When you crawl into bed, you come into semi-direct contact with the surface of the mattress as you lie on top of your sheets. Sleeping in your bed exposes your respiratory system and skin, the largest organ in the human body, to the state of your mattress and the conditions of your sleeping environment. Especially without a mattress protector on the bed, you're certainly in proximity to the materials used inside and the current condition of the mattress.

Despite the rising popularity of getting a good night's sleep and the importance of sleep health, some individuals today circumvent beneficial sleep hygiene practices, such as using a mattress protector. In turn, this lack of awareness about mattress accessories, such as mattress protectors, raises questions and concerns about whether their sleeping surface meets the hygienic standards for a healthy sleep environment overall.

Many will begin to wonder: are mattress protectors really necessary? The truth is that the absence of a protective layer on any mattress can create a thriving habitat for impurities, bacteria, and allergens, which can lead to more severe issues, such as allergies, headaches, or more severe congestion. Even worse, an impure or contaminated mattress can lead to a decline in sleep quality, illness, and feeling subpar or under the weather.

You can easily avoid the risk of mattress contamination from sweat and other bodily fluids by using a mattress protector. Not to be confused with a mattress pad or topper, a mattress protector helps keep your mattress pure and fresh. Protectors also prevent the mattress from collecting allergens, moisture, or sweat that can compromise the mattress's reliable and comfortable layers. These mattress comfort layers are essential for a good night's sleep; we all need them to sleep deeply as the mattress layers relieve pressure points on our bodies throughout the night.

Improving Sleep Hygiene: The Importance of a Mattress Protector

A mattress protector is a product that replicates a fitted sheet-style cover with a protective backing. It is a cover that, when composing an entirely made bed, goes directly on top of the mattress, beneath the bed sheets. A high-performance, high-quality mattress protector should have properties that allow it to be both waterproof and breathable, thereby preventing soiling, staining, or other contaminations. A high-performance mattress protector is effective without trapping excess heat within the sleeping environment.

Aside from the best and most effective option, a mattress protector, there are also different versions called mattress pads that are only resistant to moisture to some extent. These really aren’t as effective. Still, a waterproof, breathable mattress protector remains one necessary option to help you keep your mattress clean and maintain healthy sleep hygiene within your sleep environment.

The primary function of a mattress protector is to shield the sleeping surface from spills, stains, allergens like dust or dust mites, moisture, biofluids, and other contaminants like bacteria. The primary purpose of using a mattress protection system, such as a mattress protector, is to help sleepers preserve or enhance their sleep quality and hygiene by keeping the surface clean and fresh.

Furthermore, most mattress brands stipulate that a clean or like-new mattress is required to be eligible for any warranty or guarantee. A mattress protector can also help extend the life of your mattress, as well as comply with the terms of your mattress's warranty, by keeping it free from moisture, stains, and impurities. Undoubtedly, sleep experts and mattress manufacturers recommend using a mattress protector because it helps uphold your mattress manufacturer's warranty.

Benefits of Mattress Protectors: Keeping Your Environment Clean and Shielded from Unhealthy Impurities

A mattress without a protector perpetuates an unhygienic cycle, where a clean mattress becomes dirty as it allows dead skin cells and dander to build up and absorb sweat. Subsequently, dust mites are then drawn to mattresses with such accumulation, as these environments are their primary source of survival. Likewise, the absence of a mattress protector often ushers a build-up of allergens, dust mites, and other contaminants on the mattress surface. These impurities can be bothersome for individuals with asthma or allergies, making this one of the major reasons why mattress protectors really are necessary.

Ultimately, even if you consider yourself someone who prioritizes a clean household and practices good hygiene, not using any form of mattress protection can undermine your overall efforts. This lack may result in failing to maintain a healthy sleep environment and achieve satisfactory sleep quality for yourself and your loved ones.

Moisture Protection: Safeguarding Your Mattress from Stains and Damage

Here is an unfortunately "gross" reality about moisture and our sleeping surface. On average, we perspire an astonishing amount while we sleep—according to WebMD, about 26 gallons per year. Clearly, that's too much sweaty moisture for your mattress to take on, all on its own. If you tend to get hot and sweat while sleeping, a mattress protector comes in handy.

The comfort layers at the top of your mattress, especially if there are foam materials, act like a sponge. However, unlike a sponge, mattress materials are not designed to absorb or store excess moisture, such as sweat or other liquids. Sponge-like mattress materials, such as gel foam, memory foam, or latex rubber, can unintentionally absorb sweat. Without proper protection for the mattress, dander and dust mites will also accumulate.

An intriguing point about dust mites is that they are unable to consume liquids or ingest any source of hydration, which means they cannot "drink water" to hydrate, unlike many other insects or animals. Instead, dust mites can only absorb moisture from the air or environment to survive, which is why they tend to flourish in humid environments.

Additionally, dust mites often do not thrive or survive in dry environments with a relative humidity below 50%. Ultimately, to survive, dust mites gravitate towards moisture-rich, humid environments; your sleeping environment may be one of them, particularly without the use of a moisture-shielding mattress protector.

Though dust mite facts are not the most enjoyable information to learn about, it's still wise to be aware of the obstacles you may be facing to improve sleep health and hygiene. Avoiding sweat, dander, and dust mites further underscores the importance of using a mattress protector, such as a cooling version, that helps keep your sleeping surface temperature-balanced and free from sweat or spills. The Bed Tech Blue Ice protector is an impressive option, helping to maintain a balanced body temperature throughout the night while preventing dust mites and bacteria from living or accumulating within the mattress.

Regardless of how you look at it, without the use of a mattress protector, a build-up of pollutants and other impurities often occurs, promoting an unhealthy cycle of mattress hygiene and potentially leading to poor sleep quality.

Boost Your Sleep Hygiene & Protect Your Mattress for Lasting Comfort

Mattress protectors boost healthy sleep hygiene by decreasing allergens and potential irritating contaminants within your mattress, such as skin cells and dust mites. Reducing or eliminating said impurities will, in turn, help to alleviate some respiratory symptoms for allergy sufferers. A mattress protector can also help prolong the lifespan of the mattress by making it less susceptible to moisture absorption and compression of the comfort layers. With a Bed Tech Tencel 5.0 Mattress Protector, it's all the more possible for you to sleep well on a mattress that lasts, surrounded by a hygienic "shield" that protects your sleeping surface and helps extend the mattress's lifetime.

Are you still not "sold" on the idea of a mattress protector? Do you sleep on a second-hand mattress or one that you know is contaminated and needs to be replaced? If so, you should be aware that the unhealthy allergen-filled air surrounding your mattress is what you're breathing in, too.

Similarly, the largest organ in the human body, it constantly absorbs anything that may be in proximity to the outermost epidermal layer. For many, skin is sensitive, making it necessary to shield your mattress while protecting your skin at the same time. Mattress protectors shield your mattress and skin from damaging or irritating impurities and contaminants that can ultimately hinder progress towards a healthy sleep and maintain a clean mattress surface.

Hence, this is why mattress protectors are necessary if you value getting a good night's sleep and healthy sleep hygiene.

Create a Hygienic “Shield” With Bed Tech Mattress Protectors

You can easily refresh your sleep quality with a new hybrid mattress or shielding mattress protector. Next, simply shop online with Bed Tech, a company who offers the best and only the most savvy mattress protector choices that have the potential to help you improve  your sleep hygiene and mattresses cleanliness over time.

Bed Tech, a customer-first focused company since 2009, offers four styles of hypoallergenic mattress protectors. At least one design is sure to meet your needs to protect your mattress with a sensation that you feel comfortable with.

Make sure to check out some of the best, hypoallergenic Bed Tech mattress protectors, here: 

• #1 Best for Hot Sleepers - Blue Ice Protector
• #2 Best Naturally Waterproof & Breathable - Tencel 5.0 Protector
• #3 Best for Beds with Kids and Pets - Cotton Loop
• #4 Best for Effectiveness & Being Budget Friendly - Quiet Comfort Protector

See all Bed Tech Mattress Protectors

Now, hopefully you believe, like the Bed Tech Sleep Experts do, that a protective mattress cover is a necessary product to maintain healthy sleep hygiene. Mattress protectors' primary function is to serve as a "safeguard" against sweat, dander, body oils, skin cells, and moisture from "accidents" caused by incontinence, kids, or pets.

The key point is: using a mattress protector really is necessary to prevent the buildup of bacteria and dust mites inside, particularly on the surface of your mattress. Mattress protectors are a product that can enhance healthy sleep hygiene by creating a more sanitary environment for your body, skin, and lungs to be in proximity with your mattress without developing or exacerbating issues, such as allergies or asthma.

Decreasing allergens and potential irritating contaminants within your mattress, such as skin cells and dust mites, can help to alleviate some respiratory symptoms for allergy sufferers. Mattress protectors are also a lifesaver for households with beds that occupy kids or pets. It's all the more possible with a Bed Tech Mattress Protector to surround and create a "shield" for your mattress.

For some, the new-found concept of how to improve on sleep hygiene may at first feel like a constant chore after introducing the mattress protector as an additional layer. Still, the truth is that mattress protectors really are necessary and can help prolong the life of your mattress

Mattress protectors are a product that makes it easier to support the effort of healthy sleep hygiene, by helping to prevent moisture build-up while keeping dust mites and allergens under control. Keep in mind the significance of getting a good night's sleep and what that means for you. That way, you'll focus on proper hygiene and getting the best sleep you can with using a mattress protector.