Is your mattress affecting your health?

This post is an advertorial in collaboration with Avocado: Green Mattress*

It's easy to find luxurious, green alternatives to conventional beauty products, but cleaning up your home can seem like a daunting task. The impact that building materials and furniture have on people's health is often overlooked, not least of all because they are often expensive or infeasible to replace.

However, when you consider that you spend approximately one third of your lifespan sleeping, it's time to evaluate what it is that you've been sleeping on. Hidden in a traditional mattress, you will commonly find several materials that are linked to reproductive damage, thyroid problems, endocrine disruption, brain damage, and cancer.

A quick search for the toxins found in a standard mattress and you will come up with a list that includes:

You're not eating your mattress and you're not slathering it all over your body, so what's the big deal??

Perhaps the most troublesome issue with mattresses made from volatilve organic compounds (VOCs) and other cheap, harmful materials is that they tend to off-gas. This release of gases that were trapped, dissolved, absorbed, or frozen into a material can have a serious impact on your health as they increase the chemical burden on your body. For instance, as you sleep, your body repairs itself via processes that eliminate free radicals that have accumulated throughout the day. These healing processes can be negatively influenced by excess chemicals in the body. Not to mention, for babies and young children who are still developing, inhaling these toxic chemicals can have even greater consequences.

As with all healthy lifestyle decisions, it's important to look for the least harmful options whenever possible.

The next time that you are ready to buy a mattress, consider purchasing one that is made from natural and organic materials. Avocado makes green and eco-friendly mattresses, using 100% natural Dunlop latex harvested from sustainable tree-tapped sources, natural Joma New Zealand wool, and certified organic cotton. 

In terms of comfort, Avocado's green mattresses ensure proper spinal alignment and balance from an 8-inch support layer of 700-1300 individually tuned coils made from 100% recycled steel. Encased in their own fabric pockets in 3 distinct zones, these coils float independently to reduce motion transfer. They also provide optimal ergonomic and joint support by allowing your body shape to better contour to the mattress. Most importantly, they provide better edge support to ensure that Avocado mattresses are more durable.

Did I mention that Avocado products are handcrafted in the USA and that the company offers a 100-night sleep trial, 10-year warranty, easy financing with Affirm, as well as free shipping or in-home delivery/setup options?

You really can't go wrong with a purchase from Avocado! However, if a nontoxic mattress isn’t in the cards right now, don’t stress! There are a few things you can do to prevent off-gassing and reduce your exposure to the dangeious chemicals that may be hiding in your current mattress.

For example, wrapping your mattress in food-grade polyethylene (a form of plastic that does not contain harmful dioxins or phthalates) will significantly reduce off-gassing.

Additionally, if you recently bought a new mattress, allowing it simply to air out in a well-ventilated area before you sleep on it will prevent you from being exposed to VOCs when they are at their peak.

You can also start small by swapping out your sheets and pillows with less toxic alternatives. I recommend checking out Avocado's pillows made from certified organic latex and natural Kapok fill. Additionally, each pillow is wrapped in a certified organic cotton cover that has a luxuriously high thread count!

Whether or not you choose to purchase your next mattress from Avocado, do your research and find a brand that is transparent about their materials and certifications.

Through the month of February, promo code BBM100 will save you $100 off any standard or pillow top mattress!!

*The links provided in this post are affiliate links. As always, however, I have presented my 100% honest opinion. I cannot, nor will I ever, accept compensation in exchange for a positive review.