seems like "firm" has changed over the years. I've been to a lot of department stores and mattress stores lately, and all of the "firm" ones I've tried in the showrooms seem a lot less firm than "firm" mattresses used to feel (aka my new-to-me second hand posturepedic..) Any insight much appreciated! kind regards, lauren Laruen, it seems to me (Alex, correct me if I'm wrong) that the main difference between a Sealy firm and a Sealy not so firm is that the firm has less foam sitting on top of the springs. The springs themselves don't change within a certain "model", they just change the foams on top of the springs. Therefore, yes, adding a nice topper of very low ILD or medium-low ILD latex or even an inch of latex and an inch of Sensus memory foam very well might do the trick. However, if it does not, I would suggest instead of throwing the mattress out, do a mattress surgery. I say this because my Englander was also very firm and I tried toppers and it did not work. What did work was taking out the cheap foam they had on top of the springs and replacing that with high quality HR foam, latex and memory foam. |