History of Laying Down: Mattresses

Whenever you cozy down to sleep at night, there is a good chance you don't think about the mattress you sleep on. Unless, of course, it's terribly uncomfortable - or you have bed bugs. The mattress, that simplest of inventions, has been with us for thousands of years and while the concept is simple enough, like with any Thanksgiving turkey: it's all in the stuffing.

The mattress came from humble origins. Evidence suggests the first mattresses were used in during the Neolithic period, when people started sleeping on raised platforms to get off the floor and away from pests and drafts. These mattresses consisted mostly of piles of leaves, grass, straws and even tree boughs covered with animal skins. Around 3600 BC, there is evidence the Persians used beds made of tightly stitched goatskins that were filled with water, making them the first water beds!

At the height of the Roman Republic, mattresses were commonly made out of cloth bags stuffed with hay and reeds, or with wool or feathers for wealthier consumers. This feather bed was one that would be recreated over and over all over the world. They are extremely warm and soft, and though they do take some maintenance, many of the people who still sleep on them consider them to be completely worth the time that it takes to keep them well maintained.

During the Renaissance, mattresses still consisted of cloth forms filled with the stuffing material. Once again, the poor made do with things like reeds, pea shucks and straw, while the wealthy had feather mattresses. The wealthy would often have their mattresses covered with something more luxurious, like an embroidered brocade, silk or velvet. It is interesting to note that at this time, the mattresses were placed on rope grids ted to a wooden bed frame. The ropes had to be kept tight or the mattress would sag; hence the expression "sleep tight."

The use of springs did not emerge until sometime around the 1850s. Coupled springs in conjunction with wooden bed slats would be invented shortly thereafter. The invention of the box spring made the mattress a lot less lumpy and upholstered foam foundations became the norm, as did artificial fillers. Think a little bit about the history of mattresses and what they represent and how our ancestors sought the same comfort we now take for granted.