One of the biggest complaints by owners of memory foam pillows and mattresses is the unpleasant, and potentially unhealthy chemical smell. Memory foam is manufactured using polyurethane and several other chemicals, so it isn’t surprising that it emits a chemical odor. This “off gassing” of volatile organic compounds is a common and well-documented property of memory foam pillows and mattresses. The fumes are often compared to those experienced in a freshly painted room. If you are experiencing this odor, the good news is you may not have to endure the smell for long. The bad news is that some of the chemicals used in memory foam aren’t entirely benign.Many memory foam mattress owners report that the off gassing period ends after a number of days.(1) Of course there are many factors which influence this including the product, the type of foam, the sensitivity of the person, the room ventilation and more. Even if the initial odor goes away, it is natural to wonder if there are health issues related to off gassing.
Most people do not report any health issues resulting from their memory foam pillow or mattress. However, there are various reports of headaches, nausea, and allergic reactions resulting from the odor produced by memory foam. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you’ll want to avoid sleeping on the foam during the initial off gassing period. You can leave the pillow or mattress in a well-ventilated area for a week or two and see if that helps eliminate or reduce the odor and symptoms. If after several weeks, the issue persists, it is probably time to consider an alternative to memory foam.Many many people use memory foam products without reporting any side effects or related health issues. That said, there are various reports and studies which indicate that memory foam may be somewhat toxic. Reports include carcinogenic chemicals and formaldehyde gas. To manufacture memory foam, chemicals are added to polyurethane to make it more dense and viscous at the same time. Additional chemicals are required to make the polyurethane flame retardant.
One of these, Pentabde (of the polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) family), was used until 2004. Pentabde is now known to be toxic to the liver, thyroid, and nervous system.(2) A study in 2000 specifically found mattress emissions to be toxic to the lungs of labratory mice.The long-term effects of memory foam and its toxicity is not fully understood, but there clearly is some reason for concern. Aproximately one-third of your life is spent in close contact to your sleeping surface, so it is important to consider you and your family’s health when selecting a pillow or mattress.Are you interested in the support and comfort provided by memory foam, but want to avoid that chemical smell? There are several natural pillow options for those looking for a new pillow. Of course, our favorite is our buckwheat hull pillow. Besides being natural and chemical-free, buckwheat pillows are a great alternative to memory foam for a couple of other reasons.Memory foam is not breathable and this can result in a hot and sweaty pillow.
The shape and particulate nature of buckwhat hulls leaves a lot of air space in your pillow between all of the hulls. This airspace allows warm moist air to escape, leaving your pillow cool and dry.While a memory foam pillow conforms to the shape of your head, the overall shape and thickness of the pillow is fixed, making the pillow less adaptable to your sleeping position. The fill in a stuffed pillow can be shifted and adjusted for a wider variety of shapes and sizes.If you’ve decided against a memory foam pillow and a buckwheat pillow isn’t right for you, other natural alternatives to memory foam include pillows filled with down, cotton, wool, latex, kapok or millet hulls.Memory foam mattress topper reviews including Tempurpedic, Serta and more. Buy your best memory foam topper bed pads for cheaper than you ever dreamed. Reviews are useless, unless you know what you need. You want to save on memory foam bed pad deals that are both cheap and comfortable. And that's exactly what you'll do here.
When we bought our first topper, we had just one criterion. It had to have a low price. We didn't look at any memory foam mattress topper reviews. And it wouldn't have done us much good if we did because we didn't really know what we wanted. Fortunately we got lucky. That cheap memory foam topper has served us well for many years and shows no signs of deterioration. If you don't want to just trust to luck, remember these two things about mattress pads. First, a topper manufactured with higher density foam will last much longer. And secondly, high density foam is more expensive. So you can have cheap or durable, but usually not both. If you want the topper to last, you're better off with higher density foam with a minimum density of 3.5 or 4.0 pound foam. The short reason for this is that you've got to have more material in the pad so that the open cells are close enough to support your weight evenly. More stuff equals greater density, more support and unfortunately more materials and transportation costs.
People who are taller or larger may be happier with a pad that's made with higher density foam. Greater density usually also equals a harder initial feel. So people who are more interested in softening a too hard mattress may be perfectly happy with cheaper toppers that have densities well below 3.5 pounds. So you have to make up your mind. Do you want something cheap that will get you by for 3-5 years? Or are you going to pay more for a higher density and a topper that will work with your mattress for a decade or more? Another thing to consider is that although these pads are naturally hypo-allergenic your old bed underneath them is not. Consider investing in an allergen protective cover. Here's memory foam mattress topper reviews for cheap memory foam pads that are highly recommended by buyers. Remember: these memory foam mattress topper reviews won't help you if you don't let your foam memory pad expand and air out for at least 24 hours after removing from the packaging.
This ensures that the visco foam cells expand to their maximum volume before you put any weight on them. It lengthens the life of your pad and is long enough that most lingering gases used in the foaming process will dissipate. Tempur-Pedic is the Ferrari of memory foam (except its Swedish instead of Italian). Everyone wants one, but only a comparative few shell out the big bucks to buy one. They are considerably more expensive than the discount memory foam toppers. For instance, a queen Tempurpedic 3 inch thick overlay is listed on the official Tempur-Pedic website at more 4 times the amount of a similar sized online model. Then there's the 'Campus Topper'. Its a 2 inch thick twin long size that comes with its own duffle bag carrying case. Its available at retails stores or on the Tempurpedic site for 3 times what you'd pay for some of the cheaper memory foam mattress toppers listed below. 2.0 Inch Visco2 Ventilated Mattress Topper by Sleep Studio Rated 4.5 out of 5 This very popular memory foam bed topper has a ton of enthusiastic reviews.
Its great for people who have a too hard mattress that needs a bit of cushioning. Good for people of average build and weight. The one to buy if you're on a ramen noodle budget. More at Memory Foam Mattress Pad Review for 2 Inch Visco2Ratings, Features and Buyer Feedback Sleep Studio 3-inch Visco2 Bed Pad With Pillows Rated 4.0 out of 5 If you're looking for a pad to soften your bed rather than provide support, the Sleep Studio 3-inch Visco2 is your topper. Buyers of this foam bed pad either...More at Memory Foam Mattress Pad Review - Sleep Studio Top - 3 Inch With PillowsRatings, Features and Buyer Feedback Serta 4-Inch Memory Foam Topper Rated 4.2 out of 5 Will buying this memory foam cover save a mattress that's too hard? This topper has a unique design which is extremely comfortable. However it is not constructed of four inches of memory foam. The top 2 inch soft layer is...More at Memory Foam Mattress Pad Review - Serta 4-Inch Memory Foam PadRatings, Features and Buyer Feedback