Dear Sleep EZ,
I’m hoping you can please weigh in and help me figure out what type of latex topper would work out best for me and the pain issues I’m having. About me: I am a petite female H: 5’3" W: 125 lbs, curvy/pear shaped. I’ve always been a combination (side & back) sleeper, however, due to low back issues, bursitis, and now sciatica nerve pain, I’ve only been able to sleep on my back.
I currently have a Nectar Lush memory foam mattress that I purchased in late November so just a little more than 3 months old. This is my first experience with an all memory foam mattress and I’m not sure it’s for me. Every morning I wake up stiff and sore with aches and pain in my neck, low back, chest, hip bones, and tingles down through my legs, heels, and sometimes by big toes. I’m not sure if it’s my skeletal system, pressure points, muscles, and/or joints. I’ve been dealing with a low back issue for about 2 years now. I will mention my sciatica symptoms just started about 2 months ago just shortly after getting this mattress. My initial thought was that this mattress is a bit too firm for me, however, I wanted to give myself time to get used to the change. Over the past week with the temperatures warming, I’ve noticed it starting to soften up more. At first the firmness felt nice as I felt supported but I didn’t feel like I was sinking in enough. Now I wonder if my hips/trunk are sinking in too much, compared to the rest of my body putting strain and pressure on everything? For reference the mattress is 12" thick total. 1st Layer consisting of 3" inch cooling gel memory foam considered “medium” (3.5 pcf), 2nd Layer 2" Visco foam they call “Energex” memory foam that is slightly firmer/more dense than the top layer (2.5 pcf), Final base layer of 7" high density poly-foam, (1.8 pcf). A reviewer of this mattress stated it had an overal density of 3-4 lb. I am currently using a talalay latex pillow which I love but not sure it is compatible with my foam mattress.
I initially wanted to purchase a hybrid mattress of natural latex and coils, but at the time manufacturing had slowed down and huge back-logs (8+ weeks) due to COVID so I opted for the Nectar Lush as it was available for me to take home same day. Now I feel stuck with this mattress for awhile as I don’t want to spend countless weeks/months trying to get a refund. I’m hoping that adding a latex topper will help eliminate some of the pains and issues and/or at least provide some relief to get me through until I am able to finance another mattress again. I like the idea of latex because it is all natural and not full of chemicals, plus I’ve read it sleeps cooler, has springiness, and gives you a feeling floating instead of sinking in feeling.
With all of this being said, I’m torn between adding a topper to soften my mattress or adding a topper to provide more even support and change the feel entirely? I feel like I could possibly benefit from both of these options as I want soft comfort but also need support to relieve strain and keep my spine aligned. It has been a difficult trying to decide as I don’t know what my pains are telling me.
1.) Do I add a 2-3" soft talalay topper to add more softness, provide pressure relief, or will this combined with the foam layers in my mattress make it too soft and not provide enough support?
2.) Do I add a 2-3" soft dunlop topper to add more support and distribute my weight more evenly?
3.) Or do I try medium talalay?
Your advice and expertise would be so greatly appreciated as I’m looking to purchase a topper ASAP.
Thank you so very much for your time!
Sincerely,
Sleepless in Minneapolis