If you’ve been a reader of mine for a while you know that I talk a lot about a health lifestyle. Nutrition, chiropractic, essential oils, exercise and more. One thing I haven’t talked about is being cautious about what you sleep on. When you think about it, it makes sense. You spend a third of your life sleeping. If the materials we are sleeping on are not good for our health, how will that affect us, especially over a long period of time? Many sleepers report sensitivities to many of the materials that are in common use in today’s mattresses. Some of their complaints include headaches, rashes, and other allergic reactions. Also, a slight misalignment in your sleeping can also affect your spine and cause back and neck pain. Recent data suggests that 70 million people in the US report suffering from this type of sleep related pain.
Many of these complaints are due to the various synthetic materials that are added into mattresses. For example, nearly all mattresses use different types of foam as the primary cushioning layer. The primary ingredient that goes into foams are petroleum based chemicals, which when broken down, release toxic fumes. This “off-gassing” contains chemicals that are known carcinogens. Compounded by this problem is the fact that recently, the federal government required that all mattresses be fire retardant. Unfortunately the cheapest way to make a mattress fire retardant is to use chemicals such as boric acid. This chemical has been shown to have health effects in animals and is so toxic that Europe is phasing out the use if it completely. So if almost all mattresses use foam, and foam isn’t good for you, what should you use? Doctors including allergists, oncologists, and immunologists have suggested that the ideal mattress should use non-toxic, hypo-allergenic, anti-microbial, and anti-fungal characteristics. A new material called Intelli-Gel is able to meet all of these requirements.
In addition to the toxic components to a mattress we also have to look at the alignment of your body when sleeping on a mattress. Many mattress manufacturers have chosen to focus more on the comfort of the hips and the shoulders when making a mattress, which while initially may be more comfortable to sleep on, cause the spine to be misaligned. Foam beds such as Tempur-Pedic and Airbeds like the Sleep Number Bed are good examples of these types of mattresses. Foam is especially problematic as it will soften significantly as you use the mattress. The very best foams will soften nearly 20% over the life of the bed, and most of the foams used in mattresses soften by 50%! Air mattresses may work if pumped up to be sufficiently firm, but then manufacturers also add the soft foams on top of the air chambers that give us the same problem found in other foam mattresses.
So how do we find a mattress that provides the firm alignment that we need in our back, yet provide a comfortable surface that doesn’t cause our hips and shoulders to be sore? A recent hospital technology called Intelli-Gel has been released for use in retail mattresses sold by IntelliBED. The material is a co-polymer gel that has been used in burn patient units and long-term care facilities because it has been clinically proven to cure the worst types of bedsores. However, the thing that makes Intelli-Gel truly unique is the fact that while it is soft on the hips and the shoulders, it remains firm for the back, making it the only mattress that provides alignment for the spine and comfort for the hips and the shoulders at the same time.
I have taken the time to research the major mattress retail products and has identified intelliBED as the first true medical-grade sleep surface available for home use. By using co-polymer intelli-Gel® in place of foam, intelliBED’s provide superior comfort and support without harmful off-gassing and they wear 2-3 times better than any of the foam mattresses. Deep, healing sleep is fundamental to your health. If you have questions about the quality of your sleep or what sleep surface and pillow is best for you, ask me. I can help! Also, IntelliBED mattresses all use natural silica for fire blocking and organic cotton or cotton polyester for the quilt layer to create the safest, most durable sleep surface available for home use.
We purchased a King sized Intellibed at the beginning of this year and it is the most comfortable bed that I’ve ever slept on. The first night we slept on it I noticed no off gassing and didn’t get a headache or any other reaction to the mattress. In addition to that I could feel that my spine was in the best alignment throughout the whole night and I woke feeling rested and comfortable. We also own their pillows and they are also made of the Intelli-gel and are comfortable, supportive and the perfect addition to be used with the intelliBED.
Save 10% by using the code: DrMeghanBirt42
I have negotiated a 10% discount for all of my patients if they use this code DrMeghanBirt42, plus intelliBED offers a 60-day 100% money back guarantee, including free return shipping. They prefer you to call (888) 435-2339 so they can have their consultants walk you through which intelliBED is best for you.
You can also go online www.intellibed.com/scheduleconsult to schedule a time for one of their consultants to contact you at your convenience. This is the best way to get every one of your questions answered.
*I understand that it’s not in everyone’s budget to purchase a healthy mattress right away. We waited 3.5 years and saved up to make this purchase. The mattress that we were using had off-gassed already and we knew that it wasn’t causing harm to our health. When we moved in 2014 and needed a new mattress, it was the time to invest in a healthy and supportive mattress. Keep saving up and there will be a time you can invest in a quality mattress.
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