New Bestway Single Flocked Inflatable Comfort Quest Air Bed With Electric Pump65 product ratings See more like thisThe average adult requires between seven to nine hours of sleep per night in order to remain healthy in the long term and to be alert and productive each day. However, more than forty percent of Americans are chronically sleep deprived and, therefore, at risk of everything from a weakened immune system, to less productivity at work, to creating a hazard while driving or operating machinery, to simply enjoying less satisfaction from life. Beyond ensuring that you are giving yourself enough time to achieve an adequate amount of sleep, you also need to make sure you are creating the conditions for quality sleep. Sleep that is frequently interrupted or conditions in which the deeper sleep cycles that naturally occur during circadian rhythms cannot be achieved is not nearly as productive as protracted periods of deep, restful slumber. In fact, nine hours of fitful sleep may be worth less than six hours of deep, uninterrupted sleep.
To make sure you are providing yourself ideal sleeping conditions, remove as many distractions as possible from your pre-bedtime routine. That means turning off the TV and the computer (and the smartphone) at least a half hour before you sleep so your eyes and brain can wind down from the stimuli. Make sure the room in which you sleep is quiet, or else is filled with a steady sound created by a fan or white noise machine that can help drown out other sharp sounds that might wake you. A proper bedroom should be free from light, including even the glow of the clock; turn your clock away from your face to reduce the light it shines on your eyelids and to resist the urge to check the clock every time you wake or when sleep is long in coming. Ensure your bedroom is cool and temperate with proper circulation and ventilation. And finally, you must make sure you have a comfortable bed on which to sleep. If you need to spend a night or two on a friend's couch while you travel, that's one thing;
in general, though, you should spend every night on a supportive, comfortable mattress. Hard as it may be to believe, that could well be an inflatable air mattress given the quality options available today. It's a great idea to keep an inflatable air mattress at home at all times. When you have an air mattress, you always have another bed at the ready, and that's good news for houseguests or for yourself. If your regular mattress becomes unexpectedly compromised by spilled liquid, a popped spring, or any other issue, it's far more pleasant to spend the night on an air mattress than it would be to sleep on the sofa or the floor. Likewise, when you have guests show up (expected or not), you can provide them a comfortable place to sleep with minimal effort. If you live in an apartment or a smaller home, having a dedicated guest room may be out of the question. In such a situation, an air mattress is the perfect way to maximize the efficient use of your home when you need to provide extra sleeping surfaces that can be tucked away into an attic, closet, or even under another bed when not needed.
If you are selecting an air mattress for your home, then its weight and compressed size will likely not be an issue. Opt for the most comfortable option that fits your budget, keeping in mind that even the more expensive, self-inflating air mattresses with built in pumps and leak-proof designs still cost only a little more than a hundred dollars, with $125 being about as much as you'll ever spend on a queen-sized air mattress. It's quite affordable to be a welcoming host with gracious and grateful guests. If you're choosing an air mattress that you'll use during travel, then weight and inflation options take on a new level of importance. If you are a camper who will be carrying the air mattress over any notable distance, then weight suddenly becomes the most important consideration and should be weighed first, so to speak. Weight is also a factor when loading a vehicle for car camping or a cross country drive, of course, but it is of much less concern in that case. Next, you must consider an air mattress's inflation method.
Many high-quality air mattresses have built-in air pumps that plug right into any standard outlet. If you are in a cabin or tent without an outlet (or a generator), those fancy pumps are absolutely useless, though. Other options can be inflated by electric pumps that hold a charge, and these are a great idea for limited-term use. Most air pumps won't hold a charge suitable for inflation for more than a day or two, and may only provide enough power to fill your air mattress once. Look for an option that can also be inflated using a hand pump. The extra effort required to pump air into your mattress manually will more than pay off when you can inflate the unit at will in any location. Air mattresses can be inflated by several means:Blowing up an air mattressDepending on the size, inflating an air mattress by blowing into the valve may not be practical, so campers should instead consider a pump or inflator.Blowing into an air mattress introduces more moisture into the air chamber than using a pump or inflator.
Because an air mattress is usually folded and stored after use, the excess moisture can lead to mildew buildup inside the air bed over time.Inflators are inexpensive and save a lot of huffing and puffing (and dizziness) to prepare a comfortable camping bed.Hand pumps and foot pumps are also available to inflate mattresses.These are shaped similar to the corresponding bicycle pumps, but have much larger air chambers to speed inflation.Manual pumps can, however, take several minutes and a lot of hand or foot strokes to fill an air mattress. On a very warm day, this can be a bit of a workout, but is a good chore for families to assign to an eager, young camper with lots of energy.An inflator is different than a pump, because it does not pump air into the mattress. It instead uses a fan to force air into the air chamber.A 12 volt inflator is about the size of a masonry brick and has an electrical cord with a cigarette-lighter jack. It also has a hose with an inflator attachment to mate with the valve stem of an air mattress.
A 12V inflator should, hopefully, never run out of power. When in use, however, it is tethered to the car cigarette lighter.Upon arrival at a campsite on a rainy day, this could mean pumping up an air mattress outside—usually on the hood of the car to avoid muddy ground—and bringing a wet mattress into the tent.Campers who intend to inflate an air mattress outside of a tent need also to make sure that the tent door opens wide enough for the inflated air mattress to pass through.By the way, if a 12V inflator does run out of power, campers will have bigger problems than inflating an air mattress—for example, starting the car!A 4D cell battery-powered inflator will need new D-cell alkaline batteries from time to time, but is the handiest method for inflatable camping mattresses.Campers can just carry the folded air mattress from the car to the tent and drop it inside to be inflated at a later time.A battery-powered inflator can fill an air-mattress in a few minutes.Campers will probably hear the motor of the inflator straining as the air in the mattress reaches the full point and the pressure builds up.
This is the cue to switch off the inflator and plug the mattress valve.These inflators last a reasonable amount of time on a set of batteries—enough for several camping trips, possibly a season.If the batteries die, you could find yourself inflating the mattress with your lungs—not fun!4D battery-powered inflators usually do not have a separate 120V AC wall plug adaptor or 12V car option, so once you hear the inflator motor running more slowly, be sure to have a replacement set of batteries on hand.The D cell batteries can also be used in other camping equipment.Recessed pumps in air bedsMore expensive inflatable air beds may sport a built-in, recessed air pump (inflator) that inflates the bed in a few minutes.This built-in inflator can either powered by either household batteries (4D) or vy 120V AC.Campers who are looking to inflate the mattress in your tent will probably be more interested in the battery-powered option. A 120V inflator is normally for indoor use and comes with a standard plug for a wall outlet.
For campers who already have an indoor guest air bed with a 120V built-in pump, and would prefer to use it for camping, 12V-to-120V inverters are widely available. These plug into a car cigarette lighter and invert the 12 volts to 120 volts and can provide light current at 120 volts for small electrics.Sealing the valve after inflationAlmost all camping air mattresses have a double-locking valve.When finished inflating an air mattress, push the valve stem into the mattress so that it collapses and seals against the stop behind it. This will block air from escaping Remove the inflator attachment from the valve stem and then insert the valve plug (cap) into the valve stem.Due to the air pressure in the mattress, this double-locking feature also keeps air in the mattress from forcing out the valve plug, when a camper lies on it.Air mattress inflator vs. emergency mini compressorWhen shopping, campers should make sure to get an air mattress inflator and not an emergency mini compressor for a vehicle tire.