Whether we want to admit it or not, most of us struggle with getting a good night’s sleep. This could be from reasons like looking at our phone too much before bed, drinking caffeine close to bedtime, not having the right pillow for our sleeping position, or it might be as simple as not having the right sleeping surface.
This should help answer the question of if you have the right sleeping surface or if you need a new one. Most of us could agree that the best mattress would be:

1. A non-toxic sleeping surface (no harmful chemicals)

 

As of July 1, 2007, all mattresses in the U.S. are required by law to be flame resistant. So much that the mattress won’t catch fire even if you hold a blowtorch on it. A mattress may contain flame-retardant chemicals to be able to withstand that kind of heat 

The filling material used in most conventional mattresses today is polyurethane foam, which is a flammable petroleum based material. Because the material is so flammable, it must be treated with or wrapped in fire retardant chemicals.

Some very good reasons on why you want your sleeping surface to be non-toxic are:

“Flame-retardant chemicals have been linked to serious health risks, including infertility, birth defects, neurodevelopment delays, reduced IQ scores and behavioral problems in children,  hormone disruptions, and various forms of cancer.” – Dr. Mercola

2. Supportive / comfortable (perfect posture & alignment)

Memory foam, gel-foam, or latex-foam reacts in a different way than other types of mattresses. These foam mattresses allow themselves to contour to your natural body shape, instead of forcing your body to adjust. The contouring of your body also allows your muscles to fully relax and release any tension by supporting your lower back.

In comparison, you can sometimes feel a space between your lower back and your sleeping surface when sleeping on a firm innerspring mattress. This means your lower back is not being supported. Air mattresses and waterbeds could actually have the opposite effect by letting the heavier areas like your waist sink in further than the rest of your body. Sleeping in that position creates an unnatural spine curve since your upper body and legs are higher than your lower back.    

3. Durable

Latex mattresses are the longest lasting bed type with a 8-12 year average lifespan. Latex foam is the most durable kind of mattress because of its high resiliency (the resisting of impressions) and how well it resists degradation.

Next up would be regular memory foam and gel-foam mattresses. Their lifespans really depend on the construction of the mattress and the materials used. A mattress with higher density foam will be more durable than one with less.

Innerspring mattresses are by far the most familiar and widely used sleeping surface, but they do rank among the poorest in durability. The springs break down over time and the padding compresses, so they lose the ability to relieve any pressure for you. There are some different types of innersprings but the one that will be the most durable are individually-pocketed coils.

Do you have the right Sleeping surface?

After reading this you should have a better understanding of what a mattress should be providing for you while you sleep. Seeing how we do spend ⅓ of our lives sleeping, it might be important to have the right sleeping surface. We hoped this helped and if you have any questions leave a comment below or contact the store!