Latex Mattress Facts
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For the feel of memory foam in an all-natural package; latex is the way to go.Latex is derived from the milky sap of the rubber tree. There are two basic varieties available - natural rubber (NR) or synthetic styrene butadiene rubber (SBR). Either way, the latex is a blend of NR and SBR or entirely natural latex rubber.
None of the benefits of synthetic memory foam are sacrificed with latex. In fact, some studies suggest latex is more than 30 percent better at contouring the body and displacing pressure points by distributing weight evenly. Latex mattresses are also boon to allergy sufferers, and those with asthma-like breathing conditions, because they are hypo-allergenic, anti-bacterial and anti-microbial in addition to being resistant to dust mites.
Latex is not temperature sensitive like its memory foam cousin; instead it is pressure sensitive. Because of this property, the user will sleep on top of the mattress instead of in the mattress. When body pressure is removed, latex will rebound to its original shape. This body contouring is great for people with muscle pain or other physical ailments or poor circulation.
There are two main types of latex mattresses - Talalay and Dunlop. Talalay is made using a complex process and is generally considered to be of higher quality. Still, most latex mattresses are manufactured using the Dunlop process. The main difference between the two methods is a freezing stage used in the Talalay process that is not a part of Dunlop manufacturing. Talalay mattresses generally have a wider availability of firmness, but they are also the heavier of the two types and latex mattresses are heavy to start with.
Latex mattresses are also typically the longest lasting of mattress types including traditional inner spring and memory foam. Rubber takes a long time and a latex mattress can remain viable for 20 or more years.
