Advances in waterbed design have made it possible to create a truly waveless waterbed mattress. Early waterbeds mostly used free flow waterbed bladders, which are just what they sound like simple bags of water that would exhibit wavy motion when you moved around on top of them. Imagine filling a big bag with water and trying to lie down on top of it: just shifting your weight can cause ripples or waves in the water under your body.

The first waterbeds were generally wavy or free flow waterbeds, and this characteristic was in fact one of the attractions of the waterbed for some people. The waterbed represented a novel way for a bed to be created and experienced, and in the 70s it became sort of a fad. Although the fad has died its inevitable death, the waterbed is still around and being used all over the world.

Because some people found that they disliked the behavior of free flow waterbeds, eventually waveless waterbeds were developed and produced. These waveless waterbed mattresses can work in one of two ways. The first way is by the addition of a layer of fiber inside the bladder itself. A layer of fiber of varying thickness is floated inside the water bladder, and so forms a sort of mat under the surface of the waterbed. This fiber layer does not impede the supporting capabilities of the water, but helps to dampen vibrations and ripples that might form.

This damping layer can be made out of other buoyant materials, but the basic principle remains the same. Some waterbeds contain more than one fiber layer, or a single, thicker layer of buoyant material. Generally, the more damping layers there are and the thicker these layers are, the less wave motion the waterbed mattress exhibits.

The second way in which the free flow motion of a simple waterbed bladder can be reduced is by introducing baffle structures within the bladder itself. That is, the bladder is not just a simple watertight bag any more, but would also contain chambers of varying shapes and sizes. One kind of baffle structure resembles honeycomb chambers inside the waterbed bladder. These baffle structures help to dampen the intensity of any stray wave motion and make for a firmer, more stable waterbed.

These two methods can be implemented by themselves or combined. Varying degrees of stability and firmness of a waterbed can now be created, depending on the specific combination of these two damping methods. This means that one would have more choice when looking for a waterbed; one would be able to choose one that has just the right balance between waviness and stability. Some people might prefer the original full wave motion, while others may want to eliminate wave motion entirely.

But one thing is sure. Even a totally waveless waterbed mattress still provides the same great support that a free flow waterbed mattress would. Damped versus wavy waterbeds thus just becomes a matter of preference and personal taste.

Richard Merson writes for http://everythingwaterbeds.com visit us for detailed info and the best deals on waterbeds, waterbed mattresses, water bed sheets, frames and accessories.