Mattress advice for Allergies and hot sleepers?

Hi Caroline,

Many thanks for our comment asking about mattresses suitable for dust allergies. It's a really interesting comment and one we get asked a lot about from people looking for a new mattress.

There are a number of allergies that can affect your sleep and bedtime routine. The first thing to note is that looking after your mattress and following strict weekly maintenance is the best way to keep your mattress allergen-free. You can read our guide here on mattress maintenance.

You don't state what your body weight, sleeping position or comfort preferences are so we will provide a few options to get you started. The spring tension of a mattress is always dictated by your bodyweight, whereas the comfort of the mattress is provided by the upholstery fibres contained within. We will discuss these in more detail further on.

There is a big marketing exercise about hypoallergenic mattresses. It's important to know what a hypoallergenic mattress will and won't do for you.

What is a hypoallergenic mattress?:

Hypoallergenic just means that the fibres used inside the mattress will be inert. Ie synthetic. This means they are allergen-free. However, as soon as you start to sleep on them dust, debris, sweat and other particles will start to build up on your mattress. This is why monthly turning and rotating along with weekly cleaning is essential to combat this build up.

Mattress animal fibre allergies:

Allergies to animal fibres are quite straight forward to avoid. Mainly by choosing synthetic mattress materials like those found in our Origins hand made mattress models. Sometimes an allergy test is the best way to work out exactly what you are allergic to and then choose mattresses that show the full contents of their upholstery and fibres used.

Choosing fibres for allergies in a mattress

It's essential to know the grams per square meter of all the fibres contained within the mattress. We would avoid blended fibres where a number of natural fibres are mixed together. This is because it is hard to avoid cross-contamination between fibres. So you are better going for a 100% wool layer rather than 'Blended wool cashmere and pashmina' because there maybe other fibres that inadvertently get into the mix. Ie horsetail that could be something you know you are allergic to.

How to stay cool at night?:

The best way to pick a mattress that will keep you cool at night is to avoid all memory foams and synthetic foams where possible. This is because they actively retain heat which is what allows them to slowly soften. These man made fibres are the hottest of all bed fibres.
The coolest of all mattress fibres are natural fibres such as:

• Wool
• Bamboo
• Flax
• Horsehair
• Cashmere
• Alpaca

As they are both high wicking and are breathable. Meaning heat can be wicked away far more effectively than heavy heat retentive foams.

So we would advise that you look for a natural fibre mattress, avoiding any animal products you know you are allergic to. We also have a Vegan-friendly mattress that avoids all animal products which is 100% natural and breathable. Have a look below at three very different models for a starter for ten.

1.Artisan Latex Vegan Mattress:

The Artisan Latex is our premium vegan-friendly mattress. Hand made and featuring 100% natural plant-based fibres, It gives a medium feel in the top comfort layer and is a 2 sided calico encased vanadium coated pocket spring support system. It’s our best selling plant-based mattress.

1: 200GSM BAMBOO FIBRE
2: 1500GSM REBOUND COTTON
3: 3CM TALALAY LATEX (GRAPHITE FREE)
4: 450GSM ORGANIC FLAX FIBRE
5: 1000GSM COCONUT COIR FIBRE AS THE INSULATOR
6: 1500 CALICO ENCASED VANADIUM COATED POCKET SPRINGS (SOFT, MEDIUM OR FIRM TENSION CHOICES)
7: Total GSM: 3150 Chemical Free Cover

2. Origins Reflex Mattress:

Our alternative is the Origins Reflex which is a firmer feel. This is still a hand made Pocket spring mattresses with generous fillings of polyester and man-made fibres. It’s hand made, two-sided and features 1020gsm of man-made fibres.

1: 750GSM VERY SOFT POLYESTER
2: ONE INCH REFLEX FOAM LAYER
3: 270GSM POLYESTER
4: ONE INCH REFLEX FOAM LAYER
5: 1000 SPUN BOND POCKET SPRINGS (MED OR FIRM TENSION)
TOTAL: 1020GSM
DEPTH: 33-35CM

3.Artisan Bespoke 004:

For a medium feel natural fibre mattress then have a look at our Artisan Bespoke 004. It features a calico encased vanadium coated pocket spring unit. It contains a huge 3600GSM of 100% natural fibre fillings and is two-sided. We recommend you turn your mattress every month to even out initial settlement and keep your mattress feeling like new for as long as possible. We always advocate choosing a 2 sided mattress over a no turn model which have a far shorter shelf life.

1: 1200GSM BLENDED BRITISH FLEECE WOOL AND COTTON
2: HAIRPROOF CAMBRIC COVER
3: 200GSM SOFT BAMBOO
4: 1200GSM PURE HORSETAIL
5: 1000GSM BONDED BRITISH FLEECE WOOL AND COTTON
6: 1600 CALICO ENCASED POCKET SPRINGS [ 49MM ] [1.28MM]
TOTAL: 3600GSM
DEPTH: 27-30CM
CHEMICAL FREE COVER

Mattress fibres in more detail:

Please take a look at our extensive table below showing all known mattress fibres, their comfort layer properties and price point to assist.

We hope that helps and gives you further mattress buying guidance Caroline. If you have any more mattress related questions please get back in touch on info@localhost or 0161 437 4419.

Sleep well
John & Ryan