A comfortable mattress is necessary to provide restful sleep. When your mattress is uneven or uncomfortable your entire night is disturbed. Even when you try to lie comfortably, it wouldn’t allow you to do so. This is because years of tension and pressure have made its coils weak and there have been lumps in foam. Hence, when you rest on it, you don’t experience the same firmness that was in the beginning years.
You might not realize because with time your body not only gets accustomed to it, but it also puts stress on your spine which can cause harm in future. It is wise to get it replaced every 8 or 10 years. A mattress is an expensive thing, but it isn’t an appliance without which you can manage your day. A good mattress maintains your physique and helps in strengthening your spine. If your spine is bending or has to go through excess pressure then it becomes weak with time.
There are various kinds of mattresses in the market. It is your sleeping position, body temperature and physical health that will assist you in determining the kind of mattress you require in your life. If you have joint pain then you don’t need a firm mattress, but slightly a gentle one. This way when you rest on it, it pushes inward taking your body’s shape. This way, in the morning your joints aren’t very stiff, which is the reason for arthritis generally.
Some of the mattresses tend to get warmer when the sleepers use them for a few hours. It can cause a lot of discomfort, especially if you live in humid and warm places. You might usually wake up tired and sweating. People facing such issues must opt for specialized mattresses for hot sleepers, as they are specifically engineered for cooling.
Similarly, your sleeping position helps you decide on the mattress. Sleeping on your stomach or sideways requires one which is slightly gentle because if you snooze on a firm mattress, then it can hurt your shoulders while sleeping sideways. However, ensure that you don’t get a very soft mattress, otherwise that will roll your body to the center keeping you uncomfortable the entire night.
Your body temperature is equally important, when you purchase a mattress. Science says that we shed maximum heat when we are asleep. This is because we not only snore, but also relax which increases our blood circulation releasing heat from our body. This is why we prefer taking a natural fabric blanket which keeps us pleasant in summer. However, if your bedding is of foam that holds heat coming out of your body then it will get warm sooner.
This you can realize at night when you get restless or find yourself sweating. For this reason, it is always suggested to buy the best quality foam mattress. Mostly, the inner spring mattress is considered the best quality as it has pocketed steel coils in alignment and covered with proper and good quality foam layers. When your body generates heat then the foam retains heat, but the coil circulates air within keeping your mattress cool.
If we can be concerned about our health from the beginning then we should also think about newly born or toddlers who are speeding up with age, but have tender bones and minimal strength to fight back any health issues. Infants have delicate bones, which is why since the beginning they are provided utmost care and a soft bed to prevent any damage to their spine. Often you will see that infants aren’t allowed to sit without giving support to their back, because their spine holds their entire back. If the spine is damaged at a small age, then they will not have good health in future, it might also have an effect on their height.
Thus, whenever you buy a mattress for your toddler or infant, always pay extra attention to its quality. We all recognize that mattresses are prepared from chemicals and these chemicals are entrapped in the material during manufacture. Some chemicals also hold in the mattress when they are covered with plastic packaging. When you open this mattress in your baby’s room the entire air gets polluted with the smell and this can be harmful for your kid. Moreover, when you lay your baby on the cot, they will come in direct contact with that chemical which can lead to health issues.
Thus, you always need to buy natural fabric mattress for your kid to avoid these problems –
- Chemical based mattresses have fire retardant named bromine which is in liquid form at room temperature, but when it comes in contact with heat, it turns to gas. This chemical is harmful for the human body, infants whose lungs are weak may be unable to tolerate it and have various lung diseases, cancer, development problems and thyroid also.
- Ordinary mattress contains cheap quality glue which was found in paints, but is slowly being banned from it. This glue is used to keep your foam and coils firm, since it is a child’s cot therefore, manufacturers know that it will undergo various wear and tear hence, they use glue in good quantity to avoid any damage earlier.
- Crib mattress is generally waterproof and to make it waterproof manufacturers use plastic which is made of another chemical named PVC. It is a hazardous chemical that releases gas which can never be good for a toddler who sleeps on it for 13 to 14 hours a day.
- When PVC breaks it releases vinyl chloride that is again a hazardous gas that can cause cancer in the liver, if kids sleep for long hours inhaling it. Vinyl also cracks due to sweat, urine, baby jump etc, and these cracks enclose dust and mites which can be infectious for your kid.
- Polyester available in fabric used in crib mattress can cause severe skin infection and rashes. This also exists in diapers which is why doctors recommended diapers are only safe for your kid.
- Even a crib mattress that retains heat can be harmful for your kid because that heat can give them restless nights and unknowingly increase their heart rate.
Research says that as time is passing every year, at least one child is admitted to hospital due to liver or lung cancer. Many kids by the age of 18 years suffer from asthma. A few generations ago, people had no problem related to health, but with time this is increasing every year. It is not majorly because of the mattress as pollution is also one of the major reasons. However, a mattress also is to be blamed if it is manufactured from cheap materials.
The excellent news is that many manufacturers have understood the drawbacks of the above-mentioned chemicals and trying their best to use natural fiber and products which don’t harm anyone. If you still feel that your kid’s mattress contains harmful chemicals then cover it with mattress cover which isn’t made of polyurethane, but of food grade polyethylene.
FDA doesn’t approve mattresses that are made of harmful chemicals. Such manufacturers are penalized. If the manufacturer is claiming that they use cotton and natural fiber in preparing the bedding, then you might consider it. However, to ensure this, double check the material in case it is pasted or treated with any harmful chemical. Whenever you buy a new crib mattress, before putting it on your baby’s cot, open it outside the house so that all dust, chemical smell is disposed of outside the house and doesn’t enclose in your toddler’s room.
If you wish for a better life for your kid in future, then buy a natural fabric mattress. You can’t avoid certain things like waterproof covering. However, there are alternatives available hence you can buy it separately instead of being attached with the mattress. This way you can wash it frequently and sanitize it when required.
