the Victorian era

In the relatively short time since our hairy ancestors descended from the trees, our sleeping habits have gone from curling up in caves to slumbering on king-size memory foam mattresses.

Below we examine briefly the history of the bed: how it has changed, and what the future has in store…

The First Bed

Now we all know that a mattress is considered up for retirement after seven years or so. (We did all know that, right?!) Well, the world’s oldest-known mattress has a few more years on that – 77,000 years, in fact.

Discovered in a cave in South Africa, the mattress – which consisted of rushes and reeds – even came with with a topsheet of greenery to help our ancient ancestors fend off biting bugs and mosquitos. Pretty smart, those cavemen.

The Hunter-Gather Bed

Jeez, these guys had a raw deal! Not only did they spend all day on their feet looking for berries and trying not to get eaten by sabre-toothed tigers, due to their nomadic lifestyle their beds consisted of little more than a pile of leaves placed in a hole in the ground.

No wonder the agrarian lifestyle caught on. Go farming!

The Egyptian Bed

Ever wondered what a bed fit for a Pharaoh looked like? Well, kinda like our beds, really.

That’s because the Ancient Egyptians invented the first raised beds; putting themselves off the cold ground and keeping snakes, insects and rodents at a more acceptable distance.

These were simple enough wooden platforms for the peasant folk but something a bit more golden and bejeweled for the wealthy; quite often with the platforms’ legs carved to look like animals’ legs. Namely, those of the feline variety.

The Medieval Bed

For medieval peasants, bed consisted of little more than a sack stuffed with hay – hence ‘let’s go for a roll in the hay’ and ‘let’s hit the sack’.

For the wealthy, however, it was between the 5th and 15th Century that beds began to evolve from a mere platform on which to sleep into something much more elaborate.

During this period the four-poster was born; a style that would reign supreme for the next few hundred years.

Made of heavy wood and draped with rich velvet, everything about these beds was designed to show off the wealth of their owners. So much so, that it became common for the really wealthy, such as royalty, to remain in bed while accepting visitors.

Were they lazy or showoffs? Maybe lazy showoffs!

The Renaissance Bed

During the Renaissance the trend of beds as status symbols took on an entirely new meaning. Four-posters no longer resembled somewhere to sleep at all, instead becoming ornate works of art.

It was no longer enough to have rich wood. Now the wood had to be resplendent with carvings and inlaid paintings. And curtains were replaced by canopies, descending from the roof in some cases.

Meanwhile, the finest mattresses came stuffed with coconut fibre, cotton, wool or even horse hair. The latter comfy enough that royalty across Europe still make use of it today. Yep, that’s right – the Queen Lizzie still sleeps on horse hair.

The Victorian Bed

During the reign of good ol’ Queen Vic, beds became more like the ones we know and love today. And bedrooms went from being a public place for accepting guests to a private sanctuary for sleep. Thankfully.

While certainly still elaborate compared to today’s simpler designs, Victorian beds were less ornate than their 17th and 18th Century forebearers. Perhaps they liked to keep their bedtime surroundings, as well as their bathtime routines, to a minimum.

The use of heavy curtains died away and four-posters, while still popular at the beginning of Vicky’s reign, began losing favour to beds with smaller posts and less grand headboards taking their place.  

Metal bedsprings made their first appearance then, too; providing much needed – albeit squeaky – support. Finally!

Today’s Beds

For much of the 20th Century, innerspring mattresses ruled the roost. Foam pillows and mattresses did exist from as early as the 1960s but it wasn’t until the 1992 invention of magical memory foam that they began to make an impression on the consumer. Or was it the other way around?!

Today, well today you have an amazing choice when it comes to mattresses and bed styles in general. Thankfully comfort is now seen as important as style. And while four-posters do still make an appearance from time to time, the modern bedroom is more likely to be a minimalist affair.

The Bed of the Future

Behold, the bed of tomorrow!

So called ‘smartbeds’ are on the way. Look forward to mattresses equipped with sensors to monitor your health. Inbuilt heat regulation to keep you the perfect snoozing temperature. Sheets that make themselves in the morning. And imagine, it’ll all be made out of self-cleaning, bacteria-resistant materials.

I bet they’ll have a cup holder, too!

Final thoughts

So there you have it – a brief history of the bed. A lot has changed in the last 77,000 years but one thing has remained constant. Because whether it’s a pile of leaves on the ground or a grand four-poster we all just want the same thing – somewhere comfy to get some rest.

Sweet dreams!

This sponsored post was provided to you by Sarah Cummings from The Sleep Advisor. Thank you Sarah!