An air mattress as might be used for temporary guest accommodation
Due to its buoyancy, it is also often used as a water toy or flotation device, and in some countries, including the UK and South Africa, is called a lilo ("Li-lo" being a specific trademark — derived from the phrase "lie low") or a Readybed.[1]
Early air mattress by the German engineer Konrad Kyeser (ca. 1405)
An air mattress, also known as an airbed or a blow-up bed,[2] is an inflatable mattress made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or textile-reinforced urethane plastic or rubber. The deflated mattress can be compacted and carried or stored in a small form. They are inflated by blowing into a valve, either with a manual or an electric pump. Some are automatically inflated when a valve is opened, up to a certain pressure with additional inflation manually or by pump.
Air mattresses are used for camping, temporary or full-time home use, and may be optimized to combine several uses (e.g., camping and guest use) while others are single purpose. Air mattresses may have customized shapes, such as wheel cutouts for use in the cargo area of a pickup truck or SUV.
Sleeping pads are lightweight, reduced-size and reduced-thickness air mattresses intended for camping and backpacking, and may feature a layer of foam insulation under the air chambers. Higher quality air chambers use vulcanized rubber, covered in canvas or of polyurethane with a cloth shell or tick(ing). Permanent air beds will look almost like conventional beds with the exception of having a hose (one air chamber) or hoses (two air chambers) coming out of the head of the bed. These hoses will be connected to an air inflation device, with two outlet valves, that will have a remote control(s) so that each person can adjust the firmness of his or her side to his/her own exact needs. The firmness can be adjusted up or down, with the simple push of a button, on the remote(s).
A USA government safety agency has warned against letting infants sleep on air mattresses, because they can be too soft and suffocate smaller children (especially those below the age of 8 months) within folds or while entrapped between the mattress and the bed base. Additionally there have been several recent governmental studies and regulations enacted due to the poisonous nature of the phthalate plasticizers contained within most PVC vinyl air beds and other soft vinyl products.[3] The European Union has made similar efforts to prevent the use of vinyl materials in toys and bedding.[4]
Air bedsEdit
Larger, more elaborate air mattresses (known as "air beds" in British English speaking locations)[5] have come on the market in recent years that are intended for guest use or as permanent beds in the bedroom. Bed sizes for temporary air beds range from twin to king size, but few guest bed manufacturers offer king size as most guest air beds are sold outside the United States where king-size mattresses are not standard. Most permanent air beds use easy-to-find conventional sheets and bedding. California King (or Western King) sheets and bedding may be more difficult to find as this size was originally conceived for the waterbed industry.
Raised guest or temporary beds are typically raised off the ground to keep users away from the floor and offer a more traditional mattress experience. Though 'raised' air beds are off the ground, they are not designed for full-time use, as the base of the bed is an air chamber and not a solid foundation.
Health benefitsEdit
Air mattresses can also improve the quality of life (and potentially provide some measure of relief) for people who suffer with back pain.[6][7] Having the ability to adjust the firmness of a mattress to accommodate different body shapes, sizes, and weights, can be a factor in the healing process. Air mattresses are sometimes used to protect bedridden people from pressure sores, which can create life-threatening ulcers.[8] Additionally, air mattresses manufactured without the use of materials that may release VOCs or other toxic compounds from the manufacturing process (which can exacerbate allergies in children or other sensitive individuals) are available.[9][10]
The term air mattress may also refer to a certain inflatable swimming pool or beach toy, which has an air-sac "pillow" and several (usually four or five) tubes running its length. Also called a "lilo" (UK, AUS, NZ, SA), "pool air mat", "air mat", "pool lounge", or "float(ing) mat(tress)", it is used to recline on the water surface. The Li-Lo trademark for a rubberised material products was registered in UK on 19 Apr 1944 and in the USA on 25 Sep 1947[11] by P. B. Cow and Co Ltd. An inflatable air mattress for recreational use was advertised as one of the Li-Lo brand of products at the British Industries Fair in London 1949.[12] Although it bears some resemblance to an air mattress, it is typically not built as strongly and may not reliably stay inflated all night long, making it impractical for use as a bed.
IndustryEdit
Permanent use adjustable-firmness "airbeds" became popular particularly after market leader Select Comfort began a major marketing campaign around 2001.[13] The original airbed was manufactured by Comfortaire in 1981, which was later purchased by Select Comfort, in January 2013 for $15.5m. Select Comfort announced on March 30, 2017, that they were ceasing all third party retail sales, of the Comfortaire Line of products, essentially shutting down the Comfortaire Brand.[14] Other manufacturers include Boyd Specialty,[15] InnoMax, and American National.[13]
Less expensive airbeds used for camping or guests include the Aerobed, sold by Jarden subsidiary The Coleman Company.
^"Air bed definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary". www.collinsdictionary.com. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
^Radwan, Ahmed; Fess, Philip; James, Darcy; Murphy, John; Myers, Joseph; Rooney, Michelle; Taylor, Jason; Torii, Alissa (2015). "Effect of different mattress designs on promoting sleep quality, pain reduction, and spinal alignment in adults with or without back pain; systematic review of controlled trials". Sleep Health. 1 (4): 257–267. doi:10.1016/j.sleh.2015.08.001. PMID 29073401.
^Monsein, M.; Corbin, T. P.; Culliton, P. D.; Merz, D.; Schuck, E. A. (2000-09-11). "Short-term outcomes of chronic back pain patients on an airbed vs innerspring mattresses". MedGenMed: Medscape General Medicine. 2 (3): E36. ISSN 1531-0132. PMID 11104482.
^"Indoor Chemicals Linked to Respiratory and Allergic Effects in Children" 2017-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, California EPA, 2008.
^"Indoor Residential Chemical Emissions as Risk Factors for Respiratory and Allergic Effects in Children: a Review" 2011-07-26 at the Wayback Machine, Indoor Air Journal, vol. 17, pp. 259–277, 2007.
^"US Patent Office" (PDF). US Patent and Trademark Office. Sep 1947. Retrieved 15 Sep 2016.
^"P. B. Cow and Co". Grace's Guide to British Industrial History. 1949. Retrieved 15 Sep 2016.
^ abNelles, Barbara (June 2006). "What's in the air? | BedTimes". bedtimesmagazine.com. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
^"Select Comfort to End Sales of Comfortaire to Retailers". 2017-04-27.
^Dexter, Robyn (21 May 2015). "A Sleep Success Story: The Bedroom Store". Ladue News. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
External linksEdit
Media related to Air mattresses at Wikimedia Commons
The dictionary definition of lilo at Wiktionary
October 21, 2023
mattress, mattress, inflatable, mattress, sleeping, mattress, might, used, temporary, guest, accommodationdue, buoyancy, also, often, used, water, flotation, device, some, countries, including, south, africa, called, lilo, being, specific, trademark, derived, . An air mattress is an inflatable mattress or sleeping pad An air mattress as might be used for temporary guest accommodationDue to its buoyancy it is also often used as a water toy or flotation device and in some countries including the UK and South Africa is called a lilo Li lo being a specific trademark derived from the phrase lie low or a Readybed 1 Contents 1 For sleeping 1 1 Air beds 1 2 Health benefits 2 For recreation 2 1 As a water toy 3 Industry 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksFor sleeping Edit nbsp Early air mattress by the German engineer Konrad Kyeser ca 1405 An air mattress also known as an airbed or a blow up bed 2 is an inflatable mattress made of polyvinyl chloride PVC or textile reinforced urethane plastic or rubber The deflated mattress can be compacted and carried or stored in a small form They are inflated by blowing into a valve either with a manual or an electric pump Some are automatically inflated when a valve is opened up to a certain pressure with additional inflation manually or by pump Air mattresses are used for camping temporary or full time home use and may be optimized to combine several uses e g camping and guest use while others are single purpose Air mattresses may have customized shapes such as wheel cutouts for use in the cargo area of a pickup truck or SUV Sleeping pads are lightweight reduced size and reduced thickness air mattresses intended for camping and backpacking and may feature a layer of foam insulation under the air chambers Higher quality air chambers use vulcanized rubber covered in canvas or of polyurethane with a cloth shell or tick ing Permanent air beds will look almost like conventional beds with the exception of having a hose one air chamber or hoses two air chambers coming out of the head of the bed These hoses will be connected to an air inflation device with two outlet valves that will have a remote control s so that each person can adjust the firmness of his or her side to his her own exact needs The firmness can be adjusted up or down with the simple push of a button on the remote s A USA government safety agency has warned against letting infants sleep on air mattresses because they can be too soft and suffocate smaller children especially those below the age of 8 months within folds or while entrapped between the mattress and the bed base Additionally there have been several recent governmental studies and regulations enacted due to the poisonous nature of the phthalate plasticizers contained within most PVC vinyl air beds and other soft vinyl products 3 The European Union has made similar efforts to prevent the use of vinyl materials in toys and bedding 4 Air beds Edit Larger more elaborate air mattresses known as air beds in British English speaking locations 5 have come on the market in recent years that are intended for guest use or as permanent beds in the bedroom Bed sizes for temporary air beds range from twin to king size but few guest bed manufacturers offer king size as most guest air beds are sold outside the United States where king size mattresses are not standard Most permanent air beds use easy to find conventional sheets and bedding California King or Western King sheets and bedding may be more difficult to find as this size was originally conceived for the waterbed industry Raised guest or temporary beds are typically raised off the ground to keep users away from the floor and offer a more traditional mattress experience Though raised air beds are off the ground they are not designed for full time use as the base of the bed is an air chamber and not a solid foundation Health benefits Edit Air mattresses can also improve the quality of life and potentially provide some measure of relief for people who suffer with back pain 6 7 Having the ability to adjust the firmness of a mattress to accommodate different body shapes sizes and weights can be a factor in the healing process Air mattresses are sometimes used to protect bedridden people from pressure sores which can create life threatening ulcers 8 Additionally air mattresses manufactured without the use of materials that may release VOCs or other toxic compounds from the manufacturing process which can exacerbate allergies in children or other sensitive individuals are available 9 10 nbsp An air mattress in the shape of a mobile phone For recreation EditAs a water toy Edit The term air mattress may also refer to a certain inflatable swimming pool or beach toy which has an air sac pillow and several usually four or five tubes running its length Also called a lilo UK AUS NZ SA pool air mat air mat pool lounge or float ing mat tress it is used to recline on the water surface The Li Lo trademark for a rubberised material products was registered in UK on 19 Apr 1944 and in the USA on 25 Sep 1947 11 by P B Cow and Co Ltd An inflatable air mattress for recreational use was advertised as one of the Li Lo brand of products at the British Industries Fair in London 1949 12 Although it bears some resemblance to an air mattress it is typically not built as strongly and may not reliably stay inflated all night long making it impractical for use as a bed Industry EditPermanent use adjustable firmness airbeds became popular particularly after market leader Select Comfort began a major marketing campaign around 2001 13 The original airbed was manufactured by Comfortaire in 1981 which was later purchased by Select Comfort in January 2013 for 15 5m Select Comfort announced on March 30 2017 that they were ceasing all third party retail sales of the Comfortaire Line of products essentially shutting down the Comfortaire Brand 14 Other manufacturers include Boyd Specialty 15 InnoMax and American National 13 Less expensive airbeds used for camping or guests include the Aerobed sold by Jarden subsidiary The Coleman Company See also EditList of inflatable manufactured goodsReferences Edit lilo Compact Oxford English Dictionary Oxford University Press 2009 Archived from the original on July 19 2012 Retrieved 2009 05 10 Synonyms for air mattress www thesaurus com Retrieved 2017 05 07 The polyvinyl chloride debate Why PVC remains a problematic material PDF European Commission europa eu legislation summaries consumers consumer safety l32033 en htm Air bed definition and meaning Collins English Dictionary www collinsdictionary com Retrieved 2018 04 10 Radwan Ahmed Fess Philip James Darcy Murphy John Myers Joseph Rooney Michelle Taylor Jason Torii Alissa 2015 Effect of different mattress designs on promoting sleep quality pain reduction and spinal alignment in adults with or without back pain systematic review of controlled trials Sleep Health 1 4 257 267 doi 10 1016 j sleh 2015 08 001 PMID 29073401 Monsein M Corbin T P Culliton P D Merz D Schuck E A 2000 09 11 Short term outcomes of chronic back pain patients on an airbed vs innerspring mattresses MedGenMed Medscape General Medicine 2 3 E36 ISSN 1531 0132 PMID 11104482 Health Airbed org Airbed org Retrieved 2018 05 27 Indoor Chemicals Linked to Respiratory and Allergic Effects in Children Archived 2017 02 22 at the Wayback Machine California EPA 2008 Indoor Residential Chemical Emissions as Risk Factors for Respiratory and Allergic Effects in Children a Review Archived 2011 07 26 at the Wayback Machine Indoor Air Journal vol 17 pp 259 277 2007 US Patent Office PDF US Patent and Trademark Office Sep 1947 Retrieved 15 Sep 2016 P B Cow and Co Grace s Guide to British Industrial History 1949 Retrieved 15 Sep 2016 a b Nelles Barbara June 2006 What s in the air BedTimes bedtimesmagazine com Retrieved 2016 03 08 Select Comfort to End Sales of Comfortaire to Retailers 2017 04 27 Dexter Robyn 21 May 2015 A Sleep Success Story The Bedroom Store Ladue News Retrieved 2016 03 08 External links Edit nbsp Media related to Air mattresses at Wikimedia Commons nbsp The dictionary definition of lilo at Wiktionary Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Air mattress amp oldid 1169240595, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
