Air Bed Matteress

An air bed mattress uses air chambers to support the weight of the sleeper. To better understand how this compares to a normal mattress, we'll take a look at some of the other common styles of bed mattresses. In a typical conventional mattress, a set of springs is used to support the weight of the sleeper. Many lower cost mattresses use an open spring design where a series of open spring coils are connected together side by side to form the main support structure of the mattress. On higher end innerspring mattresses, a set of pocket springs might be used. These springs are individually wrapped in "pockets", and as a result they are more able to individually conform to the shape of the sleeper.

Air Bed Matteress

Comparison of Pocket, Open Spring, Memory Foam, and Air Bed Chamber

Some other mattresses just use layers of foam to make up the mattress support structure. Often, the top layer is a memory foam that more easily conforms to the shape of the sleeper which can help reduce pressure points and increase comfort. In all these cases, the firmness of the mattress will be pre-determined and it can not be adjusted in the future. On the other hand, an air bed matteress has air chambers or bladders the can be inflated or deflated to fine tune the firmness. This adjustability is one of the big benefits of an air bed. On the nicer air beds, there are often separate air chambers on both sides of the bed, so each person can adjust the firmness independently using a remote control. In addition, some air bed mattresses also come with additional zones to allow each person to fine tune the firmness at the head, torso, and foot areas of the bed. This high degree of adjustability of the air bed matteress is what appeals to many people, and as a result air beds have become more popular with people looking to get a better night's sleep.