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First off, I should reveal that I prefer sleeping on my back or on my stomach. I'm about 5'6", in the 130 pound range. I slept on a Sealy Posturepedic mattress for about 19 years that never gave me a problem (I added a foam topper to it), but I let the mattress delivery men take it away when my new Simmons Beautyrest Exceptionale plush mattress was delivered a year or so ago. If I had known then what I know now about the mattressses of today, I would have happily kept my old mattress. The Beautyrest was uncomfortable and didn't provide enough back support...when I slept on my stomach, my back was arching forward too much. I tried a Simmons Westin Heavenly Bed which is a pillowtop mattress that receives rave reviews...I would wake up every morning with lower back pain, but as soon as I got out of bed, the back pain disappeared. When I would wake up on that mattress, I couldn't just lay in bed and fall back asleep because the lower back pain would keep me awake. I only experienced the lower back pain when I woke up on that mattress. Then I started sleeping on a raised Aerobed mattress (inflates with air), and I have been sleeping comfortably on it for the past 6 months as a temporary solution. I never woke up with lower back pain and slept soundly through the night on my back. So now I just received my new mattress this week, a Sealy "Sedona Springs Ultra Plush" mattress from Costco, and the first night sleeping on it was hell. I woke up about 10 times during the night with tingling in my hands, I was tossing and turning all night, and I woke up with lower back pain! But when I got out of bed, the lower back pain disappeared. The mattress feels too firm for me and it doesn't have a springy feel to it (hard to describe in words), and the plush layers feel somewhat firm. I thought that this mattress would be good since it has 1-1/2" x 1/2" convoluted memory foam, but the mattress doesn't seem like it provides good pressure relief on pressure points. I'm disappointed that I was not able to get a good night's rest. I understand that every mattress takes getting used to, but being woken up by tingling in my hands and not being able to sleep in one position for long annoys me. I REALLY want this mattress to work, but I can't force it to be comfortable for me. I'm really tired of looking for a mattress by now...I never knew mattress shopping would be like this. I have to once and for all find a mattress that works for me...I just can't believe I'm having problems with mattresses. I don't understand what it is that I cannot find a comfortable mattress. Why is it so hard to find a mattress that won't cause discomfort? I received samples of latex from Flobeds kit, but I've never slept on a latex mattress and don't know if it will give proper back support. It would be a gamble for me to order a Flobed by mail, and it's not cheap to return the latex cores. There is a Stearns & Foster "Jasmine Dreams" Ultra Plush Latex mattress at Macy's which felt comfortable in the store, but again, I don't know what a latex mattress is like to sleep on and I'm unsure whether a S&F latex is good quality. Does anyone know about the quality of S&F latex mattresses? So what does a synthetic talalay latex mattress feel like to sleep on compared to an innerspring mattress? I realize latex has different ILD's. Here are the specifications for my current Sealy "Sedona Springs Ultra Plush" mattress to give you an idea of how it's made...in full size: |
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mccldwll wrote: I will disagree somewhat with what was said about spending at least 20 minutes on a latex mattress. While that MAY work, some have discovered that they go to sleep in total comfort and wake up with lower back pain. My theory is that muscles relax fully during sleep, and more support from the mattress is then needed. But non-sidesleepers in general have a much easier time finding nirvana, since what generally works best is a cushioned firm surface. There are advantages to all latex, but you still may want to construct one in the same way you would build up a coil/latex topper mattress.
Lying on the tripled up Brylane topper for about a half hour today I was reminded how wonderful that Talalay latex bed always felt when I first got into it at night, and how awful it felt a few hours later. I really think it has something to do with the way Talalay jiggles. My back muscles tense up trying to get a secure hold on the thing, which translates to major back fatigue a few hours later. I guess that's why I really like memory foam as a topper. It feels very stable and cradles the body where Talalay just seems to push against it and wiggle under it. |
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It will be dependent on weight/sq in (or even cu. in. since thickness makes a difference). Think of a spring in equilibrium with a given weight. A little extra weight will cause sinking, and if removed, rising. A heavier weight will not be in equilibrium, and addition or subtraction of increments won't have as much effect. And it can be a fine line--too high an ILD, and you may experience a "pushing back" feeling. Latex beds offer longevity and a unique feeling. Everyone benefits from the longevity, but not everyone likes the "latex experience." For those who don't like the "latex experience", you can have the best of both worlds if you simulate the traditional bed feeling using latex as the comfort layer, and either springs or latex (or HR) for the support layer(s). If you use latex for support, and are shooting for the traditional bed feel, that support latex will have to be firm (comparable to a spring system) and MAY need extra support in hip area (as better quality coil beds provide). With kingsize latex running roughly $150/in, or more, it's roughly $1K for an all latex support system, which for most people really isn't any better than a coil support system, UNLESS you value latex's other attributes (flexibility, possibly increased durability, ability to adjust and/or customize, allergen resistance, chemical sensitivities, and I'm sure there are more). So, if you like the feel of a new traditional bed, and don't value latex's extra attributes, get a good coil system for support and build your own comfort system. If you like the feel of traditional beds, but want all latex, you'll have to work harder to replicate that feel. |