Adjustable Air Mattress

Inner spring mattresses have been the industry standard for several generations. When they were first developed, they were considered a vast improvement over the previous bedding choices of corn husks, feathers, rope, and other such materials. The inner spring mattress revolutionized the sleep furniture industry in its day, just as the adjustable air mattress is doing today. The adjustable air mattress takes the best of the inner spring design and combines it with the simple concept of sleeping on air.

The Good and Bad of Inner Spring Mattresses

The springs of the inner spring mattress are both its best and worst feature. Best because they hold up for 10 to 20 years before they lose enough tension to be noticeable. Worst because springs cause pressure points which in turn, are proven to cause back pain and other sleep-related discomforts. The adjustable air mattress needed to provide the same durability without the discomfort.

The Improvement in Adjustable Air Mattresses

The adjustable air mattress of today is a baffled mattress with several separate chambers that give full body support. The mattress is inflated with an electric pump which remains connected to the bed at all times, while a pressure gauge monitors the firmness. Some of the better air mattress models utilize a remote control to adjust the firmness up or down with the press of a button.

If you're wondering whether or not a modern adjustable air mattress suffers from stretch and flattening, don't worry. It doesn't. The system begins with a heavy plastic foundation that either sits on the floor or is placed on a bed frame. Customers who don't want to invest in the foundation find their old waterbed foundation does just as good a job. Even platform beds are suitable for the adjustable air mattress.

On top of the foundation goes a thick, rigid, fabric casing that looks identical to an inner spring mattress. It looks identical because it is. All they've done is take out the springs and replace them with something better.

Foam rails line the outer edges of the casing, with another down the center if you're using a dual mattress. The mattress is laid out inside the casing, filled with air via the electric pump, then covered with the top of the casing and closed with a zipper. An optional foam mattress topper goes on top, followed by your standard linens.

With the design of the modern adjustable air mattress you have the best of both worlds. The rigidity and durability of the casing, combined with the contouring nature of the air mattress create an extremely comfortable bed that will last a long time. The best manufacturers claim their mattress life to be 15-20 years, and they provide a limited warranty to back it up.

Great strides are being made in the bedding industry, including the adjustable air mattress, to the extent that the inner spring mattresses may eventually go the way of grandmother's feather bed. It will be interesting to see what comes to market over the next several years. Though many find it hard to imagine any improvement on the adjustable air mattress, that's what they used to say about inner springs.