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I’ve decided on the Select Sleep 8500 from SleepEZ but need to make a final decision on layers. First, I’ll lay out (no pun intended) my stats and requirements: I am a 51 yr. old female, 5’2” tall, 155 lbs. I have lower back issues (degenerated disc at L5/S1), osteoporosis of the spine, osteopenia of the hips and a joint disease similar to Rheumatoid Arthritis. To top it all off, I’m an insomniac and a stomach sleeper (at least to fall asleep – when I sleep at all). This means that I need firm support but enough “cush” to avoid waking up with a frozen shoulder or an arm that’s asleep as I do now (currently extra firm innerspring with convoluted memory foam topper). Sean recommended firm/med/soft to play around with, but I’ve laid on a “ready made” latex mattress that was 5.5” of medium latex (30-32 ILD) and felt like it gave me a sway back when laying on my stomach. From reading this forum I’ve seen repeatedly that more than 1” of soft is too much and that the first 3” are what really counts. My current thinking is extra firm / firm / medium. If I find that to be too firm, I can add a 1” soft topper. Your thoughts? |
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D3FI is probably going to jump down my throat, but who cares, it needs to be said. If you have lower back issues and chronic joint inflamation, latex might not be a good choice for you. I certainly wouldn't want to discourage you from trying it out, but you need to go into it aware of the fact that many people with back problems like yours can't get comfortable on latex. You've already mentioned your impression of a medium firm presumably Talalay mattress was less than favorable. 30-32 is SleepEZ medium layer. Firm (38ILD) and extra firm (44) will definitely eliminate the sinking feeling, but may be so firm for you that it will aggrivate your joint disease. The SleepEZ 8500 that you're contemplating only comes with a 1.5" soft topper and 2 other 2.8" layers in your choice of firmness. It may be enough to cushion the extreme firmness of the layers beneath, or it may not. And if the latex itself is just not providing you with the kind of support your spine requires it won't matter what ILDs you've chosen. I don't want to knock SleepEZ because they offer a very nice product at a very attractive price, but you only get one comfort exchange and if you just can't sleep on the thing at all--and your back problems suggest that could well be the case--you're going to be slapped with a 15% restocking fee plus shipping charges. If you're okay with that, then go for it. You never know, it could work out. On the other hand, if this does concern you, you might be better off buying a latex mattress from Flobeds where you get an unlimited number of layer exchanges across a 90-day period and no restocking fee if it doesn't work out. Also, you might want to try Dunlop latex instead of Talalay. It's denser and more supportive, even when it's soft and you won't get that sinking "sway back" feeling like you do with Talalay that has more air and less rubber in the latex. Some people who can't sleep on Talalay find Dunlop more user-friendly. This message was modified May 27, 2008 by cloud9
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| For me (remember I am petite so a 1" soft topper was enough for me) despite the herniated disks in my lumbar support area of my back and in my neck and the arthritis as well as a little scoliosis in my lower back that is now acting up from the herniated disks, I found that if I have a 1" topper over a 39 ILD over a 36 ILD (still want to increase this to a 38 ILD) over a 46 ILD, I sleep the best I can compared with other beds. My other sides as a 44 ILD in the middle but the 35 ILD on top needs to be increased to a 39 ILD. When I had the Overstock Topper on the bed, the bed was firmer so the Bylane Topper 's cushion made me go firmer. I went to bed last night in so much back pain but woek up wiht little back back due to my bed. Hence, for me Latex works at very firm layers and I like the Talalay Latex but maybe Dunlap Latex in the latex cores under the topper would work just as well. Everyone is different and just like shoes for females, what is comfortable on one person may not work on another person. Our back shapes, body shapes, back injuries, our sizes, our weights, our comfort levels, our need for cushion for pressure points, etc. all differ and that is why I will never buy a bed unless I have many tries to get it right with no restocking fee. I lived for about 14 years on a bed that was way too firm with no cushion (I never added a topper) since there was no way I could return it. I moved around so much but I always felt it was better to move around a lot at night to get off the pressure points than to have a hurt back since I always loved a very firm bed. Hence, my latex bed solves the pressure point problem with my soft topper and solves the firmness problems with firm layers underneath. I can not sleep on any topper over 1" or my lower back hurts. |
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Lynn brings up a very good point--everyone's body and comfort level is different. And with all your back and joint issues you will very likely have to tweak the mattress more than once to get it to work for you. I like a firm bed--or rather I should say, my back requires firm rigid support. But because I have arthritis I need some cushioning over that foundation. When I ordered the SleepEZ 10000 medium (32) firm, (38) and xtra firm (44) thinking this would give me exactly what I need, the extreme resilience the the Talalay exerted so much pressure on my joints that I ached all over. I've never felt anything like it (and hope to God, I never do again!) To make a long story short, I was never able to get that mattress comfortable enough to sleep on for more than two hours before I woke up in such discomfort that I would actually take the bed apart in the middle of the night and rearrange the layers looking for some relief. Eventually I just got up and went into the guest room where my old mattress was consigned and finished off the night there. Finally I returned the mattress. But it was an expensive lesson in what not to do. Aggie, check out Novahelp's posts about his experience with the same mattress. |
| Thanks, Cloud9. Your needs seem to be similar to mine (firm support but with a cushion) and your configuration same as I was considering. Based on everyone's experiences I've decided it's too risky to order something I've never laid on and I just can't deal with all the swapping and shipping. The place I am now considering (Popular Mattress Factory, El Paso, TX - 45 miles away) also has some latex over innerspring "euro" mattresses. I've read more than a few posts where people actually gave up on the latex cores and went back to innerspring, so that might be a good compromise. Currently on memory foam topper over old extra-firm innerspring - not bad, but the memory foam is hotter than Arizona in July and the mattress has seen it's better days. Was hoping for all latex due to the lack of motion transfer (sleeping with my husband is like trying to sleep through a never-ending earthquake). Going there this weekend - will post results. |