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Hi. Got a Simmons BackGuard last week after returning an NXG 250 Firm which turned out to be both too soft and too hard at the same time (butt sank too much, back was pulling while shoulders were in pain and arms went numb). The BackGuard has zones (thinner coils under hips and shoulders and very firm for lumbar support) that I can distinguished with my ribs when I lay on my side after a minute or so (I weigh 250 lbs). Every morning, I wake up in pain (shoulders, ribs, back) so I'm looking for a topper but don't want to go overbaord to avoid making it too soft. Budget is limited so I'm leaning toward Foambymail latex topper. Don't know if I should go for 20 or 32 ILD. Any advice? Also, does anybody know how bad will their topper smell? How long before it dissipates? This message was modified Dec 7, 2010 by ZZZZ
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| There is a chance you rolled over because of discomfort just prior to waking up because it would be most likely that the arm you were sleeping on would be the numb one, not the other way around? |
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You would think that but I just went and tried again and was able to reproduce it while I was awake. It used to happen all the time with the NXG as well. My opposite arm would fall asleep before me! Nobody has been able to give me an explanation about this, not even the doctor. It seems to happen when my middle sinks too much, maybe it pinches a nerve. I have a feeling that my back is in a state of shock right now, so to speak. Even lying on the couch or sitting in my old chair starts to hurt within minutes while they use to be comfortable enough for me to watch a whole movie. I'm therefore unable to make any valid statement about what feels comfortable or not, just what hurts more or less... This message was modified Nov 28, 2010 by ZZZZ
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| Yes, that does sound like a pinched nerve - maybe the brachial plexus which would suggest some spinal involvement. Very strange indeed. |
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Seems very strange to me as well and I would also suspect some kind of nerve involvement. Now that we have a "more suitable base" I want to just review some of your options and also confirm what you have to "play" with. My understanding is that you have a 1" piece of latex of unknown ILD bought from foambymail (unknown because you never know exactly what you get from them and it feels firmer than the 20 you had ordered), 3/4' of soft eggcrate, and you were mentioning earlier that you also had a 2.5" piece of quality foam as well. Would you say this piece is softer or firmer than the doubled or tripled latex? ... and how big is it (does it cover the whole mattress?) It would also help to know what kind of pillow you are usually using. Phoenix This message was modified Nov 28, 2010 by Phoenix
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| The 2.5 piece is only 16 x 24, or so. I had gotten it to liften my butt in middle soft zone of the BackGuard. Definitely softer than both the latex and the eggcrate. |
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OK ... I don't expect this to fully solve anything but it's worth trying to see the effect and get a sense of direction before you spend a bunch on toppers. If you have a thin firm blanket (say wool but any thin firm piece of material that is big enough... even a thick flat sheet, carpet underlay etc) ... fold it in 3 ... and then lay it sideways over the middle third of your bed and tuck it under. It should be under your hip/lumbar area but not under your ribcage. If the material is thicker (carpet underlay etc) then just double it but make sure it is laying up to but not under your ribcage. Double up your latex and put it on your side of the bed over the material. Double up your eggcrate and put it on top of the latex. You should now have 1.5" of eggcrate over 2" of latex over the middle third support material over your mattress. Take a look at the drawing here http://www.whatsthebest-mattress.com/forum/my-design-custom-sleep-design/16344-0-1.html and you will see what I've been trying to "simulate" before you buy anything. Lets see what happens. And the pillow? Phoenix This message was modified Nov 28, 2010 by Phoenix
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I tried a whole bunch of pillows (latex, memory foam, feather, thin and thick polyester). I had to change, depending on which beds I was sleeping on and also, when playing with toppers. The softer the bed, the thinner the pillow. With my old Beautyrest, I used to sleep with two thin pillows and that was fine and great. Haven't been able to do that with any of my recent beds. If I understand well, you want me to slightly thicken the bottom part of the bed, under the toppers, starting from my lumbar area? I see what you have in mind, that would help my shoulders sink in a bit more while providing some relief on my rib cage. You'd like me to test it for a short while or spend a whole night that way? This message was modified Nov 28, 2010 by ZZZZ
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Not so much thicken it (that's just a side effect of the testing for now) but more like an even thickness with softer and firmer parts (at the end) ... like the drawing. I would try it for a whole night if you can. As far as the pillow, I would tend to thicker since you seem to prefer side sleeping. The goal of all of this including the pillow is to keep your whole spine in alignment including your neck. Phoenix This message was modified Nov 28, 2010 by Phoenix
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I couldn't test that setup last night since our guests arrived and my wife had to leave the sofa for her brother and come and sleep in our bed, which she found very firm and lacking some softness even though she's only 135. I had set it the opposite of the first night, putting the egg crate on the bottom, the latex in the middle and the quilt on top. I still very much sleep on top of the bed and not in it at all. Still, I managed to improve on my two past nights by sleeping almost 5.5 hours without waking up, which I see as a very good sign, although I was still stiff all over when I awoke. I could also attribute this progress to being exhausted because we went to bed very late. At this point, I'm considering 3 scenarios: 1. Purchase the 3' latex topper from Costco to replace everything I have on the bed and give that a try. If I like it and decide to keep it, it will prove to be an expensive solution but I'd probably be so happy that I wouldn't care as much. If it doesn't work, I can always return it. 2. Do nothing as of yet and wait another week or two to see how things evolve and if things keep improving. I have a feeling it might to a certain degree but I highly doubt the bed would ever be comfy enough that we could enjoy sleeping late or let me read in bed for hours, like I used to do on my old bed. I know some people say the bed only needs to be comfortable enough to fall asleep in it but I’m looking for a little more softness, enough to be able to fall asleep even when you’re not completely exhausted! 3. Order another inch of soft latex from FBM and the terry cloth bag to have a full 2 inches of latex as a base. If the bed ever gets too soft, I could simply remove the egg crate, which won't last very long and will eventually have to be replaced anyway. If this is still not good enough, I could resort to add an inch of good quality memory foam. People here mentioned Sensus and Aerus I believe. Is using a single inch of memory foam a good idea to add just a little softness without make you sink too much? This message was modified Nov 29, 2010 by ZZZZ
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Now that you have a better "base" I would probably go with option #2 and try the "experiment" when/if you can. What you learn from that will likely help you make better choices in adding toppers. I have a feeling that if you can put together "zoned" layers similar (in principle) to the diagram that you may find your problem solved ... at least as much as it can be given the condition of your back. I would also suggest giving each change a couple of nights (again if you can) since there may be too many variables to know if what you experience in a single night is from what you are sleeping on or from other circumstances. I would tend towards more slow gradual changes as it will increase your odds of getting it right in the end. I know the memory foam is probably tempting but I would tend to stay away from it in your case simply because it has little resilience and will not help in any way with support even though it may with pressure. You are one of those "difficult" cases that has issues with both pressure and support and this is compounded with the weight. The memory foam would add softness but I I really think it's risky in your case because you have both pressure and alignment issues and the only materials that have qualities that can help with both are latex or HR poly. The costco topper is the same ILD throughout and I believe that in your case your upper body needs something softer than your hips. The only reason I would consider the latex from Costco at this point is because you can return it ... and because you never know whether your actual experience would be different from what you might otherwise expect. I called Costco to find out the ILD for my own information as well and they didn't know so are checking with the manufacturer and will call me back in a day or two. They did tell me that the "manufacturer" was Literielaurier (they thought they actually made the latex which of course they don't) so I called them to find out if they sell toppers to the general public and they do! The person who would know more about prices and options was busy with a customer so I left a message on his voicemail and he'll call me back. I'll post here when I get more information. Phoenix This message was modified Nov 29, 2010 by Phoenix
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