A Waterbed Mattress: Is It Worth It?

Having a waterbed mattress at home offers you a pleasant place to relax with extra bounce. Waterbed mattresses are another type of comfy mattress that have soft layers of spring, foam, and pockets of water inside which allows you to feel cosy whatever your position is. A waterbed mattress also contains bladders that have small tubes or pouches to be filled with water. 

Most waterbeds come with a thermostat for temperature regulators that ensure you keep warm at night. The mattress has a zippered fabric casing that may sit on a bed frame. Waterbed mattresses also resemble a standard bed as it comes with sizes to fit your bedroom furniture.

In this article, you'll learn about the types of waterbed mattresses, what to look for, and other factor to consider for you to know if a waterbed mattress is worth it. Let's get started!

waterbed mattress

What Are the Types of a Waterbed mattress?

  • Free flow mattress: Inside this type of waterbed, water can circulate freely in the mattress, making you experience a floating-like feeling.
  • Semi-waveless mattress or hard-side waterbed mattress: This waterbed mattress contains fewer foam inserts that reduce the wave action.
  • Waveless mattress: This type of mattress has even more resin and foam concentrations that act as baffles and reduce the floating effect even further.

What to Look for in a Waterbed mattress?

It is always advisable to gather some background information first before investing your money on a waterbed. Below are some features you might want to consider right before getting yourself a waterbed mattress.

Lumbar support

A waterbed with an added layer of fiber ensures that you will have good back support rather than sag when you apply weight to it.

Tethering and floating

Floatation ensures additional support to your back by ensuring the mattress fiber layers push. A good tethering system ensures that the mattress’ inserts and linens stay intact.

Intact corners

Corners of the mattress should be intact to prevent them from coming apart when you require pulling sheets and changing them.

Protective covering

Mattresses without an extra protective covering work fine but having one with extra protection is essential, especially if there is a puncture or accidental tear.

Why Should You Consider a Waterbed mattress?

Waterbeds became very popular in the 1980s as they were known to provide medical aid. If you opt to buy a waterbed mattress, these are some of the advantages that you and your family may enjoy:

Provision of heat

Waterbeds have thermal regulators that keep the temperature of the mattress in check. So this is one reason why it may be helpful during winter season. You may get just the right amount of heat you require through the regulators. The heat from the mattress may help in relieving joint pains. The water also ensures that the surrounding room is warm as heat is not entirely lost.

Comfort

A waterbed mattress adjusts to its pressure as it offers no resistance. The zero resistance ensures zero pressure on your joints, hence, helps your spinal muscles to relax and reduce your chances of getting back pains. The level of comfort may be subjective as other people may feel more pressure than others.

Relaxation

A waterbed mattress has the ability to help you relax instantly. It provides a soothing sensation of floating on water with calming swish water sounds. That way, you can lie down cosily and slip into a deep slumber quickly.

Easy to clean

A waterbed mattress is made up of a vinyl material so it makes cleaning your waterbed easy. Simply wipe your waterbed mattress with a vinyl cleaner or a cloth once a month, and you're good to go. This will ensure that your bedding is always clean.

Hygienic

Waterbeds do not harbor dust, dead skin cells, and other debris because of the material they are made of. This is the reason why waterbeds are hypoallergenic and are preferable especially for people who suffer from allergies to use.

Comparable price

The price of a waterbed varies according to its size, just as it would with a traditional bed. Since the price is quite similar to what you would pay for a premium mattress, the price would not be a good distinguishing factor when determining your option in this scenario.

Are you looking for some soft and comfy pillows to snuggle into while on your waterbed? Check out our highly recommended Kuddly pillows!

Why Are Waterbed mattresses Avoided?

Despite the fact that waterbed mattresses provide good benefits, they also have a number of cons that may make you avoid purchasing them and go for a traditional mattress instead. Recent mattress types are beneficial as they don't carry the risks waterbeds do. Here are some factors why a waterbed mattress may seem unworthy to purchase:

It causes nausea to some users

Some people feel relaxed with the movement of water underneath them, but to some, it may cause motion sickness. Motion sickness is the disequilibrium state of the body where the central nervous system receives conflicting messages from the body's sensory systems. This change in movement may make you lack comfortable sleep and get some people feel nauseous.

Risk of the mattress leaking

Despite the guarantee on the durability of the vinyl product, there’s always a risk that the bladders contained in the mattress could puncture and compromise its integrity. A leak can cause tremendous damage to your floor or ceiling since the mattress contains a lot of water.

waterbed

Bad Odor

If you fail to condition the water inside the mattress, it will develop a bad odor over time since bacteria may start growing inside. The odor might spread to your clothes and sheets, which is very discomforting to experience.

Maintenance

Initially, the waterbed must be filled with the right amount of water, about up to 235 gallons of water. Manual conditioning of the contained water helps keep the interior vinyl flexible and bacteria-free since algae might grow in the water. If you want to move out or rearrange your house, you have to attach a hosepipe to drain the water and then fill it again when you are all set.

Energy costs

Even though a heating waterbed is essential, it may bring high electricity bills during the winter as it uses electricity. The consumption rate is also directly proportional to the size and type of the mattress.

sleeping on waterbed

Conclusion

A waterbed mattress makes a fun, soft bed. It is made of springs, layers of foam, and water pouches for to get that extra squish. This is the best mattress to sleep on for people who prefer a little bounce in their bed and love a soft mattress. The waterbed mattress also helps you relax, feel comfortable, and support your spine while lying down. 

However, waterbed mattresses are best designed for petite people since putting a lot of pressure to the mattress causes it to sink deeper. If overweight, your body might cure unnaturally and trigger back pains and muscle cramps. It is still best to do your research first before ordering a waterbed mattress so that you can maximize the benefits of your purchase and not regret it afterwards.

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