Back Pain and your Mattress

Do you experience back pain? A customizable latex mattress can help! There are three types of back pain: Nerve pain, pain caused by muscle spasms or pain caused by pressure point issues. Depending on the type of pain you have, our team here at the Natural Mattress company can help you pick the perfect customized mattress for you. If we didn’t hit the exact mark the first time, within 90 days you can do a latex exchange and make your mattress softer or firmer.

 

The most intense back pain is usually caused by pressure on the nerve. This can be from a disc problem or an old injury. It is possible you may experience sciatica, which is a sharp pain moving down the leg. In this case a firmer mattress is probably best to give support for your spine. However, there is no one mattress firmness fits all. What an individual considers firm can vary from person to person, so it is best to have flexibility with your mattress when dealing with back issues. One thing to keep in mind is a firm mattress is good for support, however a hard mattress may cause your body to not be able to relax which will cause stiffness and pain.

 

Back pain may also be caused by muscle spasms instead of a disc injury. You may experience this type of pain after working out to hard, or when waking up in the morning if your mattress is no longer supporting you correctly. If your back pain goes away after you move around a little or after your body warms up, muscle spasms could be the cause. If this is the type of back pain, you are experiencing feel free to choose a softer mattress if that is what you prefer.

 

A third kind of back pain is discomfort from pressure points caused by a hard, unyielding mattress. If you are a back sleeper, you may notice pain in your tail bone or base of the spine. If you sleep on your side, your shoulders or hips may ache. In this case, you may need a softer mattress. You can achieve this by adding a topper to your overly firm mattress, or if its time replace your current mattress opt for something softer. The Talalay latex Savvy Rest provides offers great pressure point relief. Omi has a structured wave layer. Ergovea has a stretchy thinner mattress cover that gives you a different take on a latex mattress.

 

Please come visit our store today or give us a call or message. We want to help you customize your organic mattress so you can get the sleep you’ve been dreaming of!

What are the benefits of a natural latex mattress?

What is Natural Latex?

Natural latex is made from the sap of rubber trees. The sap is whipped into a froth and baked into latex layers.

Purity

The best latex mattresses are made with all natural latex meaning without synthetic latex or fillers blended in. The latex is simply natural foam rubber. The Dunlop latex used by our manufacturers is certified organic according it USDA standards. Their process is certified organic according to GOLS (global organic latex standard) established by the control union. We also have mattresses from Savvy Rest that contain Talalay Latex. It is the purest form available which is cradle to cradle GOLD certified and meets sustainable forestry guidelines. The best quality latex is comprised of 95-97% natural latex, with the remaining percentage being the curing agents that allow the sap to bake into a solid piece of latex.

Comfort

For a comfortable sleep, you need a responsive surface for pressure relief and appropriate support for your spine and shape. Latex can meet all of these needs. Several of the mattresses in our showroom offer a custom layer design. The mattress can be made very soft or firm. The firmness can be customized on each side of the mattress, if one persons needs are different from their partners. Unlike most foams, latex breathes, which discourages the build up of heat and moisture in the interior of the mattress. Latex does not have the motion transfer of innerspring mattresses so you can move around in your bed without waking your partner up.

Sustainability

Latex can be certified organic according to USDA standards. Farmers use methane digesters to power their homesteads, and only organic fertilizer is used on young trees. No chemical pesticides or herbicides are allowed. Natural latex foam is made from the sap of the rubber tree. also called rubber serum. After the sap is collected, the bark of the tree heals quickly. Rubber trees can yield sap for over 30 years. When the trees are harvested, the land is replanted. Wood from the rubber tree can be used to build furniture.

Durability

One question we often receive is do latex mattresses breakdown or sag? Yes natural latex mattresses are meant to breakdown over time. The natural latex core in the mattress will oxidize after many years of use instead of off gassing toxic chemicals in a landfill like polyurethane or memory foam. Not to worry, latex mattresses are meant to last around 20 years, which is much longer than your typical conventional mattress. When it is time for a new mattress, you can rest easy that your old latex mattress will not be leaving a nasty carbon footprint behind.  Latex mattresses are not immune to dips or sags, especially if an individual is sleeping on a mattress that is too soft. However, memory foam is more known to have issues with dips or sags due to the fact they retain body heat. It is the chemical reaction between the foam and the body heat that allows the memory foam to gently contour to the body. While this offers pressure point relief at first, eventually memory foam can struggle to bounce back, causing significant dips. The latex mattress company’s we represent have long warranties to handle dips, sags or manufacturer defects.

Please visit our website to take a look at all the different latex mattress options we have available to try in our showroom.

Premium Organic Mattresses from Vermont

How to decide how firm your latex mattress should be?

Layers of natural latex.

When choosing latex firmness for your mattress, you have the option to choose between soft, medium and firm. Some factors that can help you choose the best for your body are weight, sleep position, and personal preference.

So which firmness might be the best fit for me!

Soft latex mattress:

Soft latex mattresses typically work well for petit adults. Especially if they sleep on their side and they need pressure point relief. If a mattress is too firm it can cause hip or should pain. A soft mattress will gently cradle those pressure points.

Medium Latex Mattress:

A medium latex mattress is a more neutral density. Obviously, it is neither too soft nor too firm. Both side and back sleeps can rest comfortably on a medium firm mattress, especially if they are more of an average build and don’t have pressure point issues. A medium mattress is usually a good choice for a guest bed.

Firm Latex Mattress:

A firm latex mattress is best for back and stomach sleepers as if offers the most support. Stomach sleepers need a firm mattress to avoid sinking into the latex. If the mattress does not offer enough support, it would cause a stomach sleeper’s back to arch.

Choosing your firmness:

Many of the mattresses we carry are customizable and offer latex layers. Examples are the Savvy Rest Serenity, Ergovea Valencia, and OMI Duo. With this type of mattress, the firmer layers should go on the bottom offering support. The softer layer should be on the top to offer comfort. These types of mattresses are a perfect fit, especially if you and your partner have different firmness preferences. The customizability of the mattress allows each person to get exactly what they want. Neither person has too compromise their comfort.

How to Overcome Mattress Phobia

Buying a mattress can be a daunting task. Mattresses do not come cheap and are decade long commitments for most. The majority of consumers put in a lot of research to their mattress company and specific model they want. But finally taking that leap of faith can be scary. Especially if your first night’s rest on your brand new mattress is not that life-changing experience you’ve been hoping for. 

 

Here at Natural Mattress Company, we’ve come to tell you there’s no reason to be afraid. Mattresses, much like most new products, take breaking in. Your body needs time to adjust to the new bed and the mattress itself has to settle into the frame. 

 

According to an article by Sleepadvisor.org, there are 8 tips to follow after buying your new mattress that will make the difference between your mattress nightmare and a good night’s sleep:

Let Your Mattress Breathe

Most mattresses need air flow, especially organic or natural mattresses. The latex needs to breathe. That’s why we sell coconut mats to lay between your mattress and the bed frame. These mats allow for circulation under the mattress and further provide support for the mattress. The best part: they’re all natural too!

Put on the Pressure

When first getting your mattress, you can try putting a lot of pressure dispersed throughout the mattress. This helps loosen the latex and potentially even soften your bed by introducing air flow. This may also help prevent any mattress imprint that could be made later by introducing pressure throughout the mattress, instead of in one place.

Be Patient

This advice has always been our favorite advice. Give your mattress some patience. That first night most likely will never be the best night. We advise people give their mattresses at least 30 days, sometimes even up to 90. Fun fact: that is why mattress warranties are often 90 days!

Warm It Up

Not the best advice, especially for natural mattresses. But if you’d like, some foam mattresses react well to a warmer temperature. However, latex does not mind the cold and most people do not like to sleep in hot bedrooms. Take this advice as you wish. 

Sleep on It Consistently

Along with patience, you have to give your mattress its best shot. By doing this, you need to sleep on it every night for those 30 or 90 days. This is the fastest route to breaking it in. 

Put It on the Right Foundation

The bed frame can be half the battle with mattresses. We encourage our customers to do research on the mattress to find the bed frame that will work best for it. Natural latex mattresses can often be very heavy. Because of this, we advise platform bed frames to properly support the mattress throughout.

Follow your Gut

No matter if you’re willing to put in the time, if the mattress isn’t right for you then don’t suffer. If you are worried about this, look into mattress companies like Savvy Rest that allow a latex exchange to better suit the mattress for your needs.

Give It the Full Time

Along with patience, try to give the mattress the full trial time recommended. Those 30 or 90 days may just change your life. 

 

SleepAdvisor has got it right. Patience and time may just be the best way for you to overcome that mattress phobia. If you have any more questions or fears, feel free to give us a call and we’ll do our best to help. The Natural Mattress Company prides itself on putting customers first. We look forward to working with our customers as a team effort to find the mattress best suited for them. Swing by at any time to lay on one of mattresses or to just say hi. Our door is always open. 

Purchasing a Mattress Online versus Local Retail Store

Upwards of 20% of mattresses are now purchased online. That number has put a strain on mattress stores, just like online shopping overall has hurt local retail. Most customers still report wanting to try out their mattress before they make their final purchase. However, with online mattress companies making sleep guarantees/trial periods as long as 120 days, some consumers have opted for the ease of just making a few clicks and having a bed in a box being delivered to their front door.

Other customers are trying to avoid high pressure sales tactics employed by sales people at retail mattress outlets. Customers are also thinking they can achieve a better deal by shopping online. Online companies will say they can offer lower prices due to not having a middle man, or not having the cost of having a brick or mortar store. However, this may or may not be true as there is a cost to marketing your business online. Online ad campaigns are not cheap, and if you want to come up first in online searches you are going to have to pay for it. Regardless, there is going to be a shakeup in the industry. The amount of online mattress companies has ballooned in the last 5 years. Some will survive and thrive. Others will be forced to close. Some online retailers are now opening up brick and mortar stores of their own.

At our small local store, the rise of online competition has had some benefits, even though it is most likely taking away sales from our store. Our mattresses are made of latex, organic cotton and wool for the most part. The wool acts as a natural fire retardant, so you don’t have to spray fire retardant chemicals on your mattress. This is not true of conventional mattresses, which also may contain petrol based foams, polyurethanes, and formaldehydes. There are several online brands that offer a similar product, and the amount is growing every day. Zenhaven and Avocado are two examples. The rise of brands like these have spread the word of the benefits of purchasing a natural latex mattress. It is informing customers that there is a natural/organic option when purchasing your mattress. Many customers who used to enter my store, didn’t realize chemicals were being sprayed on most mattresses. Now consumers are becoming educated on that fact, and the market for organic mattresses is growing which helps local stores like ours.

Zenhaven, Awara Mattress and Avocado will give you approximately a 100- 120 risk free trial. If you don’t like the mattress, you can return it. It is necessary for online retailers to do this since you can’t try the mattress before you purchase. From what I’ve heard, some brands (not necessarily either of the ones mentioned)  have upwards of a 20 to 30% return rate. If you have to return, then the search continues. You will have to start all over again with a new mattress and hope for the best.

Many of the brands we represent have a latex exchange policy. If within 90 days, you are not satisfied with your mattress you can exchange out a layer of latex to make your mattress either softer or firmer. There is a transportation cost but the latex exchange is free. When you pick out the mattress in store, you can customize it to your firmness preference. There is a wide range from plush to firm. So not only do you get to try the mattress in store, but you can make changes to it if your not satisfied with your sleeping experience once you get home. You can even split queen and king sizes down the middle, having one side being soft the other firm. This is a huge benefit, if you and your partner don’t agree on what a perfect sleeping surface should be. Examples of the models we carry in store that have this feature is the Savvy Rest Serenity, Serenity Spring, Organicpedic (OMI) Duo and Rossa and Eco Rest Max. This type of adjustable/customizable mattress have been very popular with our customers.  You just have to decide that organic latex is the material that works best for you. The firmness of that mattress can be adjusted at purchase in store or even after purchase.

When mattresses or futons are not customizable, we have started a new program where you have the ability to return or exchange the mattress. We have started this with are Ergovea, White Lotus and Honest Sleep lines. If after 90 days, you would like to return your mattress or futon, you can do so by bringing it back to the store or scheduling a pick up by www.resourcevt.org.  In the case of a return, the customer would be responsible for a 20% re-stocking fee. An exchange is also an option. The customer could receive a credit for the full amount, if they were to trade in for a new mattress or other bedding accessories through The Natural Mattress VT. The Ergovea Pasadena is very similar to the Avocado. Both are hybrids with 3 inches of latex and springs.

In store, we like to think of ourselves as sleep consultants, and want your experience to be very low sales pressure. If through our consulting process, we are unable to find the perfect mattress for you at the price point you are looking for we are happy with that. Hopefully, you are one step closer to finding the right mattress for you, that will enable you to find the good nights sleep, you have been dreaming of. If you live far from our store and looking to purchase online, we do represent several different manufacturers. Each one has its benefits depending on the type mattress you are looking for, so we do not try to steer you to one mattress over the other. We will do are best to help you over the phone. I have personally had over 10 years experience in selling organic mattresses. If there is something I don’t know, I will happily do the research for you most likely by calling one of the brands we carry.

I’ve also suffered insomnia over the years and have had to deal with some back issues. Having a mattress that works well for my body has helped quite a bit. A good nights sleep is so important to me. I will be looking to help you to achieve the same. That is my goal!

Lastly price! We offer the same prices here at our store as you would receive direct from the manufacturer. If they are offering a sale, you can also receive the same price from our store as well. If somehow, you find a better price on the same mattress somewhere else, We will do everything we can to match it as long as it is an approved price from the brands we carry.

We hope  to hear from you. We are always available via phone, email of of course in store!

Mike Hassenberg

Natural Mattress VT