Breathable mattresses and pillows are the new black. But why? Well, breathable mattresses and pillows are a very high and relatively new standard in the bedding industry. It will very likely dominate the future.
Why breathable mattresses and pillows are our future
Breathable mattresses and pillows are the new black. But why? Well, breathable mattresses and pillows are a very high and relatively new standard in the bedding industry. It will very likely dominate the future.
Right now, this feature is not known by many people, since many people sleep on memory foam mattresses and pillows or other non-latex mattresses and pillows. These bedding types don't and most of the time can't offer breathability.
But what is breathability? That, and many more aspects are covered in this article. These aspects include what breathability is, how breathable mattresses and breathable pillows are produced, why sleeping on those products is recommended, and more!
What is breathability?
Breathability is simply put the ability of fabric to allow moisture to be transmitted through the material, instead of building it up inside the fabric. This also applies for air, as you can see in this video by Vita Talalay. In this video, the breathability of the Talalay latex products is shown.
The breathability of the material has an enormous impact on moisture and heat management. This is sometimes referred to as the “micro-climate”; the climate between the sheets and mattress.
Sometimes it is said that the thousands of pins in the mold are there to create breathability in a material. But that is not why the pins are in the Talalay latex. The pins are there to ensure even temperature distribution and make sure that all latex reaches the same cold temperature (-30ᵒC/-22ᵒF) and warmth (+115ᵒC/+238ᵒF).
Without the pins, the latex will not “cure” evenly and would be less durable. That is why you see some types of Dunlop latex foam that don’t use pins. Two layers are put separately on top of each other and vulcanize/cure in between. Later, holes are perforated in the latex and then claim to be breathable, while the material itself is warm.
Read this article on how to buy a new mattress.
What is gas movement?
Water vapor is considered a gas, and like all gasses, it mixes with other gasses to disperse equally. This is the main reason why breathability of your mattress and pillows is truly important.
We all want to sleep on a mattress and pillow that smells fresh, with zero smelly smells. If you own non-latex bedding, you will open the window for fresh air, so that your bedding and room can freshen up. This is not necessary with latex mattresses, latex mattress toppers and latex pillows, since they are constantly freshening up. However, it is definitely recommended, because fresh air is always good for us!
How are breathable mattresses and breathable pillows produced?
The Vita Talalay mattresses and pillows have a distinct production process, called 'Talalay'. This production process gives the bedding its famous breathability feature. It is one of the unique selling points of our products. The production process of a Talalay latex foam pillow consists of 9 steps and takes around 9 hours. 1 Mixing the pure raw materials and pump with air. 2 Filling the mould 30%-60% with the latex mixture. 3 Vacuuming the material to form around the mould. 4 Freezing the material creates the round and open cellular structure to allow the mould to breathe. 5 Gelling fixes the round and open cells so that they remain in place. 6 Vulcanising the mixture at 115ᵒC/235ᵒF. This gives the product its shape. 7 Washing the product to increase durability and ensure the same firmness for many years. 8 Post-vulcanising the product 8 hours at 85ᵒC/185ᵒF to give the round and open cellular its final form. 9 Final quality control of the product for its firmness.
Why is sleeping on breathable mattresses and breathable pillows really important?
A breathable mattress and pillow contains materials that circulate the air, transport the moisture, and keep the mattress and pillow dry. The breathable feature directly impacts comfort, health, and performance issues.
Every night, humans create a warm and humid sleep environment for themselves, just by falling asleep in bed, due to the body heat and perspiration created in high volume. Our bodies cool down when it is about to enter the deep sleep. The lowest temperature is reached around 4 AM. Humans actually perspire approximately 1 full cup every night. This amount can become more when the bedding is not regulating the bed temperature well enough, so the mattress and pillow we sleep on must be able to withstand all the heat and moisture. This is very important to provide a comfortable and restorative sleep and to actually have a high longevity.
The effects of breathable mattresses and breathable pillows on our comfort and health
Most latex mattresses and latex pillows don’t suffer from problems regarding breathability and durability. This is because that type of bedding contains the breathability feature, which increases the durability of the bedding. Non-latex bedding builds up heat and moisture that lead to material degradation and wear. These products are simply very vulnerable to environmental stress. Body weight, heat, and humidity affect the non-breathable fabric of the non-latex bedding, by compressing prematurely and creating an uncomfortable, unsupportive, filled with body imprints, and sagged mattress and pillow.
Why is durability so important?
One of the main questions consumers have is how long the mattress and pillows will last. There are many factors influencing this aspect, but we advise you to change your mattress and pillows every 8-10 years. However, if you notice you don’t sleep well anymore because of your mattress or pillow, it might be necessary to buy a new mattress or pillow.
Like it has been stated earlier, the material of the bedding plays a huge role. Actually, not only the material is important, but also the manufacturing process. Latex mattresses and pillows can be very different, e.g. a Talalay latex mattress has a higher durability than a Dunlop latex mattress. This is mainly because the Talalay production process focuses on many aspects, like breathability and durability, which improve the quality of the mattresses and pillows significantly. Dunlop doesn’t have a specific focus on those attributes, which is why those mattresses are less breathable and durable.
Read this article for more information on the differences between Dunlop latex and Talalay latex.
What is affecting the durable mattresses and pillows?
While material and production process are very important, there are not the only factor regarding durability. Other factors include the body size of the user, inner tufting, layer position, and if it is one or two sided.
Obviously, no human is the same. People have different body sizes, which affects the mattress' durability. A mattress will be more durable when the user has a low BMI instead of a high BMI. Higher body weights compress the mattress layer more deeply than lower body weights. People who have a higher BMI need more durable materials and components in the upper layers than those who have a lower BMI. This will make sure that the mattress will provide more comfort and support, for an even longer time period.
Inner tufting is a mattress construction method applied to secure the layers and components in a mattress together. This is done by compressing the mattress to hold all layers and materials together. It will also prevent shifting, gives the mattress a tufted look, creates a firmer mattress, and increases the durability of the mattress.
The layers that are deeper inside the mattress suffer less compression than layers closer to the surface area. This is actually the reason why lower quality and less durable materials are deeper inside the mattress, since they don’t face much compression, in comparison to the upper layers. These upper layers must be of higher quality and durability, in order to have a highly durable mattress.
WODURCH WIRD DIE LANGLEBIGKEIT VON MATRATZEN UND KISSEN BEEINFLUSST?
Auch wenn das Material und das Herstellungsverfahren sehr wichtig sind, sind sie nicht die einzigen Faktoren für Langlebigkeit. Zu den anderen Faktoren gehören die Körpergröße des Kunden, das innere Tufting, die Schichtposition und ob es einseitig oder zweiseitig ist.
Selbstverständlich ist kein Mensch wie der andere. Menschen haben unterschiedliche Körpergrößen, die sich auf die Langlebigkeit der Matratzen auswirken. Eine Matratze ist langlebiger wenn der Nutzer einen geringeren BMI hat als wenn der BMI höher ist. Ein höheres Körpergewicht drückt die Matratzenschichten tiefer als ein niedrigeres Körpergewicht. Menschen mit einem höheren BMI benötigen eine beständigeres Material in den oberen Schichten als Menschen mit einem geringeren BMI. So bietet die Matratze auch Komfort und Halt für eine längere Zeit.
Inneres Tufting ist eine Matratzenkonstruktionsmethode um die Schichten und Komponenten in einer Matratze miteinander zu verbinden. Dies wird durch das Pressen der Matratze erreicht. Außerdem vermeidet sich dadurch das Verschieben, die Festigkeit der Matratze verstärkt sich und die Langlebigkeit erhöht sich.
Die Schichten weiter im Inneren der Matratzen leiden weniger an Pressung als die Schichten weiter an der Oberfläche. Dies ist der Grund dafür, dass sich die weniger qualitativen und weniger langlebigen Materialien im Inneren der Matratze befinden, da sie weniger Pressung ausgesetzt sind als die oberen Schichten. Die oberen Schichten sollten in jedem Fall von höherer Qualität und Langlebigkeit sein um eine strapazierfähige Matratze zu bilden.
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