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Posted 1/25/2015 8:31 PM (GMT 0)
I'm beginning to wonder if my mattress isn't part of my problem. I've been sleeping on a Tempurpedic for about 2 years now. I got it mainly so I could have something comfortable to sleep on. I fractured my L5 vertebra many years ago, and I can have quite a lot of pain in my joints. Especially my left shoulder and hip. At the time the Tempurpedic seemed like the best choice. I've done some reading about all the chemicals in it, and I'm quite concerned to keep sleeping on it.

I've been on vacation for the past 3 weeks, and I feel less toxic. I'm not sure if that's because I've been able to take detox baths almost every night or because I've been sleeping on a different mattress. Even though I haven't been eating my usual whole food, organic, GMO free, high fruit/veggie diet, and I've had some wine and dessert, I feel much less toxic.

At first I thought about finding a mattress cover that could hold in the toxins, but it doesn't look like that exists. So I'm left looking for a new mattress.

Am I over thinking this?

One brand I've been looking at is Intellibed. Any experiences with them?

Any other ideas?
Posted 1/25/2015 9:05 PM (GMT 0)
No, you're not overthinking. Tempurpedics aren't all they're cracked up to be. We got a natural latex mattress several years ago and will never go back to any other bed. It consists of 3 latex layers, soft, medium, and firm. They can be stacked in any order you want to make the support firmer of softer. It helps a lot if you and your spouse need different support since the queen and king beds have 2 stacks of latex. They are in a casing that is cotton. The best part is there is no off-gassing. I don't do well with that, so it was nice to sleep in a new bed without feeling the chemicals effects the next morning. Ours had a slight vanilla scent.

I think they're much more comfortable than Temperpedic, plus they spring back when you get out of bed, instead of leaving and imprint. It's a cooler bed too. It's much better than a spring mattress, with no pressure points.

I got a wool blanket and comforter, so moisture escapes so you don't feel clammy. We got a wool topper also.

The down side is that they're expensive, but should out last any other mattress for a long as long as you take care of them. Some stores have financing available. This is the brand we got, www.savvyrest.com/ There was a store that sold them here, so we got to try them before we bought one.

Can you tell I like our bed? LOL I forgot to mention that I had lower back pain for a long time before we got our bed and after just one night on it, my back pain was gone. We had a spring mattress before.
Posted 1/25/2015 9:13 PM (GMT 0)
My doc told me that not all paints labeled low VOC are as low as they make you think. I noticed that a few years ago when my daughter and I painted her room. I'm quite sensitive to chemical odors.
Posted 1/25/2015 9:40 PM (GMT 0)
What brand did you use? I need to see what my doc suggests too.
Posted 1/25/2015 10:39 PM (GMT 0)
If and when you do decide to get a new mattress, make sure you understand all the terms of the refund/exchange policy.

I can tell you from experience that a mattress may very well not be as represented I had 3 different mattresses before I found one on which I could actually sleep. The first one felt like sleeping on a bed of river rocks! :)

Some places will just give you your money back. Some don't allow returns. Others will let you exchange a single time. There are lots of variations. Many have exchange fees.

One persons firm is another persons soft. You have to see what's comfortable for you! Also, certain chemicals may bother you and not someone else. Also, find out if you have to keep it for so many days some have a narrow return/exchange period.

It may or may not be the mattress. Just make sure you can return it if you don't like it! You don't want to get stuck with an expensive mattress you can't return.

I have found that I prefer latex. It stays cooler. There are different kinds of latex, some of which are firmer than others. Many manufacturers use a combo of latex and memory foam. It seems like memory foam is much more prevalent these days. Then you get into chemicals used and whether you have an issue with them. You probably want you avoid off gassing as much as possible. You don't know for sure until it's in your home.

Just make sure you can return the mattress if you don't like it or if it makes you ill! I also went through a round of what I call "toxic" toppers too! The off gassing from toppers is awful, awful.

It could be something else that made you feel better while you were away or it could be that the mattress is making you feel badly. :)
Posted 1/26/2015 3:50 AM (GMT 0)
Our mattress doesn't have flame retardant or other chemicals, so I don't think there's another bed that comes close to it, except futons, which aren't very comfortable.
Posted 1/26/2015 7:07 AM (GMT 0)
You're bed frame should work. We have a wood frame with slats. We had to drive a ways to try it out. Savvy rest came out on top when I was looking into them, because each side could be adjusted. You should be able to change out the pieces, such as trading the soft for a medium so you have 2 mediums and one firm. The owners of the store we went to were very nice, changing the latex around for us to feel the changes the different arrangements create.

The main thing you have to be careful about is moving the latex pieces. You can't tug on them, because they might tear. The store you go to should show you how to move them.

I forget, are you on the east coast? I'm on the west coast and the store owner used to work for Savvy Rest They came here to set up their own business and opened a 2nd one in another town recently. Very nice people.

If you try them, I hope you'll like it as much as I did. It was so nice not to have to air it out for a week or 2 before we slept on it.
Posted 1/26/2015 1:26 PM (GMT 0)
I love my Tempur-pedic and am on my second one. Been sleeping on them for over 10 years. I've only felt mildly sick for about 3 1/2 years after getting re-infected. I know the mattress has had no influence whatsoever on how I've felt and my back felt instantly better when I first got one. I'm not saying it it can't be part of your problem but just giving you another perspective. You may just be sensitive while I'm not.
Posted 1/26/2015 6:41 PM (GMT 0)
Fire retardant laws are different by state which would effect chemical levels. If you live in a state that has a strict policy there is no work around unless you purchase out of state and transport it in yourself.

California has one of if not the strictest fire retardant laws. Even when we purchase natural clothing, bedding, or upholstery they have to meet the states requirements.

Is it possible that it's the change of climate that is making you feel better and not the change of mattress? That you are allergic to things where you live and not where you are on vacation? I only bring this up because it's a large sum of money to spend to find out the change of mattress didn't change anything.
Posted 1/26/2015 7:26 PM (GMT 0)
I think latex mattresses are exempt everywhere. Here's what Savvy Rest and others say, "The casings are made of certified organic wool and certified organic cotton. We use no chemical flame retardants (wool batting ensures that our products meet federal requirements)" There's a video somewhere showing someone trying to burn one.

As far as the cost, they last longer than other mattresses. A friend of mine has used the same latex pillow for 40 or more years and it's still in good shape. Ours doesn't show any signs of sagging and the cover looks as good as new. It's about 6 years old now. We almost bought a sleep number bed, but I came home and started looking for one that didn't use so many chemicals and that's when I came across latex beds. I read about several makers and debated about spending that much and after more reading, I decided it was a better choice since chemicals bother me so much, even after airing them out.

I don't profit from mentioning them. I just like to let people know that they don't have to put up with the chemicals in other mattresses if they don't want to.

There are wool filled futons too, that don't have the added chemicals, but they tend to get hard, so I couldn't sleep on one for years.

We got our daughter a latex topper when she went to college and it helped her sleep better. She used it about 3 years, hauling it home and back to school several times. Now it's here for good since she took my mom's bigger mattress.

I'm waiting to use ours again after the construction is done next door since it's next to our bedroom. I haven't been sleeping great since it started
Posted 1/26/2015 10:16 PM (GMT 0)
I'm 3rd generation Furniture industry. I went looking http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2013/11/21/its-official-toxic-flame-retardants-no-longer-required-in-furniture/
Posted 1/26/2015 11:10 PM (GMT 0)
That's a start and I hope they do more. I'd still rather buy from the people who are doing it correctly from the beginning, especially beds since we spend so much time with our face next to the mattress, breathing in whatever is in them. I've had my health impacted by the chemicals and now I can't tolerate them, so I have to look for things that don't add more chemicals to my environment. Now I hope to find a couch that has the same qualities, but not a futon. I may have a long wait if we get a puppy this year. They can be destructive! Our last one only tore up the lining under the couch, nothing else at all, so we got very lucky. I don't expect to be that lucky again!

Sayyadina, I'd suggest you measure the interior of your bed frame if you decide to get a mattress, just to make sure The mattress will fit. Ours is a little looser fit than I like, but that ok. It's mainly at the corners, which are a little more rounded then conventional mattresses.
Posted 1/27/2015 3:53 AM (GMT 0)
I can't spend much time in a standard bed store because of the off-gassing. We got a memory foam topper years ago and I had to leave it in the garage for 2 or 3 weeks, maybe more. Furniture stores bother me too.

If you plan to go see the latex beds, plan on staying a couple of hours to see how they feel and to see if anything bothers you. You might want to call ahead and see if they have any scented candles or anything else that would bother you. I'd be surprised if they did, but it would be good to know if they do before you drive there.

I don't do well with heat either, never have, but it's worse when I'm ill.

It's good you're doing your research before you buy anything.
Posted 1/27/2015 4:28 PM (GMT 0)
Sounds like an adjustable bed would be a good choice for you so you could stay in bed. That sounds like a very unpleasant reaction. Have you tried a humidifier? Hopefully you won't have many more episodes like that.
Posted 1/27/2015 8:28 PM (GMT 0)
Just keep in mind that wool will compact over time and get hard. I can't think of anything that wouldn't.

Ya, I wish they would bring the price down on the latex beds so more people could get one. Maybe you could barter with them, explaining that you have a chronic illness that is costing a lot.

I hope you'll notice a difference when you sleep in a different room.
Posted 1/27/2015 9:06 PM (GMT 0)
Interesting. I can send our wool topper back to the maker and I think they fluff it up again, rather than replace the wool.

You can get an electric wool carder, so you could do that part yourself. Anyone who sells spinning supplies should have them. I'll get one if I get back to doing much spinning. The hand carders are slow.

I wonder if alpaca wool compresses as much as sheep wool. Some of it is very soft, so it might be worse.
Posted 1/27/2015 9:57 PM (GMT 0)
Here's one company with wool mattresses. Some of our wool bedding came from them. http://shepherdsdream.com/product-category/wool-mattress/ They're not cheap either, but might give you some ideas for making one. There were several sites that sell them.
Posted 1/28/2015 9:16 PM (GMT 0)
That's good your detective work is helping. :) Hopefully you'll find the whole answer to your problems soon.

I came across a bed made from wool felt. I'd think it would be firm. I figured alpaca would compact more. I have some and it doesn't spring back like sheep wool. It's too bad you don't have longer wool available.

We have a spinning group here with a lot of members and some of them do felting. I'll have to go again some day and watch them do it.
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