For a long time now, the PVC air mattresses are everywhere and everyone is using them for the comfort they bring to our back. Unfortunately, most of them are toxic for people, they can cause headache, an increased heart rate and many others symptoms. In this article, we are going to see what material are air mattresses made of and how to choose a non toxic air mattress.
The dangers of sleeping on an air mattress
We said it earlier, sleeping on an air mattress allow you to get comfortable in the middle of nowhere in your tent. Sadly, there are dangers of sleeping on an air mattress. First of all, many people around the world with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) are reporting that they felt really bad after sleeping on a mattress or next to it. Moreover, most of them are saying that they couldn’t find where this problem came from.
The first symptoms that they felt was:
- a headache caused by the chemicals,
- an increased heart rate,
- tingling on the body extremities.
All these symptoms are referred to a strong intoxication to chemicals inside the mattress. Moreover, there are more risks of sleeping in mattresses.
First of all, your temperature cannot be regulated: when you are sleeping on a bed, your body temperature can be regulated because the bed’s material allows you to, if you are laying on a PVC bed, the plastic won’t help your temperature’s regulation. If you are sweating in an air mattress, you will be trapped in a circle where your body cannot breathe perfectly and you are going to sweat over again. In fact, the same thing can happen when you are freezing, your body just can’t control the cold and you will be freezing cold for the rest of the night. To help you with that, you can cover the air mattresses with a cotton sheet. The last issue that users of air mattresses are dealing with is to sleep on air mattresses with another person: if one of the two person move, the other one will feel the movement.
Are you sleeping on a toxic PVC air mattress?
Many air mattresses are made of PVC which is vinyl plastic. This material can expel toxic particles into the air for a long time after you buy it. The plastics that the manufacturers uses can contain Phthalates. This component is an odourless and colourless liquid that is used in plastic factories for more than 50 years. In these factories, it has been use for giving flexibility to plastic. Sadly for human beings, this product can be released by your mattresses and goes right into your body. That chemical product can disrupt hormone function by mimicking estrogen for women. Indeed, it can affect the reproductive system of every human and animals around. The phthalate exposure has been associated with health problems like liver issues and cancer.
Does non toxic inflatable mattress exist?
Unfortunately, a non toxic air mattress made of PVC or plastic doesn’t exist. When you want to buy an air mattress, please take care of what materials they are made of. Gladly, there are many other options for mattresses. Indeed, the Thermoplastic Polyurethane is one of the possible options. TPU is made with hard plastic and soft silicone, which makes it extremely durable. Moreover, they present lower risks than the PVC mattress.
What about an organic air mattress?
PVC is deemed to be a plastic polymer that’s not friendly with the environment. At the beginning, the PVC is no toxic but when it comes to the final version of polyvinyl chloride, the compound can have carcinogenic effects. In the last decade, eco-friendly movement have taken the lead on every single piece of industry. That’s why an eco-friendly PVC hit the market and air mattresses are following every step of the way.
Moreover, many air mattress brands are building their products with eco-friendly PVC that comes naturally and with few chemicals treatments. On the beginning, PVC is not that toxic, it becomes toxic when it is mixed with other compounds like phthalates. If you want to buy a new air mattress, you have to search for a tag that says “eco-friendly PVC” or “phthalates-free”. With these tags, you will be sure that this air mattress is not going to be dangerous for you. If you are concerned about your health with these air mattresses, you can go on every manufacturer’s website, they have all the composition of their products and you will be able to see the potential chemicals elements that could be dangerous for you.
I almost passed out twice sleeping on the same air mattress that had a leak. I felt like I was dying and had to CRAWL to the door and open it. At first, I was putting air in the mattress when it felt like someone picked me up and threw me on the floor. I could breathe or stand. I had to crawl. I moved to another house a month later and used the same mattress. I woke up to a flat mattress ( it leaked) and the same sensation, my eyes rolling, couldnt breathe, about to pass out. I had to again CRAWL to open doors and windows. This time when I could stand and breath i threw it outside. I’m 100% sure it was that air mattress.