Top 5 Most Interesting Waterbed Facts Everyone Should Know About

When most people think of waterbeds, they think back to the late 70s and early 80s, when waterbeds were first big. They think of water sloshing inside the bed and constant rolling during the night. But thanks to today’s technology and advancements, waterbed mattresses are different. They’re better. Interesting waterbed facts? They help distribute your weight evenly, reduce pressure points, and support your spine for a comfortable, peaceful night of sleep.

Comfort: Hardside vs. Softside Mattresses

Waterbeds, in general, will feel less firm than traditional mattresses simply by their nature. However, they are available in a variety of firmness levels and may take some time to grow accustomed to the different feel of a water mattress. Waterbeds are available in different varieties, generally separated into either hardside or softside waterbeds.

If you are transitioning from an innerspring mattress to a waterbed, the difference if feel might surprise you at first. People making the change often thing the bed is too soft and not near supportive enough; however, there are solutions.

Waterbeds come in two general categories:

Hardside: Traditional design of a water-filled chamber sits inside a wooden frame.

Softside: Newer design that utilizes high-density foam walls to support the water bladder.

Softside Mattresses Ease Pain

Today’s waterbed mattresses include zero motion options and a soft side mattress, which looks just like a normal mattress, but with better support. The softside mattress utilizes your current box spring, frame, and headboard and footboard so that your move from spring bed to waterbed is visually similar.

Additionally, softside mattresses are great for people with arthritis, rheumatism, and fibromyalgia. The most efficient models have almost no padding between the water-filled bladder and your body, making it possible to optimize displacement support. In addition, you can control the temperature so that the sleep surface varies between cool and therapeutically warm.

The warmth of a waterbed can also relieve muscle tension through the controlled heat against sore or tight muscles. The water temperature can be closely monitored and dual mattresses allow even greater control through individual temperature and support level adjustments.

Compared with a soft, shapeless mattress, a waterbed can provide support and relief for aching backs. The other end of the spectrum is to have a mattress that is too hard, creating unwanted pressure points which restrict blood circulation in surface skin cells. THese pressure points reduce one’s ability to sleep comfortably, causing tossing and turning, which in turn reduces the amount of quality sleep achieved each night.

Waterbed Mattresses Last Longer

Where traditional mattresses need to be replaced every ten years and tend to develop body impressions, waterbed mattresses will never degrade in this manner. The bladder itself is expected to last between five and fifteen years and the temperature control unit could also need replacing. However, overall, waterbeds don’t just wear down and they are the most hypoallergenic mattress on the market.

Adjustable Firmness

In the past, a waterbed had little support or insulation, but changes in technology have made it so that the firmness you achieve in your waterbed is based on the amount of stabilization constructed within the bladder and the level that you fill the water.

If there are a greater number of fibers within the water bladder, then the motion of the water will be reduced, creating a natural firmness. The more stabilized the mattress, the less motion and greater support you can achieve on it.

According to the American Chiropractic Association, a mattress should support a person’s entire body evenly without gaps between the body and the mattress. No traditional mattress, even a sleep number mattress, meets these criteria as closely as waterbeds do. If your body feels pressure on particular spots — such as the shoulders, hips, and lower back — it could be a sign that your mattress is just too firm.

Reducing Spinal Stress

Many people who sleep on a traditional spring mattress awaken to back pain. Sleeping on a mattress that causes back pain will only lead to more pain; however, there is a way to reduce the stress placed on your spine.

While a spring mattress eventually “imprints” with your body’s shape, a waterbed does not. Instead, the heavier torso achieves a depth on a waterbed that matches a good standing posture when lying on your back. While on your side, the water will displace naturally, allowing your spinal column to remain horizontal, rather than the downward slant that is a result of sleeping on a traditional mattress and box springs.

In Summary

Better sleep can be reached when utilizing a waterbed. There are a variety of systems from which you can choose that both conform to and support the shape of your body to allow for a complete and uniquely restful sleep. For an optimum night’s sleep and a pain-free tomorrow, a waterbed may just be your answer.

Originally published at www.stlbeds.com on March 20, 2018.