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Sleep Patterns: What they are and why they matter So often we hear about our need to get enough sleep and to sleep restfully. It is important that we are not sleep deprived. It is a matter of health and safety. It does affect the quality of our work. A lot of stress is also put on the type of beds and pillows we use. Lack of proper support and cushioning leads to problems with backs, necks and other joints. It can cause breathing difficulties and make them worse. Other items also factor...
All posts by Wesley Vaughn
What’s New in Box Springs?
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...
Progressive Rate Springs: What Are They Doing in My Bed?
Progressive Rate Springs: What Are They Doing in My Bed? If anyone of us knows what progressive rate springs (PRS) are, the first place we expect them is in wheeled vehicles. In fact, that is the intended application of progressive rate coiled springs, and that is what comes up first in an online search. So it surprising to find "progressive rate springs" in the description of a mattress. And a waterbed mattress, no less! Before we go on, let's see what a progressive rate spring is. Some...
Ubiquitous Vinyl – It Is Everywhere
Ubiquitous Vinyl - It Is Everywhere Vinyl - it is literally everywhere. It covers our houses, carries water into the house and sewage out, and bags our food and our garbage. It is hard; it is soft. It can be the box and the wrapping. We can pour out of it, drink from it, eat off it, and eat with it. It can protect our mattress, and in some cases can be the mattress. And it can be the casing on our remote. So what is vinyl? And how can it be used for so many things? When we say "vinyl"...
Sleeping on Air
Sleeping on Air Many of us have dreamed at one time or another of floating on a cloud. Sometimes using a high-end luxury mattress is described as "sleeping on a cloud" or "sleeping on air." That is not always just a figure of speech. When we use an airbed, we are literally sleeping on air. As with any mattress concept, the goal is restful, restorative sleep. The modern airbed had its beginning with bicycles and automobiles. The first pneumatic tires (inflated with air) used innertubes,...
Nanocoils: The smallest mattress coils so far
Nanocoils: The smallest mattress coils so far It used to be that the shortest mattress coils were the 4" Bonnell coils in a sofabed mattress. The reason they were so short, when most coils were 7 or 8 inches high, was so the mattress could be folded to fit inside the sofa under the seat cushions. With the introduction of pocket coils, the trend was for innerspring coils, at least the wrapped coils, to become taller, up to 9 or 10 inches. This allowed greater conformabiity and more...
Float Like a Boat on a Waterbed
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...
What Are Performance Fabrics?
What Are Performance Fabrics? John is looking for a lightweight jacket, one to keep him dry and cool on a rainy summer day. He finds a Windbreaker online "with performance fabrics." "Huh?" he thinks, "What's that?" Mary needs another jogging outfit. She wants to stay cool and dry, not soggy and itchy as in the old running clothes. Aha! Here on Amazon is a top-and-shorts combo made of "high level performance fabric." "Okay," she mutters, "They're throwing all these new-fangled terms at...
Pillow Top or Euro Top: What’s the Difference?
Pillow Top or Euro Top: What's the Difference? Jack and Jill are shopping for a new mattress. They visit a couple of mattress stores, several furniture stores, and a department store. Just so they don't miss anything, they check the Internet. Jill read that some brands and models are sold only online. "Hey!" Jack says, "We didn't see that when shopping for our first mattress." "See what?" "Pillowtop mattresses." "That must be something new," Jill remarks. "We've had the Serta for over...
Lyocell (Tencel)
Lyocell (Tencel®) Lyocell, better known by the brand name Tencel®, is a cellulosic fiber. This means that it is regenerated cellulose. Natural cellulose is dissolved from wood pulp and extruded into filaments which are spun into threads and yarns for textile production. Tencel® is the brand name used for lyocell produced by Lenzig AG, an Austrian company. Lenzig bought American Enka, the company that first produced lyocell, and it is now the only large scale producer. Lyocell is further...
