Air Beds – Blowing-Up The Bedroom

No springs, no foam, no feathers, no fillings, no headboards; air beds, often referred to as “blow-ups,” are essentially mattresses filled with air. The range and selection of air beds out there is pretty surprising, overwhelming even. Exploring alternative kinds of beds can often be a rewarding experience for the sleeper. Not everyone is happy with the standard practicalities of a traditional bed and mattress.

Air beds can range from the very basic designs that are simplistic and easy to use through to the sophisticated, technologically advanced constructions that operate by remote. There is literally an air bed for every occasion and budget. Gone are the days where you need huge divan bases, fat mattresses and hard headboards.

Most air beds need to be inflated by hand, although there are air beds available on the market that are self-inflating, which operate via a built-in electrical pump. However, simpler can sometimes equal better for people unimpressed by the automatic freedoms that a self-inflating bed can provide. But in the end, it’s about the level of comfort more than the accessories, gadgets and novelties.

Many air beds are used for spare bed purposes because they can be deflated and easily stored away and that portability is a strong benefit to households when putting up spare guests or even for camping purposes. These are simply air mattresses that are pumped by hand and placed on the floor or on a sofa bed frame. There are the air beds that come mounted or raised on a platform to imitate the look and feel of a traditional bed.

The question does become; why buy a “blow-up” bed instead of a standard bed? Besides the benefit of the air bed mattresses reducing discomfort and pressure spots, a good quality air bed can cushion the air inside to adjust itself to the natural contours of your body. Deluxe air beds can control the firmness of the mattress due to adjustable air chambers. This way the mattress can be adjusted to the most comfortable level of support that an individual might need. However, air beds with multiple air chambers and multiple ports for the pumps that are of a lower quality in design can have air leakage problems if the fittings in the mattress are not to a good standard of craftsmanship. You have to be careful when selecting your air bed for reasons like this.

The commonality between most air beds are that after the mattresses are “blown-up,” they are remarkably light in weight and can literally be picked up, carried and positioned or stored away as and when you choose. This allows a high degree of ease in operating and using an air bed. You won’t do your back in or strain your arms heaving and lifting. Another plus point is that air beds never need to be turned as with traditional bed mattresses.

As long as you select an air bed based on its quality rather than its novelty you are less likely to be plagued by problems such as air-loss or gradual discomfort.

The main factors to consider when looking at and for air bed bargains are keeping it simple with basic air valve chambers, the design doesn’t need to be fancy or hi-tech; find those air beds that use memory foam layers at the top of the mattress; ensure the pump is good quality and not a gimmick; avoid remotes and gadgets with the air beds; and air beds that you assemble yourself are probably better than the air beds that are already assembled for you. Believe it or not but you will save a lot of time and extra money if you do it yourself. The best part of it is that you only have to worry about the air bed itself and no irritating or fiddly extras like headboards.