Can mattresses be made of coconut? What silly question isn’t it? If you ask this to anyone living in the western world, they would probably laugh at you. But the answer to the seemingly idiotic query is ‘Yes’. The coir mattress, which is quite familiar to everyone, is made up of processed coconut husk! Thefibresrecovered from the husk of the coconut is called coir. It is a naturally strong fibre which doesn’t absorb water. In fact, it is the only natural fibre resistant to salt water and hence it is used for marine applications.
When Was Coir Mattresses First Introduced?
There are records to prove that coir is being used by humans for the past 4,000 years. It can be estimated that coir beds were used for sleeping around this time by people in South Asia, where coconut palms are indigenously grown. Because of the benefits of this type of beds, travelers and traders would have adopted them and thus coir mattresses became a ubiquity.
When Are Coir Mattresses Best Used?
The unique property of coir bed is that it provides very good ventilation. This helps for a cool and comfortable sleep especially if you are living in a warm climate like India. The mattress is also famous for its firmness. If you are a person who prefers a cool and firm bed, you can opt for coir mattress.
What Is Rubberized Coir Mattress?
The coir used in coir mattresses is sometimes treated in a latex solution to make it more resilient. The end product of such a process is called rubberized coir. The advantage of the process is that it helps the bed to conform to the body shape of the sleeper, thus providing a more comfortable sleep.
Mostly, rubberized coir is used in coir mattresses. The softness of the bed is thus improved.
Isn’t It Uncomfortable to Sleep Over a Heap of Coir?
Coir mattresses are not just made up of coir. Though coir is the base or core of the mattress, many layers cover the coir up. Usually there will be the Bonnelli coil, the pad used as insulation and the cotton outer layer. Sometimes polyurethane foam is punched together with the coir. The foam comes in the center with coir sandwiching the foam from top and bottom.
Because of the insulating pads and the cotton outer layer, you will never feel like sleeping over a heap of coir. So don’t get concerned over that.
Where Are They Available?
India, being one of the largest producers of coconut and coir, is a huge market for coir mattress. The popularity of coir beds surpasses any other type of mattress in India. Hence they are available in almost all stores, small and big, throughout the country. So if you are looking to buy one, you can surely find it in your local furniture shop. You can also find coir mattresses online on retailers like Amazon.
How Much Does a Coir Mattress Cost?
They do not cost much compared to other types of mattresses in India. A decent coir mattress can be brought at a cost of around Rs 7,000. Though the cost varies according to the brand of the maker, they are comparatively cheaper.
Are Coir Mattresses Available in All Sizes?
Yes, they are. You can find coir mattresses in different sizes like twin, full, queen and king. It was not the case until recently. But with the advent of different brands which competes with each other, all different sizes of coir mattress began flooding the market. So you won’t have to return empty handed from a store because you couldn’t find the mattress that fits your size requirement.
What Are the Benefits of Using a Coir Mattress?
Coir mattresses have many pros compared to other types of mattresses. They are listed below.
Good Ventilation
The greatest advantage of using the coir mattress is that it provides very good ventilation. The coir core facilitates this by allowing air circulation. A cool sleep is hence guaranteed. This is very suitable for hot and warm climates. India, being a tropical country with hot summer and warm climate year-round, is a subcontinent where coir mattresses come in handy.
Hygroscopic property
Damp and humid climates can provide a person with disturbed sleep. Coir mattresses have the property of absorbing moisture. This will provide a good sleep to sweaty sleepers. Very few mattresses have this property.
Good Support
The coir mattresses are firm and hence can provide good support to the sleeper. Some people do not like the ‘sinking experience’ of soft mattresses. The responsiveness of such mattresses are very high and hence they completely adjust to the body shape of the sleeper. The body contouring has its negative sides too. The sleeper feels like he is trapped in quicksand. Those who dislike the experience always opt for firm mattresses like coir beds which gives the necessary support to the sleeper.
Natural
Unlike modern mattresses which are made of materials that have nothing natural about it, Coir is a completely natural and biodegradable substance made from the husk of a coconut. This helps to prevent the problems associated with the usage of materials like memory foams which have proven to emit carcinogenic gasses like Benzene.
If you want nothing to do with such chemicals, you can opt for a coir mattress which is completely environment-friendly.
Low Price
Coir mattresses are not as costly as other mattresses available in India. They are available from Rs 1000 onwards. Even decent mattresses of branded companies are available at a cost of nearly Rs 7000.
This low price is a great relief for anyone who is concerned about the sleeping apparatus draining the very little savings that they have acquired with years of hard work.
Health Benefits
A coir mattress is recommended by doctors to the children and elderly who don’t have joint pains. This is because the firm surface helps for the bone development of the children and gives good lumbar support to the elderly.
What Are the Disadvantages of Coir Mattresses?
Not Durable
The coir mattresses are not as durable as other types. They can only be used for 5 to 10 years. Another factor is that you cannot do any maintenance to make it usable after its life span.
Non Responsive
The firmness of the coir mattress another factor that affects its popularity. It can aggravate pressure point pains and is not suitable for those with body and joint pains. Side sleepers also complain of the hip and shoulder pain they experience after regularly sleeping on a coir mattress.
So the coir mattress is not for you if you like to sleep in a soft mattress which has body contouring properties.
Sagging
Like innerspring mattresses, coir beds are also prone to sagging. This affects the comfort level and the durability of the mattress. Flipping the mattress over on regular intervals can keep this problem at bay for a while.
Coir coming out of the mattress
Some low-end coir mattress has the problem of the coir protruding out of the mattress after some years. This is a very disturbing phenomenon as the coir can pierce your skin and disturb the sleep. But decent mattresses do not have this problem