Mattresses were traditionally stuffed with straw, feathers or horsehair depending on local materials.

The longer version

Filling a fabric sack with whatever bulk was available turned a hard frame into something yielding. Straw was cheap and everywhere, feathers gave softness where poultry was plentiful, and horsehair resisted clumping and lasted for years. Sea grass, wool and shredded cloth appear in inventories wherever those materials happened to be cheap.

The sack had to be restuffed and beaten back into shape regularly, a chore recorded in household manuals for centuries. Ownership of a well-filled mattress was a marker of comfort. Regional preferences persisted, so inventories from different countries read very differently. Synthetic foams and springs became widespread only in the last century, though the underlying idea of a filled sack changed little.

Where this entry sits

This collection gathers curious details about sleeping and dreaming, from nightly brain stages and body clocks to naps, yawns and unusual animal habits. It also covers how bedtime customs have changed across centuries, without offering any advice. The full list sits on the Sleep and Dreams page, where every entry is listed in order.