Adjustable beds have been around for centuries. In fact, the original adjustable hospital bed was designed by Dr. Willis D. Gatch. His career in medicine led him to invent the “Gatch Bed”. This bed could be adjusted in height in each of the three subsections of the bed. For a great deal of time, these adjustable beds could only be found in hospitals or clinics, as they were not sold openly on the market.
The medical community made use of these adjustable beds for several years before they finally decided that this form of bed could be useful for individuals that needed them in their own homes. This is when different companies decided to build these adjustable beds in sizes and designs that would work well in the private sector.
As you look online or in the bedding stores in your area, you are likely to find that the advancements that have been made since the original model have created a wide spread choice when it comes to these adjustable beds. They come in different quality designs and offer different functionality depending on the model.
Some of the leading makers of adjustable beds are Craftmatic, Sleep Number, and Tempur-Pedic. These companies have dedicated their business to finding comfort for those that depend on an adjustable bed to rest comfortably. The designs are similar but there can be differences between them so check the specifications of the beds thoroughly before you make a purchase.
The most popular structure of an adjustable bed has a flat base that has the mattress on top. The motor, often times twin or triple drive, is what powers the bed to adjust. You can find adjustable beds that will adjust to a comfortable level in several different joints. The four joint beds will allow flexibility in the foot area, the leg area, the back area, and the stable area. The five joint beds allow flexibility in the neck as well as the other areas.
The more advanced adjustable beds have a flexible base. These bases are often made of zoned fillings of cold foam. These bases are most likely going to be coated in latex or some sort of mesh. The beds that have a flexible base tend to provide more support to the person that is lying in the bed and they are typically more sturdy.
Aside from the comfort of the person that will be laying in the bed, the adjustable beds have made life a lot easier on the caretakers for those people. Before the height of a bed could be adjusted higher or lower, caretakers were experiencing a great deal of back pain from bending down to care of their patients. When you have procedures to do and certain grooming that needs to be done, the caretakers could find themselves bending over the bed for hours of the day.
When adjustable beds were released for private use, this made home healthcare much easier for everyone. The beds made it possible for people that were confined to their beds to be cared for in the comfort of their own homes. This is a convenience that could only be offered by having an adjustable bed at home. The patients and the home healthcare providers alike are appreciative of advances that have been made in these beds.
While there are many benefits to adjustable beds being made available to the public, there are also drawbacks. First, they can be fairly expensive. Purchasing an adjustable bed may not be feasible for many families due to the cost. When the benefits of having the adjustable bed outweighs the cost, this is something that can usually be worked out.
Another downfall to having an adjustable bed is that they do weight quite a bit more than a standard bed. This makes it very difficult to clean when you are not able to move the bed. While the bed may be somewhat easy to assemble, getting it moved can cause problems for someone with limited strength. Many times the person using the adjustable bed is doing so because they need the support and additional comfort that the bed provides and they may not be physically able to move such a heavy item when it comes time to clean or redecorate the room.
Overall, having the adjustable beds released to the public was a great accomplishment. For those that can afford them and that have the assistance needed to help them move it when it is necessary, this bed can make drastic improvements in their comfort at night and in their lives in general. They may find that they are sleeping better and that they do not ache as much during the day.
