Monthly Archives: September 2022

Beds and Mattresses

Generally Interesting Facts About Beds and Mattresses

Beds and mattresses have had quite an illustrious and extensive history. In fact, some experts cite the roots of the first ‘bed’ as originating between 23 and 5 million years ago. During the Miocene period, ancient apes changed their sleeping position from branches in trees to woven, hardwood platforms. While the sleeping arrangements were not beds in the traditional sense, this perfectly outlined just how long the conception of beds and mattresses have been around for.

With beds and mattresses being established so long ago, you might have guessed that there is a plethora of interesting facts about them. While some facts are purely trivial, others are decidedly more insightful and intriguing. 

Being a purveyor of high quality beds, we enjoy learning and expanding on our bed and mattress knowledge. We stock all manner of high quality bed types, from cheap leather beds, to traditional single ones and even Birlea branded editions. We stock all bed types. Because of this, we have decided to detail some of the most interesting and intriguing facts about beds and mattresses. 

Traditional Beds Were Invented In Ancient Egypt 

As previously mentioned, the invention of the bed can be traced back all the way to the Miocene period. However, it was not until Ancient Egypt that the first true bed was invented. While the beds used in Ancient Egypt were a far cry from say today’s serene furnishing styled beds, they were widely regarded as the very first practical and widely used beds in history. 

If you were to gaze upon a bed that was used during the ancient Egyptian period, you probably would not think the bed looked very appealing or welcoming. Most of them resembled a metal box rather than a comfy resting place. But during this period, the beds were considered to be the pinnacle of comfort and relaxation. This is perhaps why they became so popular over time. 

Furthermore, you can thank the ancient Egyptians for the modern raised bed. Many of the early renditions of beds had levitated beds by virtue of long rectangular legs attached to the frames. It was this original design that inspired the concept of the modern raised bed. 

The Largest Bed Was Built In 2011

Some of us take great pride in the sheer size of our bed. We enjoy the prospect of being able to starfish on the bed without a moment’s thought to potentially falling off the end because the bed is so large. 

Over the years, we have seen some impressively big beds and mattresses. However, they are nothing compared to the bed that broke the world record back in 2011. 

The Summer Festival of St Gregorius in Hertme in the Netherlands, broke the world record for the biggest bed ever. The bed came in at a whopping 186 feet wide and 53 feet long. While we can appreciate that many of us prefer a more spacious bed, weather that be because it is easier to spread out on and away from your significant other, we think this particular bed size might be a little excessive. 

As such, you might be better off sticking with one of our deluxe king sized beds instead. We are sure that will give you more than enough space. 

Victorians Introduced Children’s Beds

As previously stated, it was the ancient Egyptians who invented the first bed. But for quite some time, children did not have their own version. It was not until the Victorian era that children’s beds were actually invented. 

Until the mid-1800s it was actually commonplace for families to sleep in one room, sometimes even in the same bed. If you think this sounds quite impractical and to the overall detriment of the families sleep and health; you would not be the only one. 

Many Victorian health experts advised that the sleeping arrangements were not ideal in the slightest. They found that bed and room sharing to this scale had some negative side effects. As a direct result of this, the children’s bed was invented. 

It Should Not Take Longer Than 15 Minutes to Fall Asleep

The main purpose of beds and mattresses are to enable a good night’s sleep. This much seems obvious, however, it is not as wisely known that it should not take longer than 15 minutes to fall asleep. 

How long it takes you to fall asleep can have many contributing factors. It is not uncommon to fall asleep pretty much as soon as your head hits the pillow or to spend a while lying in bed overthinking things. But on average it should only take about 15 minutes to fall asleep. 

If you are persistently taking longer than 15 minutes to fall asleep, it could be a sign of insomnia. On the other hand, if you keep falling asleep in less than 15 minutes, it could be a sign of sleep deprivation. While the 15 minute marker is by no means set in stone, it is a helpful and handy marker to evaluate your sleeping pattern and health. 

The Word Mattress Means ‘Throw’

Back in the day of the crusades, bedding was not ideal to say the least. The bedding, if you want to call it that, was merely a bunch of straw tied together with coarse binding. It was not until the crusaders went to the middle east and discovered that in the Arab world, they were already sleeping on comfy cushions that closely resembled today’s modern mattress. 

The word they used to describe the cushion was Matrah, which came from the word taraha. This word literally translates to the word throw. 

In 10 Years, Your Mattress Will Double In Weight

While on the topic of mattresses, there are some rather interesting, albeit slightly grotesque, facts about them. One such fact is that over the course of 10 years, a mattress usually doubles in weight. 

While you might think this sounds interesting, after-all, mattresses are not the lightest to begin with and the mattress increasing in weight definitely creates an element of intrigue, the reasoning for this is actually more realistic and certainly not as flashy. 

Over the course of 10 years, your mattress can accumulate dust, skin cells and sweat amongst other things. This causes the mattress to expand and become heavier. Therefore, it is recommended to hoover the mattress every few months or so. This mitigates the probability of your mattress doubling weight as well as ensuring the integrity and overall cleanliness of your mattress. 

The Phrase ‘Sleep Tight’ Has Interesting Origins

When wishing a friend or family member a good night’s sleep, the chances are, you will have asked them to sleep tight. However, you might not have given it much thought as to where the phrase came from. 

The phrase sleep tight actually comes from the fact that mattresses used to rest on ropes. When people said sleep tight, it was actually a functional reminder to ensure the ropes were tight around your bed so you could have a better night’s sleep. 

We Supply High Quality Beds and Mattresses

We hope that you have found some of these facts interesting and insightful. For more interesting information regarding the bedroom environment, be sure to check out blogs for more insightful pieces in the future. 

Additionally, if you require a new bed or mattresses, we supply high quality bedroom products up and down the country. Whether you are looking for a faux leather bed, super king sized bed,  a gaming setup or other general bedroom furniture, be sure to contact us. We are sure we will have something to fit your requirements. 

Bedroom Productivity

Bedroom Ideas To Increase Productivity

When it comes to spaces that inspire productivity, your bedroom might not be the first place that comes to mind. However, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there seems to be a much higher demand to turn domestic spaces such as bedrooms into hotbeds of productivity. Because of this, more and more people have been converting their bedrooms into unique homemade work spaces. 

In order for a space to engage productivity, it requires more than a simple place to sit and a desk to rest a work computer or laptop on. It is all about constructing a space which encourages concentration and productivity. 

At UK Bedstore, we want you to be able to construct your bedroom into any form you so desire. That is why we have decided to detail a few simple but effective techniques you can implement to ensure your bedroom will be a workspace hotspot. 

Add Plants To Your Room

We start with potentially one of the most unusual techniques on this list. While offices up and down the UK have elegant and stylish office plants populating desk and printer tops alike; it might surprise you to learn that implementing plants into your home is an interesting way to help you increase your productivity. 

Many studies have found that plants increase concentration, focus and overall well being. This is essential because establishing a healthy and positive mindset is essential when trying to be more productive. 

Because plants create more oxygen, this means oxygen will be more readily available. Increasing your oxygen intake has proven to have many potential health benefits. One of which is increasing focus and subsequently; productivity. 

Plants also help to create clean air as well as the dispersing of pollutants and bad odours. All of these could potentially be seen as hindrances to concentration. 

Ensure You Have The Right Bed For The Job

While a lot of bedroom workers choose to opt for a traditional desk and chair, some prefer the comfort of their own bed. Beds are often preferred for people lying down, but beds actually create all manner of potential working positions. 

You can obviously sit up with your back rested against the bed frame as well as lying down with your laptop to your side. There are all manner positions you can adopt. The important thing is that you feel comfortable enough to work. No matter how you like to work, you will find a position that suits you when working on your bed. 

All of this being said, if you plan on working in bed, you will require a bed that is fit for purpose. For example, cheap leather beds, Thuka branded children’s beds or even a day bed might not fit this purpose. Not to say that it is impossible to feel productive in the aforementioned bed types, but usually beds such as day beds require extra attention and more setup to ensure they highlight your productivity. 

Certain beds are definitely more practical than others when it comes to showcasing your productivity. For example, deluxe super king sized beds, high sleepers and mid sleeper beds offer much more practicality. A deluxe super king bed offers significantly more space meaning you have more room for stationery and/or working tools.  

Similarly, mid sleeper beds offer unique storage solutions for typically considered productive tools such as books, notepads and all manner of computer accessories. High sleeper beds go one step further. They offer room for a whole office desk set up underneath the bed; fantastically blurring the line office space and place of rest and recuperation. 

Declutter And Organise

In many of our previous blogs, we have touched on how tidying your room can help you to keep a tidy mind. This rings even more true for being productive in your bedroom. If you declutter and organise your bedroom it does not just offer you a fantastic piece of mind, it also makes things much easier to locate as well as move. 

Going even further into this, many studies have shown that messy and cluttered desks can lead to anxiety and stress, two things which can cause you great discomfort and severely hinder your ability to get things done. 

Remove Any Distractions

When trying to work in your bedroom, there are many potential distractions. From buzzing phones, to the sudden urge to sort out your draws to glances over at the pile of laundry you know you will have to do sooner or later. 

In order for you to concentrate on the tasks, it is important you minimise distractions. Whether this be putting your phone on silent, closing your curtains to avoid seeing the happenings outside, turning your television off or ensuring your room is in a clean and tidy state, you must ensure there are no distractions present. 

Utilise Natural Light 

When working on a laptop or any other electronic device, you will be exposed to a lot of different lights. Some of which can be harmful to your eyes. Without question, the best form of light for your eyes, and your overall mood for that matter, is natural light. 

Natural light is not just better for your eyes, but many studies have shown that exposure to natural light can drastically increase your productivity. The sun’s natural light provides you with the all important vitamin D, which helps you to sleep better at night and concentrate more in the day. 

Motivate Yourself

One of the more unusual techniques, an easy way to improve your productivity is by simply motivating yourself. While motivating yourself might seem rather difficult, there are a few ways to do this that people find particularly helpful. 

You can hang pictures or plaques of a motivational or inspiring speech. Instead, you could opt to have an object of your desire just insight. Whether that be a chocolate bar you can dig into once you have finished your work, or an item from a recent inspiring adventure you went on. To put it simply, there are many ways you can motivate yourself. 

Make The Room Unique To You

A happy and satisfied mind leads to better concentration and therefore, productivity. By making the room unique and special to you, this will allow you to feel relaxed, at home and ultimately start you on your path to higher achievements. 

We Supply High Quality Bedroom Products

At UK Bedstore, we supply an array of unique bedroom products which will be able to help you with constructing the best room for productivity you could have imagined. We offer all manner of high-quality beds. From day beds to loft beds, we will have something to meet your own specific requirements.