BACKACHE
Approximately 7,000,000
Americans are out of work each day because of back
pain. It affects all adults and can lead to very serious
problems.
A waterbed can aid in the
treatment of backache by enabling the backache sufferer to sleep
in a more comfortable and beneficial position.
A unique distribution of
support for the body assures that all parts of the body are
evenly supported, and that the body weight is equally
distributed.
A waterbed removes pressure
from the spine and allows relaxation of the
spinal musculature.
Doctors have
found that the addition of heat speeds up the relaxation process
and increases circulation to
rejuvenate problem
areas.
Arthritis
Arthritis is one of the oldest diseases
known to man. It can and does occur at all ages from infancy to
late adulthood.
If you live long
enough, you will develop some form of arthritis.
Medical studies show that
97% of individuals over 50 have some arthritic condition that
will show up on all x-ray films.
Today, there are
approximately 42,000,000 arthritis in the United States who
require medical care.
Most doctors classify
arthritis as the nation's number one crippling
disease.
Medical studies have shown
that the principle of waterbeds - equal distribution of body
weight in a controlled volume of water - will benefit most
arthritis.
The even distribution of
the patient's weight will reduce pressure on the major joints
that are inflamed or affected by different forms of
arthritis.
Heat from waterbeds will
aid in proper blood circulation thus enhancing the healing
process and reducing pain.
The standard mattress will
further reduce body heat. Most arthritis suffer
the most in early mornings due to several factors: improper
sleep supports, immobility and the shutdown of hormones which
usually reduce inflammation.
Insomnia
Between the ages of 20 and
60 you are likely to spend more than 15 full years in bed. In a
50 year span, you can be expected to fall asleep almost twenty
thousand separate times.
Approximately 30% of a
normal population sample will have some form of sleep
disturbances; trouble falling asleep, waking up during the night
or early awakening.
Despite all the natural
laws of sleep, many people find it difficult to get to sleep or
stay asleep.
In the United States,
approximately 30-35 million people have sleep problems. The
steady shift away from manual labor removed much of the natural
muscle fatigue that induces sleep.
While sleeping on water,
many patients showed improvements in ease of falling asleep,
stabilizing the sleep onset, increasing the total sleep time and
reduced night awakenings.
Bedsores
When a person is confined
to a bed or wheelchair for a long period of time, extra pressure
is exerted on certain parts of the body.
Many different afflictions
can affect the aged, and if bedridden, using a waterbed rather
than a conventional mattress can help greatly to increase
comfort.
Whatever the reason you're
considering sleeping on water, we're sure you'll love the
comfort. I personally have never slept on a more comfortable
mattress.
I have raised all my
children on waterbeds. Children grow while they're sleeping.
Normally a person shifts
his position often enough to relieve these pressure points and
maintain proper blood flow.
However, people that are
confined to a bed or wheelchair due to chronic illness have
constant pressure exerted at these points, causing ulcers. These
ulcers are difficult and expensive to treat and can sometimes
even result in death.
Through the use of a water
mattress, a person can prevent the formation of decubitus
ulcers.
Patients who have already
formed ulcers can expect more rapid healing when switched to a
water mattress.
This healing may be
up to three times faster than without the use of a water
surface.
Who Can Benefit
?
The principles of flotation
have been documented to be especially helpful with the following
conditions:
Premature infants and newborns, orthopedic problems,
paralysis, severe burns, trauma, auto accidents, plastic
surgery, general surgery, cardiac rehabilitation, Cystic
Fibrosis, Cerebral Palsy and wheelchair patients.
Waterbeds have become
an essential therapeutic fixture in benefiting many patients
with different medical problems.
Sleep
Facts
A normal healthy sleeper
moves 40 to 60 times a night. Research has proven while sleeping
on water there are less pressure points on the body, resulting
in less tossing and turning.
The sleep disorder that
involves excessive, and potentially fatal snoring is called
sleep apnea.
Men and women sleep
differently. She's more likely to be disturbed by noises than he
is. He's the deep sleeper of the two. She tends to dream in
technicolor; his dreams are less vivid. She's more inclined to
have nightmares, but he's more likely to be plagued by dreams or
guilt and failure.
Tuna, milk, cottage cheese,
baked beans, turkey and eggs make good food for late night
snacks because they contain the amino acid, tryptophn, called
"nature's sleeping pill."
Everyone dreams several
times a night during REM (rapid eye movement) states, which
occur four or five times a night.
A cup of coffee after
dinner can keep you wide-eyed for up to six hours.
Exercise can help you sleep
better if you work out in the late afternoon.
The most
common sleep problem in the United States is daytime
drowsiness.
Teenagers need the most
sleep; athletes need quality more than quantity sleep; older
people's sleep needs diminish over time.
"Night owls," who
feel most energetic late in the evening and can barely get out
of bed in the morning, (like a
special daughter of mine), have body temperatures that peak
later in the day than other people's do. They take longer to
warm up and feel wide awake-a basic biological difference from
"morning" people, whose temperatures rise early in the
day.
Two people sleeping in a
traditional full-size bed each have only as much room as a
baby's crib would provide.
The holder of the record
for most beds is Louis XIV of France, 413.
The ideal room temperature
for a good night's sleep is the mid-60 degrees.
Somnus was the Roman god. A
somnabulist is a sleepwalker and a somniloquist is a sleep
talker.
Sleep research indicates
that short sleepers - those who sleep less than the average
seven to eight hours a night- tend to be more extroverted,
efficient, ambitious and self- confident. You need less sleep on
water.
The Bed in
History
Comfortable, supportive mattresses are something
most
of us take for granted. We don't think about how
they've evolved over time. Here's an eye-opening lesson
on the bed throughout history and in more modern
times.
So lie down and let us tell you a story.
Great Bed of Ware. On display at the Victoria
and
Albert Museum, it originally measured 18 feet six
inches wide by 12 feet long and was elaborately carved
and canopied. And could accommodate 68 people.
10,000 years ago, in the Neolithic period, people began
sleeping on primitive "beds."
3400 BCE.
Egyptian pharaohs discover the benefits of
raising a pallet
off the earth. King Tutankahmen had a
bed of ebony and gold.
Common people slept on palm bows
heaped in the corner of
their home.
Roman Empire. First luxury bed. Often decorated with
gold, silver or bronze, these beds featured mattresses
stuffed with reeds, hay, wool or feathers.
Roman Empire. Romans discover the waterbed. The sleeper
would recline in a cradle of warm water until drowsy,
then be lifted onto an adjacent cradle with a mattress,
where they would be rocked to sleep.
Renaissance. Mattresses were made of pea shucks or
straw, sometimes feathers, stuffed into coarse ticks,
then covered with sumptuous velvets, brocades and
silks.
Louis XIV was inordinately fond of staying in bed,
often
holding court in the royal bedroom. Reportedly,
he owned 413
beds and displayed a special liking for
the ultra spacious
and ostentatious variety.
16th and 17th centuries.
Mattresses were generally
stuffed with straw or down, placed
atop a latticework
of rope.
The late 18th century. Advent of the cast iron bed and
cotton mattresses. Together, they provided a sleeping
space that was less attractive to bugs. Until that
time,
assorted vermin were simply accepted as an
accepted
component of even the most royal beds.
1865. The first coil spring construction for bedding
was patented
1930's. Innerspring mattresses and upholstered
foundations became serious contenders for the dominant
position they now enjoy in the U.S. and Canada.
1940's. Futons introduced to North America.
1950's. Foam rubber mattresses and pillows appeared on
the market.
The expression "sleep tight" comes from the 16th and
17th centuries when mattresses were placed on top of
ropes that needed regular tightening.
1960's. Modern
waterbed introduced. Adjustable beds
become popular with
consumers.
1980's. Airbeds introduced.
990's. Spacious sleeping is once again on the rise. In
1999, the queen-size mattress became America's most
popular choice for mattress size.
Today's mattresses try to achieve what water does
naturally!
No matter what you have slept on in the past...straw or
down, reeds, hay, wool, feathers, foam, cotton futons, or
innersprings... no other mattress provides such
complete tranquillity and even support like a
waterbed.
