Every year in the United States, a good night's sleep turns into a nightmare for hundreds of people killed or injured because of mattress fires.      

The government wants to reduce the numbers with new fire retardant safety standards.    

"These new mattresses can still catch on fire. What the new regulation does is give consumers extra time to get out of the room and to get help," said Nancy Nord of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.    

More than 30 years ago, standards were tightened to make mattresses more resistant to fires involving cigarettes and other smoking materials  and casualties fell dramatically. The new changes go one step further.    

"The new mattress flammability regulations provide additional protection against fires caused from small open flames such as those caused by candles, matches, lighters," said Nord.     

The goal is to reduce casualties.
   
"We hope that when this new regulation is fully implemented, we're looking at saving up to 270 lives per year and well over 1000 injuries," said Nord. "That's a real significant contribution to safety."    

Ffor full protection, the CPSC warns consumers to buy not just a mattress that meets the new standards, but the box spring as well. The new regulations go into effect July 1st.