You survived the heat dome, but climatologists say we should expect more heat waves in the months and years to come. If you’ve had trouble sleeping, it’s time to invest in a long term solution!
Step one, close windows and curtains during the day. Step two, get a good fan or air conditioner. Step three, visit Mark Nagra, owner of Parksville’s M+N Mattress and Sofa, to learn about ways your mattress can keep you cool.
How to sleep soundly through a heat wave
1. Invest in a latex mattress
Latex is made with an open-cell structure, which means air can flow freely and keep your body cooler than foams and memory foams. In traditional memory foam or polyurethane, your body’s heat is trapped in the mattress and reflected back to you over the course of the night. Latex doesn’t have that problem!
2. Add a cooling topper
Memory foam is not only loaded with off-gassing chemicals, it’s notorious for retaining heat — it actually uses your body’s heat to collapse the foam cell structure and conform to your curves. Manufacturers developed cooling gel beads (more chemicals) to try to keep sleepers comfortable — they’re supposed to absorb your body’s heat and release excess into the mattress below.
“There have been slight improvements to memory foam, but I’ve actually stopped carrying it in recent years because I think the off-gassing is very concerning based on the research I’ve looked at,” Mark says. “You may notice a smell, and studies have shown that memory foam continues to off-gas for years as the material breaks down — and those potentially harmful compounds are right next to your nose. That’s why I prefer organic, natural latex, which are certified not to off-gas any harmful compounds to humans, based on GOLS and Eoko-tex certifications.”
If you don’t have the budget for a new mattress, a cooling organic latex topper will offer you immediate relief.
3. Help your body perform stronger and recover faster
A car engine produces extra heat when it’s struggling up a hill or hasn’t been properly maintained, and your body is the same way. Limiting heavy meals, caffeine and alcohol hours before bedtime is a good place to start, since your organs have to work extra hard to process them, producing extra heat. Your mattress can also ease your body’s strain, leading to a cooler ‘running temperature’ overall.
Mark has helped factories design two BC-made mattresses, the PureEnergy Ironman and Newgen, and both use Celliant technology that captures body heat, converts it to Far Infrared Light and reflects it back into your body’s tissues, promoting oxygenation in the body’s tissues. One of the many studies performed by North American University Medical Centers showed patients sleeping on Celliant showed 95 per cent less nocturnal awakenings, and another study showed temperature was more balanced.
“Celliant weaves thermally responsive minerals into the fibres, allowing your body to increase location circulation and improve cellular oxygenation,” Mark says. Give your body every opportunity to run like a well-oiled machine, and stay cool at night!
Visit the expert staff at M&N Mattress at 291 East Island Hwy, or get inspired at parksvillemattress.com or mnsofa.ca.
