What Might You Be Sleeping On?

If you’re considering buying a new mattress but have been holding off because you don’t feel like spending the money and it doesn’t seem that important to you, here are some things for you to consider. Getting a good night’s sleep is an integral component to your health. Not only does top quality and quantity sleep improve your ability to restore and repair muscles and refresh your ability to think clearly and learn and remember efficiently, but when you fail to get the sleep you need you are actually doing considerable harm, raising your risk of a bevy of chronic conditions that can have a negative impact on your life. Diabetes two, obesity, depression, cardiovascular disease, increased blood pressure – all of these health risks have been associated with sleep deprivation, and having an uncomfortable, unsupportive mattress can contribute to your inability to get a good night’s sleep.

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The fact is that you should replace your mattress every several years, with the exact amount of time depending upon the original quality of the mattress and your level of discomfort. If you are waking up feeling achy and sore in the morning, that’s your cue that you need to get on the stick and get yourself over to a mattress showroom. If you need any more urging, you might want to consider the following things that might be in your older mattress and impacting the quality of your sleep. These just may be the items that end up pushing you over the purchasing edge!

• Bed bugs – Bed bugs have become a national issue. They’ve always been with us, but according to a report issued by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) in collaboration with the University of Kentucky, the number of reported infestations has grown dramatically over the last dozen years or so, with the majority of the problem being reported in individual homes, followed by apartment buildings and condominiums. So what are bed bugs and what do they do? According to the NPMA, “Although bed bugs are not known to transmit disease to humans, their bites do leave itchy welts on human skin and can cause an allergic reaction in some people.” Not only that, even when you’ve had your home treated, there’s a good chance they’re going to come back, especially if they make the leap from your bed to your other upholstered furniture. If you suspect that there are bed bugs in your mattress, you are strongly advised to dispose of it appropriately, get your home treated, and purchase a new one.
• Sweat, body oil, body fluids – You don’t have to think too hard about this one, especially if you’ve had your bed for more than ten years. Every night that you woke up in a sweat, your body fluids did more than soak your sheets – they went straight down into your mattress, where they’ve stayed. The same is true of any other bodily fluids, as well as all the millions of dead skin cells that you have shed every night throughout the years. They are embedded deep within the surface of your mattress, which might be causing you to have rashes, break outs, or even to give your mattress a bit of a smell. This is one of the reasons why it is always recommended that you purchase a new mattress rather than a used one.
• Dust mites – Everybody has dust mites, there’s no escaping them, but your bed is a breeding ground for them, especially with all of the dead skin cells that you’ve shed (see above). When you combine all of that stuff that they love to eat with the fact that when you lay down and pull up the covers every night, you’re making things nice and warm and cozy for them, there’s no wonder why an older bed is their favorite place to be. If that isn’t enough to gross you out, then think about this – experts say that “dust mites feed on the skin cells your body sheds at night and their droppings are a major source of discomfort for allergy sufferers.” And according to a report on CNN, “As if the presence of microscopic eight-legged vermin weren’t gross enough, consider that it’s not the mites that cause some people to cough and sneeze. It’s their excrement.”
• Mattress materials – Few people give thought to the materials that their mattress is made of, but perhaps you should, especially if you have allergies or sensitivities to chemicals. According to the website MotherJones.com, “Since the mid-to-late ‘60s, more mattresses have been made of polyurethane foam, a petroleum-based material that emits volatile organic compounds that cause respiratory problems and skin irritation.” Though not every memory foam mattress is a problem, some are made with more care than others. As mattress manufacturers have become increasingly aware of the sensitivities and irritation they have limited the foam’s use to the interior of the mattress, keeping it away from the primary sleep surface to decrease the potential for irritation. If you have an older mattress, there is less likelihood that this care has been taken.
• Chemicals and pesticides – Because mattresses are required to be flame retardant, many mattress manufacturers are utilizing a variety of materials that make them compliant, and some of these chemicals may be toxic or may create sensitivity in certain individuals. According to a report on Mercola.com, “This means that the manufacturers are dousing them with highly toxic flame-retardant chemicals, which do not have to be disclosed in any way. This is probably the most important piece of furniture you want to get right, as you are spending about one-third of your life on it.” The majority of mattresses that are being made with dangerous chemicals are coming from China, where American manufacturers are taking more care with the safety of their processes and materials