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Waterbeds

About Waterbeds

Technically, waterbeds are just water-filled vinyl beds. However, there is more to it than the eyes meet. A lot of engineering goes into making the bed comfortable and durable. Furthermore, a lot of advancements have been made in bed technology in the recent past.

Waterbeds have a history that is long and sometimes entertaining. In fact, their history begins really long ago with Persian goat-skin mattresses filled with water. People used beds like these more than five thousand years ago. But waterbeds came back into popularity during the twentieth century. It wasn’t until 1968 that Charles Hall developed a waterbed with a vinyl mattress. He stumbled upon the idea of a bed filled with water after many attempts to create liquid furniture. This article will tell you everything you need to know about them. Having a better understanding of them will help you make the right choices when you are shopping.

A brief guide to buying waterbeds

Waterbed has undergone huge changes over the years. In the earliest versions of water beds, customers had to fill the entire waterbed with a garden hose. Now, only tubes, called “bladders,” have to be filled. And because of the weight of the water, they required special frames to support the bed. These days it is much easier to use them. Some modern-day waterbeds even eliminate the need for a separate frame. Modern waterbeds even come with self-contained temperature control systems. This article will tell you everything you need to know about them.

Hardside waterbeds vs Softside waterbeds

A hard side waterbed uses a conventional wooden box frame and requires no material for wave reduction. This will let you feel the complete movement of the waterbed. However, depending on the preferred comfort level, some hard side waterbeds can still decrease the motion of the bed. Softside beds look much like a standard mattress over hardside mattresses. You can fit them into existing furniture, use regular sheets and do not need a separate wood frame. Although softside beds remove the wavelike sensation, they still maintain the contouring and pressure-free support.

Uses of waterbeds

A waterbed is especially useful for those with spinal and back pain. It greatly decreases the pressure on the spine and provides the sleeper with great relief. Waterbeds spread the weight of the body evenly, resulting in a good night’s sleep. Since these beds do not produce bed sores, doctors recommend them for those who are paralysed, or bed ridden. So, in a way, these beds are useful for both normal people and those who need special medical attention. However, with the invention of materials like memory foam, the popularity of water has gone down among regular folks.

Benefits of waterbed

The most important benefit is that these beds can adjust to the contour of the person sleeping on it. Because water moves around easily, it moves from high-pressure areas to low-pressure areas of the bed. Because of this property of water, every inch of the body of the person lying on the bed gets exactly the same amount of pressure. Another benefit of these beds is that it is very easy to heat the bed. The convection of the water will spread the heat across the bed. While there are beds with heating systems, this works seamlessly even when the weather is freezing cold.

Disadvantages of waterbeds

Waterbeds require more maintenance than regular beds. You will need to use conditioners to prevent moulds and change the bladder once in a while. Also, your regular bed sheets might not work on these beds. So, buying new sets of bed accessories will turn out to be an extra cost. These beds are difficult to move around. You’ll need extra effort to rearrange your waterbed if you get bored with your bedroom decor. Lastly, the bed will accidentally get pierced every so often if you are not careful. You would not know if the perforation is too small. You will only notice it when the water will slowly leak out of the bed and ruin your floor.

Tips on how to buy Waterbeds

Choosing the best water bed for you means weighing different factors and comparing them to a conventional mattress. Any good mattress should support a person’s body weight uniformly and comfortably. Buying the wrong bed is not only an expensive mistake, but it can also have negative impacts on your health. Therefore, there is a slew of factors to consider. Finding the right bed becomes easier if you know what criteria to look for in a bed. Here are a few tips that you can use while you are shopping for them.

  • Level of firmness – Finding one with the right amount of movement is the first step to selecting the right waterbed. What sets a waterbed apart from a conventional mattress is the wave effect or the movement of water within the bed. Too much movement can, however, be awkward or keep you up at night. The waveless rating shows how easily the mattress returns after movement to stability. The majority of water beds are 100 per cent to 85 per cent waveless.
  • The thickness of the fibre layers – A good waterbed should relieve tension at all pressure points in the body. Some water mattresses, however, are too soft and cause a hammock effect where the body dips down in the centre and raises up at the head and feet. It is the different layers of fibre material that enhance the support and stability of the bed and allow you to sleep more comfortably.
  • Softside vs Hardside – There are two main water bed types. It is essential that you understand the difference and try both of them. Hard-Sided water beds require a special type of bed frame for support. Soft water beds with soft sides work more like conventional mattresses.
  • Durability and price – Some water beds can cost more than regular mattresses. Therefore, it is important to consider the durability of the bed before shelling out your money. One factor that affects durability is the thickness and strength of the external material. Besides that, you should look at how good the material is when it comes to resisting mould growth and sagging.

When you buy a waterbed, you will need a few extra accessories that will help you take care of the bed. This includes things like repair kits, vinyl cleaners, special bed covers, and more. Moreover, there are many other types of beds apart from waterbeds. You can find any of them here using our shopping search engine. That way, you can also compare the prices and features of different beds and pick the best one among them. Also, don’t forget to check out all the other amazing products from the Furniture category.

Question & Answer

Who should use a waterbed?

The original intention behind inventing the water bed was for medical purposes such as avoiding bedsores and arthritis. And crib use by premature babies and those who were bedridden and long periods of time. Hospitals still use waterbeds today for these purposes. Because of their therapeutic benefits and because it is possible to regulate the temperature of these beds using a simple thermostat, they are quite helpful for bedridden patients. Athletes suffering from orthopaedic problems use these beds for pain relief. Besides them, a few people use them because they find them more comfortable than regular mattresses.

How durable are waterbeds?

The main enemy of waterbeds are leaks. However, some beds are carefully designed to prevent leaks, punctures and bursting. So high-quality beds can reduce the occurrence of such problems. Even then, you should be careful to keep all kinds of sharp objects away from the bed. It is extremely rare for bladders inside the bed to break. The bladder will break only if you apply an extremely high amount of pressure on the bed. Another challenge with these beds is avoiding the growth of moulds and fungi. Not only is this bad for the person using the bed, but it can also cause the deterioration of the vinyl. So, with proper maintenance and care, they can last for ten or fifteen years easily.

Are waterbeds comfortable?

Waterbeds can spread the bodyweight evenly than regular beds. Therefore, a water bed will feel softer than the softest mattress you can find. Moreover, waterbeds are especially good in extremely cold weather in which normal mattresses can be too cold. However, cheap waterbeds can be a little uncomfortable to sleep on. They tend to oscillate from side to side and take some time to come back into a stable state. But you can avoid such beds by looking at the waveless rating of the bed. The higher the waveless rating of the bed, the better.

If you are looking to buy waterbeds online in the UAE, look no further as you are in the right place. There are more than 500 shops and brands offering them here on Shops.ae. These shops offer products from popular brands like Innomax, Waterbed Company, WaterbedOutlet, Boyd Waterbed, Aloft, and Calesco.