There is no better feeling then crawling into bed after a long day of work. You hurt. You’re tired. You just want to lay there and drift off the sleep. What you don’t want to worry about are the ways that your mattress could be adversely affecting your health. However, be warned, if you wake stuffed up, in pain, or feeling lousy, you might have issues with your mattress.
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Dust Mites
Dust mites are microscopic creatures that love to feed off the dead human skin found in household dust. A distant relative of ticks and spiders, dust mites typically are found in warm and humid locations, such as bedding, mattresses, and furniture. You cannot see dust mites, but they are everywhere.
Img source: bhg.com.au
Those who are allergic to dust mites actually have an allergy to their feces and decaying bodies. These allergies can cause a person to cough, sneeze, have a running nose, or itchy eyes. As though laying in a bug’s feces is not gross enough, feeling the effects of an allergy to that feces is even worse.
While it is impossible to completely rid your home of dust mites, as disgusting as they sound, you can do some things to reduce the number of dust mites you have in your bed.
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- Purchase an allergy-proof mattress cover
- Purchase an allergy-proof pillow cover
- Wash your bedding weekly in hot water
- Vacuum weekly
- Dust weekly
Again, it is impossible to remove all dust mites from your house, but you can make sleeping a more comfortable experience by following this advice.
Img source: edmonds-chiropractor.com
Back and Neck Pain
According to the sleepei.com poorly supporting mattress can cause back and neck pain. If you have any sagging or lumps in your mattress your body will not get the proper support a mattress was designed to give you. This will cause you to wake up in pain.
The way to combat this, if you cannot afford a new mattress, is by using a mattress topper that evens out the surface of your mattress. Also, make sure that you have good, supporting pillows to eliminate potential neck problems.
Night Sweats
Sometimes a dense foam mattress can trap heat that is released from your body, and cause you to sweat in your sleep. While there may also be a medical cause for night sweats, your mattress can also be the culprit. Before rushing to the doctor, try to wear lightweight pajamas; not flannels. Also, use a lightweight set of sheets, as well. Finally, you can purchase a mattress topper that contains cooling gel, which is designed to keep you from overheating at night.
Img source: mattressadvisor.com
Mattress Firmness
If you have a particularly firm mattress, this can cause you to wake with joint pain. When you lay on your mattress, you want it to have the right amount of giving so that it cradles and supports your body properly; not so hard that it mimics laying on the floor or so soft that you sink into it and it hugs you.
A mattress that is too firm will cause extra pressure in areas like your hips, knees, shoulders, and back. This can cause you to wake up in pain. If your mattress is too firm, consider purchasing a quality mattress topper.
Aside from causing you to be in pain and tired in the morning, a poor-quality mattress can wreak havoc on your overall well-being. Studies have shown that those who do not get an adequate night’s sleep may develop chronic health issues and diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and even premature death. You can start your track to a healthier you by buying a quality mattress.
