Habitat Furnishings

January 15, 2010

The Health Benefits of a Natural Latex Mattress

Filed under: Latex Mattress, Natural Latex Mattresses, Sleep and Health — Tags: Latex Mattress, latex mattresses, natural latex, natural latex mattress, Natural Latex Mattresses — angefantasyfit @ 7:26 pm

Everyone is looking for a comfortable mattress, but what about a mattress that can provide health benefits?  A 100% natural latex mattress can do just that.  It’s not only comfortable and durable, but it provides health benefits that no other mattress can equal.

The article entitled The Story behind Organic Latex Mattresses is what got me thinking about this topic.  Most people don’t think about health benefits from their mattress.  They just want to be comfortable and get a good night’s sleep (which is also necessary for good health).

The reason a natural latex mattress is so healthy is that it is antimicrobial, dust mite free, and resists mold and mildew.  When I read about how much dust and grime is in even the cleanest traditional mattress, I cringe.  I have pretty severe environmental allergies and dust mites are one of my bad allergens.  We all have dust around our houses, in our carpets, on our blinds, etc., but why lie right in it?

Unfortunately, up to 80% of the latex mattresses being sold today are actually made synthetically using petrochemicals. Those who sell these mattresses claim they are just as good as a 100% natural latex mattress, but this simply isn’t true.  They also claim they are cheaper.  The problem with that logic is that a natural latex mattress is much more durable than a synthetic one.  A natural latex mattress doesn’t develop the dips and sways that are common in a synthetic latex mattress.  This makes the natural latex mattress much more cost effective and a better bang for your buck.

A natural latex mattress does provides some great health benefits, but don’t be scammed by the “pretenders.”  To learn the difference between a true natural latex mattress and a synthetic latex mattress, go to Habitat Furnishings – the web’s specialty bedding experts.

January 2, 2010

Teen Depression May Be Thwarted by Earlier Bedtimes

Filed under: Sleep and Health — angefantasyfit @ 4:28 pm

In the article, Earlier Bedtimes May Fight Teen Depression, by Bill Hendrick, the author reports that teens whose parents have set earlier bedtimes are less likely to be depressed or have suicidal thoughts than those who have later bedtimes.

In the January 1, 2010 issue of Sleep, researchers reported that youth whose parents set bedtimes of midnight or later were 24% more likely to be depressed and 20% more likely to have suicidal thoughts than youth who had bedtimes of 10 p.m. or earlier.  The study suggests that adequate sleep may offer youth some protection from depression and suicidal thoughts.

The study said that adolescents who reported they usually slept five or few hours per night were 71% more likely to be depressed and 48% more likely to have suicidal thoughts than those who reporting sleeping eight hours per night.  Since depression can cause sleeplessness and changes in sleep patterns, my question here is which came first, the chicken or the egg?  Were these adolescents already depressed and that caused them to sleep less?

The study collected data from 15,659 adolescents and their parents in a school-based sample of students between 1994 and 1996.

Since lack of sleep can cause moodiness, health-related issues, and the inability to deal with the daily stresses of life, it is fair to say that there is a correlation between the lack of sleep and depression in adolescents, but it’s not clear by what I read here if there is a cause and effect relationship.

One cause of inadequate sleep is sleeping on an uncomfortable bed.  More and more people are finding that specialty beds, like the natural latex mattress and the air bed, can help you sleep better.  To learn more about latex mattresses and air beds, check out Habitat Furnishings.

December 30, 2009

Managing Stress in the New Year

Filed under: General Health, Sleep and Health — angefantasyfit @ 8:49 pm

In the article, Health & Beauty BreakDowns:  Managing Holiday Stress, Dr. Ronald Downs offers a few tips you can use to manage stress so it doesn’t affect your health.

To read details about each tip you can click on the link above, but here they are in a nutshell:

Take calm-down breaks
This includes:  7-8 hours of sleep per night, leisure time and breaks, quiet time to meditate or pray, massage, facials or manicure/pedicures, deep breathing from the diaphragm to oxygenate your system and slow your heartbeat

Get moving
Exercise regularly.  This helps your body, your brain, and your mood.

Eat real foods most of the time
This includes:  Eat a nutritious breakfast; choose fresh fruit, veggies, and whole grains; cut down on salt, sugar, preservatives, additives, and fat; don’t overindulge on caffeine or alcohol

Make “Nice to Do For Me” and “Need To Do For You” lists
Be realistic about what you can do.  Take care of one item at a time, but don’t procrastinate.

DARE to relieve stress
D is for Diet – make healthy choices
A is for Attitude and Awareness – learn to handle stress and accept what you can’t change
R is for Rest, Relaxation, and Relationships – make time for sleep and make alone time
E is for Exercise – get moving

We know that one way to help relieve stress is by getting a good night’s sleep.  This is so crucial for our health and well-being.  In order to sleep well you need a comfortable mattress.  Check out a natural latex mattress and an air bed to see which mattress is right for you.

Dangers Lurking Within Your Mattress

Filed under: Latex Mattress, Natural Latex Mattresses, Sleep and Health — angefantasyfit @ 7:46 pm

The post Dangers Hidden in Your Mattress by Rex M. caught my eye (as it was certainly meant to do).  I guessed that it would be talking about chemicals that could be in your mattress and I was right about that.

Many people look for a cheap mattress, but should you really just go for cheap when you are purchasing something you spend eight hours a day on?  We spend more time on our mattresses than any other piece of furniture.  Our body and our mind rejuvenate during sleep and a good night’s sleep is crucial to our health and well being.

Conventional mattresses can be breeding grounds for dust mites, mold, and mildew. Yuck!  Many types of mattresses are made using synthetic petrochemicals, including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), potentially harmful chemicals which are sometimes used as flame retardants.

A safe 100% natural latex mattress is free of PBDEs, antimicrobial, antibacterial, dust mite free and resists mold and mildew.  If you are looking for a safe and healthy alternative to sleeping with chemicals and some really dirty stuff, a natural latex mattress is for you.  Not only that, a natural latex mattress is extremely comfortable and really durable.  In the long haul, this makes latex mattresses very cost effective.

December 29, 2009

Man Stays Awake for 11 Days

Filed under: Air Bed, Latex Mattress, Natural Latex Mattresses, Sleep and Health — angefantasyfit @ 11:22 am

When I saw the article entitled How can someone stay awake for 11 days? my first thought was – Why on Earth would someone want to stay awake that long?! The guy had to be nuts! (My opinion because I could never imagine even trying that.)

Apparently there used to be a category for this in the Guinness Book of World Records but the category is no longer acknowledged and was removed entirely in 1989 due to the fact that it is too dangerous.  A previous record acknowledged by the famous record book was 264 hours (exactly 11 days) set in 1964 by a 17-year-old American boy.  Some claim that the 1964 record was beaten by a Finnish man who went 276 hours without sleep and that the record was in the Guinness Book until the category was removed entirely in 1989.

How did Tony Wright, the English man who claims to be the new record holder, stay awake for over 11 days?  Who cares?!  The record doesn’t exist and going without sleep that long is extremely dangerous.  On the fifth day of Wright’s experiment he wrote in his blog that he saw “giggling dancing pixies and elves” in place of the text on his computer screen.  If that isn’t enough for someone to realize they are putting their brain and body in serious jeopardy, I don’t know what is!

Even small amounts of sleep deprivation are unhealthy and put a tremendous amount of strain on the body and brain.  Sleepy drivers are a dangerous threat on our roads and sleepy workers are less productive than rested ones.  In order to stay happy and healthy, people need to get enough proper sleep.  One way to improve your sleep is by making sure you are sleeping on a comfortable bed.  Two specialty beds that are rapidly gaining popularity for their comfort are the air bed and the natural latex mattress.  Check them out to see how you can sleep more easily.

December 27, 2009

Sleep Facts and Your Mattress

Filed under: Latex Mattress, Mattress, Natural Latex Mattresses, Sleep and Health — angefantasyfit @ 11:14 am

In the Bedzine.com article Bed, Mattress and Sleep Facts the unnamed author points out some very interesting (and sometimes gross) things about our mattresses and beds.  Since there are no citations for the article, I’m not sure how many of these things are actually verifiable “facts,” but they are interesting.

Here are a few of my favorites and my comments on each:

*We use our beds more than any other item of furniture.  (This is an obvious one.)

*The average life of a mattress is 10 years.  (Our high quality latex mattresses and air beds have a 20 year warranty.)

*A comfortable bed will give you around one hour’s extra sleep a night.  (This is a huge reason to have a comfortable bed.)

*You move approximately 60 – 70 times a night with up to a dozen full body turns.  (That is amazing!  I know some people who don’t move that much in a day!)

*You grow 2 cm during the night because your spine is compressed during the day and has a chance to straighten at night.  (I’m not sure if you can call this “growing,” but is this why I feel like I look thinner in the morning?)

*85% of doctors believe there is a link between old beds and asthma.  (Very interesting.  I would love to read the research on this.)

*Your mattress can double in weight with dust over 10 years.  (Gross!  This is why people should get a natural latex mattress – it’s dust mite free.)

*10% of your pillow weight may be made up of dead dust mites.  (Time for a new pillow!)

If you don’t want to deal with all this nastiness (it’s grossing me out just writing about it!), check out a natural latex mattress.  100% natural latex is antimicrobial, antibacterial, dust mite free, and inhibits mold and mildew.

December 22, 2009

Sleep Inducing Milk

Filed under: Air Bed, Sleep and Health — angefantasyfit @ 3:04 pm

Brian Yalung introduces us to sleep inducing milk in Sleep Inducing Milk Being Tested in Taiwan.  According to the article, New Image Group is currently working on a new sleep inducing milk for those who have trouble sleeping.

According to the article, the milk has high levels of peptides (or protein fractions), which are believed (who believes?) to help people sleep.  This sleep inducing milk could be on the market by the middle of 2010.

Are you kidding me?  There better be a lot of heavy duty research behind this before people start to drink altered milk to sleep better.  I’m sure you would seem to sleep much better if your milk contained narcotics or depressants too, but that doesn’t sound like a good idea either.

What sounds better than altered milk is a comfortable bed.  Why not check out our custom designed air bed before pouring something into your body that is probably best left in the lab?

Sleep Stages

Filed under: Air Bed, Latex Mattress, Natural Latex Mattresses, Sleep and Health — angefantasyfit @ 2:36 pm

The Bedzine.com article Stages of Sleep is written by “guest.”  It seems factual, but since there are no references cited, I would say it is pleasure reading rather than non-fiction.

My interest in the stages of sleep comes from being tested in a sleep lab when I was diagnosed with a sleep disorder.  I find it fascinating that by hooking a bunch of wires and sleep machines to you that researchers can actually tell how long it takes to get to each stage of sleep, what stage of sleep you are in, and how long you stay in each stage.  Having this type of ability has allowed researchers learn so much about how we sleep and how we should sleep.

In the end, it was determined that I get to deep sleep very quickly, but that I fall asleep abnormally too fast in the day.  The researcher said, “Ahhh, you sleep so well…”  Too bad it was 2 p.m.

One thing many people have learned is that in order to sleep well, you need to have a comfortable bed.  The latex mattress, or, more specifically, the natural latex mattress is becoming more and more popular as people understand the importance of good sleep to their health and well-being.  Another comfortable bed that you should look into to improve your sleep is a custom designed air bed.

December 20, 2009

Sleep Tips for Happy Sleeping

Filed under: Sleep and Health, Sleeping Tips — angefantasyfit @ 7:45 pm

In the article, Happy Sleeping!!, the author, V.B.S. Aishwarya passes on tips for happy and healthful sleeping.  These tips include:

Stick to a schedule – Wake up and go to bed around the same time everyday.

Sleep only at night – Avoid daytime sleep if possible.  If that is not possible, limit daytime sleep to a 20 minute nap.

Exercise – Daily exercise helps you sleep better, but do not exercise too close to bedtime.  Exercising too close to bedtime will make it difficult to fall asleep.

Take a hot shower or bath – Taking a hot shower or bath helps relax you and helps you fall asleep more easily.

Avoid caffeine – Caffeine is a stimulant and will keep you awake.

Read a fiction book – This will help take you away from your stressful life and make it easier to fall asleep.

Keep the bedroom cool – Studies have shown that optimal sleeping temperature is approximately 65 degrees.

Eat a balanced diet - This is a great overall health tip, just like exercise.  Eating too much or too little will make it difficult to sleep.

Another way to sleep well is to have a comfortable mattress.  More and more people are finding comfortable sleep with a specialty mattress, like an air bed or 100% natural latex mattress.  You can learn more about how an air mattress or latex mattress can help you sleep by going to Habitat Furnishings.

December 14, 2009

Could Your Bed Be Making You Sick?

Filed under: Latex Mattress, Natural Latex Mattresses, Sleep and Health — angefantasyfit @ 10:09 am

I found this interesting article with a research survey that addresses the issue of sleep and your health.  This includes how much sleep people need, how they are affected by not getting enough sleep, and how an uncomfortable bed can affect your sleep and your health.

Scientists and medical researchers have long known the link between getting enough sleep and good health.  This survey and article takes this a step further and addresses how an uncomfortable bed affects your sleep, and, therefore, your overall health.

Another factor in keeping your bed primed for optimal sleep is what it is made of.  An all natural latex mattress helps keep you healthy by being anti-bacterial, preventing dust mites, and inhibiting mold and mildew growth.  Unfortunately, about 80% of latex mattresses that claim to be “all natural” actually contain petrochemical synthetic latex, not botanical natural latex.  To make sure you know the difference between synthetic latex and 100% all natural latex, check out our All Natural Latex Mattress page.

To read this article in its entirety, go to http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/could-your-bed-be-making-you-sick-79223417.html.

September 20, 2007

Alert: Carcinogenic Adhesives Used In “Natural” Latex Beds

Filed under: Latex Mattress, Natural Latex Mattresses, Sleep and Health — marc @ 9:33 am

Lately, I’ve received a number of calls from customers asking us very specifically about the adhesives we use in our Natural latex mattresses.  We carry only two models, the 6″ slightly firmer Natural Latex Mattress, and our cushier, plusher, 8″ Natural Latex Mattress. With the 6″ model, there are no layers laminated together, so the adhesive issue is not applicable, but we do layer together our 8″ model, which consists of our base 6″ firmer layer, and our 2″ softer blend up top. Offering a totally “green” Natural Botanical Latex mattress is not easy to do…when you consider that most mattresses, whether conventional innerspring or pillowtop, the leading brand of visco-elastic memory foam, or even a “natural” latex mattress, contains, almost always, a formaldehyde type adhesive. These compounds are volatile organic compound type glues that potentially can off gas fumes and vapors for years. These materials have also been found to be carcinogenic. To defeat this, we spend a lot of time and energy trying to find a “natural” glue to maintain the integrity and true to form,  ”All Natural Botanical Product” that we offer.

Our adhesive is commercially known as Simalfa 308, and despite it’s spiffy and kind of “chemical” sounding name, it is one of the more robust, cutting edge, completely safe and non-toxic adhesives available. It costs more to use, but it’s made from liquid natural latex and acrylic resin (like the acrylic used in artist’s paint, non-toxic), is water based, contains NO Volatile Organic Compounds (offgassing compounds that produce vapors) and is technically inert. Always wanting to field test everything that goes into our beds, we took a piece of laminated (glued) latex mattress, and tried to rip it into two pieces, at the seam where it was glued suing our Simalfa latex adhesive- and we tore the latex in half along the edges, the seamed pieces remaining completely tightly sealed.

If you’re considering a latex mattress, a memory foam bed, even a conventional mattress, ASK specifically-what adhesives are used? Are they water based? Are they VOC’s?  We’re proud to offer our totally Natural Latex Mattress with the safest water based adhesives available. Hey, we sleep on our own beds, along with our kids, cats, and dogs, too!

July 10, 2007

The New Fire Regulations..And Our Unique Cover!

Filed under: Bedding, Sleep and Health — marc @ 11:48 am

    The new federal fire codes for mattresses manufactured in the U.S. went into effect on July 1, 2007. The regulations, collectively known as CFR Part 1633, require that all mattress products meet rigid open flame testing which essentially meets or exceeds even the tough California regulations. Many of our customers have asked me, “How do you guys meet the code..do you use any of the notorious PBDE chemicals, brominated materials, or other chemicals?”. I certainly understand the concern, especially since we sell a botanical product that is all natural, with no petroleum based compounds anywhere near our product. First, to put everyone’s mind at ease, PBDE’s (polybrominated diethyl ethers) aren’t even used in the U.S. any longer to treat foam or other materials, and haven’t even been manufactured here since January of 2005.

What’s really cool, though, is how our manufacturer, and our resident “in-house” textiles expert, Mark, developed an innovative, all natural covering for our Natural Latex mattresses, which meets the CFR Part 1633 regulations. Up until July 1, 2007, our Natural Latex mattress came with an organic cotton cover, that had no fire retardant material or qualities in it. So, we wanted to use the organic cotton cover as the main element of our exterior casing, because everyone loved the wonderful feel of the material and the fact that the fiber itself was not harvested from cotton product using herbicides, pesticides, or other chemicals.

The organic cotton cover we offer now has an additional blend of wool fiber called wool “vissle” woven into it. The wool fiber is encased with silica (not be confused with colored silica gel, which is toxic because of dyes added to the sand), which of course, is made from… pure sand. The process is unique, and involves mixing the wool fiber with a slurry made using the silica material, so that it coats the wool fiber, basically coating it with a protective and fire resistant layer of flexible glass (no, it’s not scratchy like fibreglass, and in fact, is remarkably soft, soothing, and insulative, like the flexible coating on speaker wire, for example). The end result is an all natural, fire resistant fiber covering which is chemical free, and because of the wool vissle, provides insulation so the material sleeps cool in summer, warm in winter. We’re really excited about it, and everyone who’s received them on our new compliant product, has raved about the unique qualities of the fiber.

Let us know what you think of our new organic covering!

Powered by WordPress