Mattresses might provide plenty of comfort and support, but they can also contain a slew of things that are dangerous for human health. In fact, the materials in many mattresses are highly flammable. Make sure your mattress protector is flame retardant. In the horrible case of a house fire, your mattress protector could keep the flammable materials inside of your mattress from making the flames grow even faster. Considering that the allergens in one’s bedding are one of the top causes of allergic rhinitis, it’s especially important that your mattress protector keeps allergens out. Many are made from materials that repel pollen and other known irritants. Even someone with mild allergies can suffer from major symptoms by sleeping in a bed covered in pollen; consider the fact that you place your face, eyes, and even open mouth on your bed, giving allergens a greater chance of getting in. If the mattress protector is for an elderly person or child who struggles with wetting the bed, make sure your model is completely waterproof.
As for user comfort, mattress protectors that breathe are ideal as they will help sleepers maintain a cool temperature throughout the night. Excessive sweating can mean you need to clean your mattress protector, and all of your bedding, more often. Ideally, you won’t need to wash your protector often, but just in case, look for one that is easy to clean — many are machine-wash friendly. Finally, make sure to measure the depth of your mattress before purchasing your protector. If it doesn’t fit your bed snugly, it can come off during the night, making you vulnerable to all of the allergens and bacteria you were trying to avoid. Bed bugs are not only a nuisance, causing uncomfortable itching and rashes, but they’ve also been found to be potentially deadly. One study analyzed bed bugs and found that they were carrying harmful bacteria, including an antibiotic-resistant strain that can be very dangerous if it gets into a person’s bloodstream. Even if the particular breed of bed bugs in your mattress do not carry the aforementioned bacteria, they can still make you prone to infection.
Any type of irritation on the skin that causes one to constantly itch themselves can lead to tiny open wounds all over the body. These openings make a person much more susceptible to airborne germs. Bed bug bites can be incredibly itchy, and even with the right ointments, it can be hard to resist the urge to scratch. The bed bugs themselves might provide some of those airborne germs. As they grow, they shed their outer casings, which then move through your home, and possibly into your eyes, nose, and mouth. The feces of bed bugs have also been shown to carry a deadly parasite. A truly effective mattress cover is both escape and bite proof. This means that, if there were bed bugs in your mattress before you put the protector on, they can no longer get out and infiltrate your home. It also means that bed bugs cannot bite their way through the protector, which is another way they escape a mattress. The zipper affects how strongly a protector fends off bed bugs, too. Larger-teethed zippers can provide openings for the bugs to escape, so look for tight, small zippers.
There are three main types of mattress protectors; zippered, fitted, and anchored. If you have a bed bug problem, then zippered is your only option because this is the only variety that provides total protection to your mattress. A zippered variety is essentially a giant pillow case for your mattress, that seals up. If you are simply looking to protect against spills, or maintain the quality of your mattress, a fitted model will do. These cover the top and sides, and protect the foam in your mattress from moisture, which can be very bad for the foam inside. An anchor protector only protects the top of your mattress. One must also consider the material of their mattress protector. Vinyl is a popular option because it does not allow any liquids through, but that also means it doesn’t let your mattress breathe. Vinyl can also contain known carcinogens and can make an obnoxious plastic sound when you move on them. That being said, vinyl protectors do not need to be removed for washing.
You can simply wipe these down while they are still on the bed. They’re a good, affordable option for a bed you don’t use often, like a cot in a camping facility. Urethane is the preferred option for home beds. It does not make any sound when one moves on it at night, and it has flexible fibers, so it’s less likely to come off of your mattress if you toss and turn a lot. It may cost more than vinyl, but it will last much longer and is just as effective against moisture, bed bugs, and allergens. These do need to come off the bed for cleaning, but most are machine washable.Skip links Skip to primary navigation Skip to content Skip to footer Vibrant health means you can live life to the fullest. Empower yourself with the steps I used to free my life of chronic disease and medications. I’m an author, entrepreneur, and nutritional therapy practitioner (NTP). I began this website at 19, to share the steps that freed my life of chronic disease and medication. Now, Empowered Sustenance has reached 30 million readers with healthy recipes and holistic resources.
Essential Oils for Brain FunctionBurn 600 Calories Sitting, and 6 other Infrared Sauna BenefitsThrive Market: The Netflix of FoodMeal Plans, Customized Exactly for YOUHolistic Hair CareRecently a friend of mine asked me, “Do you know what is the best mattress for back pain?” She was having a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep because of sciatica and some back problems. I figured the firmest mattress (hard mattress) was probably the best but I really didn't know for sure. To answer her question, I decided to dig into the medical literature to see what was in there about the best mattress for backI went back about 10 years. There aren't a lot of studies on mattresses and back pain. But there's enough information there to make a And not only was I wrong about what I thought was the best mattress for back pain, but so are a heck of a lot of doctors who deal with back pain. mean better for back pain. In 2003, a study from Spain of 313 adults with chronic low back pain
examined the effect of mattresses on their levels of pain while lying in bed...and when getting out of bed. Some of these people got new firm mattresses to sleep on for 90 days and some got new medium-firm mattresses. participants knew which type of mattress they had received. After 90 days, a higher percentage of patients sleeping on the medium-firm mattresses reported: The study states: A mattress of medium firmness improves pain and disability among patients with chronic non-specific low-back A medium-firm mattress provides good support while distributing pressure points on the body when lying in bed. mattress that is too soft is just as bad for low back pain as a mattress that is too firm. In a 2005 study, The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association pointed out that in a survey, 76% of orthopedic surgeonsAnd most health professionals recommend hard or extra firm mattresses. The problem again is that these types of mattresses decrease the
ability of the body to have more contact with the mattress. more pressure on the parts of the body that do touch the mattress. in turn means more pain in bed and getting out of bed. It's a known fact that low back pain significantly affects sleepA study in 2006 (Journal of Chiropractic Medicine) also looked at sleep quality in relation to medium-firm mattresses. The study of 30 women and 29 men showed this: For 28 days, subjects slept in their owns beds. Then they slept in beds with new medium-firm mattresses for 28 days. With this new bedding, there was significant improvement for back pain and stiffness, comfort, and sleep quality. Is it starting to become clear here what the best mattress for back pain is? A 2008 study in Applied Ergonomics showed that age of and quality of bedding had a major effect on back pain. People sleeping in new beds had significantly less pain and more comfort than when they were sleeping on their older mattresses.
The average age of the beds people were sleeping on before getting the new mattresses was 9.5 years. In addition, the study states: It was found that for the cheapest category of beds, lower back pain was significantly more prominent than for the medium and higher priced beds. So let's wrap up this article on the best mattress for back pain with two final studies I uncovered. Below, we'll also take a look at three top choices for where to get the mattress of your dreams. The first study was in Spine. One hundred and sixty people were divided into three groups for a one month test of new mattresses. in group one were given water beds...group two memory foam mattresses...and group three hard mattresses. People who slept on the water beds and memory foam mattresses had improved back pain symptoms, back function, and sleep quality. mattress types were deemed superior to a hard mattress. were no differences observed between the water bed and the memory foam.
Now I don't know about you, but I've slept in a few water beds over the years but never really liked them. I always felt like I was sleeping in a row boat. A 2010 study showed that replacing patients' beds with new medium-firm mattresses, layered with memory foam and latex, provided significant improvement in both back and shoulder pain. Check out this chart below and you'll see what the best mattress for back pain is. As you can see, there is over a 60% drop in back pain and stiffness, resulting in improvement in sleep quality after just one week! And these results continue through week 12. Researchers also mentioned there was a significant drop in the number of days per week that people were experiencing poor sleep and Obviously, then, if your back gives you fits, the best mattress for back pain is one that has memory foam in it. (Or if you love your water bed, by all means stick with it.) The question then is... Searching around to find a quality mattress is like getting your teeth drilled at the dentist without novocaine.
Yes, it's that painful! So I'm going to save you all that trouble. I've searched for hours all over the Internet to bring you three excellent choices of mattress companies. sells America's luxury mattresses for a steep discount. Their prices are unbeatable. And if you don't live in the United States, no problem. Saatva ships their discounted luxury mattresses where you live. After you pick out the items you want on Saatva's website, select International Checkout as your shipping option. They are experts at shipping anywhere in the world. You can read two Saatva customer reviews from Saatva customers in the right column of this page up above. This may be the best mattress company on the Internet. Click here to go to the Saatva home page. is recommended and was featured on Dr. Oz's TV show and AndersonThey claim to have the world's only truly natural memory foamI must say, these are incredibly pure memory foam mattresses. However, they are expensive. So unless you have a lot of money, I think you can get a much better deal with the third choice below.
There’s a new memory foam mattress Loom & Leaf has flipped the world of buying memory foam Now you can get a luxury queen from Loom & Leaf for onlyA similar mattress at Tempur-Pedic would cost you $3,699. Which price would you rather pay? Loom & Leaf mattresses are built in America with American high-grade, non-toxic memory foam. Certified pure by Certi-PUR. They also use a unique medical grade cooling gel. placed in the spinal zone area to keep you cool and comfortable with no When you buy one of these mattresses, you’re not only sleeping well at night…you’re helping to keep the American economy strong.And you may find that for you, this is the best mattress for back pain. Click here to check out your new luxury memory foam mattress. Click here to download your FREE special report created by Sleep Passport on How to Buy a Mattress. This 9-page checklist contains the important questions for you to ask—and know the answers to—before buying a mattress.