How it is to sleep in a waterbed

Without a good night’s sleep, the human being doesn’t work a hundred percent. His physical abilities -balance, accuracy, vision- and mental ones-attention, retention, communication- wane, something that makes absolutely necessary to sleep enough as the key to the smooth running of daily activities. However, besides the number of sleeping hours it’s also essential the place where the body rests: it must meet the appropriate requirements for each person.

Some people find in a hard mattress the ideal friend to venture into the world of Morpheus, while others will consider that an unbearable torture and will prefer a soft bed to get away from stress. Just as the thickness and hardness of the mattress is a very personal choice, so is the material of which this is made. Most public opt for the classic springs or the popular viscoelastic that, since some years ago, is the element that most of them are elaborated with.

However, the waterbed doesn’t have many followers. There is a widespread belief that such mattresses are reserved to a kind of “snob” sector or adult movies. In fact, even though water beds existed over 3,000 years ago -the Persians slept on goat skins stuffed with this liquid element- if you were to ask the population if they have tried this kind of mattresses the majority would respond negatively.

Advantages and disadvantages

While it’s true that the use of waterbeds is not very extended, to rest on them has some advantages over regular mattresses. On them, the pressure on joints, muscles and spine disappears. The water perfectly molds to the shape of the body and, as the mattress’ resistance fades away, the blood flow is enhanced.

Moreover, it’s the ideal type of bed for people with allergies since the existence of mites and bacteria is zero. For the mattress’ hygiene an antialgae liquid should be added inside approximately every six months of use.

Unfortunately, this kind of “special” care represents a considerable increase in the price of the bed: in addition to these chemical solutions to algae you must add the headboard, a special support and a water heater. Just to connect one more device to the electric current necessarily leads to an increase in the electricity bill that doesn’t exist with spring or viscoelastic beds.

Moreover, waterbeds are not suitable for a sleeping couple since, when one of the two moves, the action impacts on the other individual,  which could alter its rest by making him or her wake up with the movement or with the noises that occur inside. In addition, the average life of these surfaces is about five years, although this period may can extended if the manufacturer’s instructions are followed.