TOPIC:

I first came across this forum 6 yrs ago after being unhappy with my $150 memory foam (go figure) and decided that I would buy a Latex bed... but due to always having other financial priorities have not. Well, now is finally the time and I am determined to buy a high quality latex bed from one of the many top manufacturers in my hometown, Phoenix (a mecca of latex beds, who knew?).

For now I am trying to choose between AZ Premium Mattress Co and Brooklyn Bedding. Az Premium mattress is more expensive, but I'm not sure what I am getting for the money. Also AZ Premium Mattress has a Latex Foam Core and then an Ultra Plush bed. What is the difference between these two and how does this compare to the Brooklyn Bedding's ultimate bed? Am I getting anything additional for the money?

Hi ikshwaku,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum!

For now I am trying to choose between AZ Premium Mattress Co and Brooklyn Bedding. Az Premium mattress is more expensive, but I'm not sure what I am getting for the money. Also AZ Premium Mattress has a Latex Foam Core and then an Ultra Plush bed. What is the difference between these two and how does this compare to the Brooklyn Bedding's ultimate bed? Am I getting anything additional for the money?

Both the Brooklyn Bedding Best Mattress Ever (what I think you’re referencing) and the all-latex models from Arizona Premium (they are both site members here, which means that I think highly of them) are good quality items, but they use slightly different materials. The Best Mattress Ever uses a 6” 2.0 lb. density polyfoam core, above which is 2” of Dunlop latex and 2” of Talalay latex. This mattress is available in soft, medium and firm configurations (the latex is varied in softness (ILD)). Arizona Premium offers different configurations using Talalay or Dunlop latex (blended or natural), so I’m not exactly sure which particular model and configuration you were considering. They have more options for customization and you’d want to consult with them about what might work best for your personal preference, sleeping style and body type. As the Arizona Premium is all-latex, it will be more expensive than the Best Mattress Ever. Latex is generally the most durable foam used in mattress construction.

As compared to a polyfoam support core, a latex support core is more durable, more resilient, more elastic, more adaptable to different weights and shapes and sleeping positions, more supportive (it has a higher compression modulus so it gets firmer faster with compression), more "natural", and has a different more "springy" and responsive feel than polyfoam. It is a higher performance material. Of course it is also more expensive than a polyfoam core and for some people, a latex mattress using a polyfoam core which has the benefits and "feel" of latex in the upper layers (the top 3" - 6" which are the most subject to wear and tear and contribute more to the overall "feel" of a mattress) is worth the cost tradeoff. For others it isn't. All of this though is to make clear that they are not comparable in overall performance terms, although both items you’re considering are good quality/value products.

If you have more specific questions, please let me know.

Phoenix

Thank you Phoenix!

That is exactly the info I was looking for! Sounds like I do get a better product for more money at AZ Premium Mattress Co, just a matter of picking the right cost vs performance balance for me. Specifically I was looking at the Solid Core Latex Foam mattress and the Ultra Plush Latex Talalay Mattress at AZ Premium Mattress Co.

One more question, We are also purchasing sofas for our new home. I am have considerable custom options with the manufacturer I'm using and I am curious if I should try and source latex cushions for these sofas. The manufacturer does not offer these, but I'm wondering I might be able to convince them to order latex blocks off another retailer. Might be easy as swapping their polyfoam for latex.

Do you have any experience with latex sofa cushions? Are they superior in comfort and longevity here as well? What firmness would be recommended for a sofa? Medium? Firm?

Again, thank you for the assistance!

Hi ikshwaku,

One more question, We are also purchasing sofas for our new home. I am have considerable custom options with the manufacturer I'm using and I am curious if I should try and source latex cushions for these sofas. The manufacturer does not offer these, but I'm wondering I might be able to convince them to order latex blocks off another retailer. Might be easy as swapping their polyfoam for latex. Do you have any experience with latex sofa cushions? Are they superior in comfort and longevity here as well? What firmness would be recommended for a sofa? Medium? Firm?

Latex is commonly used for seat cushion foams, for those who like the feel, assed durability or desire to avoid having polyfoam in their sofa. Savvy Rest just came out with a line of sofas using latex, offering them in a “plush” or “firm” latex, but they do not list their ILDs. Just like a mattress it is something you’d want to try out before ordering to see if you liked the comfort. On our component post , both kttenterprises and foamorder offer latex block cushions.

Phoenix

Okay... time for some follow up. We ended up needing to save some money so we went with the Brooklyn Bedding medium firm bed in King Size. We got it Saturday and I've slept on it 3 nights with a one night break on an OLD cheap spring mattress. My problem is that I'm feeling tremendous shoulder soreness in the morning on the new bed from side sleeping. Enough that I am afraid I will damage one or both shoulders in no time if this keeps up. I'm sure it has to do with my sleep position, but this never happened in the memory foam (which I hated for heat) or even on the crappy spring mattress. Are there known causes for this? Is it possible that because the bed is SO much more firm that the pillow I was using with great success (Shredded Latex Pillow) on the memory foam isn't thick enough for the new bed because I don't sink in as much. I really don't know.

Do the experts here have any tips or knowledge on this type of issue?

Hi ikshwaku,

Okay... time for some follow up. We ended up needing to save some money so we went with the Brooklyn Bedding medium firm bed in King Size

Congratulations on your new mattress! You certainly made a good quality/value choice.

My problem is that I'm feeling tremendous shoulder soreness in the morning on the new bed from side sleeping. Enough that I am afraid I will damage one or both shoulders in no time if this keeps up. I'm sure it has to do with my sleep position, but this never happened in the memory foam (which I hated for heat) or even on the crappy spring mattress.

I‘m sorry you’re having some trouble with your shoulder adjusting to your new mattress. Unfortunately I can’t diagnose via an online forum the reasons that you might be experiencing this pain, but I can make some general comments about things that help ease shoulder pressure for side sleepers in the hope that they are useful to you.

As I can’t see how you sleep, I can’t comment upon your sleep position or know if you’re inward or outward rotating your arm and placing it in a position that is contributing to this pain. I would be surprised if sleeping upon a mattress using the point elastic latex materials that your mattress does would cause permanent damage, unless you had a specific health condition that is causing some fragility in this area, or your sleeping posture is such that it is exposing you to issues of extreme compression or extreme flexion (of course, I only play a doctor on the internet ) .

Your new mattress, having better support characteristics than your old memory foam mattress, could be bringing to the forefront some changes that need to be made in your sleeping posture. You could also have some learned alignment issues from your old mattress, which does take some time for your body to adjust, as you’ve only slept on your new mattress for three nights. This adjustment generally takes anywhere from three weeks to three months, what I term a “period of retrogression”.

I would first start with your pillow and make sure that it is the proper thickness to maintain as neutral an alignment as possible (as you were concerned about). As your old mattress let you sink in too deeply, it is possible that your new pillow isn’t thick enough to maintain this neutral alignment when you are on your side, and this can place additional stress upon your shoulder.

The next thing you may wish to do is work on not placing as much pressure directly upon your shoulder joint and work on abducting your shoulder complex forward a bit buy hugging a pillow in front of you while you sleep. If sleeping upon your right side, this will allow your right shoulder to “roll forward” a bit, and also allow a surface upon which you can place your left arm. Both of these things will assist with shoulder joint pressure issues.

Something else to consider is the placement of a pillow behind you which you may slightly lean up against, akin to taking a nap on a couch and leaning up against the back cushions. This allows you to again lean back a bit, rolling your shoulder joint forward a little and taking some of the direct stress off it.

These are three suggestions that you may wish to try out and see if they help alleviate your shoulder pressure and pain as you adjust to your new mattress. If after trying out your new mattress for a month or so you still find that it is uncomfortable for your shoulder, I would contact Brooklyn Bedding and see if they had any options for you. It could be that you desire the less resilient feel of memory foam and you may end up considering a memory foam topper for your mattress. Or it may be that this mattress isn’t agreeable for you, in which case you at least had the foresight to choose something that does have a good return policy. But you’ll definitely want to give this more time to test things out. I’ll be interested in seeing if any of my suggestions are assistive to you.

Phoenix

The bane of side sleepers...
A core too firm.

Do not underestimate the effect of firmness in the core. Especially if you are a male athlete or body builder. Pressure on one's ribs & lats can be terrible. Even a 36 ILD core can be painful.

My suggestion is that one scrutinize the core and not rule out cores below below 36. Spend enough time to asses the effect on your ribs as well as the shoulder. Assess whether your hips are neutral & not cocked up or down.

If you work out, or have a physically demanding job, you deserve comfort. A good nights sleep. Not a hard days night. So I say think of the mattress core FIRST, then go on from there.

Hi barneycalhoun,

I certainly do appreciate your input. As you’re aware, there can be many reasons for a side sleeper to be uncomfortable, so I’d always advise caution about applying too broadly from specific examples.

Your point about starting from the bottom up is a good one (this is how I suggest people begin when creating their own DIY mattress), as proper support and alignment is the strongest correlator to time spent in the deeper phases of sleep. There is some great information in this PHD thesis by Vincent+Verhaer (who is one of a group of researchers that I greatly respect) about the importance of good spinal alignment that clearly indicates that for healthy individuals it has the single biggest effect on the depth and quality of sleep, versus surface plushness. Of course, the ideal is to have both comfort and alignment.

For larger individuals and the athletes I’ve worked with (mesomorphs, in general), they tend to respond best to a supportive core and then more substantial (in thickness and quality) comfort/transition layers to help allow for their larger differences in width between the shoulders/waist/hips and higher BMIs. But everyone is different (as you’re of course well aware). Pressure on the ribs can also be a result of having an unsubstantial support core, or comfort layers that are too soft, allowing one to sink in too deeply on their side and creating more pressure in the thoracic area, so this another reason for lack of comfort on one’s side, not just too hard of a support core.

Thanks for your viewpoint and adding to the conversation. While not directly applicable in this situation, you certainly bring up some good points.

Phoenix