How to soften my Shifman?

[amysue30]

Hi
I ditched my problematic Kingsdown and bought a Shifman Renoir. It came yesterday and I slept on it last night. This morning I woke up with my left shoulder and arm completely numb, usually a sign for me that my mattress is too hard and aggravating the pressure point. Now, I know it has been one night, but I am nervous that it is too firm, despite this being their softest mattress. So, what do I do to soften this up if I continue to have shoulder pain? Do I get a latex topper or feather/fiber bed and which one, from what company? I am fairly small at 5'3 130 pounds. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as I am upset that now I might have an uncomfortable mattress and hard time sleeping.

Thanks
Amy

 

[DianeK]

I am a 100-105 lb side sleeper. I have successfully used a 3" 4 lb.memory foam topper on one bed and 2x1" 14 ILD talatech (sleeplikeabear) on another bed. I needed to use half of a wool comforter on top of the latex to get the right softness but you are a little heavier so would likely do the trick for you. Both will off-gas for awhile.

 

[requin]

I second a latex topper, however I'm not an expert like these other folks on "ild"s or whatever, I went with one labeled "soft" as opposed to firm and it's great. But be forewarned, memory foam and latex can sleep very hot and that's the battle many of us are now fighting w/ our foam toppers (myself included, I'm trying to solve the sleeping hot problem now.)
Very sorry about your new mattress causing a numb arm. I had one like that ..it was a nightmare..side sleepers have a lot to contend with.
P.S. I am the same height/weight as you.

 

[amysue30]

Thanks for the replies. I have purchased both a fiberbed topper and a memory foam topper to see which one helps. Memory foam does sleep hot, which is a concern, but whatever works right? This concept of having to put a topper on a mattress is really foreign to me, but I get it since it is so hard to find the right one. Tonight I will try the fiberbed and will report back!

 

[Leo3]

DianeK wrote:
I am a 100-105 lb side sleeper. I have successfully used a 3" 4 lb.memory foam topper on one bed and 2x1" 14 ILD talatech (sleeplikeabear) on another bed. I needed to use half of a wool comforter on top of the latex to get the right softness but you are a little heavier so would likely do the trick for you. Both will off-gas for awhile.

You lost me you have one mattress with memory foam topper and one bed with 14ILD topper. They you use 1/2 of a wool comforter on top of the latex. Do you mean you double the comforter over itself? Which bed do you sleep on. I just wondered what actually works. I thought you used the Dormeir? I am confused

 

[gunman4440]

If you go back to before the 1950's all mattress makers basicily made very firm mattresses, and many people put extra padding on top off their mattresses. This was were the "Mattress Pad" idea came from. People would use pads filled with feathers, down, combed wool, and other things i'm sure.
In the late fifties a few mattress makers began trying to make mattresses with softer comfort built in. In the early seventies the Sealy Mattress Co in So. Calif .brought out a plush Posturepedic, and the big S's thought they were nuts - but sales took off! Then in the mid seventies Earl Kluft invented the Pillow Top mattress. And are we wonderfully spoiled now! We have so many comfort choices now we drive ourselves nuts!
If I may suggest - Don't panic yet! Give your new mattress a little time. It is a new mattress. It is tight as a drum. Give it a little time to break in and soften up. The cover will begin to streach a little & the upholstry will begin to break in a little.
I do not have any personal knowledge of Shiftman bedding but they have a very good reputation in the mattress industry!

Gunman4440

 

[requin]

Hey Gunman, regarding your previous comments about the new mattress being tight and softening up.
I just got my current mattress about 2-3 weeks ago. It's a beautyrest shakespeare collection plush globe. (I know, I know, the names don't mean much, but thought it might possibly help you get an idea). It does not have a pillowtop. It says plush but oww, it's not plush. As usual, lying around on it at the store it felt fine but get it home and try to sleep on it, hard as a board. I'm on a latex topper now but that makes me hot so the saga continues..
My point is that previously I had an older BR mattress that also started out hard but eventually became a really great mattress. That was around 15 years old so it was a good one, it was 2 sided, shiny cool damask cover material, no pillow top, (it was also a "plush" model and had a tiny 1-2" soft top built in). It was a long time ago and I can't remember how long it took to get comfortable (it was gradual anyhow, I'm guessing). Anywho, my question is. Will my new cheaper mattress conform like my old better mattress did? Will it conform even though I'm on a topper?
The problem too is that inbetween the good old mattress and the new BRmattress, for 18 months I had a disastrous Comfortaire that pinched my arm and shoulder every night so badly that I really think I have some lasting damage. So I don't know if its that or what, but now on the new BR mattress my arm (I'm a side, stomach, and back sleeper, but usually fall asleep on my side) goes asleep or gets painful really fast (w/out the latex, I mean. Like just on the mattress with a regular 1-2" PU eggcrate, which is all I used on the old BR). I do'nt remember that happening with the old BR. Maybe it's old age, maybe its that the new mattress really is harder than the old BR.
But anyway, sorry for rambling (i do that a lot, I type fast lol)...how long for a new mattress to soften up, to conform or whatever? Since this is a $699 BR el-cheapo my feeling is that rather than conforming to my body like the old BR did, this one will just sag and I'm out another $699. My goal is really to do away with the hot latex (see my other posts, I am having a hard time just like a lot of folks, dealing with the heat issues). I want my new mattress to conform so I won't need toppers.
Thanks.

 

[gunman4440]

requin wrote:
Hey Gunman, regarding your previous comments about the new mattress being tight and softening up.
I just got my current mattress about 2-3 weeks ago. It's a beautyrest shakespeare collection plush globe. (I know, I know, the names don't mean much, but thought it might possibly help you get an idea). It does not have a pillowtop. It says plush but oww, it's not plush. As usual, lying around on it at the store it felt fine but get it home and try to sleep on it, hard as a board. I'm on a latex topper now but that makes me hot so the saga continues..
My point is that previously I had an older BR mattress that also started out hard but eventually became a really great mattress. That was around 15 years old so it was a good one, it was 2 sided, shiny cool damask cover material, no pillow top, (it was also a "plush" model and had a tiny 1-2" soft top built in). It was a long time ago and I can't remember how long it took to get comfortable (it was gradual anyhow, I'm guessing). Anywho, my question is. Will my new cheaper mattress conform like my old better mattress did? Will it conform even though I'm on a topper?
The problem too is that inbetween the good old mattress and the new BRmattress, for 18 months I had a disastrous Comfortaire that pinched my arm and shoulder every night so badly that I really think I have some lasting damage. So I don't know if its that or what, but now on the new BR mattress my arm (I'm a side, stomach, and back sleeper, but usually fall asleep on my side) goes asleep or gets painful really fast (w/out the latex, I mean. Like just on the mattress with a regular 1-2" PU eggcrate, which is all I used on the old BR). I do'nt remember that happening with the old BR. Maybe it's old age, maybe its that the new mattress really is harder than the old BR.
But anyway, sorry for rambling (i do that a lot, I type fast lol)...how long for a new mattress to soften up, to conform or whatever? Since this is a $699 BR el-cheapo my feeling is that rather than conforming to my body like the old BR did, this one will just sag and I'm out another $699. My goal is really to do away with the hot latex (see my other posts, I am having a hard time just like a lot of folks, dealing with the heat issues). I want my new mattress to conform so I won't need toppers.
Thanks.


Holy cow - it would have taken me a week to write that much!!!
I was always taught that a mattress set should break in fairly well by six weeks of use. THIS IS NOT A HARD AND FAST RULE! It is a statement of my experence after more than 35 years of manufacturing mattresses. NOW - to be perfectly honest, My wife & I bought a really nice Aireloom Mattress about fifteen months ago. For the first four months we both hated it! I thoufgt we really screwed up. Then my wife found she was sleeping really well on it - and maybe it's not so bad - now we both love it and would not give it up for any reason! The lesson is it takes time to get unuse to the old mattress, and maybe a little time to get use to the new mattress - give it some time, everyone's body is different, and adjusts to new mattresses at different rates. I truly wish I could say wait 3 weeks but it doesn't work that way...

Hope this helps,
By the way, I liked the damask ticking (cover) better also!

 

[requin]

thanks gunman. Tonight I want to try (again) to sleep on the mattress w/ just a sheet. No hot latex, no pieces of old PU topper..because once again bouncing around and lying on it when I just took everything off it...it feels nice! It feels like it should be fine to sleep on. I want it to work.
Do you mind my asking what it was about your new mattress that you and your wife hated for 4 months?

 

[gunman4440]

requin wrote:
thanks gunman. Tonight I want to try (again) to sleep on the mattress w/ just a sheet. No hot latex, no pieces of old PU topper..because once again bouncing around and lying on it when I just took everything off it...it feels nice! It feels like it should be fine to sleep on. I want it to work.
Do you mind my asking what it was about your new mattress that you and your wife hated for 4 months?

After the first few nites we both felt it was harder than the floor model. But as we slept on it we had to honestly say it began to break in (took about 4 mths). Now she liked it about two weeks sooner than I did. That said we have totaly different body types. She is 5'10" tall and weighs in around 120 soaking wet. I am 6'3" tall and am heading toward 260. But like I said - niether of us would give our mattress up for anything, we love it.

 

[sandman]

Some people walk on their mattesses to help speed up the breakin process.

 

[requin]

sandman wrote:
Some people walk on their mattesses to help speed up the breakin process.
I'm sort of doing that..but rather than walking, sitting heavily (dropping down) on areas I want to indent (shoulder area mostly). We shall see if it works.

 

[requin]

I hope amysue reports back on the fiberbed. Never even heard of that one!

 

[amysue30]

Hi everyone!

Thanks for the many replies and conversation about the problem I am having. I was waiting to see what happened with a few nights on the fiberbed. Now, when I say fiberbed I mean a fake fiberfill topper that I purchased from Bed Bath and Beyond. I have allergies so I decided to try this before a feather one or foam. So, I have slept on it for a few nights and would love to report significant progress, but....I like the feel of the cushy topper because the tight top of my mattress lacks softness. I was hoping that it would relieve the pressure points that I obviously have in my shoulders. Unfortunately, I woke up this morning with my entire left arm frozen and numb and my other shoulder bothering me. This has happened a couple of times while sleeping on the topper. My other defective mattresses from Kingsdown had latex tops and while it was part of the reason for them getting ditches, I think it was also helping my shoulders. The Shifman does not have a top layer of latex, as it is deeper down the mattress I think.
I purchased the 3 in. Gel Foam topper from Costco and one from Kohls by sleep innovations. All of these products have been bought at places that I could easily return items to and for convenience. So, I am at a point of trying one of the foam toppers because I am in too much discomfort of the morning. Any thoughts on which one to try?
I hope that the mattress does soften on its own, but they are made so tightly that I wonder about that. An adjustment period is fine, but I am concerned about doing damage in the process. I have the same question about the break in--will it soften at all if I have a layer of foam or other top on it?
I'll keep you informed of my trials here, as I see that I am not the only one with the problem!

Amy

 

[cityskies]

Amy, I had a Shiffman Chateau for several months and it was hard as a rock for the first month or so, to the point of giving me buyer's remorse. I too suffered from arms falling asleep and also painful shoulders/upper back from sleeping on it.
BUT, the mattress softened noticeably within a month or two, and ended up being very good for my back -- many of my back problems went away and my arms no longer fell asleep. I ended up returning it for other reasons (discovered some of the fabric had been torn on underside and was also worried about potential chemical allergies due to flame retardants etc. so ended up trying an all natural latex bed). But had I kept it, I likely would have put some topper on it just to make it a tad more comfy, but nothing major bc it had already broken in to the point of being both comfortable (albeit not luxurious) and good for my back.
So if the exchange/return policy permits, I would try sleeping on it for another month before investing too heavily in toppers, etc. It's a really great bed. Just wish they made an all natural version.

 

[amysue30]

Thanks CitySkies. Thing is though, with the flipping and turning that you have to do with the bed (which I do see as a plus and one of the reasons I bought it) how do you ever break it in fully and quickly? You keep changing the sides you sleep on every month or so and would then go back to a hard side again right? Also, tell me about your concerns regarding the flame retardants. I had the Kingsdown bed with a lot of latex and my allergies were horrible with it.

Amy

 

[cityskies]

Hi Amy, sorry for the late reply -- no longer check/post regularly. I don't remember exactly, but think it took just a month or so to 'break in' the Shifman, and well worth. Don't tk you need to turn it more than that so you'd just have four sides to break in at one month each. Remember that breaking in is gradual so it gets progressively better during the 1-month period. You could try using a topper during the break-in period as I ended up doing.
How is the bed working for you now?

 

[amysue30]

Well, I like the feel of the fiberbed topper as it makes the bed softer. Unfortunately, I am still waking up with a frozen shoulder and pain. I am trying the Costco gel topper with the fiberbed and while it is comfortable, it has not helped my shoulder. At this point, I may try the Kohls topper, but after that I am at a loss. I have so much on the bed now that it would surprise me that the hardness of the bed is still causing the problem. Still, don't know. After trying a few more things I may have to actually go to a doctor and see if I have a shoulder issue per se that is beyond the bed.

Amy