What Does An Air Mattress Do?

Air mattresses can range in their capabilities. You can find standard models that will provide a basic level of comfort, but you can also find yourself a really high-spec air mattress that offers different air pressures and movements throughout the mattress.

You can find more information on our web, so please take a look.

Air mattresses vary a lot in what they offer, but what exactly is it that they do?

What Are Air Mattresses Used For?

Air mattresses are primarily used to prevent pressure injuries from occurring.

Pressure is a big concern in all areas of healthcare, but particularly with elderly people who spend a lot of time sat or laid down. These kinds of pressure injuries are called decubitus ulcers.

Pressure ulcers and sores are caused when the skin and underlying tissues are starved of oxygen. Especially with bony parts of our body (elbows, the posterior, heels, and even the back of the head), it’s easier for blood flow to decrease to those areas when we’re in the same position for several hours every day.

When the blood flow decreases, less oxygen reaches our skin cells. This means that the skin cells begin to die and pressure sores form in their place.

How Do Air Mattresses Help?

Air mattresses are designed to prevent pressure sores from occurring in the first place. They are often referred to as anti-decubitus mattresses.

By using different motions and patterns, the air flow actually stops the build-up of pressure taking place. Consequently, this slows down any pressure injuries taking hold and promotes better circulation in vulnerable areas of the body.

Air mattresses can provide pressure relief or pressure redistribution.

Who Is Most At Risk Of Pressure Ulcers?

People who are bedbound, or spend a lot of time sat down and are unable to adjust their positioning are most at risk of developing pressure injuries. Additionally, elderly people are at risk because their skin is more fragile, and can break down faster.

Pressure Relief

Pressure relief in air mattresses specifically targets high-pressure parts of the body and reduces the amount of pressure in those sections. For example, you may find that someone feels a lot of pressure on their shoulder blades, calves, and elbows when laid in bed; the air mattress can be configured to have less air (and therefore less pressure) in sections where the shoulder blades, calves, and elbows lay.

Anti-decubitus mattresses that deliver excellent pressure relief often contain foam as well. This gives the user more flexibility and comfort when using the mattress for a long time.

The Somlent Serene is a great example of this, offering both comfort and pressure relief.

Pressure Redistribution

This is a slightly different method used in some air mattresses, by which the user’s body weight is redistributed by alternately inflating rows of cells. These are called alternating-air mattresses. The continuous movement of air keeps redistributing pressure and decreases the chance of pressure ulcers forming on bony, rigid parts of the body.

What Are Alternating Air Mattresses Used For?

Alternating air pressure mattresses are usually used to treat advanced ulcers such as Grade 3 and Grade 4 pressure ulcers.

They provide constant pressure relief to the patient, and reduce the need for the carer to manually reposition the patient.

Air mattresses mould to the person’s body shape and the air cells in areas with more pressure are deflated to reduce the chance of injury over a prolonged time.

One of the best methods of pressure redistribution is low-pressure therapy. This means that the mattress has constantly low air pressure circulating throughout, which spreads the person’s body weight. The Somlent Genius mattress utilises low-pressure therapy and is incredibly comfy.

What Is A Hybrid Mattress?

The hybrid mattress is a preferred option for some who need higher pressure relief than a foam mattress gives but don’t want the vibration of a full air mattress.

Hybrid mattresses combine the foam and air systems with a unique cell structure. The foam in the cells reduce the vibrations of the pump, yet still provide the air flow needed to support the patient. They are designed for patients who are at high risk of pressure sores, but still have a degree of mobility.

Our range of Opera beds offer the full fleet of pressure mattresses, including the Impulse Hybrid mattress.

What Is Pressure Mapping?

Pressure mapping is an advanced technology that provides a visual representation of the pressure points created. The patient lies on a pressure-sensitive mat which sends readings to a computer, and creates a 3D ‘map’ of the pressure distribution with different colours. This helps health professionals determine where the areas of high pressure are (typically coloured red or orange) and create a strategy to redistribute pressure more effectively.

This technology also helps prove the efficacy of different mattresses. Pressure-mapping trials have been carried out on Innova’s range of Somlent hybrid mattresses, read more about this here.

Summary

The key function of an air mattress is to prevent pressure sores, but there is a wide range available depending on the degree of pressure relief required.

You can view our range of Opera beds and mattresses at our showroom, or arrange a visit from one of our qualified assessors to review your needs and specify the right solution for you.

For more information, please visit Changyuan.

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Before I begin the tale of how and why I voluntarily slept on an air mattress for four months, I’d like to begin by saying this:

• I am indeed a normal person, I swear.
• I never thought I would use an air mattress as a bed for four months.
• I cannot believe I am sharing this story with you.

Now that the necessary groundwork has been laid for this story, here it goes.

Why I slept on an air mattress for four months

My senior year of college, I moved into an apartment with only one semester left in my academic career. I knew I would only be here for four months, so I wanted to expend as little energy as possible to make the transition. In the spirit of laziness, I had no desire to shop for a bed. Investing in a frame and a mattress seemed like a waste of money at the time, and investing the energy to move my bed from home seemed wasteful. As I shopped around online, I had an absurd epiphany while scrolling through the bedding results on Amazon… I could just use an air mattress, right?!

I found a queen-sized air mattress that honestly looked more like a raft than a bed. But it was only $50, so I took to the 6,000 reviews to find out what other people thought about it. Maybe it only looked like a raft. After falling into the review wormhole and comparing this mattress to other brands, I felt like the one I found couldn’t disappoint, especially for only $50—so I bought it.

Getting the air mattress: A promising start

My friends made fun of me at first for bringing an air mattress to school as my bed. They thought I was crazy, and maybe I was. But the ease of moving into my apartment was well worth it. All I had to do was take the mattress out of its bag and inflate it. As a bonus I put a memory-foam topper on it to protect my back from potential torture. I was determined to prove to my friends that this $50 mattress was going to be just as good as a real bed.

Credit: Amazon

Every night for the next three months (more on that in a minute), I slept on my air mattress half expecting to wake up on the floor on top of a deflated mess. But to my surprise, the “raft” (as my bed was affectionately referred to in the house) stayed plump and intact.

When you sleep on an inflated bed every day, of course a bit of air can escape. I had to top off the mattress with air every 3-4 days, but this only took about 5 minutes to do. But I made sure not to jump on the bed, drag it across the floor, or do anything that would provoke it popping. I positioned the bed near an outlet too, so I could hook up the internal pump for routine refills, which were quick and easy.

After successfully making it through three months of peaceful sleep on this thing, I figured my ‘bed’ would never deflate. I knew it wouldn’t let me down! I bragged to my friends, who always threatened to pop it anyway. (I swear they are good people.)

But with only one month left in the semester, my beloved raft did indeed begin to sink.

The man is life, the child is me. (via GIPHY)

A slight malfunction with one month left to go

One morning, I woke up on the cold, hardwood floor, with multiple Snapchats in my inbox from my amused roommates. There I was, on this gorilla’s nest that was once my bed. The damage seemed irreparable, but I refused to give up on my raft with only one month left. Assuming it was a hole that caused the major leak, I grabbed the patch kit that conveniently came with the bed, and enlisted a friend help me find the hole.

I blew up the bed and stripped the sheets, and had my friend lay atop the mattress as we listened for the faintest whistle. He joked, “I honestly can’t believe it lasted this long.” He was right, I couldn’t believe it took three months of constant use (also known as abnormal wear and tear) for the thing to deflate.

We finally found the hole, which was no larger than the tip of a pin, and patched it up. From then on, my raft wasn’t really the same—I now had to top the air off every 1-2 days, and had to be extra careful not to wear jewelry in bed. But hey, at least I didn’t wake up on the floor again! It held up well enough for the remaining month, and although it required a little extra care, it was still a comfortable air bed. All in all, I’d say my accidental sleep experiment was a success.

Side note: This is the only flaw of any air mattress—the tiniest hole can ruin everything. But just make sure you have an extra patch kit. They are life-savers.

Here’s what I learned from the 4-month experience

Sleeping on an air mattress for four months sounds insane, I know. But I did learn a few things from the experience.

• Using an air mattress as a bed is NOT for people who suffer from back pain. To me, the bed was extremely comfortable with the memory-foam mattress topper, and I never had any back pain—but then again, I never do anyway. Those used to firm beds would probably struggle sleeping on an inflated surface.
• Sleeping on an air mattress can get very cold. Some nights I would wake up freezing, having to layer blankets between myself and the bottom sheet on the mattress just to warm up. This happened on chilly fall and winter nights when our heat was running on low, and the floor was particularly cold. Maybe I should’ve placed a rug underneath the raft? Oh well.
• This Intex air mattress is WELL worth the $50 price tag—especially since competitors charge almost double. I literally slept on this mattress EVERY NIGHT for four months. The fact that this air mattress survived in a college apartment and only deflated once is beyond impressive. If that isn’t a test of true strength, durability, and worth, then I really don’t know what is.

Credit: Patricia Camerota

Actual footage of me waking up in "the raft"

Would I do this again by choice? Ha! No way. But I buy this Intex air mattress over and over again. It’s perfect for when friends sleep over, and for bringing on short trips—you really can’t go wrong with the price.

My next mission is to try out the mothership of air mattresses, the SoundAsleep queen air bed which boasts a 4.5-star rating from over 13,000 reviews. If I could sleep on the Intex for four months (which I highly recommend as a low-cost option) then I wonder how long I could last on the SoundAsleep!

Prices are accurate at the time of publication, but may change over time.

Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

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