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 Correction I'm in a very serious long-distance relationship with a cutie who lives halfway across the country. (Real) sex is a rarity in my life, so when it happens, I try to get the most bang for my buck...so to speak. When I was offered to have sex on a bed that's specifically designed for maximum comfort during intercourse, I was like: HECK YES I'LL HAVE SEX ON YOUR BED.It's an American-made luxury mattress which utilizes the bounciness of latex with body-contouring memory foam to give you the finest surface for smashing guts since your best friend's bathroom floor during your junior year of college.
, which Supercompressor operates with. So why is Casper so particularly great for intercourse? Well, for starters it's soft—but not too soft. Your body doesn't sink into it, like other memory foam mattresses. This gives you support and bounce and allows for optimal bumping and grinding. Secondly, there's very little post-coital heat: Casper is made out of a high-performance latex that is specifically designed to keep the body cool. So, you know that feeling of waking up hungover at four in the morning, covered in sweat and other unknown substances? That's a thing of the past...well, at least the sweat part. What I really appreciate about this company is that they trust their clientele—you can sleep on this thing for 100 days and, if you don't like it, send it back without a hassle. It comes in a small box—about the size of a mini-fridge—and it takes all of four minutes to set up. Obviously, to accurately report on the Capser, I had to have sex on it. So, on a rare trip back home to the east coast, my girlfriend and I tried it out.
Tried it out real good. With sexy candles lit , my bed adorned with a set of heavenly sheets from Boll & Branch, and Boyz II Men echoing throughout my room, it was time to put the Casper mattress to use. After a fun-filled weekend (lololol) I asked my girlfriend some questions about the experience: What was different about having le sexy times on my Casper mattress?The mattress is ridiculously comfortable. In fact, the second night we used the mattress I fell asleep before you even came to bed. However, the first night...that was great. I think the foam allowed us to really relax and be comfortable and get...a little more comfortable. It was absolutely fun. You definitely did some things that you'd been texting me about wanting to do, and I liked it. Would you do it again? Would I have sex in your bed again? Will you continue dating me? For now, or until some other stud woos me with a better mattress. Note: The girl in the photo is not my girlfriend.