You may not even be aware of the dangers of memory foam mattresses. A memory foam mattress can provide some of the best sleep you've ever had, but if you have to wear a gas mask to bed, it might not be the best mattress for you -- especially if you are ultra-sensitive or allergic. Unless the memory foam mattress is manufactured with organic latex, its fabrication consists of chemicals and man-made substances. This gives you something to think about as you read "The Guide to Green Living" while in bed. Chemical Components Memory foam mattresses are true space-age marvels. The formula for the open-cell polymeric foam used in these beds comes from a 1960s design intended for NASA pilot chairs. Walt Bader, CEO of Lifekind -- an organic mattress company -- and author of "Toxic Bedrooms" had a memory foam mattress tested by an independent lab. The results: The mattress off-gassed 61 volatile organic compounds, many of which can cause respiratory problems, reproductive issues and affect hormone levels.
Some memory foam mattresses even contain benzene and naphthalene, which seem better suited to your car's gas tank than your respiratory system, as they are known cancer-causing chemicals. Small Children Avoid buying a memory foam mattress for infants, toddlers and growing children. Because children can sink deeply into the bed, it becomes easy for them to suffocate, especially if they are too small to turn over. Memory foam mattresses and even organic latex beds form-fit the body; with time and repeated use, this pattern becomes worn into the mattress and fails to support the body appropriately. Children continue to need proper support for their spines as they grow, better served by other mattress options. Hot in Bed Being hot in bed may sound like a desirable characteristic, but it does not mean what you think. Memory foam mattresses retain body heat, making the bed an extremely warm place at night. The only way you can adjust the heat is to add a mattress pad with cooling features and temperature controls.
Or you throw off the covers, only to awaken when you get cold from the night air. If you toss and turn because of being too hot, well -- you just do not get a good night's rest, which is important for cell rejuvenation and repair, and healing. Landfill Fill-up Memory foam mattresses do not last forever; most have 10- to 20-year lifespans before they wear out. Disposing of them becomes problematic because the chemicals in them just do not magically go away when you toss out the mattress; they remain ticking environmental bombs. Chemically toxic to the environment, these chemicals might eventually find their way into our rivers, lakes and streams, harming water supplies, plant and wildlife. Counting Sheep A mattress consumes one-third of your life: the amount of time you spend on it if you get 8 hours of sleep a night. And as far as the other things you might do in bed, the chemicals you inhale over the course of your memory foam's mattress life might just end up as part of your gene pool.
Though this inherited toxicity might not affect your children, it could affect your grandchildren and future generations. References NASA: Forty-Year-Old Foam Springs Back With New BenefitsNaturally Safer Products: Thirteen Scary Facts About Conventional MattressesKidspot: Toddler Sleep –- How to Choose the Right Bed for Growing KidsMother Jones: Should You Ditch Your Chemical Mattress Photo Credits Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images Suggest a CorrectionSleep Cupid is a professional mattress and bedding review website. Our reviews and ratings are available completely free of charge. We make a small amount of money if you click on links to products and make a purchase. Your support helps keep the website running and updated.There is no shortage of memory foam mattresses on the market today. mon issues with lower quality memory foam include ‘sleeping hot’, lack of support leading to back pain and foam that rapidly wears out leaving you with a dead mattress.To save your time and money, we have put 100s of hours into researching which memory foam mattresses are the best.
We looked at many different aspects that matter to you – from quality of the memory foam to customer satisfaction and comfort reviews.We quickly eliminated memory foam mattresses that did not deserve a top rating.Below you will find reviews for the top rated memory foam mattresses based on our mattress expert’s research….Top 3 Memory Foam Mattresses on the MarketGhostbed MattressValue:Returns:Comfort:The Ghostbed mattress is made with quality memory foam that sleeps cool, does not wear out and is highly rated by customers for comfort. The Ghostbed comes with a 101-night sleep trial to make sure you like it Leesa MattressValue:Returns:Comfort:The Leesa mattress is made by a well-known and highly reputable company. The mattress is made in the USA using high quality memory foam that sleeps cool. It’s a popular mattress that is comfortable to sleep on and a safe choice with a 100 day risk free trial Loom and Leaf MattressValue:Returns:Comfort:The Loom and Leaf is a luxury mattress made in the USA with high quality memory foam.
The mattress is offered at a very affordable price and backed by a 15 year warranty from an ethical mattress manufacturer with a long history of customer satisfaction What’s most important when buying a memory foam mattress?Buying a memory foam mattress has a few unique things which have greater importance (compared to buying other mattress types).How supportive is the mattress?With memory foam, if the foam is low quality, it won’t support you well and you will sink into the mattress. Memory foam naturally allows you to sink in but you don’t want foam that does not support well.We have eliminated memory foam mattresses with low quality foam that sinks too much and lacks good support.Does the mattress sleep hot or cool?Memory foam is known to sleep hot because it can retain heat. Especially the lower quality, cheap memory foam on the market. So ensuring the mattress sleeps cool is very important.We have eliminated mattresses that tend to sleep hot because sleeping hot is uncomfortable.