The Importance of Sleep

All of us want to live a long, healthy and happy life. If we read the literature available and listen to the advice given by the medical professionals an important part of living a healthy life is getting a good night’s sleep. Sleep, it is said, plays an important role in your health, and the quality and quantity of sleep are both important for physical, emotional and mental health. Your body restores itself, as you sleep, through muscle, tissue, and cell repair; replenishing vital hormones; and recharging the brain.



The Importance of a Good Mattress



It is said that we need to have eight hours sleep at night – that’s equates to one-third of our life; that’s a long time. So, it is important that we have a comfortable mattress to sleep on to ensure we get REM sleep. To ensure you get good quality sleep you will need to ensure you mattress does the following:

Supports your body with no pressure points of the pressing against your pressure-sensitive areas e.g. ribs, hip, ankle and shoulder.

Aligns your spine with the rest of your body.

Your body weight is distributed well across your frame and the mattress’ surface.

The ideal mattress also provides enough plush and cushioning, so it feels soft and comfortable.

The ability to provide a comfortable, restful healing sleep may seem to make a mattress an ideal mattress but that may not be the case; it may still not be a healthy mattress. A very comfortable mattress may not be healthy.



What in Our Mattresses May Be Unhealthy?

In one way or another, one product or another, our world today is full of toxins – they are everywhere. Toxin are in our cleaning solutions, paints, the plastics that have taken over our lives, everywhere. And believe it or not, toxins are in our mattresses. Some of these are there for good reason, some are unavoidable, but ultimately, they may be making us sick. Here are a few:



Flame Retardants

By law, as of July 1, 2007, all mattresses sold in the U.S. are required to be flame retardant. Mattress manufacturers are therefore covering mattresses with highly toxic, flame-retardant chemicals. These chemicals are emitted from the mattress and with time builds up in your body, and may cause health problems including neurological, brain and reproductive damage, fertility issues through decreased sperm count, thyroid problems and at high levels, cancer.



Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is frequently part of the flame retardant and it is also used in the adhesives that hold together different components of the mattress. Formaldehyde is potentially a very toxic substance associated with allergies, asthma, and cancer of the lung, nose, and throat.



Pesticides

Non-organic cotton is grown, being sprayed with pesticides, which are also very toxic. These pesticides remain in the cotton and are inhaled from our mattresses.



Polyurethane

Most mattresses are made of polyurethane foam which emits volatile organic compounds that can cause skin irritation and respiratory problems. This material is what most memory foam mattresses are made from and it is also part of the padding in coil mattresses.



What Is a Healthy Mattress?

A healthy mattress is therefore one which does not have these, or other, harmful toxins, in addition to providing the required support for a restful sleep. You can visit Bestmattressesreviews to get few healthy mattress.



How to Find A Healthy Mattress

There is no other way to find a healthy mattress but to do the necessary research. A few such safe mattresses have been found and are shown below:



Natural Latex Mattress

Natural Latex is a very safe substitute for the polyurethane memory foam. The mattress is made from washed latex, and the best quality natural latex mattress is wrapped in organic cotton and wool, with the wool layer providing the fire-retardant protection that is needed to meet the regulatory standards for fire retardation. Wool is naturally fire retardant.



Organic Cotton & Wool Coil Mattress

If your preference is the traditional coil mattresses a few safe and toxin free alternatives exist. You could look for one that is made of organic cotton and/or wool. Please make sure that there are no other chemicals including adhesives in the mattress.

Conclusion

Healthy mattresses are not easy to find, and they are not inexpensive. So, do your research and due diligence and ensure the healthy mattress you are purchasing contain none of the toxic chemicals and will provide you with restorative sleep. This is an investment in you and your health, buy well.