What Type Of Mattress And Pillow Do You Use?

[tfcjesse]

The optimal sleeping situation seems to vary from person to person.

Wondering what the users here find ideal as far as mattress type, pillow type, and even sleeping positions. I’ve seen some recommend sleeping on the floor with only a thin blanket or mattress pad for support to benefit posture and sleep quality.

 

[Herbie]

Feng shui says that there needs to be airflow under the bed for the chi to flow,

Theres talk about the steel springs in mattresses causing stress from emf or something along those lines.

When it comes to latex mattresses, the natural latex ones have chemicals in them too, not sure if the synthetic latex vs natural latex is all that different.

I think good quality goose or duck down pillows are the best.

I read a study which says that using donnas/duvets/comforters can cause over heating and its better to use a number of wool blankets instead.

Its said that sleeping on the back is the best but I sleep on side, back, front depending.

An old worn out mattress which doesn't give support is the worst thing, sleeping on the grass would be much better.

From experience, posture is not effected by sleeping style or mattress but its used as a selling point for mattress industry because the chiropractors and osteopaths are involved and they know people have bad posture but don't really know why.

 

[Lilac]

I had been wondering for some time what the advantages of organic cotton was in clothing, sheets, and towels and only recently found out: The non-GMO cotton is not sprayed with glyphosate, which lingers in finished products. Funnily enough, I had just organized the linen closets, and I had pulled out a lot of old sheets and towels that were not being used. Thank goodness I did not give them away, because all those "vintage" pieces are organic, baby.

I also read something by Miles Mathis to the effect of: Don't bring anything plastic into your house. That makes so much sense, I can't believe I've never heard it stated so simply before. I used that advice to get rid of a lot of useless and unused plastic in the house. That idea also made me rethink man-made fibers in clothing, especially when worn close to the skin. I will apply the same to sheets and blankets and work toward natural fibers only.

 

[Prosper]

From experience, posture is not effected by sleeping style or mattress but its used as a selling point for mattress industry because the chiropractors and osteopaths are involved and they know people have bad posture but don't really know why.

Assuming that you are sleeping 8 hours every night, the postural consequences of the quality of the mattress can be huge. It's one thing to sleep your back against a hard surface that supports the spine and an excessively soft mattress that allows various parts of the spine to sink in more than others. Your claim is akin to stating that sitting in front of a computer for hours every day does not affect posture. In the end all static positions shape posture. Posture isn't some kind of grand mystery you make it out to be.

 

[Herbie]

Assuming that you are sleeping 8 hours every night, the postural consequences of the quality of the mattress can be huge. It's one thing to sleep your back against a hard surface that supports the spine and an excessively soft mattress that allows various parts of the spine to sink in more than others. Your claim is akin to stating that sitting in front of a computer for hours every day does not affect posture. In the end all static positions shape posture. Posture isn't some kind of grand mystery you make it out to be.

"An old worn out mattress which doesn't give support is the worst thing, sleeping on the grass would be much better"

Its not akin to stating that sitting in front of a computer for hours each day does not affect posture, its got nothing to do with that and is completely different set of circumstances. Sitting at a computer for 8 hours a day is maybe the worst thing modern humans are doing for posture.

Ask me further questions to clarify deeper to the context of what I wrote instead of going off the subject and comparing it to something irrelevant to sleeping and beds.

When I was mattress shopping recently all the sales people ask which position do I sleep in and I said all of them and they don't know what to do then. Laying on all the beds for a while and comparing will find whats most comfortable, the softer ones do allow the pelvis to tilt more or less and it is individual because people have different spinal curve angles, women have deeper curves than men generally.

Its said that the posture is formed by about age 15 but things can be done to improve it or make it much worse. If you have a posture which is causing pathology a mattress isn't going to magically heal the pathology, it could help but there are many other grand mystery's to uncover.

 

[Jennifer]

The optimal sleeping situation seems to vary from person to person.

Wondering what the users here find ideal as far as mattress type, pillow type, and even sleeping positions. I’ve seen some recommend sleeping on the floor with only a thin blanket or mattress pad for support to benefit posture and sleep quality.

I bought a pillow top, latex mattress when I broke my back and love it. It's like sleeping on a cloud — no pressure points from springs. The only issue I have with it is how heavy it is. It's a queen size and 14" thick and as a single, small person, trying to flip, rotate or even get a fitted sheet on it is difficult. I now use an oversized flat sheet instead.

I can't comment on pillows since I don't sleep with one, and my favorite sleeping positions are fetal and on my back with all limbs sprawled out like a star.

 

[InChristAlone]

I've been sleeping on a 3 inch futon on the floor for 3 yrs. Took some getting used to and sometimes I feel more achy in the morning than others, but I prefer a harder surface than an overly soft one. I can't stand those memory foam ones, I feel like a lead weight on them.

 

[Prosper]

Its said that the posture is formed by about age 15 but things can be done to improve it or make it much worse.

We are on agreement on every other point except this. Anatomy - both postural and structural - is dynamic throughout your life, and as you say, it is just easier to regress than progress at an adult age. There is no specific age when posture is "formed".

 

[Mark Nissel]

Three words..."incline bed therapy" (or "inclined bed therapy").

There's a serious dearth of any kind of solid scientific research on how the surface you sleep on affects the quality of that sleep. The mattress industry dominates and controls much of the research, science doesn't have a whole lot to say on the matter. My advice is don't waste your money on an expensive mattress and give "inclined bed therapy" a try.

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/aekgk4/science-wont-help-you-pick-a-better-mattress

 

[Logan-]

I had been wondering for some time what the advantages of organic cotton was in clothing, sheets, and towels and only recently found out: The non-GMO cotton is not sprayed with glyphosate, which lingers in finished products. Funnily enough, I had just organized the linen closets, and I had pulled out a lot of old sheets and towels that were not being used. Thank goodness I did not give them away, because all those "vintage" pieces are organic, baby.

I also read something by Miles Mathis to the effect of: Don't bring anything plastic into your house. That makes so much sense, I can't believe I've never heard it stated so simply before. I used that advice to get rid of a lot of useless and unused plastic in the house. That idea also made me rethink man-made fibers in clothing, especially when worn close to the skin. I will apply the same to sheets and blankets and work toward natural fibers only.

Impacts on Livestock and Human Health
Farmers across several districts of the cotton growing areas of India have reported that their livestock fell sick or died after grazing on plant debris from cleared Bt cotton fields. A report compiled by research-based groups, veterinary scientists and local farmers’ associations showed that a total of 1820 sheep died in 4 villages in one region, after grazing in Bt cotton fields.[x] No government studies have been conducted on livestock morbidity or mortality in Bt cotton areas.

Farmers and farm workers who pick Bt cotton have also complained of skin and respiratory allergic reactions. Civil society and independent scientists have conducted studies,[xi] but no government studies have been published on this human health question.

Increased Pesticides
Monsanto-Mahyco’s primary promise was that Bt cotton would reduce the amount of chemicals needed to control pests. Over the past 10 years, however, government data show that pesticide usage has stayed the same or increased across the cotton belt.1 This is due to two factors:

1. Insects have developed resistance to Bt cotton: The cotton bollworm, Bt’s target pest, developed resistance to the Cry toxin produced by Bt cotton,[xii] pushing farmers to use more pesticides to control the pest. To combat this problem, in 2006, Monsanto released a second generation of Bt cotton called Bollgard-II, which has two Bt genes instead of the original single gene in Bollgard-I.

1. Secondary pests are becoming a problem: Because of the initial reduction in bollworm populations in Bt cotton fields, pests that did not previously pose a significant threat to cotton crops, such as mealy bug, aphids and thrips, have become more prevalent.[xiii] Farmers are now using highly toxic pesticides to manage these new pest problems.
   
   

GM Cotton in the United States
In 2011, an estimated 75% of cotton in the U.S. was insect resistant (Bt) and 96% was herbicide tolerant (companies “stack” the two traits together in the one plant).[xxiv]

In the U.S., the introduction of Bt cotton is calculated to have displaced 15-million kgs (34-million lbs) of insecticide.[xxv] However, this does not include a quantification of the Bt toxin produced by the plant itself. Furthermore, a number of key target insects are beginning to show resistance to Bt.

The most recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that herbicide use on cotton has risen from 2.1 kilograms a hectare in 1996, to 3.0 kilograms a hectare in 2010.[xxvi] The development of glyphosate tolerant weeds in U.S. cotton areas is further pushing up the use of pesticides, as well as forcing many mechanized farms to resort to pulling weeds by hand.[xxvii]

The first populations of glyphosate resistant Palmer amaranth (pigweed) were confirmed in 2005 and are now an economic threat to U.S cotton production.
Genetically Modified Cotton, CBAN Factsheet - CBAN


History
Bt cotton was first approved for field trials in the United States in 1993, and first approved commercial use in the United States in 1995.[3] Bt cotton was approved by the Chinese government in 1997.[4]

In 2002, a joint venture between Monsanto and Mahyco introduced Bt cotton to India.[5]

In 2011, India grew the largest GM cotton crop at 10.6 million hectares. The U.S. GM cotton crop was 4.0 million hectares, the second largest area in the world, followed by China with 3.9 million hectares and Pakistan with 2.6 million hectares.[6] By 2014, 96% of cotton grown in the United States was genetically modified[7] and 95% of cotton grown in India was GM.[8] India is the largest producer of cotton, and GM cotton, as of 2014.
Bt cotton - Wikipedia

 

[Amazoniac]

- How to Choose an Organic Mattress

@Cirion - Have you ever been able to detect this effect regarding radiation?

 

[L_C]

I bought a pillow top, latex mattress when I broke my back and love it. It's like sleeping on a cloud — no pressure points from springs. The only issue I have with it is how heavy it is. It's a queen size and 14" thick and as a single, small person, trying to flip, rotate or even get a fitted sheet on it is difficult. I now use an oversized flat sheet instead.

I can't comment on pillows since I don't sleep with one, and my favorite sleeping positions are fetal and on my back with all limbs sprawled out like a star.

Which latex mattress did you end up buying? I need a new one too. Thanks.

 

[Jennifer]

@L_C, I bought it from foamorder.com and designed my own mattress. It was over 13 years ago so I’m not sure if the components are still the same as what I have, but I bought the layers and then added an organic pillow top mattress cover:

100% Certified Organic Mattress | FoamOrder

FoamOrder’s chemical-free, non-toxic 100% organic mattress provides support and comfort and a 100% natural restorative sleep. Shop our all natural mattresses

www.foamorder.com

Organic pillow top mattress cover:

Organic Mattress Covers | FoamOrder

Mattress covers don’t just protect your bed, they help you sleep better! Find various mattress covers, like natural hemp and organic cotton, at FoamOrder.

www.foamorder.com