Soft Mattresses and Futons
What is Considered a Soft Mattress?
When it comes to mattresses and futons, the word SOFT can mean different things to different people. One person’s soft is another person’s medium. The mattress industry tries to be consistent with these terms but they vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and then to the retailer. As a standard measurement, the ILD (Indentation Load Deflection) is a way of determining how soft or firm a mattress is. The ILD is determined by the number of pounds per square inch needed to compress a material by 25% of its natural thickness. The higher the ILD, the more weight is needed to compress the material, the more firm the material is. As a rule of thumb, mattresses (or components such as foam or latex) with an ILD of less than 20 are considered soft.
Is A Softer Mattress or Futon Better
The import thing about sleeping is keeping your spine straight in the curved sections. There are three main curvy sections to your back. The cervical spine supports the head, (top of your back). Your thoracic spine holds up your upper body (mid back) and the lumbar spine is the foundation or entire spinal support system (lower back). During sleep, the more aligned the natural curves of your back are, the more comfort you will experience when sleeping. A soft mattress can be hard to maintain proper spine alignment. What you want is a forgiving, somewhat soft upper layer, yet a strong support base layer. This is where mattress and futon toppers come in, or memory foam or memory gel.
Disadvantage to Foam
The major disadvantage to memory foams, gels and in a mattress or futon is that they are petroleum based. Petroleum based foams will, over time, decompose and the chemicals inside become airborne. As you breathe these toxic chemicals they get stuck inside your body allowing for the possibility of sickness or major health problems. Selecting safer foams help to reduce your exposure to these airborne chemicals. Look for the Certipur Logo as well as the GreenGuard Certification.
Many companies show green guard certification seal of a new mattress being safe. The green guard certification does not necessarily tell you that your mattress is safe or that it does not contain harmful chemicals. The test only lets you know that at the time of the test, there were no traceable VOC's being emitted. The problem with this is that down the road when the foam has aged, the chemicals that did not off gas during the initial test, may begin to come out without you even knowing it.
Which Toppers Are The Best?
Soft mattresses can help with back pain, if you are slender and are primarily a side sleeper. The best way to have a softer sleeping surface is with a removable topper. Wool toppers are the best toppers to add to your sleep system. They are natural and offer many health benefits, such as temperature control which is great for reducing joint and nerve pain. Also, wool toppers aid blood circulation, reducing facial wrinkles, as well as bringing need oxygen and blood to the areas of your body for nightly recovery and rejuvenation.
The Futon Shop offers a wide array of Organic & Green Mattresses with different firmness levels. If you are looking for a Soft Mattress here is a break down of the Soft Mattresses The Futon Shop offers by ingredients. Click if you want to know what type of mattress is right for your sleep position. Click to read about mattress lifespans.
Soft Chemical Free Mattresses
Soft Cotton Mattresses
Soft Wool Mattresses
Soft Innerspring Mattresses
Soft Soy Foam Mattresses
Soft Mattress Toppers
Other Mattress Types
Click if your looking for Extra Soft Mattresses.
Click if your looking for Medium Firm Mattresses.
Click if your looking for Firm Mattresses.
Click if your looking for Extra Firm Mattresses.
