r/SleepExperimenters

I am a senior female light 56kg mostly side-sleeper with chronic insomnia and multiple health issues. I needed to improve the comfort of my Sealy Posturpedic Hotel flattop mattress as I was experiencing increasing pressure-point pain after weakening bone and muscle-loss.

I spent several weeks shop-testing various toppers, mattresses and combinations and have eventually found something that is very comfortable so I wanted to provide an update.

I settled on a 2” D65 Dunlop latex topper plus a lovely wool topper both enclosed in 100% cotton covers. I tried two 2” (4” total) latex which was far too soft and caused hammocking and my hips to sink too much creating more pain. So I tested just the one 2” and found that better. I also tried adding a 1” D75 latex layer underneath and that felt better still.

But then I decided to try something to give my hips just a little more cushioning. I cut a piece of latex to fit just under my hips to my knees and placed that underneath the 2” latex and then the wool topper. This gives me more support where I need it and allows my shoulders to be slightly lower for less pressure.

Having trialled it now for several weeks, I can say it has transformed my comfort level significantly.

I learned a lot during this research and trial period and wanted to express my thanks to everyone for your posts and advice. I highly recommend that you actually go to test in shops often and for as long as possible.

I really thought the plushest and thickest latex would be best but that was not the case for me. I think thinner layers are better and not plush or supersoft as you lose a lot of cushioning if you sink too much. I know plush/soft are mostly recommended for lightweight side-sleepers but it didn’t work out that way in my case. If a topper is too plush it may sink a little too much so it actually ends up feeling too firm from bottoming-out.

And the 1.5” wool topper adds a cool cloud-like comfort layer that I absolutely love. I also have 100% percale sheets. I have 2 great wool pillows and have made 2 latex low-profile latex pillows. I rotate and fluff my toppers every month. I also have a full length body pillow that also adds a great deal of comfort and helps with pressure pain too.

I have to say that I love laying in my bed now. It hasn’t miraculously cured my chronic health issues, but it has provided a much-needed level of comfort.

I really disliked all the memory foam toppers. However, I did find that the serene ILD22 foam toppers were very comfortable in combination with latex but decided the latex and wool was the better option for me.

As for Talalay, I found the soft talalay far tooo soft and preferred the 2“ or 3” MEDIUM Talalay which was more expensive than the Dunlop.

As for mattresses, I also found the mediums much more comfortable than the soft/plush. Next year, when I move I will replace my mattress with a med/firm hybrid flattop but will keep my toppers for comfort layers.

I wish everyone finds a solution that works well for your particular needs.

I’ve been trying a bunch of different sleep things lately, and I keep coming back to the same conclusion.

The nights I sleep best usually aren’t the nights where I discover some new “hack.” They’re the nights where everything is just really predictable.

Same room temperature.
Same general bedtime.
Same sounds.
Phone away.
Nothing interesting happening.

I used to think I needed to optimize everything constantly, but honestly I think that made me more awake because I was always testing something.

Magnesium one night, a different YouTube video the next, some breathing technique, checking sleep scores, changing the room temperature, looking at the clock 15 times lol.

Lately I’ve been using the exact same sound setup every night, and I think the consistency itself is doing a lot.

I’ve been mixing rain + brown noise + a really soft binaural beat in Nocturne: Binaural Waves.

I’m not saying the binaural part is some magic brain hack btw. I looked into it and the research seems way more mixed than the internet makes it sound.

But I do like the idea of having one sound setup that basically becomes a cue for “okay, nothing else is happening now. Go to sleep.”

And after a while I genuinely feel like my brain starts recognizing it.

Kind of boring, but maybe boring is actually the point.

Has anyone else noticed that repeating the exact same sleep setup works better than constantly trying new hacks?

I have been having difficult falling asleep for over two years.

I have tried many methods, feeling sleepy

but still unable to fall asleep. This makes me very uncomfortable.

I have tried ：

1. listening to podcasts

2. trying to blank my mind and think of nothing, meditating.

3. taking medication.

But none of these have solved the problem.

Recently, I have noticed that my heart is feeling uncomfortable. I think I must look for more solutions to address the sleep problem. Do any of you have any better suggestions?