I’ve been on the mattress roller coaster for about 4 months now and I’m so frustrated. I’ve spent many hours reading posts on this site and I’ve learned a lot but I still have questions. I’m 5’10", 160 lbs, side sleeper. To summarize my saga. I first tried a Sleep on Latex 9" soft but it caused hip pressure point pain. After trying every thickness soft topper and even a 3" medium topper (all Sleep on Latex, so dunlop), I experienced every combination of body ache caused by either poor support (sinking in at the hip and shoulder) or too much pressure (hip and shoulder pain), so I gave up and exchanged the mattress for a 9" medium (which as I understand has a 6" 35 ILD medium support layer and a 2" 20 ILD soft comfort layer). The medium mattress was better for support but I was experiencing hip pain from pressure points, so I began trying different toppers again. With a 2" soft 20 ILD SoL topper, I was still getting hip pressure point pain, though no sinking in. With a 3" soft 20 ILD SoL topper, the pressure point pain decreased (although it’s not zero) in exchange for hip sinking which ALSO caused hip pain. So, now I’m thinking that dunlop toppers aren’t for me, putting together my experience and information from this site about how dunlop latex compresses. The medium Sleep on Latex mattress seems to be providing good support so I would like try to solve the problems I’m experiencing with a topper. So, here are my questions.
How is it possible to experience pressure point pain with a 3" SOFT dunlop topper placed on top of a 2" soft comfort layer?
Would you recommend I try a soft 2" OR 3" talalay next? Since talalay is softer, I wonder whether I will swing too far with the 3" that I’ll sink in, yet I don’t know whether the 2" will be enough to eliminate pressure point pain.
Some people do just fine with Dunlop toppers, others get pressure points, it really will vary from person to person. Talalay is bouncier and springier and is generally better at contour and pressure relief on your hips and shoulders and is much more common for toppers. Given the information you’ve provided and the mattress that you have now, I think a 2" topper would be the right choice, and this is for a few reasons. If the 2" Dunlop topper had the right amount of give but just wasn’t pressure relieving enough, the 2" Talalay topper should provide the right balance of contour and support. Additionally, since you already have 2" of 20 ILD latex at the top of the mattress, there is a chance that adding 3" of soft Talalay will cause you to sink into the mattress too much like when you have the 3" Soft Dunlop topper, which could lead to lower back pain.
Thanks for the information. I am now trying a Sleep EZ 2" soft Talalay topper. One night in, the good news is I didn’t experience any sinking and shoulders are fine. Bad news is that I definitely still felt hip pressure points though not as bad as some of the previous Dunlop toppers I’ve tried. I know one is supposed to allow time for the body to adjust to any new sleeping arrangement, so I’m not going to make any judgements based on one night. I do have one question just to set expectations: do pressure points usually diminish over the adjustment period or is that a sure sign that the comfort layer isn’t providing enough pressure relief?
Yes there is definitely a chance that your pressure points will diminish over the adjustment period. I certainly wouldn’t be able to make any guarantees in that regard but the best way to find out would be to try it for up to 2 weeks before making any decisions. This will help ensure that you don’t end up returning a topper that could be the perfect solution for you. If there’s anything else we can do please just let me know. Thank you so much and have a great day!