This may also be a good consideration for families with many members wanting to make a transition from synthetic mattresses to organic mattresses step by step.  What is also good is that organic mattress pads can be purchased for every member of the family — from the adult to the children and more importantly, the babies.  

This maybe of special interest for families with babies since organic mattress pads can also be found in the size for baby bassinet, very practival and ideal for travel. 

Organic mattress pads are refreshingly not as expensive as one may think (ranging from $50-$150) and can be purchased just about anywhere or ordered online and delivered. 

So the step into the wonderful world of organic sleep can be a reality for most families.  After all, an investment in natural and high quality bedding products is a longterm investment into our health and overall well being.

So much care and attention goes into preparing for a new baby, and it’s only natural that you would want to provide the very best.

One of the decisions that new parents are faced with is whether to choose a traditional or organic crib mattress. Organic crib mattresses work just as well as traditional mattresses but have the added benefit of being free from chemicals. Here are six considerations to help you in your purchasing decision:

1. By purchasing organically made products, such as a crib mattress, you are influencing the marketplace with your dollars. The more people purchase organic products, the more they are likely to be provided in the future. Because organically grown cotton reduces the use of pesticides in fields, your purchase is helping the environment.

2. Switching from a traditional crib mattress to an organic crib mattress may be more than just an eco-friendly move. It may be a matter of safety. Many traditional crib mattresses contain a number of materials with questionable effects. Experts are starting to look at everything from polyurethane foam to chemical fire retardants to see what kinds of effects they may have on growing babies.

3. Some experts say that organic crib mattresses, with their natural ingredients, allow air to flow freely through the mattress. The better air circulation may help your baby breathe better. In addition, some studies suggest that the organic cotton may lead to a lower incidence of allergic reactions.

4. Due to the recent interest in organic baby products, be wary of any misuse of the word “organic” in the marketplace. You want to make sure that you are getting a certified organic mattress. You can also call the Organic Consumers Association to get a list of accredited organic retailers.

5. If you’re purchasing your organic crib mattress online, you need to read the fine print and look through the list of components. A mattress may say that it’s organic, but lists polyurethane in the components, for example, it can’t be 100 percent organic.

6. Organic crib mattresses are more expensive than traditional crib mattresses. But given the fact that a new baby spends 70 percent of her time sleeping, it might be worth a little bit extra to get an organic crib mattress. When you lay your baby down on something you know is chemical free, you may find that you rest easier yourself.

Babies have been sleeping on traditional mattresses for a long time, so don’t be overly alarmed by the claims or warnings that you might read online while researching organic baby gear. That said, with so many chemicals in our world today, it might make sense to research your options before making this important purchase.

Jamie Jefferson writes for Momscape.com and Susies-Coupons.com, where she shares price comparisons on organic crib mattresses and organic baby lotions.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jamie_Jefferson
http://EzineArticles.com/?Organic-Crib-Mattresses—Six-Reasons-to-Buy-Organic&id=1230191

Sleep Facts from the National Sleep Foundation

Before Thomas Edison’s invention of the light bulb, people slept an average of 10 hours a night; today Americans average 6.9 hours of sleep on weeknights and 7.5 hours per night on weekends (2002 Sleep in America poll).

Approximately 70 million people in the United States are affected by a sleep problem. About 40 million Americans suffer from a chronic sleep disorders, and an additional 20-30 million are affected by intermittent sleep-related problems. However, an overwhelming majority of sleep disorders remain undiagnosed and untreated (National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, 1992).

Sleep deprivation and sleep disorders are estimated to cost Americans over $100 billion annually in lost productivity, medical expenses, sick leave, and property and environmental damage (National Sleep Foundation).

According to the National Sleep Foundation’s 2001 Sleep in America poll, nearly seven out of 10 Americans said they experience frequent sleep problems, although most have not been diagnosed.

More than two-thirds of all children (69%) experience one or more sleep problems at least a few nights a week (2004 Sleep in America poll).

Two-thirds of older adults (67%) report frequent sleep problems, however only a small fraction, one in eight, says those problems have been diagnosed (2003 Sleep in America poll].

While many Americans enjoy the benefits of sufficient sleep, as many as 47 million adults may be putting themselves at risk for injury, health and behavior problems because they aren’t meeting their minimum sleep need in order to be fully alert the next day. (2002 Sleep in America poll).

A majority of American adults (63%) do not get the recommended eight hours of sleep needed for good health, safety, and optimum performance. In fact, nearly one-third (31%) report sleeping less than seven hours each week night, though many adults say they try to sleep more on weekends. (2001 Sleep in America poll).

More than half of adults surveyed in the 2002 Sleep in America poll said they experienced one or more symptoms of insomnia at least a few nights a week. Insomnia is characterized by difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining sleep, or waking too early.

Up to 40% of adults report at least occasional difficulty sleeping; chronic and/or severe insomnia affects about 10-15% of adults, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Direct costs of insomnia, which include dollars spent on insomnia treatment, healthcare services, hospital and nursing home care, are estimated at nearly $14 billion annually. Indirect costs such as work loss, property damage from accidents and transportation to and from healthcare providers, are estimated to be $28 billion.

Sleep apnea, a breathing disorder characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep, affects as many as 18 million people, according to NIH. Estimates indicate that untreated sleep apnea may cause $3.4 billion in additional medical costs SLEEP, 1992).

Approximately 12 million Americans have restless legs syndrome, a sleep and movement disorder characterized by unpleasant (tingling, crawling, creeping and/or pulling) feelings in the legs, which cause an urge to move in order to relieve the symptoms.

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that involves your body’s nervous system. People with narcolepsy experience sudden “sleep attacks” that can occur at any time. Narcolepsy is believed to affect approximately 293,000 people in the US (Narcolepsy Network).

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conservatively estimates that 100,000 police-reported crashes are caused by drowsy drivers each year. (That is about 1.5% of all crashes.) These crashes result in more than 1,500 fatalities and 71,000 injuries and result in an estimated $12.5 billion in diminished productivity and property loss (Knipling and Wang, 1996).

According to NSF’s 2002 Sleep in America poll, 51% of Americans said they drove while feeling drowsy in the past year; 17% said they actually dozed off behind the wheel. ]]> http://mattress-organic.net/sleep-facts-from-the-national-sleep-foundation/feed/ 0 http://mattress-organic.net/dust-mite-info/ http://mattress-organic.net/dust-mite-info/#comments Sun, 31 May 2009 11:18:45 +0000 admin http://mattress-organic.net/?p=48

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.

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.

• 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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