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The History of Mattresses Has Evolved to High Tech

A mattress is used to make the bed more comfortable. It can have a single layer or multiple layer. Mattresses can be used to sleep on the floor as well. They are usually made of foam but other materials like natural or synthetic fibres are also used. Mattresses come in different shapes and sizes. They may be hard or soft. The various varieties of mattresses are used for different purposes. Normally small children or infants use soft mattresses.

But how has the mattress become one of the most important components of any bed? We can go back a little in time and discover some extremely interesting facts. In pre-historic times there was no concept of mattresses. The sleepy fellows simply lied down and slept. The concept of mattress came during the Neolithic period. The basic purpose of any mattress is elevation. Perhaps when we lie on bed, this makes little difference to us, but lying on floor without something underneath was and is still bothersome. It is necessary to avoid dirt or insects or the coldness of the ground. Early mattresses were basically lumps of grass or hay or leaves or any other such natural elements. Probably animal skins were used too. Before the birth of Christ, different civilizations devised their own mattresses. For example, the Persians used goatskins filled with water and the Egyptians used heaped palm bows. The Romans used cloth bags full of hay, feather, reed, or wool.

The fifteenth century mattresses were made of straw, feathers or pea shucks. They were covered with silk or brocade. The sixteenth and seventeenth century mattresses were an improvement on the earlier ones. Usually straw was used to make the mattress. Mid eighteenth century mattresses have straw, natural fibres or horsehair. They had fine covers made of superior quality linen.

Heinrich Weshphal discovered mattresses with innerspring in 1871, but they started to be widely used only from 1930 onwards. 1950 saw the appearance of foam rubber mattress in the markets and they are still used by many. Innerspring mattresses are the most widely used mattresses in the world the innerspring. These have a foundation that can be called a box spring, the innerspring unit, also called the spring core, and the layers of upholstery. The innerspring provides support to the body and helps the body to be in proper alignment while sleeping. Mattresses are now available in high tech materials that form perfectly to your body and marketed by companies such as Tempurpedic.

The companies manufacturing mattresses keep an eye on all these details. Some of the well known brands like King Koil, Sealy, Serta, Stearns & Foster manufacture mattresses which are comfortable and of high quality.

Article Source: http://www.articleadventure.com

Author Jerry Cahill writes on a range of topics. He is also a webmaster and publisher. More information on this topic can be found at Mattress Information

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