The history of the Waterbed
Legend has it that the Persians were responsible for inventing the very first variation of the waterbed some 3600 years ago – filling goatskins with warm water to create the mattress. It isn’t quite clear why the Persians invented water beds, with some speculating that they were reserved for royalty, while others believe that they were used to comfort the sick and elderly. In 1833, the Western World got its first taste of waterbed technology when the Scottish physical Dr. Neil Arnott, created his Hydrostatic Bed, which was designed to prevent bedsores in the disabled. This hydrostatic bed was quite the far cry away from the waterbeds we know today, consisting of a rubber-impregnated canvas that had no temperature regulation, and therefore, despite many medical professionals supporting the design, it soon became a market failure.
For almost 100 years, the waterbed remained dormant and largely unchanged, that was until the invention of vinyl in the 1960s, which facilitated a more durable design and water heating capabilities. By the 1980s, the waterbed had indeed taken off, appearing not only in medical settings but also in bedrooms of both the rich and famous and suburban houses. At their peak, waterbeds accounted for one in every five mattresses purchased in the U.S – so where did things go wrong?
What happened to waterbeds?
Waterbeds seemed to disappear from the limelight as quickly as they flourished, and by the ’90s, they were well and truly out of fashion. The demise of the waterbed could be attributed to several key factors, most notably the fact that waterbeds were labor-intensive and unreliable, and secondly that competitors like Tempur-Pedic and Select Comfort were releasing their own soft mattress variations that didn’t require a garden hose or a water pump if you wanted to move house. People who purchased water beds during the ’80s also found out the hard way that they could spring leaks, and before long apartment blocks were banning waterbeds because of the destruction that they could cause and their immense weight. Before long, waterbeds were no longer seen as a luxury innovation and, instead, were viewed as impractical commodities.
How were waterbeds constructed?
There are two main types of waterbed. Waterbeds were typically either hard-sided or soft-sided, which refers to whether they had a hard external frame or not.
Hardside
Hard-side waterbeds have, you guessed it, hard sides, which were typically made of wood and were designed to stop the waterbed mattress from bulging outwards. These wooden surrounds were bulky and costly as they needed to accommodate a heating element underneath the fluid chamber in order to keep the water at a safe temperature.
Softside
Soft-side mattresses were waterbeds in disguise, appearing like a conventional mattress when in fact, they were a water bladder zipped inside of a mattress cover. The mattress cover had foam bolsters at the edges to stop the water bladder from escaping, creating the overall illusion of a standard mattress.
Waterbed mattress styles
Free flow mattress
A free flow mattress, also known as a full-wave mattress, had no baffles or inserts inside of it and was 100% filled with water.
Semi-waveless mattress
A semi-waveless mattress was somewhere in the middle, containing just a few fibre inserts or baffles to help control the water motion and to the support of the mattress.
Waveless mattress
And lastly, a waveless mattress contained many layers of inserts and baffles and was designed to control the motion of the water and to increase the mattress’s support. People could choose to add additional layers of inserts and baffles into their mattress at specific points, such as the lumbar, to provide body support in certain sleeping positions.
Advantages
They're comfortable
Tossing and turning when you get into bed? If your mattress is more than 8-10 years old, it might be time for a new one. You may not have the right firmness and materials suited for your individual body type to achieve ideal sleep architecture while sleeping. Unsure if a mattress is the issue? Read our tell-tale signs that you need a new mattress. The right mattress provides proper spinal alignment, so that you are supported and comforted all throughout the night. If you climb into bed and find you’re not comfortable, you might want to consider swapping out your mattress.
They're hypoallergenic
Because waterbeds are primarily made from vinyl, they don’t contain any of the fibers that can trap pollen or dust mites, which makes them great for allergy sufferers.
Disadvantages
They can leak
Although the material used to make waterbeds is much more durable nowadays, it’s still possible for your bed to spring a leak if it gets punctured. Waterbeds hold large volumes of water, and so a leak can quickly cause a lot of water damage to the floor, ceilings, and walls of your bedroom and any rooms below.
It can be difficult to find sheets that fit
Waterbeds come in many shapes and sizes, but most aren’t the exact same size as a conventional mattress, which makes it more difficult to find bed sheets that fit.
Final thoughts
Today, waterbeds can cost anywhere from $50 all the way up to $2000 or more depending on their size and quality. If you’re looking to buy a waterbed, then you can usually find them online or at stores in Sam’s Club, Wayfair, Walmart, Waterbed Doctorand WaterbedOutlet
