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Is your bed making you sick? 
About one-third of your life is spent in bed. For that reason, you'll want to make sure it's a safe environment. However, because of the flame retardants, stain repellents, and other treatments used on mattresses and bedding, your sleep may be troubled, not so much because you're thinking about your job all night long, but because you are lying in a toxic chemical dump, and your body is protesting. The toxins in the mattress can cause stress reactions in the body that are antagonistic to sleep. To protest, your body produces adrenalin, which keeps you tossing and turning at night. Pleasant dreams may be possible with a "healthy bed." The Children's Health Environmental Coalition offers several suggestions for making your bed more safe. 1. Allow your new mattress to air out in a well-ventilated, dry area for a few days before using it. Ever since people have been falling asleep in bed with cigarettes in hand, U.S. laws require protection against mattress cigarette ignition. To comply with this regulation, companies either put a layer of polyurethane foam in the bed, or use brominated flame retardants (though they may deny the latter). These flame retardants, called PBDE's," are now quite abundant in our body and are said to be the new PCB or DDT of our time. 2. Avoid stain and water repellant treatments on your mattress. Teflon is a popular stain treatment made by DuPont, but it involves a chemical called perfluorooctanic acid (PFOA) that, unfortunately, is also now commonly found in our body. DuPont is currently facing a lawsuit of several hundred million dollars in fines for possibly endangering the health of Americans with this chemical. You don't want to be taking it in - Teflon fumes kill birds, and Teflon plant workers had babies with birth defects. 3. Avoid allowing your mattress to get damp. When mattresses become damp, mold and mildew collect, and when this happens it's nearly impossible to fully clean it. Mold and mildew can be potent allergens, causing your body to react in adverse ways to rid itself of these particles. If your mattress is already contaminated with these substances from previous water damage, it may be affecting your sleep. I would suggest getting a new one. 4. Wash your sheets in hot water every two weeks. This helps kill the dust mites (microscopic insects) living in your bedding. These dust mites are a major contributor to asthma attacks because their feces contain a protein that causes allergic reactions in many people. Dust mites feed on dead skin cells, so washing your sheets will weaken their food supply. Detoxification Programs If you feel you have a lot of toxins in your body - toxins from flame retardants, stain treatment chemicals, dust mites, and mold particles, which may be interfering with your sleep - come into LifeWorks Wellness Center. We have numerous detoxification programs available, as well as natural, drug-free treatments for both allergies and asthma. Additionally, an inability to sleep can be due to other health problems. Our health practitioners can help correct what may be wrong with your body, and help you return to sound sleeping at night. For more information, call LifeWorks Wellness Center at 877-543-3975 or 727-466-6789.
Aisha Ikramuddin and Pamela Lundquist Aisha Ikramuddin
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