Latex issues??

Hi,
I tried searching the forum for a while and never found an answer to these questions.
I am seriously considering getting a latex mattress, but I wanted to check on some issues.

  1. I’ve heard from some places that latex gets hot. Now I know it doesn’t get as hot as memory foam, but it still gets hot from my understanding. Is this true? I am particularly sensitive to warm beds. If it does, I don’t know what to look for. It sounds like all mattresses now have some sort of foam on the top, unless I want to get a super firm coil mattress.

  2. Everything I’ve read about latex off gassing (and I’ve exclusively only looked into natural latex), seems to say that they don’t off gas. But a salesman who only sells latex told me that they do, just less. Everywhere I’ve read does seem to be trying to sell latex when they say it doesn’t, so I don’t know how trustworthy it is. I know that even things like memory which are known to off gas, still seem to try to convince people that it’s not a big deal. Yet I’ve seen a documentary about how it causes all sorts of problems. So my question is, does latex have any health side effects?

  3. Other than cost and the 2 question before this, are there any other issues/problems with latex?

Thanks.

Hi mhost2,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

Mattress temperature has been discussed extensively here on the forum. All foams are insulators to some degree, with latex (specifically Talalay) being the most breathable, followed by polyfoam and then memory foam. In addition to this, the softer a mattress, the most you sleep “in” the product than “on” it, so there is also the potential to be more insulated (and perhaps sleep warmer) in any sort of a plush mattress than a harder feeling mattress.

It’s not really possible to quantify the sleeping temperature of a mattress for any particular person with any real accuracy because there are so many variables involved including the type of mattress protector and the sheets and bedding that you use (which in many cases can have just as significant an effect on sleeping temperature as the type of foam in a mattress) and on where you are in the “oven to iceberg” range and because there is no standardized testing for temperature regulation with different combinations of materials. There is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress or sleeping system in post #2 here that can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.

In very general terms, the materials, layers, and components of a sleeping system that are closer to your skin will have a bigger effect on airflow, moisture transport, and temperature regulation than materials, layers, and components that are further away from your skin and softer mattresses or foam toppers will tend to be more “insulating” and for some people can sleep warmer than firmer versions of the same material.

Mattresses have used some sort of foam for a cushion material on top of the innerspring unit for decades. There are mattresses that use multiple coil units and natural fibers and eschew any type of foam, but this isn’t a guarantee of sleeping cooler. It has more to do with the comfort, durability and material preference that an individual may have personally.

I can’t speak to what you viewed on a documentary, but the only reliable way to assess the “safety” of different materials in more general terms is based on lab tests and the certifications they have for harmful substances and VOCs so that you have some assurance than the VOCs are below the testing limits for the certification (see post #2 here for more information about some of the more reliable “safety” certifications). If the materials in a mattress or the mattress itself has a reliable “safety” certification then for most people they would certainly be “safe enough”, regardless of the type of material.

All the latex you are likely to encounter (either Dunlop or Talalay that is made with either natural or synthetic rubber or a blend of both) will have a reliable certification such as Oeko-Tex, Eco-Institut, Greenguard Gold or C2C and based on actual testing I would consider any type or blend of latex to be a very “safe” material in terms of harmful substances and VOC’s (offgassing).

These questions are too general to address with a specific answer, but I’ll attempt to provide a bit of guidance and perspective for you.

The one concern (which would still be extremely rare) would be a Type I IgE-meditated true latex allergy. There is more detail about latex sensitivities in this thread and here is a good brief overview here about the three types of reactions that can be connected to latex.

While some mattress materials may be “safer” than others, I wouldn’t consider any mattress to be “healthy” because unlike food or exercise which have direct and specific health benefits, any health benefits with a mattress come from how well you sleep on it rather than directly from the mattress itself or the materials inside it. There is more about the factors that can affect healthy sleeping in post #4 here.

If you are interested in doing more detailed research about organic, natural, chemical free, safe, and green materials, there is more information in post #2 here and post #2 here and the many other posts and sources of information that they link to that can help sort through and differentiate the more factual information from the marketing information you will encounter about all of these interrelated topics and can help answer your questions about “how safe is safe enough for me?” because there are no definitive answers that would apply to every person.

I hope that helps!

Phoenix