Many people feel uncomfortable sleeping on a wet bed due to the higher humidity underneath it. Moreover, the body’s glands produce sweat or moisture that can accumulate in the bed.
Do Mattresses Need To Breathe? Mattresses need to breathe because it allows sweat and body oils to evaporate and prevent moisture buildup deep inside the layers. In addition, it helps remove the bad odor of chemicals from the new mattresses affecting the quality of sleep. Furthermore, it avoids the growth of mold by keeping the upper surface dry. Moreover, the body heat can dissipate from the bed when air circulates inside the air spaces, providing a cooling effect. You can make the mattresses more breathable by adding a bed frame or box spring under them. Moreover, turning the foam upside down and leaning it vertically every 5 to 7 days keep them dry.
You can reduce the humidity by regularly wiping the surface and exposing them to air. Air circulation within the air spaces can help keep them dry and resistant to germs.
Why do mattresses need to breathe?
There are many benefits of mattresses that allow air to pass in and out of the material. Likewise, it can help remove bad odors and prevent body oils from accumulating in the air spaces.
Evaporation of moisture
Our body produces sweat, and natural oils can enter deep inside a mattress. However, the sweat cannot evaporate from the bed foam when there is no airflow inside it.
When air passes through a foam present on a bed frame, the moisture evaporates from its surface. As a result, air circulates through the layers and avoids soaking the bedding material.
When you allow your bed to breathe, airflow increases inside the layers.
It is essential for maintaining hygienic conditions and providing a comfortable surface. Moreover, it helps transport moisture to the air.
Reduce off-gassing
When your mattress has been rolled up for months, the air cannot pass through it. Instead, it contains chemicals inside Volatile organic compounds or VOCs, which produce a bad odor.
Moreover, this odor remains for many hours or days when you unroll it on the frame, making it uneasy to sleep. You can avoid this smell by opening it to air for a day or two so that it can breathe out.
So, you can mitigate this off-gassing problem by opening it in the air. It allows you to sleep comfortably without any foul odor in the atmosphere.
Improve durability
The durability of a bed is at risk if you are not allowing it to breathe. A continuous buildup of moisture and the dead skin cells on the upper layer can damage foam quality.
In addition, there is no premature wearing in the foam with good airflow that can affect its longevity. High humidity can degrade the memory foam and makes it saggy.
Avoid mold growth
An excessive buildup of moisture level allows mold and bacteria to grow in it. A wet bed accumulates germs, and mold can easily grow at a moist place.
Therefore, a breathable bed does not allow these oily sweat drops to accumulate, and it evaporates into the air.
A mattress with no air circulation can become a problem and provide extra warmth when the pores clog due to dirt and sweat.
Heat dissipation
It absorbs body heat and locks it inside, and provides warmth. However, it can dissipate heat only when you provide a channel for air to pass through it.
The heat can trap inside the bed if you block the air passage by placing it on the floor. Therefore, you have to turn the sides of a bed on a flat surface to increase contact with the atmosphere.
How to make mattresses breathable?
There are many ways to make your bed surface breathable to remain useful for a long time. For example, you can allow natural air to pass through the material or choose other sources like fans.
Build an air gap
You can allow air to pass through a bed by placing it on a box spring or bed frame. When the base of a bed is wide and solid, the sweat particles do not find a way to get out of it.
Therefore, it is better to create a gap for air to enter the foam. In addition, a gap between the bed and the floor is good for releasing the bad odor and dead skin cells.
So, there will be no issue of overheating because the air keeps circulating through the material.
Vertical leaning
In addition, you can place the mattress in a vertical position by providing support from the wall.
The lower surface of the bed comes in direct contact with air. When the surface area increases, more air passes through the material and provides proper ventilation to the layers.
It is a good practice to do if you do not have a bed frame and you have to put it on the floor. The vertical position allows air to pass and maintains its quality for an extended time.
Improve air sources
You can allow more air to reach the bedding surface by keeping the room’s windows open. When the room is airy, the natural air keeps the surface dry.
You can also increase the fans inside a room, which can help in avoiding soaking the bed. All the natural and artificial sources allow better air circulation through all the layers.
Use pillows and mattress topper
Many pillows and toppers are available to reduce the buildup of heat inside the beds. They provide a cooling effect and add to your comfort.
Additionally, the material inside these pillows and toppers absorbs heat efficiently and regulates the temperature.
Therefore, it is better to choose the topper with a cooling gel effect so that the surface does not get hot with your body’s warmth.
Prevent moisture buildup
You have to keep the surface dry because moisture droplets can clog the spaces inside a mattress. In addition, it can act as a barrier to airflow by blocking the bed’s surface area.
Furthermore, moisture can decrease the efficiency of bedding material to allow air circulation. You can also use a waterproof protector that does not allow water drops to enter it.
Lightweight bedding
The bedding sheets need to be light in weight, soft, and thin, which does not restrict air entry. However, thick and warm bedding increases sweating in summers, and the body oils enter the air spaces.
When the oil droplets fill these spaces, the air cannot go through them, which decreases breathability. So, you have to choose a bed of cotton or any other lightweight stuff that improves airflow.
How often do mattresses need to breathe?
You have to make your mattresses more breathable if there is no gap in the floor. Accordingly, you can open it in the air or turn the sides after a day.
When you turn it upside down, the level of humidity decreases. Moreover, you can expose it to air every 5 to 7 days, which keeps them fresh and resistant to mold growth.
Some people do not practice it weekly, but this is how to avoid premature wearing of foam due to excessive moisture.
What to put under mattress on floor?
Many people prefer to place a mattress directly on the floor, but it is not good to place it on the floor as it reduces the contact with the atmosphere.
In addition, it results in lesser air flow through the layers of a bed and increases humidity beneath it.
Moreover, the dust mites can accumulate inside, or the insects can easily get into your bed. You can place cardboard or preferably a box spring under the foam.
In addition, you can use a protector under it that prevents germs from accumulating and efficiently reduce the buildup of heat and moisture.
Can you put a mattress on plywood?
You can place a bed foam on a solid foundation to increase its durability and breathability. In the same way, you can put it on a plywood base.
Plywood is a better choice as a base for the bed than a box spring because it does not accumulate dust particles. In addition, it is a cheap alternative to a box spring that can support the foam efficiently.
Furthermore, it is not a thick platform and suits the bed or avoids its sagging. So, you can place a memory foam on this thin platform.
Do memory foam mattresses need to breathe?
Memory foam is high-density foam and consists of many layers that provide comfortable sleep. In addition, it contains air spaces inside the material that ensure enough air circulation.
In addition, the memory foam also needs to breathe like all other beds. The air passing through these air spaces keeps the bedding surface cool and disperses the drops of sweating.
It is better to allow air to pass from the new memory foam so that it cannot give a foul odor.
Furthermore, the gravity pulls the sweat drops down inside bed material that can only evaporate when you allow air to pass.
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