Mattress Forum

After 3 weeks of sleeping on the Vera Wang 50% latex matt, I must have gotten used to it. I slept most nights all the way through, without even getting up to pee. (First time in years.)

OTOH, during the first night with the new TP, I woke up a number of times to try and get more comfortable, in addition to a pee run. I think the main problem is the odor. Much of my discomfort was breathing-based. I removed the bedding this morning, and am running the ceiling fan, floor fan, and air cleaner on high all day. I am hoping it will be a little better tonight.

Tomorrow, after waking up, I think I will also remove the outer cover, which will hopefully aid even more in the off-gassing, and speed the dissipation of that odor. I also worry about the health affect of breathing that stuff.

As for physical comfort of the mattress itself, it does seem a little firm. But, I know people say it will soften a tad during the first few weeks. Plus, the body and mind also get used to the MF sensation.

I'll report back after one week. It will be easier to judge after the odor subsides, and I can concentrate wholly on the comfort level.

okay read budgys comment on other thread. It seems there is synthetic latex not natural latex in bellafina. I wonder why regular tempurpedic site does not mentions it.

http://www.tempurpedic.com/mattresses/tempur/the_bellafina_bed_by_tempur_pedic/

Congrats... sorry your first night was so rough. I think once the odors have subsided that you'll like the Bellafina. But that's totally a hunch. Look forward to more reports. And remember, it can take quite a long time for your body to adjust to a new sleep surface.

Come to think of it, I may not have posted my reason! So, here goes:

We ordered a Split King, which is actually two Twin XL matts, side-by-side. That is because we also ordered an adjustable base, which only comes in split version for King and Cal King. Altho, even if it came in a single version, we'd opt for the split in order to have independent control of lift height.

When the matts were delivered, I noticed that the tops were different, even though they were both supposedly the same model! Plus, the build quality seemed sub-par. So, I decided I didn't trust the Serta factory. And, the label gave the Latex content as 51%! Also, the rounded, cushy tops for a sort of mound, which doesn't work well as a Split King. So, we decided to go the TP route, and decided on the Bellafina after much trial in the store. (We also liked the Rhapsody and Deluxe. But, we found the BF to be a little less memory-foamy than the others, most likely due to the latex center layer.)

Ironically, in the 3 weeks waiting for the TP's, which were special ordered, I was actually sleeping great on the Vera Wang!

The second night was much better. After leaving the linens off all day with the ceiling fan, floor fan, and air cleaner at full blast, much of the odor was gone by bedtime, probably 60-70% dissipated. I had a slightly hard time falling asleep at first, due to other factors in addition to the bed. But, once asleep, I seem to have made it pretty well through morning. I certainly felt better when I woke up than I did the first morning.

Today, when I got home from work, I removed the covers, and discovered that they seemed to have a stronger odor than the inner matts themselves! So, I am washing them as I write this. I have a feeling that the odor will probably be 90% gone tonight.

Also, I discovered that the mattress is much more responsive without the waterproof protector I had put on it. It was definitely interfering with the Tempurpedic-iness of the bed. So, I will not be using that anymore. I will have to find something more suited to the TP mattress. (It didn't adversely affect the Vera Wang's comfort, though.) Unfortunately, the return window at Amazon ended 5 days ago! 

I am most happy with the price, as the store manager did let me have the TP for the same price as the original VW, due to Serta's big screw-up. (The adjustable base was TP from the beginning.) He normally sells TP at a modest discount, which is practically unheard of. But, this was phenomenal. Huge. I am extremely happy with the price. Hopefully, I will be just as happy with the comfort and sleep quality.

On the subject of the Bellafina, I have read that placing one of those dryer sheets between the cover and the memory foam for a few days really helps to get rid of the off gassing odor.

But, then I'd be smelling one of those awful dryer sheets, instead. Six of one, half dozen of the other.

The good news is that removing the linens during the day for two days, plus washing the cover, got rid of the odor, or at least 90% of it.

I would have had a good night's sleep last night - I was really digging that bed for the first time - if it weren't for a squirrel or some small animal getting into the roof above the bedroom, and scratching around all night. It killed most of my night. Of course, I have a big job interview today! 

I'm still not 100% comfortable on this mattress. I'm still experimenting a bit. I've tried a few different pillows, as well as a 6-year-old or so 2" Novaform topper from Costco that I had been using on my spring matt. I have no idea what it's density is/was.

The basic problems are:

-I get pretty serious shoulder pain after a while when sleeping on my side. (This happened to a lesser extent on my spring matt, and almost not at all on the 50% latex VW matt.)

-I get low-back pain when sleeping on my stomach. (This happened a bit worse on the old spring matt, but not at all on the VW.)

-I get slight upper back pain when sleeping on my back. (Never got upper back pain from any mattress before.)

I have found some workarounds.

A contour neck pillow helps. I have found that my wife's TP King Medium neck pillow works well for me for back sleeping. But, it is too low for side sleeping (4"), and I get the shoulder pain mentioned above, although my head and neck feel great on it. I have an old Novaform neck pillow from Costco, which appears to be a good height to prevent the shoulder pain - hurray - but doesn't feel as nice as the MF in the TP. So, I think I will buy a Queen Large TP neck pillow. (I also got a TP Symphony free with the bed. That's 5". But, I don't care for the way it feels, in general. I don't know if it's a different foam than their neck pillows, or if it's just because of its different shape. I suppose I can try and sell it, or just save it for guests.)

I just ordered a 1" soft latex topper from FBM, as the VW matt had 1" of latex quilted into the comfort top, which I found very comfortable. I'm thinking the topper may simulate that same cushy feel. I also ordered a 1" "super soft" poly topper, as well, just in case. It was only $16 more. The shipping would've cost $13, because the latex topper by itself didn't qualify for free shipping. So, I got the PU for only $3. If it helps, great. If not, I'll hang onto it for guests or something.

If I can't get this matt right for me after a few more weeks, I may have to think about just swapping my half of the bed for the spongier Deluxe.

How long do these TP's take to break-in, anyway???

(BTW, my wife loves it. No problem at all. I guess when one weighs 100lbs, and comes from a society where they sleep on the floor, the firmer the better!)