Memory Foam: A Better Night's Sleep? Choosing a comfortable mattress can be very big decision. After all, we spend about one third of our lives sleeping. Memory foam (or "visco-elastic") pillows and mattresses are becoming a popular choice because of their ability to react to our body's temperature and weight. So how do they work? "When you lie on a spring mattress, your body is pushing down, but those springs are pushing right back at you. Sleeping on memory foam is like having billions of little springs supporting you, evenly distributing the weight," explains Essentia Memory Foam spokesperson, Jason Wright. Sounds wonderful, but will they really improve the quality of your sleep? "Credible clinical studies looking at various types of mattresses have been done, and show that there's very little evidence to suggest that one mattress or another will have an impact on how fast you fall asleep, how long you fall asleep or the type of sleep that you have," says Dr. Gary Zammit, Ph.D, of the Sleep Disorders Institute in New York.
Even so, some opt for memory foam as a more hygienic option to reduce dust mites and other elements that can trigger allergic reactions and wreak havoc on asthma sufferers. "Dust mites will live on the surface but they can't burrow in," says Wright, who explains that "memory foam mattresses are typically a solid block of layered foam." However, at least one allergy specialist says making the switch to a memory foam mattress to avoid dust mites might not be necessary. "Encasing your mattress in a dust mite cover and washing your sheets once a week is enough to lower your exposure to dust mites," says Dr. Morris Nejat of New York Allergy & Sinus Centers and BabyGanics. If you are thinking of making the switch to memory foam for hygenic reasons, it's also important to consider what they are made of. Some may contain chemicals including formaldehyde, benzene, toluene and chemical flame retardants. "The chemicals used to make certain memory foam mattresses are proven to be carcinogenic," says Nejat.
"But it's too soon to conduct a study to see whether or not the time we spend sleeping on them is enough to cause something like, say, cancer." Nejat adds, "from an allergy standpoint, latex is superior — It's what we recommend to our patients." In the end, Zammit says, "Choosing a mattress is a very personal decision. There's no evidence that suggests mattress A is better than mattress B, but do take the time to investigate. Go to the store and lay on the mattress and don't be afraid to spend some time there." 16,199 posts, read 9,576,120 times I recently purchased a memory foam mattress topper. I really do not know much about them and would like some feed back. We originally purchased this because we experienced a wonderul nights sleep at a friends. I have noticed a funny odor and from memory foam and wonder if this is normal? Also, is there any special care I need to know about? Any suggestions, feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated.
20,724 posts, read 26,554,030 times 605 posts, read 2,037,503 times Originally Posted by I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA Same here - actual mattress rather than just topper as OP has, but we love ours and the smell went away within a week or so. Originally Posted by tonrobThanks for your responses. 5,084 posts, read 9,152,857 times We bought a tempur pedic mattress and the smell went away after a day. The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. forum rules, please read them 212 posts, read 799,989 times Toxic chemical release from foam mattresses 8,922 posts, read 12,203,512 times Originally Posted by elizamaryIt is off gassing of all the gross chemicals they use to make the mattress. I got one also and had to let it air out in my attic for a few weeks. After it wore out in about a year I decided to get rid of my old mattress and box spring and buy a natural organic latex mattress with a wool topper. The feel of the bed is just as comfortable as a Tempurpedic memory foam bed but without all the toxic off gassing.
7,648 posts, read 14,818,588 times 4,730 posts, read 16,283,886 times 1 posts, read 43,917 times Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned. Creepy crawlies, pathogenic germs and dodgy chemicals. They're the stuff of stomach-churning horror movies, but if your mattress has seen better days and nights, there's a chance you could be sharing your bed with these nasties and putting your health in danger. A tired, sagging mattress won't do your back any favours either, and may have a negative impact on your general wellbeing, not to mention the quality of your sleep.March is National Bed Month and this year The Sleep Council is encouraging people to ditch their minging old mattresses for a better, healthier night's slumber. If your mattress is more than seven years old, its days are probably numbered.
But while there's no need to stay awake at night worrying it could be a potential death trap, that old mattress could be affecting your health for the worse.Health hazards: allergies, itchy bites in susceptible peopleOlder mattresses are ideal habitats for dust mites, microscopic spiders that feed on dead skin cells. The average person sheds a whopping 450 grams of dead skin cells a year, many of which end up in their mattress, and as dead skin cells and dust mite colonies accumulate, the typical used mattress can contain up to 10 million of the little blighters. An infestation of dust mites can cause allergic reactions in some people and up to 80% of people with asthma are sensitive to the tiny creatures. If you're keen to minimise your risk and can't stretch to a brand new hypoallergenic bed, vacuuming your mattress once a week or more often should help keep the dust mite population under control. Stripping the bed in the morning rather than making it is another good idea. Dust mites thrive in warm, humid environments, so exposing your mattress to dry air should help kill off a fair few.
To be extra safe, you may want to invest in a dehumidifier, too.Bed bugs are another risk to watch out for, especially in old second-hand mattresses. Though the apple pip-sized insects cause nothing more than itchy mosquito-like bites in susceptible people, they can be a pain to get rid of, bar chucking out the mattress and bagging a new one. The classic signs are small red bites on the skin that tend to appear in straight lines, reddish or rust-coloured stains on the sheets and the bugs themselves, which look like apple pips and tend to congregate along the bed frame and mattress seams.Over time, your mattress can provide the perfect breeding ground for a whole host of unpleasant bacteria and fungi. Studies suggest older, poorly looked-after mattresses can contain dubious levels of staphylococcus, enterococcus, norovirus and even MRSA, which can cause serious, antibiotic-resistant infections. Mould is also a danger, especially if your bedroom is on the damp side. Most common mould spores such as cladosporium herbarum and penicillium notatum do not affect the majority of people, but they can trigger allergic symptoms in an unlucky few.
Symptoms include coughing, wheezing, itchy eyes and eczema. As with dust mites, the best way of avoiding a mould infestation or build-up of harmful bacteria is by drying out and airing the mattress: strip the sheets, vacuum the mattress regularly and get yourself a dehumidifier. Spritzing with an antibacterial spray and drying out the mattress before you make the bed may be helpful if you want to be 100% safe.Health hazards: potential organ toxicity, allergies, increased cancer riskClapped-out mattresses may harbour more than just bugs, bacteria and mould spores. If yours is more than 10 years old, it may contain risky levels of PBDEs, nasty chemicals that have to the potential to cause liver, thyroid and nervous system damage. While the risk is fairly low, the EU banned PBDEs in 2005, so any mattress manufactured before the mid-2000s could be hazardous.The jury's out on whether certain chemicals that are currently used in mattress manufacture could be harmful to health. The main culprits include formaldehyde, boric acid and modacrylic, which have been linked to allergies, organ toxicity and even cancer.
The chemicals are thought to 'off-gass', meaning they leach out over time, slowly releasing toxins. Studies however suggest the negligible amounts used in individual mattresses may not be a cause for concern. If you'd rather err on the side of caution, it might be worth investing in an organic wool or cotton mattress. Manufacturers claim that these unsprayed natural fibres meet EU fire regulations, but it's a good idea to double-check before you splash the cash. Saggy springs and floppy foamHealth hazards: chronic neck, back and joint pain, interrupted sleepIt's not just pocket sprung mattresses that lose their oomph and end up sagging in places from years of wear and tear. Foam mattresses can also go out of shape and dip. An uneven mattress won't support your body correctly and has the potential to cause persistent neck, back and joint pain, as well as uncomfortable, interrupted sleep, another good reason to think about ditching your old one.You can prolong the life of your mattress by rotating it regularly.
This balances out the tension and stops undue pressure from damaging one side of the mattress. If your mattress has some sag going on and you can't afford to replace it, extra wooden support boards or a memory foam topper should help minimise the dip.How do I know if my mattress needs replacing?The Sleep Council recommends you change your mattress every seven years. If you're not sure whether your mattress is still fit for purpose, its MOT (Mattress Obsolescence Test) can help you decide if the thing's worth keeping or if it belongs in the nearest skip.If you answer ‘Yes’ to three questions, you're not getting the best possible sleep. Five or more ‘Yes’ answers and it’s time to snap up a new bed.• Is the mattress seven years old or more?• Would it be embarrassing if neighbours saw it without its covers?• Does it make suspicious noises in the night?• Did you have your best recent night’s sleep in a bed other than yours?• Are you waking up more frequently unrefreshed and aching?• Do you and your partner roll towards each unintentionally in the middle of the night?• Do