A History of Mattresses

Modern mattress shoppers are given few mattress stuffing options. Most modern mattresses are filled with synthetic poly-fill, cotton, synthetic foam, water, or memory foam. Some mattresses still boast real down feather filling, though it is more likely to find down feather filling in mattress pads and duvets. The history of mattresses is surprising, particularly in that these types of super soft filling did not make their way into mattresses until the 1940's, though history shows that some modern mattresses are improvements on mattresses from long ago.

Mattresses originated in the Middle East as early as the Neolithic period. It is thought that early humans used animal pelts to cover piles of debris such as straw and grass to create soft sleeping spots. There is evidence that Persians invented a mattress style that involved filling goat skins with water around 3600 B.C.E. In essence, they invented the first water bed, a style of mattress that saw high popularity centuries later in the 1960's through 1980's. Of course, modern water beds do not use goat skins as a general rule.

Rome is credited with the next big innovation in resting comfort around 200 B.C.E. when cloth sacks were stuffed with softer materials like wool. Rome's wealthy citizens enjoyed mattresses made of sacks filled with down feathers. By this time, beds were raised off the ground onto platforms. Sleeping off the ground avoids pests and drafts; and the ruling Roman class wanted nothing to do with either. Raising the bed off the ground also serves to make it easier to get into and out of bed, and supporting the mattress in a frame helped it retain its shape.

During the 18th century, mattresses underwent impressive improvements. Wool and cotton became common filling materials. The mattress began to take a more box like shape, and were made with linen or cotton exteriors. It was also during the 18th century that mattresses began to be buttoned, tufted, and stitched to hold the stuffing in place. This is still the common method of maintaining even stuffing throughout the mattress over years of use.

Prior to the 1940's, mattresses were still crudely constructed and many poorer people did not own proper mattresses, but still slept on roughly made ones. As America began to climb out of the Great Depression, the country found itself with a surplus of cotton. Having a surplus was driving down the price that farmers could get for cotton. This situation worked against economic recovery, so the United States government stepped in. In 1940, the government launched a campaign teaching people how to make mattresses at home. It even provided the cotton, the ticking, and the sewing needles needed to make mattresses. Government agents went out and taught people how to make the mattresses, and encouraged them to teach their friends and neighbors. The results of this campaign were that cotton prices rose, the cotton surplus was used, and even the very poor had soft beds and new skills.

Mattresses are generally manufactured in factories now. To improve support, modern mattresses use metal coil springs. Mattresses fillings generally include foam padding, cotton, and synthetic fiber-fill. Memory foam mattresses and mattresses with air pockets that allow the firmness to be changed with a push of a button are the newest innovations in sleep comfort. From pelt covered grass, to fluffy padded spring coil, air filled, or memory foam mattresses, humans have been working to improve sleep comfort as long as we've been on the planet.

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