Choosing a mattress for dust mite allergy and a Simba mattress review

Here, I will explore how dust mite allergy affects sleep quality and what you can do about it, along with my review of the Simba Hybrid double mattress that I was sent to review in return for sharing our experiences with you.

As you may already know from what I have previously shared, Ben has a severe dust mite allergy. It is one of the allergies he has that causes anaphylaxis. Dust mites are tiny creatures that thrive in bedding, furniture, and carpets. Though they are not harmful directly, when you are allergic to them, they can cause a range of symptoms that interfere with your sleep quality. I am keen to see if a new mattress could help Ben.

How Dust Mite Allergy Impacts Sleep Quality?

Could you have a dust mite allergy? Do you constantly wake up with a stuffed nose or itchy eyes? You may be experiencing the unpleasant symptoms of a dust mite allergy. Dust mite allergy can vary in severity from mild to extremely severe.

Dust mites are microscopic creatures everywhere in our homes, especially in bedding and mattresses. Dust mite allergy can cause several symptoms that interfere with sleep, including nasal congestion, sneezing, itching, watery eyes, and wheezing.

These symptoms not only keep you up at night, but they can also make you feel tired and unproductive during the day. Dust mites can be inhaled during sleep, which can cause wheezing and coughing. If your mattress and pillow are contaminated with dust mites, it’s important to consider replacing them.

What happens when you don’t get enough sleep?

Not getting enough sleep can severely affect our physical and mental health. Here are some of the main issues of not having enough sleep. All these things could be improved by addressing an underlying dust mite allergy and considering buying a new mattress.

Impaired Cognitive Functioning and Memory Loss

Research has shown that insufficient sleep can impair your cognitive functioning, including your ability to concentrate, problem-solve, and remember things. This can not only affect your work but also your daily life.

Weight Gain and Weak Immunity

Along with affecting your brain, sleep loss can also have a significant impact on your physical health. Studies have linked sleep deprivation to weight gain and obesity, as well as a weakened immune system.

When you don’t sleep enough, your body produces more ghrelin, a hormone that increases your appetite, and less leptin, a hormone that helps you feel full. Additionally, sleep deprivation can lead to an increase in inflammation in the body which can suppress the immune system and cause sickness.

Mood Swings and Depression

Lack of sleep can also affect your mental health. People who don’t get enough sleep tend to have mood swings, from irritability to depression. I think we have all experienced this, haven’t we?

Insufficient sleep may decrease the production of serotonin and other neurotransmitters that regulate mood, leading to anxiety and depression. That said, if you’re experiencing ongoing mood swings, it’s essential to speak to a mental health professional whether it is linked to sleep or not as they can help.

Increased Risk of Chronic Diseases

Sleep is vital for our bodies to repair themselves and stay healthy. When you don’t get enough sleep, you’re putting yourself at risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

If you’re consistently not getting enough sleep, it’s important to speak to your doctor about how to improve your sleep patterns, as this can have a major impact on your overall health.

Poor Reaction Times and Increased Risk of Accidents

Lastly, not getting enough sleep can also put you at risk for accidents. Sleep deprivation can impair your reaction times and cognitive function, leading to accidents at work or while driving. This can result in injuries or even death. It’s important to prioritise sleep to prevent disastrous outcomes.

There are many conditions that, due to their effect on your sleep, are reportable to the DVLA to ensure you can only drive if you are safe to and not too sleep deprived. Sleep apnoea, which I have, is one of these.

How Does A New Mattress Helps With Dust Mite Allergy?

Sleeping on an old mattress can accumulate dust mites, worsening your allergy symptoms. There are many reasons a new mattress could help with this.

Old Mattresses Can Be Home To Dust Mites

Dust mites love to live in warm and humid environments, making mattresses their favourite spot. When you sleep on an old mattress, your body heat and sweat create an ideal environment for dust mites to thrive.

Over time, your mattress accumulates these tiny bugs, increasing allergy symptoms. Getting a new mattress will help prevent this dust mite accumulation and is likely to decrease your allergy symptoms significantly.

New Mattresses Have An Impermeable Barrier

New mattresses come with a protective barrier that shields against dust mites and other irritants. An optimal mattress for those with dust mite allergies is one with a zipped cover that creates a complete barrier between the sleeper and the interior of the mattress. This way, the mites cannot permeate the mattress and cause any allergic reactions.

Better Quality Material

An old mattress that is over ten years old may be too worn out and might be falling apart on the inside. This can worsen your allergy symptoms as it can cause an accumulation of dust mites, dirt, and other bacteria that live inside the mattress.

Investing in a new high-quality mattress is a good investment for both your health and sleep. The better quality material will not only ensure you have an excellent night’s sleep, but it will also help reduce dust mite accumulation.

Lower Humidity Levels

Bacteria and mould grow in warm, humid environments. This is why a dirty and old mattress can cause a buildup of these allergens, which can, in turn, trigger your allergies. New mattresses are made with new materials that aren’t worn down, which creates lower humidity levels. This will prevent the accumulation of allergens inside your mattress.

Better Sleep Quality

Lastly, a new mattress will provide you with the best possible sleep that you need to stay healthy. Poor sleep can reduce the body’s healing ability, leading to chronic allergy symptoms. A new mattress will give you better sleep quality, reducing allergic reactions and improving your overall health.

How to choose the best mattress for dust mite allergy sufferers

Here are some tips on choosing the best mattress for someone with a dust mite allergy. These are also good tips to help when choosing bedding and other bedroom soft furnishings such as curtains, rugs, cushions and throws.

Look for Hypoallergenic Materials

One of the most important factors to consider when looking for a mattress and other bedroom soft furnishings for someone with a dust mite allergy is the materials used to make them. Look for hypoallergenic materials like latex foam, memory foam, or wool.

Wool is an excellent choice for those with allergies because it naturally regulates temperature and wicks away moisture, making it less hospitable for dust mites.

Latex foam is also a good option because it is naturally resistant to dust mites.

Memory foam mattresses tend to be less hospitable to dust mites than traditional spring mattresses.

Consider a mattress with a zippable cover

Zippable mattress covers are another great option for fighting against dust mites. These wrappings encase the entire mattress, including the top, sides, and bottom, forming a tightly-fitted barrier against dust mites.

These covers are typically made of a tightly woven fabric that prevents dust mites and other allergens from entering the mattress and causing a reaction.

Chose a mattress that can be easily cleaned

Maintaining a clean and healthy mattress is essential in reducing dust mites. A few basic cleaning tips include vacuuming your mattress regularly to remove allergens, washing your sheets and pillowcases on high heat weekly, and using allergy-friendly detergents and dryer sheets.

Consider an Air Purifier

An air purifier can be an excellent addition to a bedroom for those with allergies. Air purifiers work by filtering out allergens in the air, including dust mites, pollen, and pet dander. As a result, they can help alleviate allergy symptoms and improve sleep quality. Invest in a purifier with a HEPA filter to ensure the highest level of air filtration possible.

Simba Hybrid Mattress Review

With all this in mind, I was keen to try out the Simba Hybrid mattress for Ben. Not only should it hopefully help with his dust mite allergy but also it should help him sleep more comfortably. It came in time for him to use it after an operation he had on both legs so it got well tested!

What is the Simba Hybrid mattress?

The Simba Hybrid mattress is a 6 layer mattress which claims to offer “gravity-defying” comfort and uses a mixture of titanium Aerocoil springs and cooling Simbatex foam. The mattress also comes with an anti-allergenic and breathable cover with optional Stratos® heat control technology. The mattress is described as medium-firm.

It is also designed for everyone in mind, with thousands of tiny springs as well as responsive support for the perfect spinal alignment for everyone. I know you might be thinking, springs, I don’t want springs but I promise these are different.

If it weren’t for the description of the mattress, I wouldn’t have known there were springs at all. They are 2.5cm high, and the thickness of the wire is similar to that of a paperclip! It honestly feels amazing and not like springs, I am very jealous that we got it for Ben!

How does the Simba Hybrid mattress keep you cool?

Memory foam is well known for not being great for a good night’s sleep, it may be comfy, but it is all too easy to get too hot with a memory foam mattress. Simbatex® foam is a little different. It is an open-cell foam with more elasticity and much better airflow than standard memory foam. Simba claims it to be 30x more airflow but obviously, I can’t test that out!

The different foam and breathable cover are what help keep you cool at night and ensure your sleep temperature is ideal for a good night’s sleep.

What did we think to the Simba hybrid mattress – first thoughts

The mattress, as is usual nowadays, came vacuum-packed in a box. As it is a double bed mattress the box was around 4ft 6 tall and pretty heavy but the delivery driver delivered to the room of choice. It was easy enough for two people to manoeuvre it around the room and unwrap it.

The mattress takes a few hours to open up as such and expand to its full size. I was quite surprised how quickly it looked perfectly normal and expanded so the bedding could be put on whilst it finished off.

Is the Simba Hybrid mattress comfortable?

Ben has found the mattress extremely comfortable and says it is the best bed he has ever slept in! After his recent surgery, he found getting comfortable in general, really difficult, but he slept very well. He had both tendons behind his knees cut, so quite an uncomfortable surgery and a place to have bandages!

Has it helped with the dust mite allergy?

It is probably a bit too early to tell if it has made a long-term difference in Ben’s dust mite allergy however it has been noticeable that he has sneezed less in the mornings which is definitely a good sign.

Can you use the Simba Hybrid mattress on an ottoman bed, or is it too heavy?

Whilst the Simba mattress is pretty heavy, as all good quality mattresses are, we have a double and an ottoman bed for Ben and it works well with no issues. I can’t say all ottomans would be the same but this is a pretty cheap ottoman as far as these things go and is just fine.

Is the Simba Hybrid worth the money?

Whilst I did not pay for this and was sent it in return for review, it seems very good quality so far. Simba offers a 200-night trial so if you decide it isn’t for you I imagine it is easy to send it back.

Simba also has a 10-year guarantee so I would think they imagine their mattress should last easily for 10 years. Compared to a cheap mattress which lasts a couple of years before getting saggy and old it is more expensive but if you look at the 10-year cost I imagine it to be reasonably similar.

How does the old mattress collection work?

When we ordered the mattress we included having the old mattress taken away – who wouldn’t? They are so big to try and get to the local tip I was thankful that Simba could collect the old one!

A few days before the delivery of the new mattress we received a giant bag which could be slid around the old mattress whilst on the bed still with ease. When the new mattress arrived, they simply took the old one with them in that bag. They collected it from the bed so there was no need to try and move it downstairs or even off the bed!

Does the Simba mattress keep you cool at night?

Again it is probably a bit early to say for sure, but Ben has definitely not been waking as sweaty and hot as he was previously so it is a good sign!

How can I get a cheap Simba Mattress?

If you like the idea of a Simba mattress but are a bit strapped for cash at the moment, then I have a few suggestions for you which may help a little.

• Every month, there are different offers on their website, keep an eye out for one that suits you if you are in no rush to buy straight away.
• Consider whether you actually need to buy a new bed or just a new mattress. If your bed is structurally sound, then save the money you would spend on the frame and put it towards the mattress.
• Look at the different Simba products and perhaps consider a hybrid pillow for a cooler sleep until you can afford a mattress.

Our overall thoughts

I really think sleep is important and if you don’t sleep well you will never be happy. House dust mite could be causing you more issues than you realise so this is something definitely worth considering.

We love the Simba products having never considered spending this much on a mattress or pillow previously I can categorically say that the difference between the Simba products and the cheaper mattresses and pillows is immense.

I am hoping to order a Simba Hybrid mattress for our bed soon even though we only got our current mattress 18 months ago as I am that impressed with Bens!