Comfortable, supportive mattresses are something most of us take for granted. We don't think about how they've evolved over time. Here's an eye-opening lesson on the bed throughout history and in more modern times. Give your readers something to think about the next time they go to sleep. So lie down and let us tell you a story.

• 10,000 years ago, in the Neolithic period, people began sleeping on primitive "beds."
• 3400 BCE. Egyptian pharaohs discover the benefits of raising a pallet off the earth. King Tutankahmen had a bed of ebony and gold. Common people slept on palm bows heaped in the corner of their home.
• Roman Empire. First luxury bed. Often decorated with gold, silver or bronze, these beds featured mattresses stuffed with reeds, hay, wool or feathers.
• Roman Empire. Romans discover the waterbed. The sleeper would recline in a cradle of warm water until drowsy, then be lifted onto an adjacent cradle with a mattress, where they would be rocked to sleep.
• Renaissance. Mattresses were made of pea shucks or straw, sometimes feathers, stuffed into coarse ticks, then covered with sumptuous velvets, brocades and silks.

• 16th and 17th centuries. Mattresses were generally stuffed with straw or down, placed atop a latticework of rope.
• The late 18th century. Advent of the cast iron bed and cotton mattresses. Together, they provided a sleeping space that was less attractive to bugs. Until that time, assorted vermin were simply accepted as an accepted component of even the most royal beds.
• 1865. The first coil spring construction for bedding was patented.
• 1930's. Innerspring mattresses and upholstered foundations became serious contenders for the dominant position they now enjoy in the U.S. and Canada.
• 1940's. Futons introduced to North America.
• 1950's. Foam rubber mattresses and pillows appeared on the market.

• 1960's. Modern waterbed introduced. Adjustable beds become popular with consumers.
• 1980's. Airbeds introduced.
• 1990's. Spacious sleeping is once again on the rise. In 1999, the queen-size mattress became America's most popular choice for mattress size - for the first time ever - beating the twin.
• 2000's. Choice and comfort are key words in contemporary bedding. In addition to an almost unlimited range of innerspring mattress designs, new types of foam mattress cores (such as "memory" or visco-elastic foam and refinements to traditional latex) as well as airbeds, waterbeds and high-tech adjustable sleep sets offer consumers attractive, quality alternatives. Pillowtop mattresses, a popular innovation in luxury, offer an extra layer of soft cushioning, and single-sided no-flip mattresses are common.

• A good night's sleep sets the optimal stage for, not only physical, but also mental performance. With respect to physical performance, rest and recovery is essential for best physical performance. If you are well rested you will approach social, professional, and physical challenges in the most advantageous state of mind and body. Certainly a positive attitude and confidence can be linked to physical performance, but the physiological and biological systems must be fully recovered in order to perform maximally.
• One good night of sleep, in itself, is not a performance enhancer, though it does contribute to both a good mental and physical base to help perform at your maximum level. After consecutive nights of good sleep, you can anticipate seeing sustained results in your physical performance. On the other hand, a poor night's sleep — or consecutive nights of poor sleep — can negatively affect your performance.
• In my experience as a former college varsity athlete, I understand how important sleep and quality rest can be in performing your best. As a researcher, I consider three areas of utmost importance to athletes: training, nutrition, and rest. For instance, without sufficient sleep, reaction times suffer, sustained performance drops off, and there is a decline in overall physical functioning. Furthermore, vigilance and alertness are compromised, which will result in poor performance and possibly lead to injury.
• While a good night's sleep may not lead to record-breaking performance, lost sleep will impair physical performance, reduce work productivity, and affect mood and disposition. Poor sleep is associated with anxiety, depression, and mood disorders, while adequate sleep improves attitudes, moods, and promotes feelings of self esteem and competence — all of which are tied to physical performance.
• Sleep problems can be caused by a host of factors ranging from physical discomfort, stress, and environmental factors to pathology. For the "average" person, better sleep quality can be as simple as a new mattress. Amazingly, most people don't consider that they can outlive their beds to the same extent that they realize they can outlive their car or their dishwasher. Based on our research, I consider a new mattress to be an important factor in attaining improved sleep. As we found and suggest, if a new mattress can significantly improve sleep quality, it is a much healthier alternative than many other options.
• From what we have seen in our studies is that replacing an older mattress (5 years or older) with a new, good quality, medium-firm mattress can significantly reduce discomforts such as shoulder and back pain, and back stiffness, and can significantly increase sleep quality and comfort. Not only were such benefits realized immediately, but they were sustained over time. Furthermore, research has found that certain stress behavior and symptoms decrease with greater sleep quality leading us to believe that sleep deprivation is associated with stress. Thus, in reducing stress we can expect to improve physical, psychological, and emotional factors.
• Most mattresses come with a manufacturers guarantee for 10, 15, or 20 years, but this only refers to the materials and not the structure or support. There are many factors that determine the time when one should replace a mattress. For instance, what was the initial quality of the bed? How heavy is the person sleeping in the bed? Heavier individuals can place more stress on the support system of the mattress, thus reducing its longevity. Amazingly, the average age of peoples's mattress is around 10 years, which would mean it has yielded over 25,000 hours of support. That's over 1,050 days spent on the mattress! I think it is overoptimistic to believe that your mattress can maintain its original support for that long and with that much use.
  
  If you are experiencing trouble sleeping, a good rule of thumb is to occasionally assess your sleep quality and the quality of your mattress. Just like any product frequently used, mattresses need to be replaced regularly. After five to seven years of use, a mattress may no longer provide the comfort and support needed for optimum rest. The Better Sleep Council recommends that you assess your mattress at the five to seven year mark to determine if a replacement is needed.
• The standard recommendation is that an individual get eight hours of sleep a night, 7.5 to 8.5 is optimal. But the latest Better Sleep Council survey found that a majority, 73 percent, of Americans are only getting seven hours of sleep or less in a given work week. In fact, 70 million Americans are affected by sleep problems. That figure has grown over the past 20 years and is expected to reach 100 million by the middle of the 21st century. To help get an adequate amount of sleep each night, it is important to keep a consistent sleep-wake schedule. Even on the weekends its important to stick to your bedtime routine and regular bedtime and wake-up schedule.