Rest of the Sleep Disorders Forum Posting

Posted by Honest Expert on January 20, 2001 at 20:51:50:

In Reply to: latex mattresses posted by Gerbil on January 19, 2001 at 16:46:15:

Dear Gerbil,

(((Warning: this is quite a long post because it is the first I've seen about Latex Mattresses. I tried to give thorough information so that other people can refer to it. Thanks, HonEx.)))

Latex is a wonderful material: Very conforming, usually very durable, usually quite expensive if the material is truly "latex."

Here is the catch: "Latex" can be both a generic term and a specific term. As a generic term, it means "rubber-like" and can consist of many different types of materials. (Thus, there can be a thousand different kinds of "latex" paints, none of which contain "Latex.")

Then there is "Natural Latex" which -- if my education is correct -- is a product based on the rubber plant and a chemical process.

Natural Latex has been a superior mattress making material for many years. Until recently, nothing would give the feel of Natural Latex. In some respects, coming up with a synthetic material (read: easily reproducable under controlled performance and cost conditions) has been the "holy grail" of the mattress business!

Why has the mattress business been trying to supplant Natural Latex? Simply because harvesting and processing Natural Latex is very costly and results in some unfortunate and unpredictable inconsistencies.

If you look at a piece of Natural Latex, it will have many air bubbles that are tiny and many that are quite large. Within the thickness of a mattress, it is sometimes possible to find bubbles as large as a golf ball (I have seen them personally)! When you must warrant a mattress for at least 10 years -- or more -- such inconsistencies can result in a higher warranty claim rate, because the inconsistencies allow the mattress to deteriorate faster. Unfortuantely, there is no way > to look into the middle of the slab of Natural Latex to see if there is a problem, so when *no* problem is visable, the material gets used.

As a result, Natrual Latex mattresses have a higher warranty rate than most other types. This is why the major manufacturers avoid using Natural Latex except as a specialty padding layer on an innerspring mattress ... and only in premium models.

But, on the other hand, Natural Latex mattresses that are without a flaw, can easily outlast an innerspring mattress by half. But how can you know that it is without a flaw? No matter what the salesperson tells you, you can't! The only solution is to drill holes through the mattress every few inches -- which some do for quality assurance and a cooler "lay" -- but this naturally reduces the longevity of the mattress my intentionally removing material! It is a choice of unpredictable longevity vs. a predictable shortening of its life.

But in the last 5 years -- for the most part -- the "holy grail" has been found. Foam manufacturers have managed to come up with a material that has the phenomenal feel of Natural Latex, better durability and excellent, small-bubble consistency. Unfortuantely, these foams are not any less costly to manufacture! BUT! they do cut way down on the warranty claim rates.

Without trying to promote a particular brand, I know that the Infinilux foam used in Stearns and Foster mattresses are from this "holy grail" category. Unfortuantely, I am not familiar enough with other brand foams to know who else is using the same technology, but I'm sure they are out there. Ultimately, there ARE NO secrets and a paltry few real differences between brands competing toe to toe!

Now, the differences in FEEL between "Memory Foam" and Natural Latex are subtle. Some people can tell the difference and some people cannot. Only you will be able to say whether or not you can.

The one thing that "memory foam" does (or, I should say, the good ones do) is to soften at body tempurature. This allows the "Memory Foam" to have the most gentle touch on the body of ANY type mattress. What testing has shown is that "Memory Foam" ("Good" memory foam) provides the most complete support and the fewest pressure points of ANY type mattress.

Now, regarding this claim: "They say that they are totally non-allergenic and mite proof and are far superior to any other mattress including memory foam."

Of course they say this: They are trying to sell their mattresses and realize that "Memory Foam" has been the biggest thorn in their sides. For a reason! Unfortuantely, they cannot back these claims up.

ANY type of foam -- including Natural Latex, which is a "Natural" foam -- are naturally allergy resistent. But ALL of them use chemicals that can "gas off" from within the mattress that some people will be sensitive to. And some people have an allergy to Latex.

"Dust Mite Proof" is a fallacy. Most people's problems with Dust Mites and mattresses (I would guess 90%) are directly related to the skin we slough off our bodies. No mattress can prevent this. But the mattress can use a cover that minimizes these contaminants from being able to penetrate into the mattress. These have been shown to be questionably effective.

All "Dust Mite Proof" really means is that the mattress is made of a material that is not a natural feeding source for Dust Mites. This is equally true for Natural Latex and "Memory Foam".

Saying a foam mattress is "Dust Mite Proof" is as substantial as saying "Our Water Is Wet!": It has good marketing value, but not much else ... at least in relation to other foam mattresses. In relation to other constructions, it CAN make a difference.

Honestly, if you are seeing a "latex" mattress for under $1200 to $1500 for a Queen Size on the internet, I would be leery as to whether it was Natural Latex or Second-quality Natural Latex. It may not be Natural Latex at all (look for things like "Laytex" for sound-alike clues!); it may just be another material that is "rubber-like".

My best recommendation: Do your shopping in person as much as you can. As great as the internet is, I wouldn't use it as a source for something that could have as serious a health ramification as where you spend a third of your life!

And if the pricing from the internet is better, use that as leverage with the guy who showed you the mattress you LOVE. But respect the time and effort and expense that the real, live person put into helping you find YOUR mattress. Don't make him do the work, then give his paycheck to someone else.

In my humble opinion, no one should buy a mattress from the internet unless they are just buying more of something they have already purchased, or have already been convinced by a positive sleeping experience at a Hotel or a friend's house. Mattress purchases are too important to drive the local guy out of business, meaning you'll never have a way to try out what you want to buy in the future. Mattresses are not that generic.

I hope this has helped.

Best of luck and if you have any other questions, please ask!

HonEx

Follow Ups:

• Re: latex mattresses Gerbil 07:03 1/21/01 (0)

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