A mattress is a mat or pad, usually placed atop a bed, upon which to sleep or lie. A bed is a piece of Furniture (or a location primarily used as a place to Sleep, and often used for Relaxation.

The word mattress is derived from Arabic words meaning "to throw" and "place where something is thrown" or "mat, cushion. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language " During the Crusades, Europeans adopted the Arabic method of sleeping on cushions thrown on the floor, and the word materas eventually descended into Middle English through the Romance languages. Middle English is the name given by Historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion of The Romance languages (sometimes referred to as Romanic languages, or Neolatin languages) are a branch of the Indo-European language family comprising all ^[1]

Though a mattress may be placed directly on the floor, it is usually placed atop a platform (such as a bed or a metal spring foundation) to be further from the ground. Historically, mattresses have been filled with a variety of natural materials, including straw and feathers. Modern mattresses usually contain either an innerspring core or materials such as latex, viscoelastic, or other polyurethane-type foams. A spring is a flexible elastic object used to store mechanical Energy. LaTeX (ˈleɪtɛ Viscoelasticity is the property of materials that exhibit both viscous and elastic characteristics when undergoing deformation. A polyurethane, commonly abbreviated PU, is any Polymer consisting of a chain of organic units joined by urethane links The most general definition of foam is a substance that is formed by trapping many gas Bubbles in a Liquid or Solid. Mattresses may also be filled with air or water, or a variety of natural fibres, such as in futons. A is a flat about thick Mattress with a fabric exterior stuffed with Cotton or synthetic batting that makes up a Japanese bed.

Contents 1 History 2 Mattress dimensions 3 Components of an innerspring mattress 3.1 Spring mattress core 3.2 Air mattresses 3.3 Foam mattresses 3.4 Foundation 3.5 Upholstery layers 4 Quality 5 Mattresses in hospitals 6 Maintenance and care 7 See also 8 Notes

History

• Neolithic period: The mattress and bed are invented. The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos Beds are raised off the ground to avoid drafts, dirt, and pests. The first mattress probably consists of a pile of leaves, grass, or possibly straw, with animal skins over it.
• 3600 B. C. : Beds made of goatskins filled with water are used in Persia. A bota bag is a traditional Spanish wine skin Typically it is made of leather and is used to carry Wine, although any Liquid will do The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia
• 3400 B. C. : Egyptians sleep on palm boughs heaped in the corners of their homes.
• 200 B. Events By Place World Human population reaches about 257 million C. : Mattresses in Ancient Rome consist of bags of cloth stuffed with reeds, hay, or wool; the wealthy use feather stuffing. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC
• 15th century: During the Renaissance, mattresses are made of pea shucks, straw, or sometimes feathers, stuffed into coarse ticks, and covered with velvets, brocades, or silks. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere
• 16th and 17th centuries: Mattresses are stuffed with straw or down and placed atop a bed consisting of a timber frame with support latticeworks of rope or leather. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar For the record label see Duck Down Records The down of Birds is a layer of fine Feathers found under the tougher exterior feathers
• Early 18th century: Mattresses are stuffed with cotton or wool.
• Mid 18th century: Mattress covers begin to be made of quality linen or cotton. The mattress cane box is shaped or bordered, and fillings include natural fibers such as coconut fibre, cotton, wool, and horsehair. Fiber or fibre is a class of Materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces similar to lengths of thread. The mattress is tufted or buttoned to attach the stuffing to the cover and the edges are stitched.
• 1855: Tyler Howe patented the the Spring Bed in Spencer, Massachusetts. Year 1855 ( MDCCCLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year
• 1857: The steel coil spring is invented and is first patented for use in chair seats. Click here for Indian Rebellion of 1857 Year 1857 ( MDCCCLVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the
• 1865: The first coil spring construction for bedding is patented. Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year
• 1871: The German Heinrich Westphal invents the inner spring mattress. Year 1871 ( MDCCCLXXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common He later died in poverty, never having profited from his invention.
• 1873: Sir James Paget presents a waterbed designed by Neil Arnott to St. Year 1873 ( MDCCCLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Sir James Paget ( 11 January 1814 &ndash 30 December 1899) was a British surgeon and Pathologist who is best A waterbed or water mattress is a bed or Mattress filled with water Neil Arnott (b Arbroath, May 15, 1788; d March 2, 1874 in London) was a Scottish Physician Bartholomew's Hospital as a treatment and prevention of pressure ulcers. Bedsores, more properly known as pressure ulcers or decubitus ulcers, are Lesions caused by many factors such as unrelieved Pressure; friction
• 1885: J. P. Leggett patents improvements to the steel coil bedspring. Leggett & Platt (L&P ( is a Fortune 500 diversified Manufacturer that conceives designs and produces a broad variety of engineered components and products that His innovative method of coupling the springs and attaching them to wooden bed slats launched a successful partnership with C. B. Platt, which eventually became Leggett & Platt, Inc. Leggett & Platt (L&P ( is a Fortune 500 diversified Manufacturer that conceives designs and produces a broad variety of engineered components and products that
• 1895: A few waterbeds, which resemble large hot water bottles, are sold via mail order by the British store Harrod’s. Harrods is a Department store located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England.
• Late 19th century: The box-spring is invented, making mattresses less lumpy. A box-spring, or divan is a hard sturdy wooden frame covered in Cloth, containing springs or some other form of torsion.
• 1900: James Marshall of Simmons Bedding Company invents the pocket coil mattress
• 1906: Sealy Mattress Company forms after buying all patents and knowledge from a local inventor. Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar Sealy Corporation ( is a major Mattress Manufacturer. The company draws its name from the city where it started Sealy Texas.
• 1929: The most expensive mattresses are constructed of latex rubber and are produced by Dunlopillow.
• 1930s: Innerspring mattresses and upholstered foundations become widely used, and artificial fillers become common. The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. Pocket spring mattresses, which consist of individual springs sewn into linked fabric bags, are introduced.
• 1931: Orders' Mattress is established in South Carolina
• 1940s: The futon is introduced in North America. A is a flat about thick Mattress with a fabric exterior stuffed with Cotton or synthetic batting that makes up a Japanese bed.
• 1950: Sealy introduced the Posturepedic mattress designed in conjunction with Orthopedic surgeons.
• 1950s: Foam rubber mattresses and pillows are available for purchase.
• 1953: Howard Hughes invents first adjustable bed.
• 1958: The Simmons Company introduces the Queen size and King size mattress.
• 1960s: The modern waterbed is introduced and gains its first widespread use with the invention of vinyl. A vinyl compound is any Organic compound that contains a vinyl group (also called ethenyl) &minus C[[Hydrogen H]] =CH sub>2 Adjustable beds gain popularity.
• 1970s: NASA invents material that later becomes known as memory foam^[2]. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program Memory foam is made from Polyurethane with additional chemicals that increase its Viscosity level thereby increasing its Density.
• 1971: Selther is established in Mexico City. SELTHER is a transnational Mexican company active in the Mattress and bedding industry Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico
• 1980s: Air mattresses constructed of Vulcanized Rubber or vinyl are introduced. An air mattress is an inflatable Mattress / Sleeping pad. Due to its buoyancy it is also often used as a toy flotation device
• 1981: Comfortaire invents the air bed mattress with remote control.
• 1987: Select Comfort creator of the Sleep Number is introduced in North America. Select Comfort ( is a US-based manufacturer that bills itself as "the leading U
• 1992: Tempur-Pedic introduces a mattress made from memory foam. Tempur-Pedic International Inc manufactures and distributes mattresses and pillows made from TEMPUR material Memory foam is made from Polyurethane with additional chemicals that increase its Viscosity level thereby increasing its Density.
• 2003: Zero Gravity Bed introduces changeable and replaceable components in their adjustable mattresses.
• 2005: Selther introduces in Mexico, Latin America and the US a mattress made from dispersion chambers and latex foam known as Flotek. SELTHER is a transnational Mexican company active in the Mattress and bedding industry
• 2007: Park Place Corporation invents a aroma therapy mattress infused with lavender.

Mattress dimensions

Most mattresses have a thickness from 6 to 18 inches (15 to 46 cm).

International Mattress Sizes[3]
Denomination	USA & Canada inches (cm)	UK inches (cm)	Europe (Continental) cm	Asia (Thailand) cm
Mini Single		30×75 in (76. 2×191 cm)
Twin/Single	39×75 in (99×191 cm)	36×75 in (91×191 cm)	90×200 cm	107×198×56 cm
Twin/Single XL	39×80 in (99×203 cm)	42x75 in (106x75 cm)
Double	54×75 in (137×191 cm)	48×78 in (122×198 cm)	140×200 cm	122×198×56 cm
Double/Full XL	54×80 in (137×203 cm)	54x78 in (137x198 cm)
Queen	60×80 in (152x203 cm)		160×200 cm
Olympic/Expanded Queen novelty size by Simmons	66×80 in (167×203 cm)
California Queen (primarily a wood framed waterbed size, becoming obsolete)	60x84 in (152×213 cm)
King	76×80 in (193×203 cm)	60×78 in (152×198 cm)	180×200 cm	183×198×56 cm
California King	72×84 in (183×213 cm)
Super King		72×78 in (182×198 cm)
Grand King (novelty size by Select comfort air beds)	80×98 in (203×249 cm)

Components of an innerspring mattress

A common innerspring mattress consists of three components: the spring core, the foundation, and the upholstery layers.

Spring mattress core

The core of the mattress supports the sleeper’s body. Modern spring mattress cores, often called "innersprings," are made up of steel coil springs, or "coils. A Coil spring, also known as a helical spring, is a mechanical device which is typically used to store energy and subsequently release it to absorb shock or to maintain "

The gauge of the coils is another factor which determines firmness and support. American wire gauge ( AWG) also known as the Brown & Sharpe wire gauge, is a standardized Wire gauge system used since 1857 predominantly Coils are measured in quarter increments. The lower the number, the thicker the spring. In general, higher-quality mattress coils have a 14-gauge (1. 63 mm) diameter. Coils of 14 to 15. 5-gauge (1. 63 to 1. 37 mm) give more easily under pressure, while a 12. 5-gauge (1. 94 mm) coil, the thickest typically available, feels quite firm.

Connections between the coils help the mattress retain its shape. Most coils are connected by interconnecting wires; pocketed coils are not connected, but the pockets preserve the mattress shape.

There are four different types of mattress coils:

• Bonnell coils are the oldest and most common. First adapted from buggy seat springs of the 19th century, they are still prevalent in less expensive mattresses. A horse and buggy (in American English) or horse and carriage (in British English) refers to a light simple two-person Carriage of the 19th Bonnell coils are hourglass-shaped, and the ends of the wire are knotted or wrapped around the top and bottom circular portion of the coil and self-tied.
• Marshall coils, also called "pocketed coils," are each wrapped in a fabric encasement and usually are tempered, or in the case of the Simmons Beautyrest carbon magnesium is added. Some manufacturers pre-compress these coils, which makes the mattress firmer and allows for motion separation between the sides of the bed.
• Offset coils are designed to hinge, thus conforming to body shape. They are very sturdy, stable innersprings that provide great support.
• Continuous coils Or Mira-coils, Work by a hinging effect, similar to that of offset coils. In a basic sense a continuous coil is simply that, one continuous coil in and up and down fashion forming one row (usually from head to toe) of what appear to be individual coils. The advantages of how firm a support the continuous coil provides it is somewhat tempered with the 'noise' associated from a typical mira coil unit.

Air mattresses

Air mattresses use one or more air chambers instead of springs to provide support. Quality and price can range from inexpensive ones used occasionally for camping, all the way up to high-end luxury beds. Air mattresses designed for typical bedroom use cost about the same as inner-spring mattresses with comparable features.

Several companies currently produce adjustable firmness air mattresses. In 1981, Comfortaire began manufacturing and marketing air mattresses that looked conventional but allowed users to adjust the firmness. Select Comfort patented a variant and began marketing them in 1987.

Adjustable air mattresses come in a variety of models from basic, no-frills ones that measure about 7" in height, to high-profile, 15" tall hybrids that contain several types of foam, pillow tops, and digital pumps with memory, for individual pressure settings.

Air bladder construction varies from a simple polyethylene bag to internally baffled, multiple chambers of latex (vulcanized rubber) with bonded cotton exteriors. Mattresses have a layer of foam above the air chambers for added cushioning. The air chambers, top and sidewall foam all sit inside a removable two piece cover that looks like the outside of a standard innerspring mattress. These high-end luxury Air Beds are also known as soft sided Air Beds.

Medical versions of these adjustable firmness mattresses have even greater control mechanisms which include features like frequently changing pressure to prevent bed sores.

Foam mattresses

Foam mattresses use shape-conforming latex or viscoelastic memory foam rather than springs to provide support. LaTeX (ˈleɪtɛ Memory foam is made from Polyurethane with additional chemicals that increase its Viscosity level thereby increasing its Density. Mattresses manufactured using memory foam or latex are generally hypoallergenic. Hypoallergenic is a term coined by advertisers (based on the Greek prefix Hypo meaning "below normal" or "slightly" and first used in a cosmetics Since foam varies in quality, prices can vary widely. Most name brand mattress manufacturers offer a line of memory foam mattresses.

Foundation

There are three main types of foundations.

• Box-springs consist of a rigid frame which contains extra-heavy-duty springs. This type of foundation contributes to softer support and a bouncier mattress. Because box-springs can cause mattresses to sag, many manufacturers add high-density block foam underneath the coils or provide a rigid foundation instead.

• Traditional wood foundations are usually made of soft woods, such as pine, or hard woods, such as poplar. Populus is a genus of between 25–35 species of Flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. They usually consist of seven or eight support slats covered with cardboard or beaverboard. Cardboard is a generic non-specific term for a heavy duty Paper based product Beaverboard (also beaver board) is a light wood-like building material formed of Wood fibre compressed into sheets This type of foundation, called a zero deflection unit or an "Ortho Box" in the bed industry, increases the feeling of firmness and stability.

• Grid foundations are a combination of steel and wood.

Upholstery layers

Upholstery layers cover the mattress and provide cushioning and comfort. Some manufacturers call the mattress core the "support layer" and the upholstery layer the "comfort layer. " The upholstery layer consists of three parts: the insulator, the middle upholstery, and the quilt.

The insulator separates the mattress core from the middle upholstery. It is usually made of fiber or mesh and is intended to keep the middle upholstery in place.

The middle upholstery comprises all the material between the insulator and the quilt. It is usually made from materials which are intended to provide comfort to the sleeper, including regular foam, viscoelastic foam, felt, polyester fibers, cotton fibers, convoluted (“egg-crate”) foam, and non-woven fiber pads.

The quilt is the top layer of the mattress. Made of light foam or fibers stitched to the underside of the ticking, it provides a soft surface texture to the mattress and can be found in varying degrees of firmness. The protective fabric cover which encases the mattress is called ticking. It is usually made to match the foundation and comes in a wide variety of colors and styles. Most ticking is made of synthetic fibers like polyester, or acrylic; or of natural materials such as latex, cotton, silk, and wool.

Quality

Many parameters determine mattress quality. Laboratory test methods have been established for some of these parameters, such as pressure distribution, skin microclimate, hygiene, edge support, and long-term stability. Many of these have been developed by Dr. Duncan Bain, working on behalf of the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA is the UK government agency which is responsible for ensuring that Medicines and Medical devices ^[4]

Other parameters, such as firmness, are more specific to the sleeper. In general, firm mattresses are recommended for stomach and some back sleepers, soft mattresses are recommended for side sleepers, and medium mattresses are recommended for the majority of back sleepers. Some brands offer mattresses with one softer side and one firmer side, or with adjustable firmness levels, to accommodate sleepers who share a bed.

Mattresses in hospitals

"Not all the anti-decubitus mattresses really succeed in reducing the interface pressure. The foam and gel mattresses have no or limited pressure reducing qualities. The polyether mattress and especially the polyurethane slow foam mattress reduce pressure best and are preferable in the prevention of pressure ulcers on an operating table. None of the mattresses tested reduced the pressure sufficiently in lateral position. "[1]

Maintenance and care

A quality innerspring mattress should last between 10 and 15 years before it needs to be replaced. Memory foam and latex models should last between 15 and 20 years depending on the manufacturer and the quality of the bedding. This is an approximation, as many different things may factor into the lifespan one may expect to receive from their mattress.

Mattresses should be placed atop a firm base to prevent sagging. Mattresses should be rotated approximately once every three months to ensure even wear; in addition, two sided mattresses should be turned over (flipped) twice per year. Folding and bending of the mattress should be avoided if possible, as should heavy wear in one spot and excessive weight on the handles. Mattresses should not be soaked, lest mildew develop inside the upholstery; instead, they can be cleaned with a vacuum or with mild surface cleanser and a slightly damp cloth. Mattress Protectors help prevent stains and soiling of the ticking. A mattress protector, mattress pad, or underpad is an item of removable Bedding that sits on top of or encases a Mattress to provide protection

Once a mattress no longer feels supportive and instead seems to contribute to body pain or stiffness, it should be replaced. Some symptoms of a broken or worn out mattress include springs which can be felt poking through the upholstery layer, visible permanent sagging or deformity, lumpiness, and excessive squeaking.

See also

• Bed
• Bed frame
• Bedding
• Cushion
• International Sleep Products Association
• Law label – The "Under Penalty of Law" label
• Mattress protector
• Platform bed
• Selther
• Sleep
• Standard sizes of commercial bedding
• TEMPUR
• Underpad

Notes

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