Height 5ft 7in Weight210 currently losing weight
warm sleeper
mostly side sleep, some back sleeper
currently this mattress is too firm to sleep on and I keep waking up randomly in the night.
all the beds I’ve slept on I’ve inherited more or less and this one is no different. the prior bed I had was on the softer side and was already fairly old when I started using it so it definitely had sunk in. the current bed is still relatively new and is still being paid off so I’m trying to work with what I got.
from what I was researching I felt like a latex topper was my best choice but was rather lost on how thick I should go or to whether to focus on talalay for soft cushiness or go with dunlop for support. I’m open to other toppers but I wasn’t sure what to consider overall with tempurpedic memory foam being the main mattress
Based on the information you provided, I would recommend a 3" 28 ILD Talalay Latex Topper. That density will certainly soften up your current sleep surface and provide you support so you don’t go through it and feel the firm surface below.
If you decide to go with a Dunlop topper, it should also be 3" and in the same 28 ILD range. I wouldn’t suggest anything firmer because you’ll just be trading one firm surface for another.
Hi DastardlyMage and welcome to the forums! I agree with CST, a medium Talalay topper is likely going to work best. Please keep the following in mind when choosing a thickness for your topper: A 2” topper will make a noticeable difference but, depending on how much you want to change the feel of your mattress, may still leave something to be desired. The 3” topper will change the feel of your mattress the most, and if that’s the change that you’re looking for then this would be the best bet. The best way to summarize it would be to say that a 2” topper will make the mattress feel moderately softer and the 3” topper will make the mattress feel much softer.
Both the thickness and the density makes a difference when choosing a topper. Ultimately, how you make your decision will depend on the following: how firm your mattress is now; how much softer you want your mattress to be; your height, body weight, and sleeping preference (For example, if you weigh more than about 200 lbs I would recommend a medium topper; if you weighed more than 200 lbs and bought a soft topper, you would likely bottom out and sink right through the topper to the firm mattress that you’re trying to move away from). We normally recommend soft for folks under 200 pounds, medium for folks between 200 and 250 pounds, and firm for folks over 250 pounds. Even though we call it a “firm” topper, it will actually feel quite soft to anyone over 250 pounds, just FYI.
Aside from that, Talalay is bouncier and springier and is generally better at contour and pressure relief on your hips and shoulders. Dunlop is denser and firmer and is generally better at support and maintaining proper spinal alignment so Talalay is much more common for toppers. Talalay can also be helpful in avoiding back pain because it provides more of what we call secondary support. Secondary support fills in the gaps between your body and the mattress. For side sleepers, this is normally the area between a person’s ribs and waist. For back sleepers, this is normally the area between the small of your back and the mattress. If these parts or your body aren’t being held up by the mattress, your muscles will work all night to hold those parts of your body up, which can lead to back pain. So Talalay is much more common for toppers because of the extra pressure relief and secondary support it offers.
Thank you this has helped me a lot in figuring out what to look for. I recently was just testing some mattresses and pillows at a mattress firm and definitely agree medium in general is what feels best for me. Will definitely be looking into 3’in medium topper. I’m going to look into a pillow now since mine are now due for it. Tried the medium purple pillow and that felt great but that price yikes.