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From: lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein)
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Waterbeds
Message-ID: <215@vortex.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 3-Jan-84 06:02:23 EST
Article-I.D.: vortex.215
Posted: Tue Jan  3 06:02:23 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 4-Jan-84 02:56:48 EST
Organization: Vortex Technology, Los Angeles
Lines: 69

I've been sleeping on a conventional kingsize waterbed for something
like six years.  They have one very undesirable characteristic.
Once you get used to them, you find all non-waterbeds to be about
as comfortable as a concrete slab.  I find that I am totally unable
to really sleep the first night in a hotel -- I'm just too uncomfortable.

Some comments:

1) Buy a waterbed without a heater?  You MUST be kidding.  A mass
   of water that large, at room temperature, will suck all the heat
   out of your body damn fast.  Most people find that they are very
   sensitive to waterbed temperature -- a change of even a couple
   of degress can make a big difference.  The exact "comfort"
   temperature varies a lot from person to person, but tends to
   result in thermostat settings of between 88 and 95 degrees F.,
   typically.  When you first get a waterbed, expect a few 
   nights of adjusting the thermstat, and then, when you get it
   right, NEVER play with it again!

   The narrow comfort range of a given individual on a waterbed can
   result in some problems when two persons share the same bed.
   Sometimes this can be dealt with by setting the bed to the cooler
   of the individuals' comfort temperatures, and then give that
   person more outer covers.  It can still be tricky, however.
   Of course, if you're cuddled up, the bodies will tend to approach
   the same temperature anyway over the course of the night.

2) People are also sensitive to waterbed "firmness".  I've seen some
   people who like the bed filled so far that it's like a balloon.
   Personally, I like it filled enough so that when I sit cross-legged
   on the bed, I don't QUITE bottom-out against the frame.

   A too-soft waterbed may result in backaches, so use care.  Obviously,
   you should start off with LESS water than you think you might want,
   since it's so much easier to add water than to remove it.

3) I don't like the "waveless" waterbeds.  The waves are half the
   fun and can be very comforting -- damping them out ruins the
   effect.  Some people also like vibration devices under the frame,
   though I don't have one.

4) *** WARNING: Avoid like the plague the "semi"-waterbeds that now
   exist.  These often have a solid outer surface with a liquid
   or gel inner filling.  Studies have shown that these can ruin
   your back.  From an orthopedic standpoint, conventional waterbeds
   are best, then firm conventional mattresses.  Soft mattresses
   are generally bad, while the semi-waterbeds are worst.  If it 
   seems illogical that a waterbed would be better for your back
   than a firm mattress, note that the waterbed evenly supports
   your entire weight without any "dead" spots that are actually
   unsupported at any given time.  Many persons find that they wake up
   in the same position in which they fell asleep on a waterbed, while
   they always twisted and turned all night on a conventional
   mattress.  

   *** NOTE: Be sure not to confuse "waveless" waterbeds with the
   bad "semi"-types.  The waveless units are conventional waterbeds
   with inner "damping barriers" and supports that break up 
   the waves.  As far as I know, they have not been tied to back
   problems, though, like I said, I don't care for them personally.

5) Just in passing, I might note that waterbeds can (of course) be
   fun for uses other than sleeping, though there admittedly is a
   knack involved -- synchronization with wave action is important.

Well, this message is longer than I had intended, but I hope the
info is of some use...

--Lauren--