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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...
All posts by Wesley Vaughn
Latex
Latex is used in several ways in mattresses and bedding. It is commonly used in pillows and mattress pads/toppers. It can be found in cover quilting and comfort layers on innerspring mattresses. Even memory foam mattresses may have a latex layer. Then there are latex mattresses, usually a latex comfort section over a base foam support core. Some latex models also have a latex support core, either (mostly) a high-density and high resiliency latex foam or (seldom) a solid block of...
Memory Foam
[caption id="attachment_249" align="aligncenter" width="302"] Hand Impression in Memory Foam[/caption] Visco-elastic memory foam was developed from polyurethane. It is denser than polyurethane, and is also more sensitive to heat. When someone sits or lies on it, the memory foam becomes softer, allowing the person to sink into it. This way it conforms to a sitter’s or sleeper’s body contours. The memory foam can be formulated to be more or less heat sensitive, therefore...
Cotton
[caption id="attachment_387" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Cotton bolls ready for harvest[/caption] Cotton is made from fibers in the seedpods of plants in the Gossypium genus of the Mallow family. The name "cotton" comes from goz, Arabic for "soft material." From Arabic comes the Spanish algodon, then English cotton. Cultivation of cotton is as old as civilization in Asia, Africa and Central America. It was introduced into what is now the United States in 1556 in Florida...
Mattresses, Beds, and How We Sleep
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...
Quality Sleep: How to Get a Night of Rest and Restoration
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...
Benefits of Sleep: The Importance of Rest
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...
Adjustable Beds: Adjusting for Health and Comfort
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...
The Great Mattress Cover-up
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...
Memory Foam Mattresses – Good or Bad?
By Scott Braddam [caption id="attachment_249" align="aligncenter" width="302"] Hand Impression in Memory Foam[/caption] Since about 2004, when I bought my current memory foam bed, I’ve been sold on the benefits of memory foam. There is truly no other feeling in the world which is close to sleeping on memory foam. Memory foam is like sleeping on silk sheets, unless you’ve done it, you can’t possibly understand why people rave about it. My bed is a pure foam bed, meaning no springs...
