Mattress History

Since the beginning of time, human beings have always sought out a comfortable place to sleep. This may have been the dry area of a cave or a sheltered nook under a large tree. To increase their comfort, early humans would lie on a pile of leaves, grass or straw. They often covered these materials with a layer of animal skins.

Most of these early peoples were nomadic, so their beds needed to be portable.

When farming developed and families settled in one given area, humans began to create more permanent dwellings.

The word mattress itself is actually an Arabic word meaning ‘a mat that was thrown in a certain area.

As early as 3000 B.C. humans were forming beds made of stuffed sacs. These bags were filled with straw or wool.

In ancient Egypt, your bed actually defined your social ranking.

When the first bed frames were being made, their original design consisted of rope stretched tightly across a wooden frame.

By the early 18th Century, mattress covers were developed. These were made from either linen or cotten. The mattresses themselves were then filled with either straw or wool.

In the late 1800’s iron and steel replaced the initial wooden frames and in 1871 Heinrich Westphal developed the first spring mattress.

Today, Simmons Mattresses use another revolution, the pocket coil. These individual coils produce an undisturbed sleep that offers a comfort level far beyond the early spring prototypes.

We’ve certainly come along way from straw and animal skins.