What Is a Waterbed?

Waterbeds have been around for a very long time, waterbeds were invented by a man named Dr. Neil Arnott, to help with bedsores. The waterbed became very popular in America in the 1980s’ with over 20% users, often a waterbed was seen as a bed that offered medical aid. A waterbed was also known as a flotation mattress, it is a vinyl mattress that is filled with water, they are made of water tubes that are called bladders, these bladders are either made from multiple tiny tubes or one large bag.

A benefit for sleeping on a waterbed is that it supports itself eliminating the need or use of a bed frame or box to hold it up, and some waterbeds even allow you to control the temperature of the water, this is amazing for anyone that gets really hot when they sleep or for someone that gets really cold as you can set your bed to a temperature of your choice.

There are two main types of waterbeds, a softside waterbed and a hardside waterbed, a hardside holds its shape with external wooden frames and a softside waterbed holds its shape with foam bolsters.

Like everything there are pros and cons to a waterbed, here are some of the pros and cons.

Pros:

• They are easy to clean, they are great for people who are sensitive to things such as dust as it can easier be wiped off of a waterbed.
• Waterbeds eliminate the pressure that your spine would normally go through on a traditional mattress, they can even offer relief to those suffering from back pain.
• Waterbeds are helpful to those who suffer from paralytic conditions, thanks to it evenly distributing one’s weight.

Cons:

• They are very high maintenance, the emptying, refilling, repairing, and reheating of a waterbed takes a lot of work and time.
• Waterbeds may leak
• Waterbeds are heavy therefore making it hard to move
• Waterbeds do not come in standard mattress sizes