A Brief History of Beds and Mattresses

The bed mattress throughout history, has always provided people with a comfortable night’s sleep. The first mattress was probably made of an animal skin thrown over a pile of leaves in the corner of a cave.  By the Egyptian era, the mattress looked more like it does today as it was lifted up above the ground and consisted of a bed frame for extra comfort.  Until the 1800's, the most popular type of bed frame was one strung with ropes to support the bed mattress. Mattresses were usually sacks of cloth - usually linen or cotton - filled with a padding material. The mattress as we know it wasn't made until 1865 when the first coil spring mattress construction was patented.

The mattress and sleep bedding industry has changed considerably since 1865. From the first coil-spring mattress to pocketed spring construction to water and air beds to the foam and sealy mattress, there are many types to choose from.  The latest development in the history of the mattress is a high tech foam mattress that was originally created by NASA for its astronauts in the 1970s. The visco elastic foam is most often called 'memory foam' used in foam and memory foam mattresses, and is said to be one of the biggest advances in mattress technology for a century and a half.

Egyptain beds were the first to have a mattress supported by a bed frame.

NASA developed memory foam mattresses for use on space shuttles back in the 1970's to allow astronauts to sleep more comfortably in weightless environments.

Here at Bedrock Furniture, we have experts who can guide you through the process of picking the ideal mattress for you. With a wide range of mattresses for you to choose from, we can help you find the mattress that you will love, that offers you the best night's sleep and that you will be happy to live with.