Discouraged... Does latex break in a lot after a week or two?
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I thought I FINALLY had my mattress problems solved. My mattress was PERFECT for the first 2 weeks... Then, about 3 nights ago it started to hurt a little. I figured it was just ME... (though I had not done a lot of work - I did a lot of back work the previous days and slept great through those days... But now for the past 3 nights I have had substantial back pain when sleeping. Not as much as before the new latex layer, but enough to make the last few hours of sleep a bit painful. So did the latex "break in" in 2 weeks and is now too soft for me? Or what? Or did the back work I did the previous week take a week to catch up to me? I think I might have to change my configuration after thinking I had it perfect... Ideas? I am very discouraged by this. I REALLY thought I had it right, finally; I had great comfort for 2 weeks! |
Re: Discouraged... Does latex break in a lot after a week or two?
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Leo3 wrote: I have a Stressless (Ekornes) chair, and I fell for the gimmick. I used to have one of these (until my cat peed on it and I couldn't get the smell out) and I loved it. It was wonderfully comfortable, so much so that it was difficult to sit in it without falling asleep :) I wish I could afford another one. |
Re: Discouraged... Does latex break in a lot after a week or two?
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Thanks Leo, for the link to cotton batting...but the stuff in a bed is MUCH thicker. The thick stuff I have not found online. Here's another weird thought...just gonna ramble here...I make saddles for horseback riding, and one of the most important parts is the seat. Since I was mostly self-taught, I took great interest in learning how it was done "one upon a time" by the old time saddlemakers, which is not how it is typically done today. I learned through trial and error and more research that the seat bones form a tripod, with the pelvic bone in front of the two "pin-bones". I thought it would be soo cool to make a saddle where the seat was flat. Made one. It was awful. Turns out that the seat bones need to be even with each other, side to side, but there needs to be a slight roundness between them, a very slight curve, to support the pelvis. In addition, the front bone is set higher than the seat bones, and it needs to be supported too...in a slightly higher plane. Experiment: sit on a chair and try to put your front pelvic bone flat on the seat along with your seat bones. Your low back will arch and be achy very quickly. Especially bad for riding horses, but is it also bad for sitting? Hmmmmnnnnn... Maybe that is the answer for chairs. You need enough cush to soften the surface for your seat bones, and just enough to support the front pelvic bone. I do know that I am happiest sitting in a saddle I've made rather than a chair. Supports my back. But this has nothing to do with beds...I digress.... Kait |
Re: Discouraged... Does latex break in a lot after a week or two?
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Hey, Leo3; I see nothing about either chair you mentioned that looks particularly intriguing. The only thing I see at all that might be of merit is the one chair that has the front of the seat slightly higher than the back. I think the lumbar support is highly over-rated, plus it is in a different spot for different people, more easily achieved with a little pillow if you need it. Probably the biggest problem with chairs(foam-stuffed)is when the foam dies in the spots it is used most. Typically toward the rear of the chair(like in my recliner). That hurts the back big time! Lack of support is the issue. Maybe I should make a saddle-chair, LOL! I always checked the comfort of a saddle ground seat(the layers of leather on the inside of a saddle's seat part, each is placed and shaped by hand according to the saddlemaker's preference for feel)by sitting on it myself before adding the foam and top leather. When I sat on it and my back released and I said, "Ahhhhhhh.....", it was good. Kait |
Re: Discouraged... Does latex break in a lot after a week or two?
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Kait wrote: Hey, Leo3; I see nothing about either chair you mentioned that looks particularly intriguing. The only thing I see at all that might be of merit is the one chair that has the front of the seat slightly higher than the back. I think the lumbar support is highly over-rated, plus it is in a different spot for different people, more easily achieved with a little pillow if you need it. Probably the biggest problem with chairs(foam-stuffed)is when the foam dies in the spots it is used most. Typically toward the rear of the chair(like in my recliner). That hurts the back big time! Lack of support is the issue. Maybe I should make a saddle-chair, LOL! I always checked the comfort of a saddle ground seat(the layers of leather on the inside of a saddle's seat part, each is placed and shaped by hand according to the saddlemaker's preference for feel)by sitting on it myself before adding the foam and top leather. When I sat on it and my back released and I said, "Ahhhhhhh.....", it was good. Kait Which chair are you talking about that looks interesting to you, put a link to see. I looked at these chairs because of flat seats only! I want to love my Ekornes Stressless chair, I tried, and I spent good money for it. But it has a contour seat, my hips are killing me! My back is too. But that could be from cleaning the shower floor, and from my too soft latex over my too firm spring mattress. I can't afford to waste anymore money on either chairs, or beds. Your saddle discussion brings me to missing horses. When I was young I use to love horse back riding. I love horses. But I have never owned one. I go to the horse shows and go to the stalls and pet them, they really love to be petted. Wish I was rich......... I would have horses, good beds, good chairs......... |
Re: Discouraged... Does latex break in a lot after a week or two?
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Hey, Leo; The chair was a flat(side to side) one with a seat that curved lower toward the rear. Not sure how it would sit. I know what you mean about not being rich enough to keep buying product after product in search of what doesn't make you hurt. That is so absurd, really. It should not take great amounts of cash to avoid pain. One good thing is that when you learn to listen to your body it will tell you pretty quickly if what you are doing is right or not. I always try to fine-tune that mechanism. Having horses is not expensive really. We aren't rich. We just bought outside of the city, with a little land, and keep them here. They actually cost less to feed than an average sized dog! I use their manure in my garden to grow beautiful plants, saves $ on fertilizer. They save me tons of money on exercise equipment and therapy. Also, riding is good for my back...it makes the muscles relax and stretches them gently. I'd bet that your cleaning the shower merely strained the muscles you already had strained by sleeping on the bed that isn't quite right. They say it is the little things that make the back go out, I say it is probably just the final insult that made the injury obvious. Try heat/cold therapy for awhile, it helps. A heating pad relaxes the muslces. Immediately after the injury is time to ice it to keep the inflammation down. You can soften the feel of the springs if you put some softer stuff underneath the mattress. The harder the surface under the mattress, the harder the bed feels. It will allow the springs to sink more or less, support more or support less. Another thing to try... Kait |
Re: Discouraged... Does latex break in a lot after a week or two?
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Oh my gosh I want a horse, I always have. They have the most kind and compassionate eyes, and are just so sweet and kind. They just want love. When I tried to ride a horse it would hurt my hip, the bursa pain. But I can see how it would help your back and really I do need exercise. I use to swim weekly for my knee and hip pain/exercise, but it is too XXXX cold right now. The horse therapy I do need..... Truly riding a horse could be no more painful than sitting on a chair!!!! I am just like jim, the more pain, the more I sit, the more pain, the more I sit....... |
Re: Discouraged... Does latex break in a lot after a week or two?
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Horses are lovely creatures....I love to watch them gallop and play together. Not all saddles are the same...that is one reason I started to make them, because too many have bad seats in them and hurt the rider's hips. They can be made, with care and attention to detail, to be extremely comfortable for both the human and the horse. Kait |
Re: Discouraged... Does latex break in a lot after a week or two?
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Kait wrote: Re: foam support/back pain, not necessarily just being the bed.... ANY chair can be re-foamed to your specs, find an upholsterer and check out the foams they offer. There are so many foams it is incredible. Not all upholsterers use the same foams. It is relatively cheap compared to buying a new chair and having the same thing happen yet again. We love our couch, but the foam is too firm. I fell asleep last night laying on the couch and my hips were tingly when I woke up...lack of circulation. Sucks. May have to have the gal redo the sofa again...my choice for foam. Not sure if the special "for back health" or whatever chairs are especially beneficial or not. I think it is more the firmness than anything. Possibly gimmicky...I would re-do the foam in any chair or couch to see the difference. JIM: Couple more ideas for your bed issues. One woke me up last night! My bed has the insulator layer over the springs composed of wire mesh and burlap, stapled to the far outside of the bed. Possibly important. ON TOP OF THAT is a layer of cotton batting....about 6 or 8 inches thick...then the foam on top of that. Possibly the foam is too much...batting adds softness, but doesn't feel like foam. Maybe that is the missing link????? Maybe that is why some people love their futons because they are often cotton batting filled. Maybe your issue is that you used only foam for your softness layers, might need to think outside of that foam box for some of the fill. I don't see it available on the internet, but I could ask Bill. I saw it in his shop, cool stuff...soooo soft and buoyant. I could understand why that might be an important layer. They USED to use it in beds years ago and no foam, back when beds lasted 20 years. Maybe that's where the bedding industry went to crap...they went to only foam or foam/springs when then should have kept that layer in there? Also, you are right, it is a viscious cycle when your back hurts you don't want to move, then you sit more, probably on non-supportive furniture, and your back never gets strong...can always do what I do, turn on the music(or Sirius on the tv cable if you have that) and find some music that makes you want to dance. I dance around my living room for ten minutes or so and have a workout!!!! Stretches the back, too. ;} Kait Kait, first off thanks for thinking of me and giving me an "outside the box" idea. You have 6-8" of cotton batting?! Wow. That seems like an incredible amount. Seems like you would hardly "feel the springs" with that much material over them... Yes, I do get up and dance occasionally - but not often enough. I get "absorbed" here at the computer (part of my current work focus requires hours of computer work and internet work each day). But I need to redouble my efforts to get up and stretch and move more often and for substantial periods of time. |
Re: Discouraged... Does latex break in a lot after a week or two?
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Leo3 wrote: They do sell cotton batting, at foamonline.com I have not order from them, but it may be the missing link. Leo, I am sorry you are in this boat with me, but misery does love company. I totally feel your pain regarding cleaning the shower floor. I recently had to clean our bathroom FOUR TIMES in one week! Long story, but suffice to say that it happened, and each time it totally tweaked my back and shoulders and such. But as you say, Who else is going to do it?I have a Stressless (Ekornes) chair, and I fell for the gimmick. But it could be good, but it has a contoured seat. My back is killing me though. I did clean the shower floor, seating on a footstool (bad hip, bad knee). So now my back is killing me worse. Who else is going to clean the shower floor if I don't? I don't have a maid, LOL. Before that I had 2 different chairs I have tried and wasted more money on. It has a flat seat (not contoured) but the foam was horrid, like a rock, the back was even worse. I did change out the foam on the seat, it didn't help. I think the missing link was not good springs underneath. I dunno.... Kate what cushion did you put on your Dad's old chair? I am looking at Bevco 2200SEC adjustable height stool. It has a flat seat, and adjustable back. It was on the link up above, I had to google it though. I have tried several different chairs and though they say they are "good for the back" they don't seem to be good for MY back, at all! I have not bought any of the really expensive ones, for this reason. I have one of those curved-back rocking chair things that were popular in the 80's and I always thought it was good for my back but then I began to think it wasn't. Now I don't know. Then I bought one of those types that has the "zero gravity" design, where your legs are up somewhat and your head is back/down... and that hurt my back.... Seems no matter what I sit in, it hurts my back, unless I sit totally upright without leaning back at all. This may be the "right" way to sit, but it gets VERY tiresome and uncomfortable if you're trying to relax and watch tv. I mean, when you go to the movies aren't you tired of sitting in those seats by the time it's over? So I don't even know what design of a chair is even good for me anymore. Nothing I've tried seems to work. I wish they'd invent zero-gravity atmosphere inside our homes so we could just float like in a space capsule. Seems like that would be comfortable enough...  At least my mattress isn't killing me. I am sleeping pretty well without too much tossing and turning. It isn't as comfortable as it was that first 2 weeks, but it does seem to be doing the trick. My back is only somewhat sore and stiff in the a.m., not totally sore and stiff like it was before I replaced the HR foam with latex. |
Re: Discouraged... Does latex break in a lot after a week or two?
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Jim, so is the mattress still giving you a bit of back problems? Still think it is the latex softening? If so, I wonder if the dunlop would ever soften up enough to be okay. I have not really noticed softening of my latex, but if it happens gradually, I am not sure I would notice. My back is not as sensitive as yours. Have you ever checked to see if the springs sag much? I layed directly on my springs (with the thin foam over it), and it seems pretty firm. I did not notice a lot of give. I wonder how many coils are in your mattress? |