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We know this website is about vitamins, but we also know that most people reading it are interested in good health. We just think that good health is impossible when you are spending 1/3 of your life sleeping on a toxic mattress, so we put together this page on mattresses.
Non-Toxic Mattress & Bedding Extremely Important For Health
We are firm believers in non-toxic houses, but we realize that most people cannot change their entire house overnight. However, your bedroom should really be an "oasis" in the middle of all the chemicals you encounter all day long, a place of respite, where you can get a good night's sleep and allow your body to rejuvenate itself. If you are sick with any kind of chronic disease like cancer or asthma, you probably need a chemical-free bedroom more than others. Perhaps the most important thing in your bedroom is your mattress, bedding, and the bed frame, since you are so close to it all night long (we also highly recommend hard flooring in the bedroom and no particle board furniture).
Standard Mattresses are Toxic
Did you know that there are actually more chemicals in a conventional mattress today than are contained in a barrel of oil? Yes, that's right, most mattresses are made entirely of petrochemicals! Most people today sleep on mattresses made of synthetic materials like polyurethane, polyester and flame retardant chemicals.* These synthetic materials and the flame retardant chemicals in the mattresses cause us to breathe in toxins all night long, including PBDEs (polyborminated diphenyl ethers), formaldehyde and more.
* A 1973 law required mattresses to not ignite from a burning cigarette, but a new law requires mattresses to not ignite after being exposed to a 12 inch wide flame on the side for 50 seconds, and a simultaneous 10 inch wide flame on the top for 70 seconds. So how many more chemicals do you think will be in your mattress so it can withstand a couple blow torches aimed at it for around a minute??
Mattress Flame Retardant Chemicals
PBDE, a flame retardant chemical, has actually been banned in Europe because of toxicity. It will be banned in California starting in 2008, but for now they are letting the mattress manufacturers sell out their stock to the unsuspecting public. PBDE has been shown to cause all sorts of health problems, including cognitive and behavior changes during development, thyroid problems, permanent learning and memory impairment, ADHD, higher cancer rates and immune system problems. It is now found in high levels in mother's breast milk, undoubtedly due to its presence in our mattresses, and so is being ingested by babies, even though it has been shown to be much more toxic for infants and children.
Some other flame retardant chemicals used in mattress production include formaldehyde, antimony trioxide, boric acid (the roach killer) melamine and decabromodiphenyl oxide (a brominated flame retardant also being found in women's breast milk). Formaldehyde can cause headaches, insomnia, fatigue, excessive thirst, respiratory problems and more. Boric acid was found to be very toxic and even caused some deaths when used in a 3% diluted solution as a topical solution for diaper rash, but now it is used on mattresses, even crib mattresses! Many of these chemicals are known or suspected carcinogens. Some cause reproductive, liver, kidney, heart muscle and other damage. In addition, although flame retardant chemicals will keep the mattress from catching fire, you may not realize that if there is a fire, poisonous gases such as cyanide and carbon monoxide will be created that you will breathe in if you are near your mattress.
Other Chemicals in Mattress Materials
The chemicals used in making polyester that is a common mattress material that is possibly carcinogenic and may also damage the kidneys, the heart and the nervous system. All sorts of chemicals in conventional mattresses cause negative health effects ranging from headaches to cancer. Nighttime is when our bodies are supposed to be detoxifying, repairing and rejuvenating themselves. Do you really want to be sleeping on a mattress that is full of toxic chemicals, including ones banned for health reasons in other countries?
Metals in Your Bed and Bed Frame
Many people have mattresses and box springs with coils in them, as well as metal frames for their beds. These metal mattress coils are used for buoyancy, but it seems that they not only provide an unnatural type of support, but they also disrupt our natural electromagnetic field, which can cause all sorts of physical and other stresses of a subtle, yet profound nature. This is of course hard to prove, but there are many people who say they sleep so much better with no metal in their mattress or bed frame and no electrical current running near their mattress, like an alarm clock.
Synthetic Mattresses and Mildew
As if the disturbance of the electro-magnetic fields and the chemicals in mattresses were not enough, synthetic mattress materials also can easily form mildew as excess moisture is absorbed and often does not dry quickly enough to get rid of the moisture before the mildew forms. If the mildew is mild, like it often is, you may sleep next to this mildew without knowing it, but it is still harmful to your immune system.
Synthetic foam mattresses, like the memory foam, are all the rage today, and they are touted as helping people to get a better night's sleep. However, they not only off-gas toxic chemicals, but they also provide a non-breathing surface, which causes overheating and moisture build-up and a less than ideal sleeping experience.
Natural Mattresses
Natural Latex / Rubber
Even natural latex mattresses, made with the sap of the rubber tree, don't breathe as well as wool and can cause you to overheat and feel the moisture buildup. In addition, "natural" latex can contain vulcanization chemicals, including sulfur and ammonia, which can be harmful. The real truth is that "natural" latex mattresses cannot be made without some of these additives. Most natural rubber is only 97% pure, and the other 3% are solvents used in the manufacturing process. In the Dunlop process, they add sodium silico fluoride.
One natural bed retailer told me: "All natural rubber to be made into latex has something in it. We have 99% rubber, 98% rubber, 97% rubber and 93% rubber and we call all of those 100% natural rubber latex." So there you have it, 100% natural rubber latex that is not 100% pure. Hmm, doesn't sound 100% natural to me. Let the buyer beware.
That said, many people feel their natural latex mattress is so comfortable, they would never give it up! If a natural latex mattress enables you to get a good night’s sleep, it is infinitely better than sleeping on a synthetic latex or conventional “memory foam” bed, which has numerous carcinigenic chemicals. Just try to find a latex mattress that is as natural as possible, and be aware that any mattress that is at least partially made with natural rubber can be called a "natural" latex mattress, even if 90% of the rubber used is synthetic!
Natural or Organic Cotton Mattresses
Most organic cotton mattresses use coils or latex in the middle, because the cotton compresses so much as to make the surface too hard without it. Cotton also has a low resistance level to mildew, since it tends to absorb water, and dust mites, and this can also cause health problems and keep you from having a good nights rest over time. If your mattress has "natural" (not certified organic) cotton, they probably did not use chemicals in the processing, but there are most certainly still pesticide, herbicide and defoliant chemical residues left over that you may be breathing in all night long. Cotton is one of the most heavily sprayed crops there is, in fact, it is estimated that cotton crops use 25% of all pesticides used in the US.
If you are thinking about getting a cotton bed with springs in it, you really owe it to yourself to spend a little more to make sure that it is organic. The Royal-Pedic line is probably more comfortable than most. Lifekind’s mattresses are probably more pure than most.
There is, however, another alternative that has helped many people to finally get a good nights rest without chemical exposure: The Wool Mattress by Shepherd's Dream.
The All-Natural Wool Mattress From Shepherd's Dream:
We highly recommend Shepherd's Dream all-natural wool mattresses and bedding, for lots of reasons. First of all, Shepherd's Dream is a small cottage industry, and they follow a great model of sustainable business practices that we are happy to promote. If more businesses were like them, this world would be a better place. Eliana Jantz of Shepherd's Dream started the "Pure Grow Wool Program" with Sonoma County Woolgrowers in 1993, and was instrumental in developing a set of criteria of sustainable and responsible wool production practices.
Shepherd's Dream uses an exceptionally high quality wool batting in their wool bed system, including the wool mattresses. They use wool that is purchased directly from northwest woolgrowers, and they take great precautions to ensure that all their bedding is as safe and chemical-free as possible. All their wool batting is grown and processed with great care so as to avoid harmful chemicals. They don't currently use organic wool because it is very limited in supply and is actually unable to compete with their very high-quality, locally produced wool.
The Benefits of Wool for Your Bed
Although the all-wool bed may not be for everyone, we think that wool offers a lot of things that other bed materials, even if they are organic, do not. These include:
Wool harmonizes with your body's own temperature and humidity changes, and as such can keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It can also keep you from waking up at night due to being too hot or too cold.
- Wool provides a springy and resilient cushioning surface, compared to other natural fibers. Cotton, for example, compresses much more with time, making a hard surface.
- Any metal in the bed can disrupt your electro-magnetic field, and cause sleeping disturbances. The all wool mattress, on the other hand, tends to nurture your body and help you to sleep better.
- Wool is naturally flame resistant, so you won't need any toxic chemicals in your mattress to resist fire.
- Wool mattresses and wool bedding also resist dust mites and mildew naturally, unlike cotton and down, as well as latex, foam and other synthetic materials.
- Sleeping on a wool mattress has been shown to reduce heart rates
In addition, the all wool bed makes a naturally firm mattress, which many will agree is the healthiest sleeping surface around. This type of mattress tends to encourage the body to assume a correct posture and alignment while sleeping, reducing back and other problems.
Sleeping on a wool mattress also seems to help relieve muscle spasms, bed sores, arthritic symptoms, muscle and joint aches and pains and insomnia. In addition, there is also some indication that sleeping on a wool mattress can help with asthma and allergies. Wool can be a positive influence in your sleeping environment and as such can help you support your health and healing.
Allergies to Wool Are Usually A Reaction to the Chemicals Used In the Processing, NOT to the Wool!
Very few people are actually allergic to wool, but most wool is bleached and treated with chemicals, and people do react to that. The wool used at Shepherd's Dream is washed in a very mild soap and no chemicals are used in processing. On occasion, their new wool bedding has a mild, natural, lanolin scent. This scent will diminish quickly over time—especially if you air it out in the sun. If you are very sensitive and are not sure if the wool smell will bother you, you should perhaps order the sample mattress or try out a wool pillow.
The Slatted All Wood Bed Frame
Once again, in order to not disrupt your body's own electro magnetic fields, you should not have any metal in your bed, and this includes the frame. You also need to make sure you don't have particle board or plywood, as these often contain formaldehyde and other chemicals that will end up in your sleeping environment. We recommend an all wood frame with wood slats to allow maximum air flow and allow your mattress to dry and not mildew. Make sure that the wood is finished with a non-toxic finish for the best sleeping environment.
All Natural and Chemical Free Bedding
Most cotton sheets, unless flannel or organic, are treated with formaldehyde so as to reduce wrinkling. This is a big problem especially since the sheets and pillowcase are right next to your head where you breathe in the formaldehyde all night long. These formaldehyde treatments are designed to stay impregnated in the sheet and resist coming out even with numerous washings.
Some sheets are made from synthetic materials, which also off gas chemicals that you will breathe while sleeping. In addition, they do not allow your skin to breathe, which is important.
Recommended Wool Mattress & Bedding System
The mattress and bedding we are recommending for a totally non-toxic, non-electro-magnetic field disrupting, good night's sleep includes:
All-wool mattress that can last a lifetime
- Wool mattress topper if you need a softer surface
- Wool mattress protector, if you think you might need it
- 100% organic cotton sheets and pillowcases
- Wool comforter with organic cotton duvet cover
- Wool pillows and neck rolls
- All wood frame with slats for good air flow
Latex Slats
Shepherd's Dream does sell latex slats that can be glued to your wood slats that go underneath the natural wool mattress if you need more give or bounce. We think it's better if you can get by without it to forego the latex altogether, since even "natural" latex uses some chemicals in the processing that are left in the rubber. If you are not chemically sensitive and find that you do need more give for your mattress, we suggest that you find your latex elsewhere, as right now, Shepherd's Dream's latex does have some synthetic rubber in it. We think if you are going to all this trouble to get a natural bed, it's better not to compromise on the latex. On the other hand, since the latex slats will be at the bottom of your bed underneath the mattress, it is less important than if it was a key part of your mattress.
Expense of a Natural Wool Bed
We realize that all this can get a bit expensive, however, please think about your health and how you spend 1/3 of your life in your bed. Also, if you think about how you replace most conventional mattresses every 10 years or so, this wool mattress will actually save you money over time. And if it helps you sleep better and helps you live a longer, healthier life, it is priceless!
Many people who can't afford to buy the whole bed system including the mattress start by adding, in order of importance: wool pillows and 100% organic cotton pillowcases, organic sheets, a wool comforter with an organic duvet cover, and a wool mattress topper that will put a barrier between you and your chemical-laden bed. Then when you can afford it, get the pure wool mattress and wood slat foundation. Many people start to sleep better and feel better just by buying a wool" surround" that places them in between a wool mattress pad and wool comforter with organic cotton bedding. This keeps you more comfortable since it breathes well and keeps your temperature more even, and puts your lungs farther away from the chemicals in your mattress and/or box springs.
For More Info or To Order
For more info, please go to Shepherd's Dream's website, or call them toll-free:
US: 1-800-966-5540
Canada: 866-552-0167
You might get their answering machine but they will call you back. If you order, please tell them that you heard about them from Healthy Vitamins Rx and give them this code: C243. We get credit for our referral, and we are also a small family owned business and sure appreciate your help! Our goal is to build up enough credit to be able to give away beds to those who really need them, but can't afford them.
Tell Shepherd's Dream you heard about them
from Healthy Vitamins Rx:
Referral Code C243
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