Waterbed

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A waterbed or water mattress is a bed or mattress filled with water. A waterbed needs to be heated to 32-38 °C to avoid kidney problems and other health risks.

Table of contents

1 Construction
2 History
3 Pros and cons
4 External Links

Construction

Waterbeds primarily consist of two types. Hard-sided beds and soft-sided beds. Early waterbeds were hard-sided consisting of a frame resting on a deck and platform, upon which was the water-containing mattress.

Soft-sided waterbeds look very similar to conventional beds and are designed to fit on existing bedroom furniture.

First generation waterbeds had only one water chamber, hence when disturbed significant wave-action could be felt. They needed some time to stabilize after a disturbance. Later generations employed wave-reducing methods including fiber batting and interconnected water chambers. More modern waterbeds have a mixture of air and water chambers, usually interconnected. A typical heating pad consumes 150-400 watts of power and uses a thermostat. Depending on insulation, temperature, use and other things, electricity usage may vary significantly. The annual electricity cost may be USD 100-500.

Waterbeds are usually constructed from vinyl or similar material. They can be repaired with a bicycle repair kit or a dinghy repair kit.

Dr. William Hooper of Portsmouth, England, patented a waterbed in 1883. He devised it to relieve bed sore pains in his patients. Unable to contain the water and control its temperature, his invention was a market failure.

The modern waterbed was created by Charles Hall in 1968, while he was design student at San Francisco State University in California. Hall originally wanted to make an innovative chair. His first prototype was a vinyl bag with 300 pounds of cornstarch, but the result was uncomfortable. He next attempted to fill it with Jell-O, but this too was a failure. Ultimately, he abandoned working on a chair, and settled on perfecting a bed. He succeeded. His timing could not have been more perfect: the Sexual Revolution was under way, and Hall's waterbed became enormously popular, making it one of the most notable icons of the 1970s. However, because a waterbed is described in the novel Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein, Hall was unable to obtain a patent on his creation.

Pros and cons

Waterbeds have several advantages over traditional beds:

The bed is always heated, which is very comfortable in the winter. As the body lowers the blood pressure in warmer environments, you are likely to fall asleep easier.
Excellent sleeping comfort. The bed shapes exactly to the body, thus minimizing pressure especially around the joints.

But there are also a few disadvantages:

Constant heating is costly, especially in cold environments.