Are Bamboo Pillow's Potentially Toxic?

[Laura]

We created our own mattress with a featherbed top layer, egg crate foam middle layer, and memory foam bottom layer, with all the layers bound together with a mattress protector, and all of that laying on top of plywood. We like it a lot, and when traveling find hotel beds to be much less comfortable than our own bed.

That actually sounds very comfy.

 

[maiko]

I wish I had thought about the latex option earlier. It sounds pretty good. After two years of neck pains I tried different options and a couple of weeks back I bought a spelt pillow which works pretty well for me. I was a bit sceptical about potential skin sensitivities, but I read about some peopel with celiac desease who said, it worked for them. As I just started using it I will wait for a couple weeks to see whether it really helps me.

 

[Bastian]

I was looking at pure latex mattresses (pricey!)

Hello Laura.

(I'm assuming you're not far away from Toulouse. That may be interesting also for other people in southern France.)

There is a little producer of 100% pure natural hevea latex mattress (and pillows too) near Perpignan : Sommeil Nature
_Matelas 100 % latex naturel | Sommeil Nature

(Their previous name is DPLH :
_Matelas BIO | D.P.L.H. Les Déhoussables en Pur Latex d'Hévéa )

I met them in an eco-fair, years ago, then they told me that for most of the "100% latex" mattress sold in France, in fact the hevea latex (produced, for instance, in Brazil) was added with a chemical solvant, and then carried from Brazil to France in tanks (in the liquid form), and then the mattress are made. So "100% pure" is generally a lie.

This small producer/seller import "solid" mattress already made (in Brazil probably), but they put themselves the cover, etc.
According to their website, their mattress are made of 96% hevea latex + 4% zinc oxyde :
_Fabrication | Sommeil Nature
(Of course, one will have to check it with them.)

My two euro-cents.

 

[Maat]

Hello Laura.

(I'm assuming you're not far away from Toulouse. That may be interesting also for other people in southern France.)

There is a little producer of 100% pure natural hevea latex mattress (and pillows too) near Perpignan : Sommeil Nature
_Matelas 100 % latex naturel | Sommeil Nature

(Their previous name is DPLH :
_Matelas BIO | D.P.L.H. Les Déhoussables en Pur Latex d'Hévéa )

I met them in an eco-fair, years ago, then they told me that for most of the "100% latex" mattress sold in France, in fact the hevea latex (produced, for instance, in Brazil) was added with a chemical solvant, and then carried from Brazil to France in tanks (in the liquid form), and then the mattress are made. So "100% pure" is generally a lie.

This small producer/seller import "solid" mattress already made (in Brazil probably), but they put themselves the cover, etc.
According to their website, their mattress are made of 96% hevea latex + 4% zinc oxyde :
_Fabrication | Sommeil Nature
(Of course, one will have to check it with them.)

My two euro-cents.

Thanks for the tip Bastian. It's pricey though but I will consider if I can find it in the north because the one with form memory I have is not so good, first for the back of my husband, and for me, I often feel like I'm near of a spontaneous combustion, especially when I'm in my period ! (sorry for this detail but it's so true !) One could say that the good side of it is that I've mastress that can make good sauna

 

[Laura]

Thanks for the tip Bastian. It's pricey though but I will consider if I can find it in the north because the one with form memory I have is not so good, first for the back of my husband, and for me, I often feel like I'm near of a spontaneous combustion, especially when I'm in my period ! (sorry for this detail but it's so true !) One could say that the good side of it is that I've mastress that can make good sauna

You can get a good latex topper for a regular mattress and put a mattress cover over that, one with a cotton batting, like a quilt. That's pretty much what I have and it is VERY comfortable since the base mattress is a very good American innerspring/pillowtop.

 

[Maat]

You can get a good latex topper for a regular mattress and put a mattress cover over that, one with a cotton batting, like a quilt. That's pretty much what I have and it is VERY comfortable since the base mattress is a very good American innerspring/pillowtop.

Good cheap idea ! Thanks Laura !

 

[mrtn]

I swear by pure latex. It gives constant, gentle support and "pushes back" instead of melting and forming!

This morning I ordered these latex pillows which were quite reasonably priced, I'll report back if I notice any difference.

I think you will love them. Same exact ones I have. Complete, gentle, support to all parts of the neck and head and at the right height. Once I started using this pillow, all my neck problems dramatically reduced!

I wish I had thought about the latex option earlier.

Thank you all. I ordered those Latex Pillows and have used them now for 2½ weeks. And yes, i love them. Waking up less horrible, neck problems reduced, and thus also posture imporoved, maybe also because I'm unsing the pillows also as a back support when sitting at the computer, which works great because its wobblyness allows the body to do allkinds of slight movements and changes but it still pushes so that i can sit straight more easily. I also can now fall asleep lying on my back and often even wake up in that position which seems to improve my sleep. My previous down pillow always got hard and inflexible quickly and i used to curl myself into fetal position.
There some other things like doing some sports inspired by the HIIT thread (thanks also!) that probably helps with the neck and posture problems as well as some GABA i'm taking in the evening since some time now that seems to help going to bed, but overall these pillows are a great importvement for me.

 

[3DStudent]

It sounds like you got a good one, mrtn. The back support use sounds like a good idea, given the firm but flexible nature of latex pillows. I actually bought one a few weeks ago, and when I first laid my head on it I thought, "This is too high." So I tried it out for two weeks and I still had neck pains. It's kind of hard to not be able to try before you buy when buying things like this online. So I returned it, and am not giving up on another latex pillow, given the recommendations in this thread.

 

[mrtn]

It felt too hight too at the beginning with the one i have. I used a thick blanked the first days to raise my body a bit in relation to the pillow but i don't need that anymore now. It's still a bit higher than what i was used too, but somehow that doesn't really bother me now. If i could have tried it out first, maybe i would have looked for a little lower as well as a little softer, don't know.

 

[Jenn]

I think you will love them. Same exact ones I have. Complete, gentle, support to all parts of the neck and head and at the right height. Once I started using this pillow, all my neck problems dramatically reduced!

Ok so it's been a good few months now, I have noticed an improvement in neck stiffness since using the latex pillow, my head generally feels way more supported. It hasn't completely solved the issue but symptoms have improved. I think the stiffness is probably more to do with lifestyle, lack of movement + bad mattress.

At least I'm not waking up in the middle of the night anymore because the back of my head hurts! Overall it hasn't 100% cured my stiff neck in the morning but the latex pillow is better than my previous pillow, so thank you for the recommendation.

Interesting side note: Sometimes I have been sleeping on my stomach which I haven't been able to do since I was a teenager due to it being too uncomfortable.

 

[Christine]

I no longer have this problem of stiff neck and headaches when I wake up since I have used (for more than 10 years) the latex pillow 70 x 50 cm, the 65 x 65 cm did not fit.
My children also have the same pillow as mine and they can't do without it anymore, especially one (who has the same problem as me) when he has to sleep outside his house he takes it with him.
Pillow shape and latex density is important IMO

 

[monotonic]

Has anyone tried raising the head of their bed 6 inches? I was able to raise mine 3 inches and I think there is a real improvement.

What a difference 6 inches can make: Are you ready to start sleeping on an incline? -- Sott.net


This thread is timely since I desperately need a new mattress. Hlat has told me about the DIY bed construction before and that sounds like a good possibility.

The heat problem with latex beds worries me because where I live, even with a full power dual-hose portable AC running full blast, my room can still get over 80F. That might not be much to some people but I have found I can hardly function if I stay above 80F for very long. Furthermore with the humidity, there are times when everything feels damp and sleeping on one ear will cause it to become inflamed, I assume because of bacteria. There was also a recent article on SOTT about our brains being less efficient in heat.

 

[Voyageur]

Tried finding it on a thread - no luck, yet the discussion was on sleeping habits (back, stomach, side; R or L) and for me it was on left side predominantly. There was also implications with the heart discussed. Noticed this from Dr. Mercola whereby a chiropractor is featured discussing sleep and the vertebra - which also had a focus on pillows...

Here is the opening snip (I tried readjusting and think it will be hard):

By Dr. Peter Martone

My name is Dr. Peter Martone. I am a chiropractor and an exercise physiologist. This is my "sleep story." When I think back to my earliest memories when I was a child, I can still remember wanting to sleep on my side, which faced the crucifix on the wall in my room. I felt secure and protected and every morning I would end up at the end of my bed or even on the floor. I never stayed in one position.
[...]
How Your Bed and Pillow Affect Your Body Mechanics
This is the Best Position for Sleep

 

[Laura]

I don't believe that you "should never sleep on your side" because I cannot sleep on my back without pain, nor my stomach. Plus, many experts say that sleeping on your side on a proper mattress with a proper pillow, is best for many reasons.

 

[Keyhole]

I don't believe that you "should never sleep on your side" because I cannot sleep on my back without pain, nor my stomach. Plus, many experts say that sleeping on your side on a proper mattress with a proper pillow, is best for many reasons.

Whenever I sleep on my back, I start snoring (which reduces oxygenation etc), and this is probably because of jaw/nasal cavity structural abnormalities. The only nights when I reportedly don't snore are the ones when I sleep on my side. So, for some of us, we don't have an option.

Anyway, I feel much better when I sleep on my side and it feels natural to do so.