Sleep Well with an Organic or Natural Mattress

We always look forward to having a good night's rest on our bed—sleep is the medicine that cures many ills and stresses. But what if our mattress is causing us more harm than good? What if it's ruining our sleep?

Almost everything we own—our clothes, the office chair we sit in every day, cosmetics, and cleaning products—are made with one kind of chemical or another. As people add a little staying power with aerosol hairspray, sit on their couches or use their shower curtains, the chemicals that went into making these products break down into gasses and escape into the environment; this process is called off-gassing, and the chemicals that are released are called volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Foams in many conventional mattresses contain polyurethane, a material made from petroleum oil and natural gas that may release VOCs into the environment, affecting indoor air quality over a long period of time. The effects of VOCs include "eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches, loss of coordination, nausea; damage to liver, kidney, and central nervous system" according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website.

Since polyurethane is highly flammable, many companies also add chemical fire retardants—often the chemical compound polybrominated flame retardants (PBDEs), which have been known to linger in our bodies (in places such as human milk and blood), and affect uterine development in lab rats.

New parents with infants should pay special attention to the option of getting an organic mattress. Babies are more vulnerable to VOCs because their immune systems aren't fully developed, and they also spend significantly more time in cribs and beds than adults, increasing exposure to off-gassed chemicals from mattresses and bedding. As mattress gets older, the possibilities for off-gassing can be greater, and may lead to fatal consequences. A team of Scottish scientists found that babies sleeping in used mattresses faced much higher risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) than those sleeping in new ones. The culprit may be in the foam and its chemical breakdown in the air, as activist Linda Mason Hunter explains in her book, Creating a Safe & Healthy Home: A conventional foam bed loses about half its weight in 10 years, while a "natural bed" only loses 2 pounds.

All in all, organic mattresses pose a healthier and long-lasting solution for off-gassing concerns in the bedroom.

Buying an Organic Mattress

Organic mattresses are still a relatively new industry. As is the case with any new industry, the rules for labeling mattresses as "organic" have not yet been standardized. The best way for you to ensure that you're getting the quality you want is to do some research into the company philosophy: visit their website, call their customer service office, and ask some questions about what makes their mattresses "organic," whether there are any non-organic components, and where they source their organic materials.

Find out what materials are in the mattress core. Avoiding polyurethane is a key concern, especially for new parents. Some healthier alternatives to conventional mattresses include: organic cotton, organic wool, and natural latex. The most economic choice seems to be organic cotton. Natural latex mattresses can be quite costly because producing latex is more costly than cotton: a twin Eco Rest mattress from Naturaworld with a natural costs $1,860, while an organic cotton-filled mattress from Naturepedic costs $599. While wool is a cheaper option, it is an allergen, so can trigger some unpleasant reactions.

Many mattress covers contain PVC (sometimes just labeled "vinyl"), a plastic material that is often softened artificially with chemicals called phthalates. A report on phthalates released by the National Academy of Sciences warned against the use of the chemicals on the basis that exposing animals to phthalates led to infertility and decreased sperm count. As of February 2009, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) banned the use of phthalates in all children's materials, but it's important to check the manufacturing date when buying your baby's mattress—anything manufactured before Feb. 10, 2009 may still contain the banned phthalates.

While making conscious sleeping choices can help improve the air quality in your household, it is important to remember that off-gassing takes place in all areas of the house and not just in the bedroom. If you are ready to invest in an organic mattress, consider spending a few extra dollars for organic cotton sheets and pillows as well, to eliminate other sources of VOCs in the bedroom.