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Hello,
I'v been researching latex mattresses wanting to get away for regular coil one. A bit of history, we currently have Queen Simmons Burdock plush mattress, which is a bit on a firm side. There is nothing wrong with it and we've been getting a good sleep on it for years, but latex mattresses advantages have attracted me almost instantly. I've searched many sites for best deals and stumbled upon Sleep EZ where I ordered initially natural Dunlop 6" special, but quickly changed it Talalay blend Sleep EZ 8500 model. When the sales guy called I asked him what's recommended firmness and he gave me the same suggestion as to everyone else XF, F, S, but I decided to go with Medium for top layer). I am 175 pounds 5'9" and my wife is 125 pound 5'5" (she is also 20 weeks pregnant). We are both side sleepers. Last night was our first experience with latex. When I initially laid on it, it felt the same firmness as our regular coil mattress, although my wife said it felt a bit softer. I fall asleep fairly quickly, although I woke up middle of the night feeling hot and my arm getting a bit numb. We have micathermic heater about 3 feet from the mattress that's set to keep 69 degree temperature at night and apparently it warmed the mattress. I turned the heater off, opened window and went online to search about temperature dissipation of the latex and only found positive results. About 30 minutes of letting mattress to cool down down a bit and I was able to fall asleep just fine. The rest of the night I slept fine and woke up only at the sound of the alarm, but the problem was I felt sore in my neck and back and my wife also experienced sore back. That rarely happens even sleeping in cheap coil mattresses in hotels. I am a bit disappointed, but hoping that there is a solution to this. So, my question here Is there a "getting used" period with latex? I am also considering removing medium layer and getting 2" Wool topper, in order to get a bit more firmness, but slight plush at the top. This message was modified Jan 31, 2011 by klas
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Thanks Phoenix! Giving me a lot to consider here and unfortunately the price is quite high to pay for shipping things back to SleepEZ. I just dropped 1.5 Medium at UPS. $122! While it's being shipped back I still have time to decide on replacement for either 3" soft or medium. I am going to check out local stores to find something to compare between soft and medium, although I am leaning towards 3" medium because I can always add 2" soft topper if I want to. |
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If I was in your shoes, I would say the odds are strongly in your favour that the sleepez soft (22-24) would work better than the sleepez medium (30-32). This medium would be more like medium/firm to me and I (and my other half) would find it to firm. I am 6.5 195 with some "bony parts" and she is 5'7 with (IMO) nice curves/bony parts and around 130. She is more sensitive than I am. We chose comfort layers of 22 which is soft but certainly not super soft in our experience (although there is layering above this which would make it "act" a little differently than just sleeping on 22 ILD latex). When we were field testing (and we did a lot) there is no doubt that 30-32 would have been much too firm for us as a comfort layer. I would also think that this would help your wife as she progressed as she will likely become more sensitive as the pregnancy progresses and at the same time will need the underlying support to keep her "middle" from sinking in too far. Even in normal circumstances, with side sleeping and with the nature of latex, 30-32 would be "on the firm side" although as I've mentioned field testing will be a more accurate indicator and YMMV. I do have a fairly large list of latex mattress manufacturers and some retail outlets so if you let me know what city you are in I may have some suggestions that may help in field testing. Phoenix |
| Oh, I would really appreciate if you let me know best places to go in Bellevue/Seattle area. I already checked out soaringheart.com and planning to go to SleepStation in Bellevue. |
| One more minor suggestion that you probably already thought about....wait until you get the bed thing figured out before you go out and buy a bunch of new pillows....well, maybe just keep it all in mind that the final bed may affect your pillow loft. Good luck and let us know how your search comes out. |
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I am actually reusing existing pillows which are low profile and been working great for years.
On our 2nd night we slept without 1.5 M layer and surprisingly we felt better in the morning, I still woke up a few times during a night, but at least I did not feel sore in the morning. This was just a test and we are not going to keep it at the same firmness permanently. So, I am going back and forth on my configuration by reading on some user feedback on these forum and now leaning towards replacing XF for M and 1.5M with 1.5S. I read one review that mentions that 3"S from SleepEZ provides no support and feels sqeeshy.. Our next configuration test would be F - M - 1.5 S. This message was modified Dec 25, 2010 by klas
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It just so happens that I did most of my field testing in Seattle so I do know of a few places :) These should be helpful ... http://mattressdepotusa.com/mattresses.htm Retailer. Be careful if you go here as most of their Englander latex has a poly core (not so bad) and 2" poly over the latex (much worse). You would be testing poly thinking it was latex (which they are "trained" to say it is). http://thesleepstoreusa.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=3 Carries a wide variety of latex including Essentia, Land and sky, Dormia, and Natura. Good testing ground but I wouldn't buy anything there due to pricing. http://www.bedroomsandmore.com/images/products/mattress/mattress-seattle.htm Carry a wide variety of latex mattresses and brands. Great testing ground and I found them very helpful but prices too high. http://www.coco14.com/info.html Carries a fairly wide variety of Natura which would make a good testing ground. Don't know much about them http://www.everrestmattress.com/ourlocation.html Manufacturer. Doesn't carry any all latex but would be a good place to go for someone looking for a mattress under $1000. Good people and make double sided. Included for others who may look at this list. http://www.soaringheart.com/ourStore.cfm#SubTopic2 Retailer. Has very limited all latex options and what they do have is expensive and tends towards very firm mattresses but you already know that. Manufactured by sleepmaster. http://www.seattlemattress.net/ Manufacturer and Retailer. Has a wide variety of latex mattresses including their own with topper options. Very helpful and great testing ground but more expensive than most manufacturers. http://www.bedroomsetuniverse.com/showrooms/ Carries the White Knight all Talalay latex also sold at Sams Club. Not enough variety to use for testing but included in case someone else nearby reads this and wants to test this specific mattress. http://www.sleepcountry.com/location-results.aspx?city=Bellevue%2c+WA&type=all Retailer. Included just to save you a trip and say there's nothing of interest in latex here (a few natural care "sort of latex" by simmons) There are more north, east, and south of you but they are further away and these should give you everything you need for field testing. Most of my testing from these was at bedroomsandmore and seattlemattress. Phoenix This message was modified Dec 26, 2010 by Phoenix
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I did a quick search of the forum on "squishy" and I believe found the review you were looking at (talking about lack of support and squishy with a sleepez 10000). I would be very careful as I believe that what they were describing was almost certainly not coming from the soft upper layer but from the medium and firm middle and lower layers. This is primarily where support comes from ... not the upper layers. There are many instances of people making a switch based on incorrect assumptions or interpretations which can lead to a long period of frustrating multiple switches which never seem to "get it right". I would hate to see you go down this road and switching out an Xfirm in the belief it will make a mattress feel softer is an assumption that may well start you down this path. Can I ask you what you are hoping to get to in wanting to switch the Xfirm for the medium? I would also be aware that having a very loose wool quilting (with 1.5" removed) can make a big difference in how a mattress feels. A tight wool layer may feel firmer even over softer latex than a looser wool layer over firmer latex. If this is what is happening it could also lead to incorrect assumptions and contribute to "incorrect" switches. A low profile pillow is generally not the best for side sleeping. It may have been OK on the other mattress because you were sinking into soft foam more than you are sinking into the latex so your head and neck were "lower" however that may no longer be the case with the sleepez and it is possible that a more plush pillow may work better. In any case ... given all the uncertainty ... I would go VERY slowly and not change 2 layers at a time. I would work on the comfort layers first and then see if you need to change the support layers. Most important of all I would do some field testing first as all the reading in the world will not give you the context you need to "translate" what others (including me) experience or advise. Phoenix This message was modified Dec 26, 2010 by Phoenix
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I am planning some field testing tomorrow, so this list will be extra helpful! Btw, which place would you recommend for comparative testing to SleepEZ 3" layers combinations? Also, I am just trying to see if I can stick with 8500 model. XF seems to be playing a role of box spring which we already have, so thought about getting M over F would give us more support with 1.5 layer of S to soften things up. This message was modified Dec 26, 2010 by klas
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I would go to bedroomsandmore and seattlemattress. Both of them have a range of mattresses that would give you what you need for testing. At this point, I would limit my testing to helping you decide what you need in the top 2 or 3" of a mattress. Lay on each one with an eye to finding out what gives you the best pressure relief and for tomorrow forget about "support". It is the comfort layers that are the most important for now. I would focus on mattresses there with 2" and 3" of "softer" over firm support. You could also test other combinations as well using their recommendations based on your feedback. They are both knowledgeable and helpful and know the mattress constructions they have in the store. A latex mattress (or any all foam mattress) generally needs a firm preferably slatted foundation and doesn't do too well on a boxspring. You are risking hammocking (back pain) on a box spring.regardless of what layers are over it. Phoenix This message was modified Dec 26, 2010 by Phoenix
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Field testing was a success this time.
1st store we visited was Seattle Mattress company. They had variety of latex mattresses and the salesperson gave us a lot of information and told us IDL rating for each mattress we tried. We compared Talalay firm mattress with IDL 36 and Medium with 28". Both were 6" mattresses and Medium felt the best to us. We also tried it with 3" soft top with IDL 19, but it was way too soft. Price wise they were selling 6" for 1275" + tax, which is not that much more expensive then SZ. Second stop was at Bedrooms and More. The sales person was very friendly and spent considerable amount of time showing and talking about latex. Their Englander line seems to use only Dunlop. The model we tried was the most popular and had 6" of Dunlop layer at the bottom with 2" soft layer and wool on top. It felt great and we both liked it. I asked him what IDL layers it had and he didn't know. Also, I asked him about durability and he told us a story how synthetic blend talalay was less durable then a 100% natural. So, I am going to take chances and exchange our XF layer with M and get 2" wool topper locally to try it out. As far as foundation goes, I'll probably either replace it or get a piece of plywood. Thank you for all the recommendations! I'll update once I get a new layer to try out with a topper. This message was modified Dec 26, 2010 by klas
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