The history of beds and mattresses

by tasleem khan Digital Marketer

To discover who made the first bed is just as difficult to tell as who made the first wheel. There are a number of suggestions in different cultures that used the wheel and the bed, but to narrow it down to one inventor is next to impossible. Needless to say both the inventions served their part in the advance of the human race to the level it has reached today. While the bed may not have served to progress technology as the wheel had, it surely helped to give man a good night’s sleep. That sleep is definitely an extremely important aspect of human life, is undeniable. In many ancient cultures the family bed was considered the most significant piece of furniture in the house. It was a sort of status symbol to have a bed that was big enough for the full family and comfortable to boot. Sort of like how the car you drive or the smart phone you use today tend to set your social status.

Bed of Ancient Times

To sleep on a bed was a sign of comfort that even the humans of the Neolithic period paid attention to. It may just have been a collection of leaves to soften the ground, but man valued the little comfort that bed could provide him as opposed to sleeping on the cold hard ground. It was the Egyptians who built the raised pallet of above the ground. The pharaohs had beds made of ebony and gold while the common folk of the time in Egypt used palm bows to make their bed. It was not till the Roman Empire that luxury was sought in the bedroom. The Romans built beds made out of gold, silver and bronze in intricate patterns. One of the most elaborate bed owners of ancient times was Louis XIV who is said to have owned 413 beds. The beds owned by this French monarch were known to be ornate, spacious and highly ostentatious.

Mattresses of Ancient Times

The Romans were the first to introduce mattresses, after a fashion. These beds had mattresses that used reeds and hay initially and then later graduated to being stuffed with feathers and wool. Unfortunately the material of the stuffing made the mattresses prone to insects of different kinds. These mattresses were covered with rich fabrics like soft silk or lush velvet in a bid to reduce the number of insects in the bed and to provide a semblance of luxury. It was not until the 18th century that mattresses were made of cotton and the number of varmints in the mattress reduced. Till then even royal bedding was not immune to bed bugs. The mattress makers got more creative with the filling of the mattress and began to stuff it with coconut fiber, horse hair, jute fiber and other natural materials that were easily available in plenty. Not until the 19th century did latex rubber mattresses emerge.

Waterbeds

The Romans were also the first to use water beds, although they did not have water mattresses like the ones we use today. Rather they would lie in a shallow bed of warm water till they felt sleepy and would then be helped on to a cradle beside the water bed. This cradle would be equipped with a mattress and the person would be rocked to sleep in it. Naturally the rich Romans had enough slaves to make this deal possible. The Persians made waterbeds by filling goat skin bags with water and placing them on the bed in place of a mattress close to 3,600 years ago. Waterbeds were said to be medicinal in nature and eventually in the 1960s the water filled mattresses, that we consider normal waterbeds, first made an appearance. These were used as therapy for pressure ulcers and bed sores in chronic patients. In fact these are uses that still prevail for waterbeds in hospitals and old age homes.

Material used for Bed Frames

The royalty was able to use metals such as gold and silver to make a stronger and more ornate bed frame for their own personal use. For the common folk in more recent history, the bed consisted of a wooden frame interlaced with rope or leather strips to soften it. The wooden bed frame was often sagging and had to be replaced when it broke. In the 18th century the advance in technology saw iron and steel replace the old timber bed frames. They were stronger and more durable, even if they were marginally more expensive than building timber bed frames. The production of coil springs also were patented around this time making the construction of bedding a more complicated process than merely stuffing an empty cloth bag with cotton fiber.

Mattresses and Beds of Modern Times

As technology came to the aid of mattress manufacturers all kinds of new innovations became possible including the pillow which was formally given its own space in stores. Innerspring mattresses and the upholstered foundations became popular in the 1930s. Foam rubber mattresses were the next big innovation and became popular in the 1950s. Futons which were inspired from traditional Japanese bedding became popular in the western world. These padded mattresses which could be folded and put away or be used as a dual purpose sofa cum bed first became popular in the 1960s. This was a property that attracted buyers who lived in small apartments and had to make the most of the limited space available. In the 1980s technology revealed the wonder of an airbed. It was more practical than the waterbed and offered all the benefits of the waterbed.

Over the years the style, shape, material and size of bedding in terms of mattresses and beds has changed and evolved. From small and compact to large and spacious, no matter what the size of the bed, the mattress has always made the difference in its ability to provide comfort to the sleeper. Comfort and choice are the two options that buyers look for when they pick a bed that they know they will use for years on end.

Source: https://www.kingkoil.in/blogs/blog-the-history-of-beds-and-mattresses