We go to bed to rest, recuperate and rejuvenate.
The health benefits of a good night’s sleep are well documented; with medical experts worldwide agreeing that sleep not only keeps you looking younger but also keeps the brain and body feeling younger too. From your own experience you will have felt the difference in your performance following eight hours undisturbed shut-eye, as opposed to a night spent tossing and turning between the sheets.
However, as far as sleeping healthily goes, not all beds are created equal. Sleeping on a 100% all natural latex mattress from Willow provides, far and away, the healthiest night’s sleep you can get. Here’s why:
- A Willow mattress is made of natural latex (and nothing else) making it completely toxin free
- A Willow mattress is naturally hypoallergenic
- A Willow mattress is resistant to mould and mildew
- A Willow mattress is an inhospitable environment for dust mites
- A Willow mattress is naturally antimicrobial
1. Toxin Free
Studies show that the average mattress contains a cocktail of nasties, including toxic chemicals and poisonous flame retardants that can lead to long term disease, skin irritations and respiratory problems. One chemical used in some mattresses is Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (PBDE). This chemical can build up in your body over time and research indicates that conditions such as thyroid problems and decreased sperm quality are linked to exposure to PBDE. Additionally synthetic mattresses have also been shown to contain and expel Boric Acid (used to kill cockroaches) and Formaldehyde. Once you know just how toxic many foam and spring based mattresses are, it makes it difficult to see how sleeping on one can be healthy!
The only toxin-free mattress choice is 100% natural latex. Latex is the sap from the rubber tree and is therefore a wholly natural product. If a mattress is 100% natural latex nothing has been added to it during the manufacturing process. This means no added binders, fillers or chemicals. Be aware that some latex mattresses are made of synthetic latex or are a hybrid mix of both natural and synthetic latex or may have had chemicals used or added during manufacture. The Willow latex mattress is certified as 100% natural by the ECO-INSTITUTE which tests and certifies products to the strictest requirements on pollutants and emissions.
2. Hypoallergenic
If a product is hypoallergenic it means that the substance and fabrication of the product will not cause an allergic reaction for the majority of people. As a Willow mattress is 100% natural latex there is nothing added, nothing chemical, nothing to act as an irritant. Many people who have found themselves waking with stuffy noses, watery eyes or skin irritations after a night sleeping on a synthetic mattress find sleeping on 100% natural latex to provide much-needed allergy relief.
There are, of course, some people who are allergic to rubber latex and who might be worried about sleeping on a mattress made from it. Although right to be cautious, there is however no research or scientific study which shows that, once processed from its natural form in to a mattress, the latex causes allergy. Furthermore, a Willow mattress is wrapped in a 100% organic cotton cover.
3. Resistant to mould and mildew
A Willow 100% natural mattress has an open-cell structure. During the manufacturing process when the latex is whipped with air hundreds of pin core holes are created meaning that natural latex is the most breathable of all mattress materials. Additionally the deep cylindrical holes that are bored vertically through the mattress and which create the variance in the mattress firmness have the added bonus of allowing air to move through the mattress core. This exceptional air circulation ensures that the mattress remains ventilated and all moisture is naturally whisked away. Whereas the moisture in a foam or spring mattress is a breeding ground for mould and mildew, a 100% natural latex mattress stays dry. Sleeping in Singapore with its high humidity and heat, especially during rainy season, makes a 100% natural latex mattress the only sensible choice for this climate.
4. Inhospitable to dust mites
Dust mites are not dangerous (unless you develop an allergy) but they are disgusting. A study by the University of Ohio demonstrated that a typical used mattress has anywhere from 100,000 to one million dust mites inside. And each mite will deposit its feces in the mattress and in your pillow. In fact, after two years 10% of a pillow’s weight is made up of dust mites and their droppings. Eurgh!
Dust mites need two things to survive and thrive; firstly food and secondly water. As a result of the exceptional air circulation which keeps a latex mattress drier than any other kind of mattress, dust mites find themselves too thirsty to survive in a 100% natural latex mattress. Secondly, dust mites eat dead skin cells. All humans shed skin in bed and all mattresses will to some extent have dead skin flakes in and upon them, however dust mites are fussy eaters; they prefer skin flakes that have already been partially decomposed by fungus. 100% natural latex contains within it inherent anti-fungal properties (see below). A foam or spring mattress presents food and drink for dust mites in the way of an ‘all you can eat’ buffet; a 100% natural latex mattress puts dust mites on a diet!
5. Anti-microbial
If a material is anti-microbial this means that it has the properties that inhibit the growth and reproduction of microbes. Fungus is a microbe. Bacteria are microbes. Scientific research has shown that 100% natural latex has a naturally occurring protein called hevein which is capable of destroying or inhibiting the growth of some disease-causing microorganisms such as candida and aspegillus (A) niger. Work supported in part by a grant from the National Fund for Scientific Research (Belgium) also shows that hevein can inhibit the growth of certain fungal pathogens. As well as the impact this has upon the dust mite population, this property of 100% natural latex makes for an altogether healthier sleep surface than any other mattress material.
You are going to spend approximately a third of your life asleep in your bed. Choose a 100% natural latex mattress for a cleaner, healthier, happier sleep.