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.Putting mattresses with memory foam on a box spring Would it be a good idea to put my memory foam mattress on a box spring? I haven't found an answer for this question anywhere I have looked.Answer by Rich SilverHi Stan,The good news is, you can definitely use your box spring under your memory foam mattress.
Make certain your box spring is in excellent shape with no broken slats. The reason is because memory foam mattresses are heavy. A good queen memory foam mattress will approach 100 pounds. Kings are even heavier. If you then put a couple of people on top of that, that's another several hundred pounds.With that kind of weight you can't afford to have any area of the box spring broken and sagging.An ideal set up for memory foam is the mattress on top of a foundation and then on top of a base.Memory foam companies sell foundations made of hardwood slats covered by a fabric. The way the foundation is constructed allows the memory foam mattress on top of it to breathe. This is because of adequate air circulation. In your case, your foundation will be the box spring. In order for your box spring to allow proper air circulation, I recommend you put a sheet of perforated plywood on top of the box spring. The plywood also gives added strength to allow even distribution to the weight of the memory foam on top of it.
You can find perforated plywood in a good hardware store. You'll notice the holes are drilled and evenly spread. Look for plywood that is about 1/4 inch thick. That should give you adequate support.The next consideration is the base. I'm guessing you might be using a metal frame base because you have a box spring. If so, make sure there is plenty of leg support down the middle of the frame to hold the weight of a queen or king mattress. (In other words, you should have as many as nine legs on the frame.)Feel free also to use a platform base with the box spring and mattress on top of it. That will work fine. Platform bases are good because they are flat and solid with no chance of sagging. Slatted bed frames also work well as long as the slats are close together (two to three inches apart) and the slats are wide (three inches).A Luxury, Cooling Gel Memory Foam Mattress at a DiscountBy the way, if you or anyone you know is in the market for a luxury memory foam mattress, here’s news. In 2015 a company called Loom & Leaf came out with a finely crafted memory foam mattress layered with medical grade gel for cool sleeping.
The best news is, this upscale memory foam mattress sells at a steep discount when compared to brands such as Tempur-Pedic. It’s perfectly suited for those who demand excellence yet have a limited budget.Click here to go to Loom & Leaf.RichFor memory foam topper articles, including how to get a great topper on Amazon at a bargain price, click here. Click here to post comments Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. Simply click here to return to Questions and Comments About A Memory Foam Topper. Do you enjoy the Sleep Passport website? Click the Like button below. Leg Cramps At Night: 9 Possible CausesFrom this moment on, leg cramps at night will hopefully be less of a problem for you. Because this series of articles will tell you what you need to know... Best Light Therapy for SAD: White, Blue, Green, or Red?After you read this article on the best light therapy for SAD, you'll have a good understanding of what seasonal affective disorder light therapy is all about...