Mr. Sandman: Silica and Sleep A popular song recorded in 1954¹ begins with, "Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream." An old nursery rhyme says, "The Sandman's coming in his train of cars / With moonbeam windows and with wheels of stars." Both of these verses are about the mythical Sandman of folklore in Northern Europe. The imaginary Sandman caused people to sleep, then sprinkled magical sand on them to bring good dreams. The "sand" in the stories refers to grainy particles most people have in and...
What Chemicals Are in My Bedding? The public, not only in America, but in Europe and the rest of the world, has become keenly aware of the use of chemicals in commonly used items. One major industrial firm1 used the slogan, "Better Living Through Chemistry" until dropping it in response to public concerns over the effects of many chemical compounds on health and the environment. It has become fashionable to deride or hold in suspicion anything labeled "chemical" or "synthetic." But this...
What's New in Box Springs? For many of us, the box spring is a Ho-Hum item. We buy a mattress, and a box spring is included. When the new mattress is delivered and set up, the box spring is placed on the rolling steel frame, which is adjusted for fit. Then the new mattress is placed on the new box spring. We think we know what a box spring is, so we just take it for granted. The truth is, that plain old box spring under our bed might not be as old a design as we think. It may be something...
The title of this post sounds like either an ad or a put-down of waterbeds. When waterbeds hit the market in the early 1970s, some people remarked, "You call that a bed?" But waterbeds became wildly popular. In 1987, they constituted about 22% of mattress sales in the United States. So what are waterbeds? Why did they become popular? Why did they decline? And where are waterbeds today? Waterbeds are also called water mattresses and flotation beds. The modern waterbed is like a water...
Overview Just as a foundation supports a building, so a foundation supports a mattress. When mattresses were first made, they sat directly on the ground or the floor. Sometimes the mattress was set on a raised area, a platform or ledge, which then became the foundation. This helped keep the bed dry and warm. At some point in time, those who could afford it had beds with legs built to hold the bed off the floor with free space underneath. Raised beds are not new. The Old Testament book...
by Wesley Vaughn [caption id="attachment_342" align="aligncenter" width="397"] Sealy Mattress and Box Spring[/caption] It is common knowledge that we need sleep, and that—for the most part—several factors determine whether and how we sleep. Among these factors are time of day, how tired we are, physical condition, medication, diet, amount of light, noise, vibration and motion, warmth and cold, pain and comfort. Even knowing this much, it is easy for many people to...
by Wesley G. Vaughn If someone tells you, "It's not how long you sleep, but how well you sleep," they're half right. It's both. Research studies show us that quantity and quality of sleep are correlated and work together. We cannot have quality sleep unless we have enough sleep. On the other hand, staying in bed for a certain amount of time does not automatically provide us with much needed rest, relaxation and restoration. Sleeping long but not sleeping well may be called "Empty Sleep...
Proper rest, including quality sleep, is vital to our health and well-being. It is not only an issue of personal health, but one of safety. The Department of Transportation has regulations limiting the amount of time commercial drivers can operate their vehicles without time off for rest. Numerous airline, maritime and industrial accidents have been blamed on operator fatigue. Lack of rest also affects workplace efficiency. Office workers sometimes nod at the desk, with a long string of one...
By Wesley Vaughn Adjustable Beds: Adjusting for Health and Comfort When adjustable beds became available for home use, they were commonly called “hospital beds.” This was only natural, since until that time adjustable beds were primarily used in hospitals. The first adjustable beds were beds with adjustable side rails, first used in English hospitals in the early 1800s. Then beds could be tilted with either the foot high (Trendelenburg position) or the head high...
By Wesley Vaughn [caption id="attachment_270" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Cover of WJ Southard Archetype mattress[/caption] Ever since the transition from woven sleeping mats, mattresses have been covered. Whether filled with sawdust, straw, or feathers, a cover—also called ticking—defined the shapes and dimensions of the earliest mattresses. The role of the cover was to hold the loose materials in place. The first cover materials were whatever was available where the mattresses...
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