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Hi all, I have been researching latex toppers and I can't seem to find any information on the best ILD for me: I have a firm innerspring mattress with good support but not completely rock hard. (I don't know what is on top of the springs, but I would geuss a thin layer of conventional foam and some cotton. It is not a pillowtop.) The firm mattress by itself does not support the curve in my back or my hips quite enough. I end up with pain in my lower back after lying down for more than half an hour. I am looking for a topper with support for my lower back, but also excellent pressure relief for my hips & shoulders. -- I have a firm traditional innerspring mattress (no pillowtop) -- I have lower back pain issues (bottom disc is degenerated) -- I primarily sleep on my side, occassionally on my back, never on my stomach -- I am under five foot tall and about 120 lbs, but I have fairly wide hips -- synthetic foam, including memory foam, make me wake up boiling hot in the middle of the night I am looking at a 2" natural talalay latex topper. Soft is uaually around 19-20 ILD for most of the manufacturers I have looked at. I was able to try one in a local store, but it was a "super-soft" 14 ILD. It felt pretty good, but I have read that 14-16 really doesn't have good support for your back. I am hesitant to order the 20 ILD without being able to try it out, but I can't find anyone locally that carries anything other than the 14. I don't know if soft would be best, or medium? Looking for some advice before I spend $200+ on something I cannot return! Thanks, ~Becky
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Okay, so I wanted to give myself time to adjust to the new mattress. It is a traditional connected coil mattress that is what I can best describe as medium-firm. Supportive, but not rock hard. It feels pretty good, but I still feel like I need a little bit of pressure point relief, especially for my butt and hips. So, I ordered the 1 inch 20 ILD natural latex topper from FBM. (It was a great price and shipped quick - good quality as far as I can tell, but I have nothing to compare it to.) I think it may be too soft, though. Even a 1-inch layer makes my back ache after just 10 or 20 minutes. I even tried it over my husband's x-firm foam layer and it just feels flimsy. I haven't even been able to sleep on it a full night. If the mattress is too firm, I get sharp pains in my lower back, but it seems that if the mattress is too soft, I get a dull ache. But I don't have a clue what will make it feel "just right." I would probably just stick with the mattress alone at this point, but now my hubby is on a 2 inch layer on his side and it just feels weird to have him on a different level (not to mention it makes the bed look pretty weird.) FBM has a medium natural talalay latex that is 32 ILD. I don't know if I should give that a try? Or maybe something entirely different? Wool? Convoluted foam with some kind of cool layer on top? I can't do memory foam due to intense heat in the middle of the night. And I really don't like the sinking feeling of memory foam anyway. Any kind of conventional foam would have to have a substantial layer of cotton or wool on top to cool me down. Any ideas out there?? I'm a little lost.
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I don't see how 1" of FBM 20ILD (I sleep on one under 1-1/2" of 14 ILD) could make a bed that is too firm become too soft IMO. There just isn't enough depth there to impact the support that much, just the pressure points. Have you had your husband feel your spine while you are on your side? Compare the shape of your spine to the pictures on the LI site - http://www.latexinternational.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75&Itemid=86 . Be careful as both too soft and too firm can make your spine shaped like a V. If your hips are wider than your midsection and shoulders, you need them to sink into the mattress deep enough for the rest of your body to get supported (fill in the gaps). Since you only have 2" to deal with (to match your husband's side) since you are building on top of a med-firm spring mattress, I think you will need to zone your top layer. Basically you want your hip to sink into the spring mattress while the topper holds your narrower areas up if that makes sense. Look at this page for an illustration - http://www.flobeds.com/product_details.htm?ID=6099CK . Gary |
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I realized after my last post that my back was in a general state of crankyness. I took the latex off the bed for a few days until my back felt better so I could properly judge the impact of the latex. I have slept on 2 inches of 20 ILD natural talalay latex (1 inch folded in half) for four nights now. It feels okay, but not great. I do not have any back pain while I am sleeping, but I wake up with considerable stiffness and ache in my lower back. This stiffness usually gets better as I walk around or take a hot shower. (My back never feels "normal" no matter what I do because of my disc problem.) My problem is that due to the unique qualities of latex (both soft and springy) I cannot for the life of me pinpoint whether the latex is slightly too firm or slightly too soft. I still do not feel like I have the pressure-point relief that I am looking for, so I am leaning toward the slightly too firm side. (Ignore my previous post!) The latex feels to me like someone is pushing against my backside. (I guess this is the support that the latex advertisements talk about.) Not sure if I should try something softer underneath? Or softer - like 14 ILD latex - on top? I would like to keep at least 1 inch of latex on top for the ventilation. Poly-foam makes me wake up boiling hot in the middle of the night. (I also like the fact that latex is a natural & sustainable product, but at this point I just want to sleep well without adding to my back issues.) Any advice?? I need to decide pretty soon if I am going to keep the 20 ILD latex or send it back. Thank you! |
| Have you tried different pillows? I am a combination side and back sleeper (a 5'5", 120 lb woman) and I know that when I sleep on my back and use a pillow that is too high, I wake up with a stiff, slightly strained lower back. You may need either a higher or lower pillow, depending on your body shape, in order to keep your spine aligned correctly. Something else you can try is putting an inch of memory foam under your latex layer. It's a lot cheaper than latex, so it's not an expensive experiment (and it won't be the top layer so it shouldn't make you hot). |
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"I cannot for the life of me pinpoint whether the latex is slightly too firm or slightly too soft."
Not saying this is the case for you, so keep trying, but some just don't prefer the feel of latex. I do like that springy pushback feel you describe, & it can be tamed, it's just not for everyone. But when you say synthetic foams make you hot, is that any MF at all (& what densities?), or an entirely synthetic, MF over polyurethane TP style mattress? If only the latter, maybe a not too thick/dense MF topper over an innerspring mattress won't sleep too hot for you. Even an inch does wonders for pressure relief, & it won't be so tall that you sink to uneven depths, causing potential alignment issues. Don't be afraid of lower density MF either. It's frowned upon around here, & might not last as long, but it will sleep cooler & is less expensive. But some very high end mattresses use layers as light as 3lbs for pressure relief. Or maybe even try an inch of it over an inch of your latex. |