Bambi’s Guide to Mattress and Pillow Protection
Why do I need a Mattress Protector?
As a general rule, if you have a mattress, you need a mattress protector. This is not only to protect it from stains, but also from dust mites, allergens, bacteria and mold. Also, regardless of the material, your mattress is made from, the most important factor is that your mattress should never come into contact with moisture. When moisture enters a mattress, mold and mildew can form, leading to the growth of nasty, and often harmful, bacteria. Unfortunately, many people are not aware that moisture is not only caused by spills and upsets but also occurs naturally in the body every night. In fact, on average, a person will lose almost ½ litre of fluid a night which soaks straight into the mattress. Naturally, when two people are sleeping, this goes up to nearly a litre – meaning your mattress is soaking up in excess of 350 litres of perspiration every year. In addition to this, a mattress protector will also guard against dust mites that flourish in mattresses. They thrive on shredded/dead skin – and considering we lose almost 600,000 particles of skin an hour, that’s a lot to flourish on.
Winter Warmers
We love this time of year here at Bambi, not only is the Central Coast a gorgeous place to be in the winter months but it is also our busiest time of year with production of winter quilts, electric blankets and all things snugly. After months of the warm weather it is always exciting to be dusting off the leather boots and be out showing customers our winter products.
TENCEL® – From Wood to Fiber
Tips for Hot Sleepers: 2
Hot Sleeper? Consider this: Layer your Bedding.
Every night our bodies lose moisture . The cause of this could be medical, environmental, temperature or the use of certain materials on the bed.
Tip 1 covered mattress protectors. Tip 2 looks at sheets, Pillowcases and Quilt covers.
Sheets – When it comes to thread counts ‘more’ is not necessarily better for you. There are many technical arguments for and against high thread counts which can be researched elsewhere. As a general rule, the higher the thread count the lower the breathability of the sheet. Less breathability can exacerbate excessive heat in the bed, . Thread counts of good quality sheets of around 350 – 400 should be considered.
Sheets are available in the market in a wide variety of fabrics from Microfibre (polyester) Poly/Cotton (a blend of polyester and cotton) Cotton, Tencel. Man made polyester fibres when used in sheeting, are affordable and durable but as with most polyester based products they do not breath very effectively. Tencel sheets provide excellent moisture dispersion and the fibre has natural anti allergy properties. They are the only sheets to be accepted into the Asthma councils Sensitive Choice programme.
Pillowcases – If you purchase design Quilt cover sets which include Pillowcases, be aware of the material. Many of these items are made from Polyester or a blend of Polyester and cotton (even the expensive ones). If you are using the design Pillow case as your main pillow consider that your head and face may be in contact with polyester throughout the night. Not ideal if you are a hot sleeper.
Check out our further tips for improved sleeping comfort: Underlays, Sheets, Quilts, Pillows, Quilt Covers
Tips for Hot Sleepers: 1
Hot Sleeper? Consider this: Layer your Bedding.
Every night our bodies lose moisture . The cause of this could be medical, environmental, temperature or the use of certain materials on the bed.
Actual Moisture loss quantities vary and are debated. Some suggestions are up to 1 litre a night but we suggest you conduct your own research if you need to quantify this.
The causes and implications of moisture loss are connected to the different conditions which exist in our bodies or our bedroom. Much of the moisture will find its way into your bedding and ultimately your mattress itself. Check your pillow, sheets and mattress for yellowing. if they are then that’s usually caused by moisture .
Moisture in bedding can contribute to the growth of bacteria which in turn could exasperate allergies in some people. In addition moisture can also be one of the factors exacerbating ‘Hot Sleeping’ experiences.
We recommend the selection of material in your bedding which will disperse moisture away from your body. Consider your current bedding and work from the mattress up.
Select a waterproof protector with a natural fibre upper layer (the waterproof layer should be in contact with your mattress). The waterproof layer is almost always a Polyester based product, currently the best material to create a moisture barrier. Where possible add an additional quilted protector layer. These are also Mattress Protectors but do not have a waterproof component. This item is normally filled and covered with Cotton or Tencel for improved breathability and will act as a barrier between your body and the waterproof component.
Where possible try to minimize the use of Polyester based or filled products. These are man made fibres and whilst low cost, they do not disperse moisture as well as natural fibres do.
Check out our further tips for improved sleeping comfort: Underlays, Sheets, Quilts, Pillows, Quilt Covers
Random facts
There is an old wives tale that children should not have cheese before bedtime to prevent bad dreams and nightmares.
And in a ‘Christmas Carol’, Ebenezer Scrooge blamed cheese for causing his ghostly nightmares. He only ate “a crumb” but the idea that cheese gives you nightmares still persists.
But researchers have disproved this old wife’s tale and found that cheese could actually aid sleep.
In 2005 the British Cheese Board carried out a major study to investigate whether eating cheese before bedtime gives you nightmares.
More than 75% of the 200 volunteers who took part who ate 20g of cheese before bed-time, claimed they had an undisturbed sleep.
They didn’t have nightmares though most of them could recall their normal dreams.
Surprisingly it seemed that selecting the type of cheese eaten before bedtime may have helped determine the very nature of their colourful and vivid dreams.
It seemed that Stilton caused the most bizarre dream involving such things as talking soft toys vegetarian crocodile and dinner party guests being traded for camels.
Almost two-thirds of volunteers eating Cheddar reported dreaming about celebrities,
More than six out of 10 volunteers eating red Leicester had nostalgic dreams about their past, including school days and childhood friends.
However those volunteers eating Cheshire cheese had a perfect night’s sleep which was completely dreamless.
But there is a substance contained in cheese which might be pertinent here – tryptophan. It is an amino acid found in various foods and the body uses it to produce serotonin, a chemical messenger associated with stable mood and sound sleep.
The overall conclusion of the study was that cheese is a perfectly safe late night snack.*
Probably a FACT!
*[Cheese, especially aged cheese, contains substantial amountS of tyramine. For this reason, persons taking antidepressants drugs are cautioned to avoid foods that are rich in tyramine so that any side effects can be avoided]
