A mattress is a mat or pad, usually placed on top of a bed A bed ( listen ) is a large piece of furniture (or a location) used as a place to sleep, and as a primary place for relaxation and sexual activity, upon which to sleep Sleep is a naturally recurring altered state of consciousness with relatively suspended sensory and motor activity, characterized by the inactivity of nearly all voluntary muscles. It is distinguished from quiet wakefulness by a decreased ability to react to stimuli, but it is more easily reversible than hibernation or coma. Sleep is a heightened or lie.

The word mattress is derived from Arabic Arabic (العربية al-ʿarabīyah, ( Arabic pronunciation ) or عربي ʿarabi) is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages such as Hebrew and the Neo-Aramaic languages. Arabic has more speakers than any other language in the Semitic language family. It is spoken by more than 280 million words meaning "to throw" and "place where something is thrown" or "mat, cushion." During the Crusades The Crusades were a series of religiously sanctioned military campaigns waged by much of Western Christian Europe, particularly the Franks of France and the Holy Roman Empire. The specific crusades to restore Christian control of the Holy Land were fought over a period of nearly 200 years, between 1095 and 1291. Other campaigns in Spain and, Europeans adopted the Arabic method of sleeping on cushions A cushion is a soft bag of some ornamental material, stuffed with wool, hair, feathers, polyester staple fiber, non-woven material, or even paper torn into fragments. It may be used for sitting or kneeling upon, or to soften the hardness or angularity of a chair or couch. Cushions and rugs can be used temporarily outside, to soften a hard ground thrown on the floor, and the word materas eventually descended into Middle English Middle English is the name given by historical linguists to the diverse forms of the English language in use between the late 11th century and about 1470, when the Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the introduction of the printing press into England by William Caxton in the late 1470s through the Romance languages.^[1]

Though a mattress may be placed directly on the floor, it is usually placed on top of a platform (such as a platform bed or a metal box-spring A box-spring is a sturdy wooden frame, covered in cloth, some containing springs. Usually the box-spring is placed on top of a wooden or metal bedframe which sits on the floor and acts as a brace. The box-spring is usually the same size as the much softer mattress which is placed above the box-spring. Working together, the frame, box-spring, and or a slatted 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 inner spring A spring is an elastic object used to store mechanical energy. Springs are usually made out of hardened steel. Small springs can be wound from pre-hardened stock, while larger ones are made from annealed steel and hardened after fabrication. Some non-ferrous metals are also used including phosphor bronze and titanium for parts requiring corrosion core or materials such as latex Latex as found in nature is a milky sap-like fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants . It is a complex emulsion consisting of proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins, and gums that coagulates on exposure to air. It is usually exuded after tissue injury. In most plants, latex is white, but some have yellow, orange, or, viscoelastic Viscoelasticity is the property of materials that exhibit both viscous and elastic characteristics when undergoing deformation. Viscous materials, like honey, resist shear flow and strain linearly with time when a stress is applied. Elastic materials strain instantaneously when stretched and just as quickly return to their original state once the, or other polyurethane A polyurethane is any polymer consisting of a chain of organic units joined by urethane (carbamate) links. Polyurethane polymers are formed through step-growth polymerization by reacting a monomer containing at least two isocyanate functional groups with another monomer containing at least two hydroxyl (alcohol) groups in the presence of a-type foams A foam is a substance that is formed by trapping many gaseous 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 Futon is an English word derived from Japanese futon /ˌɸɯˈtɔ̃ŋ/ (help·info), a term generally referring to the traditional style of Japanese bedding consisting of padded mattresses and quilts pliable enough to be folded and stored away during the day, allowing the room to serve for purposes other than as a bedroom. The bedding set referred.

History

• Neolithic The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in the Middle East that is traditionally considered the last part of the Stone Age. The Neolithic followed the terminal Holocene Epipalaeolithic period, beginning with the rise of farming, which produced the " period: The mattress and bed are invented. 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 Iran (Persian: ایران [ʔiˈɾɒn] ), officially the Islamic Republic of Iran is a country in Central Eurasia and Western Asia. The name Iran has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was also known to the western world as Persia. Both Persia and Iran are used.
• 3400 B.C.: Egyptians sleep on palm boughs heaped in the corners of their homes.
• 200 B.C.: Mattresses in Ancient Rome 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. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world consist of bags of cloth stuffed with reeds, hay, or wool; the wealthy use feather stuffing.
• 15th century: During the Renaissance The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Florence in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historic era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not uniform across Europe, this is a general use of the, mattresses are made of pea shucks, straw, or sometimes feathers, stuffed into coarse ticks, and covered with velvets, brocades, or silks.
• 16th and 17th centuries: Mattresses are stuffed with straw or down The down of birds is a layer of fine feathers found under the tougher exterior feathers. Very young birds are clad only in down. Powder down is a specialized type of down found only in a few groups of birds. Down is a fine thermal insulator and padding, used in goods such as jackets, bedding, pillows and sleeping bags. The discovery of feathers and placed atop a bed consisting of a timber frame with support latticeworks of rope or leather.
• Early 18th century: Mattresses are stuffed with cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant . The plant is a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas,Africa , India and Pakistan. The fiber most often is spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft, breathable textile, which is the most 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 Fiber, also spelled fibre, is a class of materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to lengths of thread. They are very important in the biology of both plants and animals, for holding tissues together. Human uses for fibers are diverse. They can be spun into filaments, string or rope, used as a component such as coconut fibre, cotton, wool, and horsehair. The mattress is tufted or buttoned to attach the stuffing to the cover and the edges are stitched.
• Late 19th century: The box-spring A box-spring is a sturdy wooden frame, covered in cloth, some containing springs. Usually the box-spring is placed on top of a wooden or metal bedframe which sits on the floor and acts as a brace. The box-spring is usually the same size as the much softer mattress which is placed above the box-spring. Working together, the frame, box-spring, and is invented, making mattresses less lumpy.
• 1930s: Innerspring mattresses and upholstered foundations become widely used, and artificial fillers become common. Encased coil spring mattresses, which consist of individual springs sewn into linked fabric bags, are introduced.
• 1950s: Foam rubber mattresses and pillows are available for purchase.
• 1960s: The modern waterbed A soft-sided waterbed consists of a water-containing mattress inside of a rectangular frame of sturdy foam, zippered inside of a fabric casing, which sits on a platform. The effect is to look like a conventional bed and is designed to fit into existing bedroom furniture. The platform usually looks like a conventional foundation or box spring, and is introduced and gains its first widespread use. Adjustable beds gain popularity.
• 1970s: NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an Executive Branch agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's civilian space program and aeronautics and aerospace research. Since February 2006 NASA's self-described mission statement is to "pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and invents material that later becomes known as memory foam Memory foam is polyurethane with additional chemicals increasing its viscosity and density. It is often referred to as visco-elastic polyurethane foam. In some formulations, it is firmer when cooler. Higher density memory foam reacts to body heat, allowing it to mold to a warm human body in a few minutes. A lower density memory foam is pressure-^[2].
• 1980s: Air mattresses An air mattress is an inflatable mattress/sleeping pad. Due to its buoyancy, it is also often used as a water toy / flotation device, and in UK is termed as a lilo constructed of vulcanized rubber Vulcanization or vulcanisation is a chemical process for converting rubber or related polymers into more durable materials via the addition of sulfur or other equivalent "curatives". These additives modify the polymer by forming crosslinks between individual polymer chains. The vulcanized material is less sticky and has superior or vinyl are introduced.
• 1992: Tempur-Pedic introduces a mattress made from memory foam Memory foam is polyurethane with additional chemicals increasing its viscosity and density. It is often referred to as visco-elastic polyurethane foam. In some formulations, it is firmer when cooler. Higher density memory foam reacts to body heat, allowing it to mold to a warm human body in a few minutes. A lower density memory foam is pressure-.
• 1992: Fibrelux introduces a mattress made from rubberized coir.

Mattress dimensions

Mattresses thicknesses range from four to eighteen inches (10 to 46 cm).

Components of an innerspring mattress

A common innerspring mattress consists of three components: the spring core, the foundation, and the upholstery layers.^[4]

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 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 a force between contacting surfaces. They are made of an elastic material formed into the shape of a helix which returns to its natural length when unloaded, or "coils."

The gauge American wire gauge , also known as the Brown & Sharpe wire gauge, is a standardized wire gauge system used since 1857 predominantly in the United States for the diameters of round, solid, nonferrous, electrically conducting wire. The cross-sectional area of each gauge is an important factor for determining its current-carrying capacity of the coils is another factor which determines firmness and support. 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; encased coils are not connected, but the fabric encasement helps preserve the mattress shape.

Here are five 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. 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 are each wrapped in a fabric encasement and usually are tempered. In the case of Beautyrest Simmons Bedding Company is a major manufacturer of mattresses and related bedding products. In business for over 125 years, they are also one of the oldest companies in the United States. Simmons' flagship brand is Beautyrest. According to a Simmons press release, net sales for 2005 were $855 million. Simmons Mattresses are also offered on cable, high carbon magnesium is added, while the steel itself remains untempered. Some manufacturers pre-compress these coils, which makes the mattress firmer and allows for motion separation between the sides of the bed. Bonell springs
• Encased Coils or encased springs, are a component part of a mattress in which each coil is separately wrapped in a textile material. Encased coils may also be generically referred to as Marshall coils or wrapped coils.
• 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 an 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. The largest company using a Mira-coil design, is Serta Mattress Company, though their coil units are supplied by Leggett & Platt.

Bonell springs are hour-glass shaped, which means their resistance increases with load. They are therefore best suited for firm mattresses.

Pocket springs provide support along the entire length of the body. This design works to maintain natural spinal alignment throughout the night.^{[clarification needed]}

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.

Air mattresses as regular beds

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. Today, Select Comfort produces the Sleep Number bed which allows couples to independently adjust each side of the bed to their individual preference for comfort and firmness^[5].

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 Latex as found in nature is a milky sap-like fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants . It is a complex emulsion consisting of proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins, and gums that coagulates on exposure to air. It is usually exuded after tissue injury. In most plants, latex is white, but some have yellow, orange, or (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.

Air mattresses for medical use

Medical versions of adjustable firmness mattresses have special control mechanisms. In 1990s, the industry began producing self-adjusting air beds that automatically change their pressure periodically, and/or inflate and deflate several air chambers alternately. The intention of these periodic changes is to reduce problems with decubitus ulcers (bed sores Bedsores, more properly known as pressure ulcers or decubitus ulcers, are lesions caused by many factors such as: unrelieved pressure; friction; humidity; shearing forces; temperature; age; continence and medication; to any part of the body, especially portions over bony or cartilaginous areas such as sacrum, elbows, knees, and ankles. Although), though it is still a subject of research how effective this is.^[6]

Self-inflating air mattresses

Air mattresses for camping are often filled with foam. The foam itself provides little support, but will expand when the mattress' air valve is opened, and draw in air, so the mattress will (nearly) inflate by itself. This is especially useful for hikers, as unlike normal air mattresses no pump is needed for inflating. A common brand is Therm-a-Rest.

Foam mattresses

Foam mattresses use shape-conforming latex Latex as found in nature is a milky sap-like fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants . It is a complex emulsion consisting of proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins, and gums that coagulates on exposure to air. It is usually exuded after tissue injury. In most plants, latex is white, but some have yellow, orange, or or viscoelastic memory foam Memory foam is polyurethane with additional chemicals increasing its viscosity and density. It is often referred to as visco-elastic polyurethane foam. In some formulations, it is firmer when cooler. Higher density memory foam reacts to body heat, allowing it to mold to a warm human body in a few minutes. A lower density memory foam is pressure- plus polyurethane flexi-foam to provide better support than springs alone, as well as in combinations of springs and foams. Latex mattresses generally come in two types of Latex, Talalay and Dunlop, which are manufactured differently and provide different feels as well as different qualities. Mattresses manufactured using memory foam or latex Latex as found in nature is a milky sap-like fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants . It is a complex emulsion consisting of proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins, and gums that coagulates on exposure to air. It is usually exuded after tissue injury. In most plants, latex is white, but some have yellow, orange, or are generally hypoallergenic Hypoallergenic, meaning "below normal" or "slightly" allergenic, was a term first used in a cosmetics campaign in 1953. It is used to describe items that cause or are claimed to cause fewer allergic reactions. Hypoallergenic pets still produce allergens, but because of their coat type or absence of fur or absence of a gene that.^{[citation needed]} Since foam varies in quality, prices can vary widely. Most mattress manufacturers offer a line of memory foam mattresses.

Foundation

There are three main types of foundations.

• Box-springs consist of a rigid frame that 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. They usually consist of seven or eight support slats covered with paperboard Paperboard is a thick paper based material. While there is no rigid differentiation between paper and paperboard, paperboard is generally thicker than paper. According to ISO standards, paperboard is a paper with a basis weight (grammage) above 224 g/m², but there are exceptions. Paperboard can be single or multi-ply. Paperboard used for the or beaverboard Beaverboard is a light wood-like building material, formed of wood fibre compressed into sheets. It was originally a trademark. It has occasionally been used as a canvas by artists; most famously, the iconic painting "American Gothic" by Grant Wood is painted on a beaverboard panel. 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.

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