It used to be that the only thing you had to think about when choosing a mattress was first, could you afford it, and second, was it comfortable. Many of us were well into our thirties before we we even bought a new mattress because family would gift us with their cast offs!
Now, buying a mattress has become a bit of a minefield. Whereas in days gone by mattresses were made with simple, natural fillings, the advent of oil meant that polyesters and foams became the go-to fillings for many manufacturers. Man made fillings were cheaper and easier to work with than that old fashioned natural stuff, and there was more profit to be made as well. Of course oil based materials burn very easily, so fire retardants became the order of the day as well.
But then some people started getting ill. The cocktail of chemicals that's used to produce man made fillings, which are then topped up with fire retardant, can affect ones health.
Another problem has arisen with metal springs. It's difficult to believe, but a compass drawn across the surface of a sprung mattress swings wildly round and round. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes! Is this a problem? Well, some people believe that the electromagnetic field that's produced by the springs is detrimental to health.
So while the price of a mattress, and whether it's comfortable, are still really important when you're choosing a mattress, there are other things to take into account. Choosing organic means that you do away with the chemicals, choosing a latex or a fibre mattress means that you don't have to have springs. If there's one thing that the pandemic has highlighted it's that our health is the most important thing we have, so next time you're choosing a mattress make sure you find out exactly what you'll be sleeping on.
