HEALTH-RELATED REVIEWS
Health Conscious Customer Testimonials & Reviews
Sleep can affect not only your rest, but your overall health. SleepLikeABear cares not only about your sleep, but your entire well being.
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"Thank you for offering this at such a great price! I was able to make my almost five year old daughter a custom size (69x33x4") non toxic latex mattress for about $180 including materials to make the ticking! We are on a very limited budget, but I am also very health conscious. Once I learned about the dangers of flame retardant chemicals in conventional mattresses I knew I could never buy one again, especially for my kids. I will say that I will probably need to add a few more lbs of latex for this size mattress to fill it out some, but for as little as she weighs it is great for her :) she has truly been sleeping "like a bear" and she just loves her new bed!
Technically speaking, you will not be sorry if you it this! Whether for couch cushions, pillows (I can't wait to find room in the budget to replace all of our pillows with this!) or even a mattress like I did :) this foam has zero chemical smell and the faintest slightly sweet smell when the bag is first opened. My daughter commented that it smelled good ;) and she LOVED playing with a few pieces before we filled the mattress, an added bonus ;) it also shipped very quickly! I love that shipping is included in the price. What a deal!"
Kandia (Sommerville, MA)
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"I'm a 6ft tall 200lb man. After 40 years of sleeping on spring and foam mattresses, and getting older and wiser, I realized I'm not getting the comfort and durability I imagine a great mattress should provide. In the last few years a good night's sleep became a something I longed for. More recently shoulder pain due to a sports injury made sleeping more difficult, and finding a good mattress became a priority. So I began researching mattresses online. I learned about mattress construction and why manufacturers cut corners and inflate prices, and why those very expensive mattresses are really not that good at all. I was also surprised to learn about harmful fire retardant chemicals that all manufacturers are mandated by the state to incorporate into their mattresses. Fortunately I found information about natural Latex mattresses and all their benefits and sleeplikeabear.com.
The staff at sleeplikeabear.com were very helpful, I felt they earnestly wanted to help me make a good decision with the mattress purchase. I ended up with a %100 natural Latex 6" Dunlop mattress in medium firmness, a 3" 100% natural Latex Talalay mattress topper in 28 IFD firmness for a complete 9" thick mattress, and a bamboo cover. To make a long story short, this bed is heaven. I now love getting into my bed because I know I'm going to sleep.. well like a bear :-) The mattress is so soft with great give to take pressure away from the sore joints, but firm at the same time so I don't feel like I'm sinking into it. I wish I had made the decision to buy a Latex mattress 20 years ago, I will never buy another kind of mattress. I now recommend a Latex mattress to all my friends and family who will listen. It's just an all around healthier choice."
Dan E. (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
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"I recently bought a new car and within a few days I began experiencing back strain due to a slight curve in the seat that did not conform to my back. I tried adjusting the seat but I just couldn't get comfortable. I began searching the web for answers and eventually I found Sleep Like A Bear. They recommended that I look at the foam they offer in their irregular foam cuts section of their web site for options. I was thinking I would try their softest foam. But they suggested a type of foam with a slight push-back quality. I gave the foam a try and it worked perfectly. I am so impressed by the fit in my seat. My back is relaxed and comfortable. I would highly recommend this foam to anyone who is experiencing back seat comfort problems in their car."
Stephen (Los Angeles, CA)
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"I wanted to write to tell you that after research on bed toppers and foam beds, and companies that sell them, I called "Sleep Like a Bear" and talked with E. I have had Lyme disease in the past and am sometimes extremely sensitive to pressure, and my current mattress ( although not old ) was just too firm for me. I purchased 2 latex toppers of different ILD ratings (with a Bamboo cotton cover) on E's advice, and received the packages last week. OMG - I haven't slept this well in months and I'm waking up without pain! Thank You Sleep like a Bear!!
B. Peck (Westford, VT)
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"I hope the following helps clear the air for some who tend to idealize material things (I know I do, but am ALWAYS let down) before purchasing and seeing reality. My target is those who have lower back problems, and ideally, those who also sleep on their stomachs like me. "Like sleeping on a cloud" is a relatively popular statement made in the advertising of this industry. I've personally stopped seeking after that, but am not at all disillusioned. Be patient, and read the following. You'll see that genuine comfort is actually achievable for us hard cases, but heaven on earth? Probably not.
I am a stomach sleeper with a long torso, and began to incur problems with standard mattresses when I reached my full stature and began to work hard for a living. My experience with latex began with ideas put forth by Tempur Pedic. I soon realized, though, that what you're paying for is an extensive national advertising campaign along with the actual sub-par product. I mean no offense to those who swear by it, and I personally know people that do. If you sleep better, great! That the quality of materials is not worth what you're paying is inarguable, however. A further look into these materials placed me on the slippery slope into memory foam and then on into latex, which Tempur Pedic doesn't even use in their sleep system. So began my research. I found retail prices to be extreme and somewhat unjustified, at least for the way I look at the world. This took me to companies selling raw latex, apart from a completed mattress--the wholesale aspect of this industry, if you will. These companies advertise in a different way. They highlight the differences between Dunlop an Talalay, the two processes by which latex is manufactured into cores and toppers. I went with Talalay, and purchased those two basic pieces--topper and core. I bought a three inch memory foam topper and what turned out to be a way-too-firm core (45ILD). I learned about pressure points first hand with that initial experience! What to do? Since sending my initial failure back was cost prohibitive, I simply bought more latex, and didn't stop until I had achieved the experience everyone was talking about. Guess how thick it ended up being? I had a 22 inch pile of latex when all was said and done--my eccentric sleep system. Heh, heh, did I mention the two-inch wool topper that went on top of the topper! This, I lived with happily for about ten years, although I got rid of that memory foam early on. I found out, when discussing with a professional, that I am not heavy enough or hot enough to make it work as it was designed. My thought, though, after using both extensively, was that it offers nowhere near what latex does. It may have it's place, but not next to my skin, as a first layer, which kind of defeats the point of it beyond regular foams, which cost much less.
In the last six years, I have begun my family. During a separation in our relationship, my spouse came in need of a new bed. She decided, with much experimentation, on a futon. However, it was not ideal, just better than other mattresses she tried, regardless of cost. Her back is more messed up than mine through several car accidents. How she ended up sleeping best on a futon mattress is a mystery to me--goes toward my ultimate point of writing out all of this for everyone. Wanting to save money, as well as time, I began to think about digging into my bed for pieces that would serve as a topper, knowing this to be what was most likely needed. I thought I could still retain the comfort I had come to rely upon, but my oh my, was I wrong. This began a fiasco that I'll most likely never forget. Through the onset of fatigue, as well the accumulative back pain, in attempt to get back something workable with my own bed, as well the seemingly never ending process of trial and error, I discovered that beds don't follow a line of logic. They do, but our understanding is limited, because our unique bodies are so integrally involved, and have different needs which can change suddenly and without notice. This insight came upon me when I gave up and bought her a 22ILD Talalay topper, then attempted to simply put my bed back together as it was, in order to gain back that level of comfort I took for granted. However, my body was tweaked, and my needs changed. The long torso that I inherited, along with its propensity for back problems, must have stretched, because my pelvis sank into the bed more, and thus the onset of pain--pain like I was coming unbolted in my lower back and pelvis. So frustrating, but at least we found a solution for my spouse, in the way of the cotton/ foam futon mattress with the two inch 22ILD latex topper. I should mention that this worked fairly well for me as well, still don't understand exactly why, but $2000 worth of latex that I already owned kept me trying to get something workable back for myself with what I had. I finally did,.....but my spouse and I then reconciled, and we began to live together again.
I thought we had a fiasco before. No, it was just beginning and now was ramping up to full swing with the new list of needs to accommodate everyone properly. I have two small children. Out went her cotton futon in favor of my newly arrived at sleep system, which worked for me, but did not work so well for her. I actually thought it close enough to the futon/ latex topper that she was used to, and that it would be better. Our two small children are accustomed to sleeping with us, as my meager means just can't pay for that three bedroom house we all dream of. But we planned to have our four year old son started sleeping up above us in a loft (glorified bunk bed) that I had just built to situate this family of four in one room. He was open to it, but in reality, no-go. He woke with night terrors and screamed to sleep with mommy, which in turn ejected me. He likes to sleep right next to one of us and puts his feet under us as well--madness. My work requires that I rest, as it is true labor, so I moved me and my bed to the loft which had two twin size cotton futons in King size configuration, with a queen size latex topper. These went down to the bottom, and out went the queen size topper, in favor of a king size which would cover both futons. Sleeping up top with an 18 inch mattress put me too close to the ceiling. Out went this bed as well, and this is where it all began to get nightmarish with fear of the unknown--like what the final solution would end up costing, and the pain I would endure before finding it.
Now we've come to the place where I met a representative at Sleep Like a Bear. My aim was to put together a bed accomplishing the same level of comfort and support, but in a much lower profile. Now that I had learned so much, I thought I knew what I was doing, and so wasn't too afraid of repeating the mistakes of the past. The first thing I noticed, upon a thorough investigation of their website, was that Talalay has been improved--twice. There was now Talatech and Celsion. The prices were not what I was willing to pay, although they are competitive, and in no way elevated unfairly like the retail websites. I eventually came upon the section which lit me up--the miscellaneous scraps section. This was in lieu of buying a three inch zoned topper from another company, at a closeout cost, which needed something of a 'core' to keep it from bottoming out. This is where those scraps came in. They had a queen size 44ILD with a 44ILD strip just big enough to form the king size I was after. This was to be at the bottom, and sandwiched between the 3 inch zoned topper and this was about five other one inch thick strips of various ILDs that I placed via a line of logic similar to how the zoned topper was produced.
This bed, in this configuration, was a very pleasant surprise--no problems! But then, about a month later, a minor ache in my lower back began to develop. After several nights, I had to conclude that it was the bed. Saddened, but knowing no other way out than to jump into the drama yet again, I simply surrendered myself to it--no problem, reconfigure! Even a slight tweak can alleviate a mounting problem. This I did, and all is well. The pictures tell the full story of how it all comes together, so I won't add even more words to this testimonial. I will say that the representative at Sleep Like a Bear, was so friendly and helpful during these purchases. She was suggestive, and offered as many options as she could, even several not listed on the website. Not once did she try and tell me what to do, though she was a little skeptical about my particular plan. If you encounter someone acting like what this representative is surely NOT--someone acting like a know-it-all/ saviour--run away, unless it is just a very simple point they are trying to make. You have a saleman looking to his commission rather than your comfort (like in the car industry), in other words.
Now the other part of the story. When I had said up above, "out went.....", well I gave my original bed to the friend/ nanny we live with who has been suffering in silence with her back for years. Christmas in April, so to speak. How synchronistic with her recently broken ankle, I can't help but notice, and am thankful for. I might have sold that bed, instead of giving it, if it wasn't that inspired thought (GOD) that prompted me. I digress, on with the story.... Buying all those 'scraps' gave me ideas. I have a futon couch inside a small cabin on our property that has never felt right. And now that my family is back, I use that cabin every day. I tried some of the latex from the original bed, but could not get it to the point of true comfort. In speaking with the representative at SLAB (Sleep Like a Bear), she brought to my attention other pieces that she knew were being returned or other scraps not yet listed. More synchronicity! By the way, the 'scraps' department of their online store was just implemented a couple of weeks prior to my purchases. Those pieces that I needed were waiting for me! Anyway, I bought two, two inch, queen size, 19ILD pieces. After several different configurations, I finally arrived. It's almost as good as my heirloom leather couch that a close friend made the mistake of selling me--a couch I consider a reference point for sit-down comfort. Makes the point that everything these days is more for show--they've known how to make things right for many years, I think. If I had to make the futon couch and this leather one equal, I would order two more inches of that 19ILD. Ah! can't justify the cost as I'm not in pain anymore.
In all these words, my point for writing is truly simple. Beds don't follow a line of logic that is immediately obvious. Don't even try to wrap your brain around it all. You'll be in tears before being forced to give up. Just go with your intuition--your heart--on what to try next. Start there, and then see if it couples with what you find out in your inquiries and research. If the two agree, then go for it--buy it! This was written mostly for those who will try for a zoned bed like I put together, and even for a multi-layered bed like I originally had. The best solution may not make any sense at all on the level of intellect. Remember that minor tweak that I performed after the initial month of this new bed? I switched the 45ILD layer to the middle and put a slightly denser strip in a different place. I can only kind of understand why this has worked to solve the problem with the way I originally had it. After dealing with pain, who cares! It works! For those who could virtually sleep on anything, I was once like you. Enjoy it while you can.....but don't take that back for granted. It will only take so much, then never the same again. No, unfortunately, I'm going to have to cope with this for the rest of my life. At least I can get a good nights sleep on a truly comfortable bed though. Thanks for being there, Sleep Like a Bear!
One last: I chose to be rather vague on exactly what I have purchased, as well how it was implemented, for a reason. At this point, I would not dare to give specific advice on exactly what to do in individual situations. I would probably lead you astray. What works so well for me, may facillitate the worst of nightmares for someone else. I'll remind you that I tried to help my spouse once. Maybe I should have given more detail into what a failure that was, till we finally arrived at the solution--a solution making no sense. (a relatively cheap cotton futon out of all the things we tried!). And It went on for weeks. I can only state where I've been and what I did about it. The rest is up to you. A lot of words and digressing, I know, but hopefully this helps. Now, don't lose that hope. You'll find your solution."
Todd (Oregon)
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"I am old now, but we played hard as kids. I was twice paralyzed, once the low back, once the neck. Only for a couple hours. I had two permanent back injuries on the job. I shoveled scrap metal into a furnace. For years I mostly slept in a recliner. I have tried literally every bed style ever made. I spent thousands of dollars in the process. The best I ever found, by far and wide, was a latex mattress for $2k. It degraded after only 2 years and was useless. It was cheap latex, I now have come to find. It was not the talalay latex, which is the highest quality, look it up on line.
Now, with the topper from sleep like a bear, for the first time in 40 years, I can sleep through the night. Actually look forward to going to bed. Awaken every day with less pain. It has improved my health to a degree that astounds me. This latex is so supportive that you can get it soft enough to relieve the pressure points, but will support you so you don't sag in the middle, which we all know causes agony. From the product, to the shipping and especially customer service, sleep like a bear is a first class outfit. My customer service representative impressed me with her thorough knowledge of their entire product line, and her concern and ability to find out about me and what I needed to be comfortable. Her obvious experience in this gave me confidence. And talk about caring, her number one concern was that I get what I needed. She would even talk me out of a sale if she wasn't confident that she could recommend the perfect product for me. At first the bed seemed to soft, and i couldn't fall asleep. I didn't hurt at all, however, so I finally fell asleep. When I awoke it was like heaven, no pain. Refreshed. I feel younger again. It has never felt too soft again. I even smile at the bed when I walk by it during the day."
Michael P. (Rockford, IL)
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"Where should I begin, without writing a novel, so I will describe my medical problems to enable anyone out there to compare what I have gone through to their ailments? I have a herniated disc, L5S1, bulging discs between the shoulder blades, spinal stenosis, arthritis, degenerative disc disease, and who knows what else. One day, I was unable to get out of bed as my left leg could not bear any weight. With medication, NSADs, cortisone injections, water therapy, and years later, I am able to walk but with great difficulty and pain. Each morning, I found myself in more pain so I began my quest to improve my sleeping conditions. I purchased Memory Foam toppers 2 inch, with 5-pound density that is about the firmest available, to no avail. I sunk right into the toppers, having acquired 3 of them, making it difficult to turn in bed and still having pain while in bed but now I have a new problem, I get electric sensations down my left leg. Every retail mattress store promotes foam or coiled mattresses and would NOT refund my money if the mattress made my problems worse. Only Costco would refund my money so I decided to try their foam mattress. It was great for my lower back but being too firm for my bulging discs, even with the toppers; my issues became worse and returned the mattress. Finally, they offered a latex mattress from Latex International, which I purchased. I have slept on it for over a month now but I still needed it a bit firmer so I found Sleep Like a Bear and ordered a ILD 44, 2-inch topper. I find that the Latex topper supports my lower spine, but is a little too firm for my upper spine.
My first night on the topper, I did not have the severe pain that I have experience with other mattresses and toppers, the electric sensation seems to be less severe but my upper spine is acting up. Too bad mattress companies do not zone the firmness of their product to support the body’s weight/spine soothing the medical issues that the human body endures. While the ILD 44 is very firm, so far I am able to tolerate it on my upper back. The electric sensation is diminishing and I am even able to walk a bit more. All I can say is, do not be afraid to spend the money on a latex topper, especially when the company is willing to refund your money. After ordering the ILD 44 firmness, I was afraid to open the box because another retailer told me it was hard as a rock. Maybe their product could be described in that manner but Sleep Like a Bear’s ILD 44; Latex International could not be described that way.
Unlike Memory Foam toppers, I sleep on top of my bed and not in it and awaken without the usual lower back pain. Thank you Costco and Sleep Like a Bear and Evelyn who was very supportive and helpful!! I am optimistically hopeful that my problems will not be exaggerated by my new sleeping accommodations."
Katie K. (Addison, IL)
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“ I had forgotten to tell you about one thing. The Celsion is quite a bit cooler to me than the regular talalay. I take 25 MG of Methotrexate weekly which is more than the recommended dose. This medication is standard for all people who have rheumatoid arthritis. We take this no matter what other drugs that we may take. This is chemotherapy. It causes sweats, especially, in the large doses that I take. Fibromyalgia also causes night sweats. I don't have the hormonal hot flashes as I take a good dose of Estrogen. I can't handle that many sweats. The talalay was not hot to me, but I noticed when I got the Celsion one that it is really cool. As far as the coolness, I would have been happy with the talalay if it had worked for me.
I did want to tell you that if a person has rheumatoid or is hot natured or has the night sweats for some reason, I believe that the Celsion is enough cooler for them to pay the extra for. If they just can't swing the extra, the talalay will be fine. I was very surprised that I noticed that the Celsion was so much cooler for me. I was just looking for comfort and was not concerned at all about the coolness. The other toppers were fine and were not hot like the memory foam or other foams. I didn't say in my testimonial which topper that I got because I thought that was the least important. I am so sure that everyone is so different and is putting the toppers on all kinds of mattresses. I just wanted you to know what I thought about the Celsion. I am just so very happy with my topper. As time goes by I appreciate it more and more."
Becky W. (Tupelo, MS)
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“I have Fibromyalgia & had been experiencing weeks of excruciating pain before I found your company on Ebay, after initially contacting you about your pillows you have been extremely helpful & informative taking your time to explain the specifications & benefits of each type of pillow & helped me determine which pillow would be right for me...I also inquired about the mattress toppers & you suggested the Plush 19 ILD 2.8 topper.
Since receiving the topper & Queen soft/plush zoned pillow my sleep has been vastly improved, I seem to sleep more soundly & wake up with little to no pain which is truly a blessing for me...I am so happy I found your company & would recommend your company with confidence to anyone who wishes to experience a good nights sleep!
Thank you so much.”
Stephanie (Chicago, IL)
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“The cheap bed I bought did not help me with my condition "Sciatica" that I had been dealing with from a stairs fall last Dec. 2006. I can only do so many visits to my Chiropractor and Physical therapist that help some but it kept coming back. Early this year, I found online and took a chance to invest in a 6" topper and bed legs for my bed. Not only that it helped me so much with my Sciatica problems (it's gone now) and it made my bed into a luxury bed. I now sleep very well and sleeps like a bear ( this is actually the site where I found my topper and bed legs: http://www.sleeplikeabear.com) That Talalay topper is something else! I can't trade my bed with anything.”
Rondaleen R. (Port Orchard, WA)
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"The 2inch ILD 14 Latex that you recommended for me did indeed turn out to be perfect! It's been almost 2 years now and I love it and it has virtually healed my heel bursitis problem (I used to wake up many times a night with back of the heel pain, but this topper fixed that almost immediately). I absolutely love this topper, which I use on a very firm, old futon. The combination is fantastic--firm enough to be good for my back, but that springy, soft Latex top for my heels and for general comfort.
My current recommendation (for anyone who will listen to me!) is to buy the firmest possible bed you think you can sleep on, and, after sleeping on it a few months, if it's too firm, buy a soft 2 inch Latex topper from SleepLikeABear.
Hope all is well, and thank you enormously for your help 2 years ago!"
Ron F. (Texas)