Mattress History: When Did it all Begin?
Mattresses and beds date back to the Neolithic period. The first ones probably consisted of piles of dried leaves, grass and possibly straw with animal skins covering it. Beds were raised off the ground in those days for most Neolithic souls, hardy though they were, refrained from sleeping with multi-legged pests and dirt. Around 3600 BC., beds made with goatskins filled with water were used in Persia (the first water beds?). The ancient Egyptians slept on palm boughs stacked in corners of the homes as far back as 3400 BC. The mattresses of the ancient Romans varied; beginning around 200 BC, the wealthy used feathers for stuffing while the plebes among them slept on bags of cloth stuffed with reeds, hay or wool.
Where does the word mattress come from?
The word is derived from the Arabic word, materas, meaning “to throw” or “mat, cushion.” During the Crusades, Europeans copied the Arabic tradition of sleeping on cushions thrown on the floor, at which point the word descended into English through the Romance Languages.
Development From the 16th-19th century
During the Renaissance, mattresses were covered with velvets, brocades and silk and were constructed of pea shucks, straw or sometimes feathers and stuffed into coarse ticking (a strong, twilled cotton fabric). In the 16th and 17th centuries, straw or down stuffing was commonly used and placed on top of a bed made from a timber frame supported by either rope or leather. Cotton and wool became popular mattress stuffers by the early 18th century and by 1850, quality linen and cotton substituted coarser fabrics for mattress covers. Fillings included natural fibers such as horsehair and coconut fibers and the cane box mattress became more refined, as it was tufted or buttoned and its edges stitched.
 A series of inventions sent the mattress on its way to modern perfection. Some of these included: the invention of the steel coil spring in 1857, the first waterbed in 1873, which was designed as a treatment and prevention of pressure ulcers, the invention of the box spring in the late 1890s, the introduction of the futon in 1940 and foam rubber mattresses and adjustable beds which came into being during the 1950s. The 1980s brought air mattresses, and subsequent decades introduced foam and ‘memory foam” mattresses. These many other improvements were all designed to provide the illusory good night’s sleep to the weary world.
The Mattress Today
The development of the modern mattress coincides with the issue of sanitation, as once that became a matter of importance, cotton and wool replaced organic materials. Despite 19th century innovations, it wasn’t until the 20th century and specifically the period of the Cold War and the “race for space” that a major step in improving a night’s rest was achieved. NASA’s need to escape gravity propelled the invention of “memory foam,” which helped cushion seats in space-shuttles while escaping G forces (the force that an accelerating object feels). Tempur-Pedic introduced a mattress made from memory foam back in 1992. This development coupled with the subsequent invention of vinyl, completed the evolutionary cycle of the modern mattress.
The mattresses of today usually contain either an innerspring core or materials such as latex, visco-elastic or other polyurethane-type foams. They can be filled with air or water or many different types of fibers, such as is often found in futons. Innovations are constantly occurring as technology advances and more and more scientists need a more comfortable night’s sleep. Air mattresses, airbeds, Sleep Number beds, remote control beds and mattresses made of latex and Flotek (latex foam) are invading the mind of the sleepy consumer who cannot decide where to sleep or what to sleep upon with all these options that keep changing and improving. One is reminded of the prophetic words of comedian, Robert Klein, when referring to ‘new and improved’ products. He said:
What were we getting before?”
Who knows what truth lurks behind those words?
The mattress shadow, that’s who.
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