Wellbeing beds

The term wellbeing bed is basically another way of describing what is normally referred to as an orthopedic bed. The reason for this change in name is to disassociate these beds from medical and hospital applications that suggest an illness or ailment. Orthopedic shoes are often described as comfort fit or easy fit for the same reason.

So what do you get if you buy a wellbeing bed?

Most manufacturers of wellbeing beds will produce a variety of different quality and priced beds and those of the wellbeing range will be at the very top level. Some manufacturers may also describe these beds as therapeutic beds, again in order to move away from the hospital associated orthopedic description.

Types of wellbeing bed and mattress

Whilst we normally refer to the bed, it is in fact the mattress that is the important component, i.e. the part that supports and cradles the body, and mattresses come in many different forms.

Orthopedic beds are of course composed of mattresses that can use any type of material (e.g. springs, foams) that provide the correct kind of support. But in general terms most beds that are described as being in a wellbeing range are often based around one of the modern recovery foams. The most popular of these foams is visco elastic memory foam and many wellbeing beds and mattresses are composed of multiple layers of this foam, each with a different density. The idea behind having different layer is to have different levels of support at different depths. The densest foams tend to be towards the base and the less dens foam at and near the top surface.

Latex is another popular wellbeing mattress material. Latex foam can be used on its own, however more often than not it is the top layer of a composite type bed that has memory foam or springs providing the deeper support.

Other materials that can make appearances in wellbeing products include gel and water.

As a bed component gel has yet to take off. It is used by some manufacturers because of its cool properties and particularly because the composition of the gel (typically in honeycomb structures) means that movements in the bed can result in a mild massage effect. Gel beds are often referred to as therapeutic for this reason. (However, as someone who owns a gel bed I have certainly not noticed this characteristic.)

Water beds may also be described a wellbeing beds. In terms of balanced body support the water bed (or mattress) still offers what many feel to be the optimum sleeping experience. The water adapts perfectly to every curve of the body, however subtle, and it does not suffer from sagging, hard spots etc.