Mattress-Organic

The average person loses about 1/3 ounce or 10 grams of dead skins cells, commonly called dander, each week.   These dead skin cells collect in great multitudes in our homes – our furniture, carpets and especially in the place where we spend most of our time – our mattresses.  Kinda gross huh?

Dust mites are quiet, microscopic arachnids (the class of arthropods which includes spiders, scorpions and ticks) that infest our mattresses, furniture and carpets and feed on dead skin.  They live in the dark, forgotten corners of our homes - hatching, growing, eating, defecating, mating and laying more eggs.  Although dust mites are harmless to most people as they are not know to carry diseases, they do cause allergic reactions in asthmatics and to those who are allergic to their feces.  Just lie down on a carpet infested with dust mites and you might get a bit of an itch with red irritation.  Or try looking under your bed and breathing in some dust – you may be wheezing and experiencing some difficulty breathing.  According to the American College of Asthma, Allergy & Immunology, approximately 10 percent of Americans exhibit allergic sensitivity to dust mites.

They infest beds and carpets by the tens of millions, and there can be as many as 1,000 mites in one gram of dust.  A typical mattress can contain tens of thousands of dust mites and a single dust mite produces about 20 waste droppings each day, each containing a protein to which many people are allergic.  The proteins in that combination of feces and shed skin are what cause allergic reactions in humans. Depending on the person and exposure, reactions can range from itchy eyes to asthma attacks. And finally, unlike the class of arthropods which includes spiders, scorpions and ticksother types of mites, house dust mites are not parasites, since they only eat dead tissue. Gross, but true.

There are no fool proof ways of eliminating dust mites, but there are ways of controlling them.  The good news is that organic wool in organic mattresses are a naturally repels dust mites.  Each strand of organic wool has a coating of lanolin which is a natural deterent to dust mights.  Furthermore, microscopic scales on each strand of wool create an arid environment that dust mites can’t live in.

Find relief from asthama and alergy symptoms.  Choose an organic mattress.

Another great benefit of an organic mattress is the way natural fibers “breathe” and intuitively adapt to your sleep cycles.  Our body temperature changes throughout different different cycles of our sleep.  Our body and mind rests better in cooler temperatures while the body itself reaches its lowest temperature about 2:00 a.m. 

Synthetic mattresses retain body heat and will raise body temperature giving you a lighter sleep.  We are all familiar with the scenario of having to kick off the covers when we are too hot at night and then in a few more hours trying to find them again when we are too cold. 

In contrast, natural fibers wick away moisture giving you a more even body temperature and consistent sleep helping you to stay longer in your natural sleep cycles. You won’t be disturbed as much being too hot or too cold, but will enjoy a better night’s rest with a less interupted pre-REM and REM cycle.

Did you know that:

• Two-thirds of bedroom fires are set by children playing with lighters and matches
• 80% of all fire deaths occur in the home
• Matches and lighters are involved in 75% of child-play fires
• Most electrical fires start in the bedroom

Sources: U.S. Fire Administration and the National Fire Protection Association

Due to the dangers associated with mattresses and home fires, basically two US federal laws require flame retardants in mattresses (whether synthetic or organic).  All manufacturers need to comply with these strict standards, before they can produce and distribute mattresses in the United States.  Mattresses sold in Canada do not undergo the same regualtions; however please visit Health Canada for more information.

The first regulation, issued in the 1970’s measures the size of the smolder of cigarette-type burns. The second (issued in 2007) measures the burn rate of open-flame fires, as in the case of matches, lighters, candles, etc.

In order to meet federal regulations, most synthetic mattress manufacturers place a fiber barrier that blocks fire.   However, manufacturers are not required to disclose the composition of those fibers which now becomes an area of concern when it comes to off-gassing from synthetic fibers.  Although PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) are now being phased out of the mattress industry, they are being replaced by new chemicals which have not been tested for long term health effects or possible chemical combination threats.  Formaldehyde, TDI (toluene di-isocyanate) styrene, butadiene and other petroleum derivatives are being widely used in the mattress industry today.  These chemicals make their way into our bodies and what is becoming a greater concern is how these chemicals are effecting the developing child.

Flame retardent standards are no lower for organic mattresses.  Most organic mattresses are naturally flame resistant as Organic wool is an inherently natural flame resistant material.  Organic mattresses that do not use organic wool use environment friendly coatings.  These natural alternatives do cost more than chemical saturation, but you can be rest assured that you will be sleeping on a chemical free environment.

See mattress organic for best reasons to buy organic.

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