Memory Foam Mattress - Will a Convoluted Airflow Layer Keep Your Bed Cool?

Memory foam mattresses are a relatively new development in the luxury bedding market, only having been out for a little over 10 years now. Most people grew up sleeping on an innerspring mattress and are familiar with their construction and feel. But the make up of memory foam beds is a new consideration and it makes comparison shopping difficult for first time consumers.

Different mattress makers are building their beds with different configurations of foam, and everyone says their way is the best. There are many innovative construction techniques that contribute to some really nice foam beds. However there are other constructions that don't have value, but get perpetuated in the marketplace because everyone is following the sales leaders.

One construction technique that has no value, but a lot of mattress makers are using it, is the convoluted airflow layer. A convoluted airflow layer is simply a layer of polyurethane base foam (not memory foam) that has been run through a convoluting machine to give it a ripple or wave pattern. This base foam layer is placed below the memory foam layer for the purpose of creating airflow channels to vent heat away from the body.

The convoluted airflow layer is the supposed to be the answer to memory foam overheating. In fact one of the biggest complaints about memory foam beds is that they get too hot for some people. So, manufacturers experimented with convoluted foam to see if it would help keep the mattress cool. The idea is that it will allow air to circulate along through the open spaces, replacing warm air near your body with cooler air from outside the mattress. They found that the convoluted layer didn't help keep the bed cool at all, but customers liked the idea of it, and this helped sell more beds.

Reasons to Be Skeptical of Convoluted Airflow Layers

First, memory foam beds are at least 2 layers of foam laminated (glued) together. If the bed has a convoluted layer, then this adds a third layer. Other layers can include super soft pillow top layers on top of the bed and base layers of different firmness. When a memory foam layer is glued on top of a convoluted layer, the convoluted bumps flatten out and stick to the bottom of the memory foam layer. The edges of the convoluted layer are not glued, so from the outside of the mattress, it still looks like it might work. But if you were to look at a cross section cutaway from the bed, you would see that no air could possibly squeeze through.

Second, even if the airflow layer was not glued (as in a component bed), the convolutions or channels would not circulate a significant amount of air (if any at all). The sides of the bed, where the outside air would be pulled into the mattress are covered first by the mattress cover, then by the sheets, then by the blankets, comforter, etc. Certainly it's not an ideal ventilation system.

Third, there are no studies to back up the assertion that airflow layers work. One could be done simply. In fact, there is an airflow study that is commonly done to check the airflow of open cell foam.

How Memory Foam Mattresses Can Prevent Sleep Deprivation

Most people have slept at least part of their life on a traditional innerspring mattress and are familiar with the bouncy feel these beds have. Springs help a bed contour to your body and "spring" back to create that bouncy feel when you sit or lie down. Because of the way springs are constructed, movement can be felt across the whole surface of the bed, allowing people to feel every move their partner makes. As a result, motion transfer is a common cause of sleep disturbance with innerspring beds. When one partner moves around or gets in and out of bed at night, they often wake the other partner from sleep.

Because sleep deprivation can lead to serious health problems, and in fact is an epidemic problem in the modern world, alleviating sleep disturbance caused by a restless bedmate can significantly improve your quality of life. Some pocket coil spring mattresses have less motion transfer compared to traditional spring beds. But the real winner for controlling motion transfer and the resulting sleep disturbance between partners is the memory foam mattress.

Memory foam was originally created by NASA to reduce pressure on astronauts during lift off. But another purpose the original engineers had in mind for memory foam was to reduce vibration (motions transfer). Likewise, memory foam was originally incorporated into mattresses to reduce pressure on body joints, but also has the secondary benefit of preventing motion transfer between sleeping partners.

Memory foam inhibits motion transfer because it recovers slowly from impressions. When you press your hand into memory foam and then take it away, memory foam does not bounce right back. Instead it slowly recovers its shape. The same thing applies when you lie down on a memory foam bed. You push against the bed, but it does not push back against you with equal force or speed.

An innerspring bed reacts to pressure much the same way a trampoline does. When you jump down on a trampoline it will force you back with equal speed and pressure - making you fly into the air. If you were to jump on an innerspring mattress, you get the same effect, which is why children love to jump on them. But a memory foam mattress's reaction is as slow as a turtle. It will push back when you push on it, but only slowly.

Because most innerspring beds have connecting coils, a bump on one side of the bed will cause motion across the surface of the entire bed. But an all foam bed limits motion to the immediate area that you are pushing against. For example, just sitting on the edge of a spring mattress can be felt by someone lying on the other side of the bed. But on a memory foam bed, you can not feel a person sitting on the other side of the bed because the motion is limited; it simply does not reach you.

A popular commercial today features a memory foam mattress with a glass of red wine in one corner of the bed and a woman jumping on an opposite corner of the bed. Try as she may, her jumping just won't spill the glass of wine. Then the woman tries the same thing on an innerspring bed and the wine spills all over. The demonstration shows a stark contrast in motion transfer between innerspring and memory foam mattresses.

Memory foam mattresses have reduced the motion transfer between partners to almost zero, allowing people to get in and out of bed without waking each other up. For couples experiencing sleep deprivation due to motion transfer, a memory foam mattress can make a dramatic improvement in their quality of sleep. Besides all the other health benefits to be gained from reducing pressure points, memory foam beds have become the best solution for people looking for long periods of stillness that promote deeply restful sleep.

Grading Your Latex or Memory Foam Mattress

When shopping for a new memory foam mattress, the bottom line is how the bed makes you feel. If you lay down on the bed and it feels like heaven, then you don’t need any expert to tell you about the superior technical properties of the foam or the exquisite detailing that makes this bed the highest quality on the market. When a bed feels good, you are comfortable, and when you are comfortable, you sleep; period.

But for some reason people are just interested in the make up of a mattress. Perhaps it makes us feel dutiful and responsible to do a little research before we lay out a chunk of cash for an important health or home purchase. Or maybe it’s because we never really get to see what’s inside a mattress and we’re curious. Whatever your reason, the following will tell you all the important technical properties of foam so you can compare different foam beds and make an informed buying decision. These properties are the same for latex and memory foam (that includes Tempur-Pedic / Tempurpedic which is also a memory foam though they have branded it “tempur material”).

Technical Properties of Latex & Memory Foam Mattresses

A foam mattress is made from at least a couple of different types of foam, sometimes more. Retailers will sometimes give the properties of the top layers of a latex or memory foam mattress in their literature. The following foam properties apply to: polyeurothane foam, latex foam, or memory foam.

Density - The measurement of the mass per unit volume, measured and expressed in pounds per cubic foot (pcf) or kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m3). For example, 1 foot square block of 5lb (pound) density foam will weigh 5lbs.

Indentation Force Deflection (IFD) - also known as Initial Load Deflection (ILD) - The measure of the load bearing capacity of flexible polyurethane foam. IFD is most often measured as the force (in pounds) required to compress a 50 square inch circular indenter foot into a four inch thick sample, typically 15 inches square or larger, to a stated percentage of the sample's initial height. The most common ILD values are generated at 25 and 65 percent of initial height. The top layer of a memory foam bed is usually between 12 - 15 ILD. High resiliency base foam used in bedding is usually 20 – 40 IFD.

Support Factor - Support Factor = 65% IFD or 25% IFD determined after one minute of rest or recovery. Support factor can be used in conjunction with a known 25% IFD value to determine the 65% IFD value. Foams with low support factor are more likely to bottom out (compress fully) under load.

Flex Fatigue (Dynamic Fatigue) - The normal softening or loss of firmness over time and with use. Fatigue can be measured in the laboratory by repeatedly compressing a foam sample and measuring the change in IFD.

Tear Strength - The measure of the force required to continue a tear in foam after a split or break has been started and expressed in pounds per inch (lb./in.). An important property in determining suitability of foam in applications where the material is sewed, stapled, or otherwise anchored to a solid substance.

Resilience - An indicator of the surface elasticity or "springiness" of flexible foam; measured by dropping a steel ball onto the foam cushion and measuring how high the ball rebounds. Memory foam has almost no resilience. High resilience foams are used in the base layer of mattresses.

Hysteresis - Measurement of the ability to maintain original support characteristics after flexing. Generally, the firmness (IFD) is tested at 25% indentation, 65% indentation and again at 25% on the way up. Hysteresis is the percent of 25% IFD loss measured as a compression tester returns to the normal (25% IFD) position after measuring 65% compression. Lower hysteresis values (less IFD loss) are desirable. Low hysteresis in conventional foam is equal to less IFD loss in durability and fatigue tests.

Air Flow - The amount of air expressed in cubic feet per minute, that can be drawn through a 2" x 2" x 1" foam sample at .5-inch water pressure differential. Higher air flow indicates a more open foam cell structure.

How to Decorate a Designer Kid's Room

One of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to spice up any bland and boring kid's bedroom is by using the art (literally) of murals. Two others are fabrics and mirrors. This article will show you how to use all three to create a room that will wow any little girl's senses.

Surely your little girl already has pictures up in her room - pictures of friends and loved ones and fond memories, pictures clipped from magazines and color-printed off the web, and pictures she drew and colored herself. This is where you'll find your inspiration for the bedroom wall murals that will most excite and enchant her.

There is scant a single little girl who isn't captivated by beauty, who doesn't love to surround herself with beautiful things. So treat her to the bedroom renovation that she'll cherish her whole life long making her room as pretty as she pictures she finds most beautiful.

One of the greatest advantages to you of murals (as suggested above) is cost, as paint is one of the cheapest interior design materials you'll ever buy.

And if your little girl is lucky enough to have her own custom theme bed, you can complement the colors, theme, and design of the bed with those you select for the rest of the room. Alternatively, you could opt for a total rehaul of the room décor and paint the custom theme bed anew too. A blue, gold, and white princess castle bed, for example, can be transformed by being repainted pink with lavender borders. You can even paint a full 3D mural on the custom theme bed itself since, after all, a custom theme bed is a three-dimensional picture-scape just waiting to happen.

Fabrics are another way to make a little girl's custom bedroom that's as pretty as a picture and as vibrant as she is. From lace borders to canopy beds to custom bedding to window dressings to children's furniture reupholstering, fabrics can transform an entire girl's bedroom in one fell swoop.

When it comes to those images your little girl finds prettiest, there's little doubt that her own adorable face is one of them (and if not, it should be). Help her to highlight that picture she finds prettiest - that of her own image - with the use of mirrors. A full-length mirror on her closet door is almost a necessity. As is a dressing table with an ample mirror before which she can sit and experiment with hair styles, fashion and jewelry combinations, and (eventually) make-up.

You don't have to be a fabulous artist to create a custom theme bed that is as pretty as a picture. Just ask your little girl - she'll tell you. Better yet, give her the paintbrush and she'll show you.

Sleep Problems and Cures

What is a normal sleep pattern?

Sleep cycle include - light sleep, deep sleep, REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which happens several times in the night. Eye moves, muscles twitch, and heartbeat and blood pressure fluctuate. Most dreaming happens during REM sleep.

All of these stages are necessary, and if any one is disrupted, sleep problems can occur. Some examples are:

Sleep apnea - apnea means "not breathing" in Greek. There are about 2 million Americans with this condition. While sleeping, they actually stop breathing because the muscles in the upper airway droop and close it down; then, as carbon dioxide increases in the lungs, the brain alarms the person enough to force a big breathy snore. This can happen several hundred times a night, making sleep restless. One cure is a machine that forces air into the nose. Weight loss may help overweight men who are prone to this disorder.

Narcolepsy - falling asleep without warning. About 300,000 Americans suffer from this condition. The pace of narcoleptics' sleep is speedier. They fall asleep fast, in two minutes, and enter REM sleep within 15 minutes. The solution: strong stimulants.

Working at Night - particularly the graveyard shift, causing disturbances in biological rhythms. It is possible to turn the clock around with light therapy. That is, exposure to intervals of daylight-bright light and daytime darkness can fool your body into turning night into day, as can capsules of melatonin, a brain chemical from the pineal gland.

Parasomnia - including night terrors, sleeping walking, and sleep paralysis. Children who experience these disorders usually outgrow them, but adults may need professional help. Sometimes hypnotherapy helps.

A Stop Snoring Mouthpiece Can Cure Snoring

Snoring mouth pieces may provide relief for snorers including those suffering from mild or moderate obstructive sleep apnea. Specifically designed mouth pieces known as mandibular advancement splints are worn in the mouth while sleep and help prevent the back of the tongue from blocking one's airway and causing snoring.

Snoring may be caused directly by obesity, neurological based sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea, nasal congestion or another medical issue. Snoring and sleep disturbance snoring is more likely to disturb the snorer's partner than the snorer. Chronic snoring may be related to allergies, illness, formation of the mouth and obstructive sleep apnea. In many cases, a snoring mouthpiece is designed to help reduce the volume and level of snoring if not eradicating it altogether. Mouthpieces are typically recommended by a physician, dentist or a sleep specialist.

Dental Support

A stop snoring mouthpiece may be purchased online or through a dentist or medical doctor. The specialized mouth piece will be made based on a mold taken directly from the patient's mouth. These mouthpieces are significantly more expensive, up to $3000. However, they are guaranteed to fit a patient's mouth perfectly. Prior to investing in a drugstore, online store or dental purchase, persons, who snore loudly or chronically enough to disturb their partner's sleep or their own, should consult with a physician. Snoring may be indicative of a more serious medical problem such as obstructive sleep apnea.

A anti-snoring mouth piece can improve sleep quality for the person using it. If the lower jaw is positioned slightly forward, the user's tongue will be repositioned to no longer block his or her airway.

That is one reason why if you snore your doctor would recommend you sleep on your stomach or side. Gravity will have a greater effect of causing the back of your tongue and other soft tissue to block your airway if you sleep on your back.

Diagnosing Sleep Apnea

Diagnosing sleep apnea requires a sleep study performed at a licensed facility. It is important to remember that not all snorers suffer from sleep apnea. A patient will be admitted for an overnight stay. Trained sleep specialists will attach leads to the temple, chest, legs and feet. A heart rate and oxygen monitor will be attached to the finger. The patient will then sleep in a comfortably darkened room, cooled to the temperature requested and a humidifier will be used to keep the air moistened. While the patient sleeps, the specialist will observe via camera and monitors for episodes of gasping, choking and sleep wave patterns. The leg leads will indicate the amount of leg movement. Blood oxygen levels will be monitored in order to determine if O2 saturation is dropping due to the episodes. At the end of the night, the sleep specialists will be able to offer the diagnosis of sleep apnea and typically the type. Further testing and recommendations will provide the patient with a course of treatment. There have been positive results of people who suffer from obstructive sleep apea using a anti-snoring mouthpiece to reduce or eliminate their symptoms because the true cause of their obstruction, which is blockage of their airway by their tongue and other soft tissue is treated with such a device.

Tips on Choosing the Right CPAP Nasal Pillows

Frequently, the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines and masks are covered by insurance. CPAP nasal pillows, in Toronto as in other parts of the country, are often included in the insurance coverage but you have to inquire from your carrier lest you pay for your CPAP supplies more than expected.

Once you have settled the insurance aspect, the next logical step is to choose the right CPAP nasal pillows in Toronto, where there are many manufacturers of CPAP machines, for you.

Determine Sleeping Habits

As much as not all CPAP sufferers have the same sleeping habits down to the last snore, in the same way not all CPAP nasal pillows in Toronto, or anywhere else for that matter, are created equal. That being said, you have to determine your sleeping habits to get the right CPAP pillows for you.

If you are a stomach and side sleeper who toss and turn around in sleep, then larger CPAP pillows are best for you. You will have ease of changing positions without coming up short with larger pillows, not to mention that fact that larger pillows often provide a more flexible support.

If you are a side sleeper who can maintain the position for hours at a time, then a smaller pillow with the same design will do. You can even bring it on your overnight travels! (Never do without the right CPAP nasal pillows in Toronto and everywhere else because your headgear needs all the support it can get so as not to fall off your head. The steady air pressure brought by the CPAP machine is necessary for a good night's sleep)

Determine Type of Mask Used

Your mask must be able to blend in with the CPAP pillow. With trial and error, you should be able to find the right CPAP nasal pillow that can accommodate the type of CPAP mask you wear especially when you consider that space factors figure prominently in the equation.

You can also ask your doctor for a prescription of a different type of CPAP mask. For example, one with a longer tube can provide for more freedom even when the nasal pillow is on the shorter side.

You can also look for CPAP nasal pillows that provide titrations for the mask itself and for your ears, neck, head and shoulders. This way, you are assured of fewer pressure points and greater comfort while you sleep.

As previously stated, trial and error is often the best way to find the right CPAP nasal pillows in Toronto and everywhere else.

In conclusion, always keep in mind that the use of CPAP as a remedy and relief from sleep apnea symptoms largely relies on your proper use and wear of the device. This means that it should stay in place the whole time you wear it. The right CPAP nasal pillows provide hollowed spaces that should support and protect your device while giving you a good night's sleep with their firm support on your head.

Which Mattresses Do Dust Mites Love and Which Do They Hate?

Some mattresses can be a haven for dust mites.

This is a problem because the droppings and shed skin of dust mites can cause serious allergies in people, including asthma.

What are dust mites?

Dust mites are microscopic bugs that largely live on dead skin cells that are shed from people and pets. Dust mites love mattresses because they are where the mites can find a large supply of dead skin cells.

Certain types of mattresses are more susceptible to dust mites than others. Let's look at different mattress types and see how vulnerable each is.

Innerspring mattresses

Innerspring mattresses have the most problem with dust mites. A typical innerspring mattress often has a dust mite population into the tens of thousands. Innerspring beds have this problem because dead skin cells can easily penetrate the mattress and so can the dust mites that eat them. In addition, they ike to eat much of the material that is used to construct an innerspring bed.

Memory foam mattresses

Memory foam beds, such as the Tempur-pedic bed, are a little more resistant to dust mites than innerspring mattresses because they generally don't like to eat memory foam. However, just as with innerspring mattresses, your dead skin cells can penetrate the memory foam and so can the dust mites.

Airbeds

Airbeds, such as the Sleep Number bed, are more dust mite resistant than memory foam mattresses. This is because dead skin cells and dust mites can't penetrate the air chambers. However, they can penetrate any foam padding the mattress may have.

Waterbeds

Waterbeds are likely the most dust mite resistant beds available. The vinyl covering of a waterbed cannot be penetrated by dead skin cells or dust mites. Dust mites can exist on the surface of the mattress, however. But you can easily wipe clean the vinyl to remove most of them.

It is possible to get waterbed-like dust mite resistance for an innerspring, memory foam or air mattress. To do this, you will need to use a dust mite-resistant covering. While effective, these coverings do not provide 100% protection.

Simmons Beautyrest - How Does it Compare to the Competition?

Simmons Beautyrest is one of the most popular innerspring mattresses available.

But how does it compare in terms of comfort to other popular mattresses, such as Serta and Sealy Posturpedic? And how does it stack up comfort-wise compared to memory foam beds, air mattresses and waterbeds?

To find out, I spent hundreds of hours scouring through dozens of online forums, message boards, shopper websites, etc. assembling data from more than 1,600 people regarding what they think of their beds. What the study results reveal is quite interesting.

How Beautyrest Compares to Other Innerspring Mattresses

According to my research, 44% of Simmons Beautyrest owners indicated that the mattress was comfortable. This percentage is lower than Serta (45%), Kingsdown (52%) and Sealy Posturpedic (65%).

Simmons Beautyrest scoring below the other brands largely because it seemed to have more of a problem with sagging. In other words, many owners reported that the mattress lost support and comfort within three years of purchase because it sagged and / or left body impressions.

How Beautyrest Compares to Memory Foam and Other Types of Mattresses

Simmons Beautyrest did not fair any better against other types of mattresses, according to my research. Memory foam beds (such as Tempur-pedic), airbeds (such as Sleep Number) and waterbeds beat the Beautyrest in terms of comfort by a significant margin.

These other types of mattresses also tend to have other advantages over the Beautyrest. For example, they tend to have more durability, do a better job of discouraging dust mites and allergies, and have little if any need to be flipped.

Despite my research findings regarding the Simmons Beautyrest, it still may be the mattress that best suits you personally. So keep it on your list, but remember its shortcomings and disadvantages.

Satin Comforters


Satin comforters allow you to experience the sensual satisfaction of high-end satin in your bedding. Satin gives a luxurious and royal look to your bedroom. Appropriate satin sheets and satin comforter offers your bedroom a chic and fashionable flair. Satin is a fabric made with a satin weave to give smoothness, and the richness is brought out by the shine. Because of the weaving process, satin is very delicate, and a satin comforters has to be handled carefully. Satin is heavier, thicker and more luxurious than polyester, and much more affordable than silk. Satin comforter has two definite sides -- the topside is smooth and very shiny and the reverse side is somewhat dull and bears the grain of the fabric. Reversible satin comforters are made either with the same colors on both sides or different colors.


Satin comforters are used on soft side waterbeds, airbeds, foam beds and innerspring mattresses. They should be gently machine washed and dried under cool conditions. Bleaches should be avoided as they may cause damage to the material. Professional cleaning is recommended because the size of the comforters, but they may be spot cleaned with a damp cloth. Satin comforters are custom made with a choice of colors to suit and decorate a bedroom as desired. Good quality satin comforters are made with the highest quality and highest-grade materials.

Incredibly soft, durable seamless, luxurious satin comforters are very tightly woven to give it the highest quality. Satin comforter sets are comprised of one comforter, one ruffled bed skirts and two pillow shams, and are available in various sizes. A satin comforter using has filling of the highest quality and are a fine example of excellent workmanship. Premium bridal satin is the sleekest, silkiest and most beautiful satin available and is quilted with outside border and tack quilting in the center. Some of the popular brands of the satin comforters are Kinglinen, Marikkas and Specialty Linens. They are available in a wide range of affordable prices.