# Why is my Air Mattress turning into a Water bed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 15, 2007, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-air-mattress-turning-into-a-water-bed/388104 "2007-01-15T19:19:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2007, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-air-mattress-turning-into-a-water-bed/388104/1 "2007-01-15T19:19:27Z")
Short story: The air mattress I used to sleep on (I’m cheap, and it’s comfy) began to leak air about 3 months after purchase. So I patched the hole, yet another puncture appeared the next day, and another the day after that! I never had any sharp objects on the bed, so I know the holes were appearing by some other means. I should also note that when I looked at the air mattress, it has some significant discoloration blotches around the part that I slept on. Anyway, I recently got a new (identical) mattress, and it’s predictable working out so far. However, when I pressed my hand on the matters where I slept, it was wet! The odd part: The two sheet layers lying on top (which I sleep on) were completely dry (as is the comforter). As such, I’m pretty sure I’m not sweating profusely enough in my sleep to cause thus, especially since I don’t recall having this problem on a normal mattress. I’m also guessing this problem is what lead to the weakening of my previous air mattress, thus causing the holes/ Has anyone heard of this problem before? Any reason why it might be happening? ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2007, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-air-mattress-turning-into-a-water-bed/388104/2 "2007-01-15T20:25:07Z")
No ideas? Is it possibile the heat produced by my body is interaction with the moisture in the air? I’ grasping for straws here! ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2007, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-air-mattress-turning-into-a-water-bed/388104/3 "2007-01-15T23:54:51Z")
Geeze, 131 views and no thoughts? Final bump ---
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2007, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-air-mattress-turning-into-a-water-bed/388104/4 "2007-01-16T00:11:36Z")
[QUOTE=Red Barchetta] Geeze, 131 views and no thoughts? [/QUOTE] Well, we all have thoughts. None of them, I suspect, are either helpful or right. Like, me, I thought earlier, maybe he sweats like a hog and there’s some reaction with the plastic on the air mattress. And that’s making the weird discolorations. But the cotton sheets are wicking the sweat away, which then enters into some kind of plastic mattress condensation vortex where it sweats _inside_ the mattress, and what’s growing in there now? Like I said, nothing either helpful or right. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2007, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-air-mattress-turning-into-a-water-bed/388104/5 "2007-01-16T00:20:35Z")
Y’know how CO2 bottles get really cold when they’re decompressed rapidly, and how condensation forms. That’s what’s happening when you repeatedly lower the air pressure on your bed. I have a few mildew stains on my Sleep Number bed from the same thing. My wife rarely adjusts her side, and almost never to a lower number, and she has no mildew stains on her side. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2007, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-air-mattress-turning-into-a-water-bed/388104/6 "2007-01-16T00:35:01Z")
Interesting - thanks for the comments. Is there anything I can do to prevent the same thing from happening to my new mattress? Would keeping it more inflated and adding more sheets do the trick? ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2007, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-air-mattress-turning-into-a-water-bed/388104/7 "2007-01-16T08:18:22Z")
My only thought was eww!. . .sweating and ewww! . . . mildew, so I’m with **Campion** on this one. [QUOTE=Campion] Like I said, nothing either helpful or right. 🙂 [/QUOTE] But I decided to post anyway since this will get your thread another bump and maybe someone with a real answer might see your thread and post their answer. ---
**Author:** ![Rusalka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2007, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-air-mattress-turning-into-a-water-bed/388104/8 "2007-01-16T13:35:47Z")
Why is this odd? People sweat more than they think when they sleep and I doubt your mattress is completely smooth, so water collects in the pockets. How else could your sheets be dry? If they are in contact with the wetness they would be wet too. The cotton wicks away moisture and it collects on the mattress when it has nowhere else to go. Get a thick mattress pad to put on the mattress that will absorb the moisture. There are substances in sweat that eroded the previous mattress plastic. The truth is, cheap air mattresses are not designed to be permanent bedding. You’re better off buying a regular mattress or futon, because in the long run you’ll save money. This is the month for bedding sales! ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2007, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-air-mattress-turning-into-a-water-bed/388104/9 "2007-01-16T14:42:48Z")
Sleeping on plastic can make anyone sweat. So they added a wicking fabric to pull sweat in and make you feel dry. The water is still there, though, rotting your plastic away. My WAG ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2007, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-air-mattress-turning-into-a-water-bed/388104/10 "2007-01-16T15:37:47Z")
I know exactly the problem your speaking of. It happens when ever you sleep on a surface of plastic. A plastic mattress cover will do the same. When the moist heat of the body is released it migrates through your covers and matress. Cloth lets the moisture through without excessive water retention, but the plastic is mostly a cold barrier that will cause the moist warmer air to condense out on contact, and it will not wick away and evaporate like a blanket does. I think any long term resident of a northern state has owned a winter jacket that didn’t breate and left the wearer’s shirt drenched by the time they wore it 10 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2007, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-air-mattress-turning-into-a-water-bed/388104/11 "2007-01-16T15:41:08Z")
Get a blanket made from on of the manmade fabrics that wick water away from the side against you. Many outdoor products for camping and cold wheather activities contain these materials. The mattress maybe wet each morning, but you’ll be dry and comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2007, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-air-mattress-turning-into-a-water-bed/388104/12 "2007-01-16T21:15:15Z")
I’ll make a WAG for ya, air matresses are not generally designed for constant, permanent use, so I would imagine that the same thing may happen with your next one too. The salt and bacteria from your sweat is probaby degrading the mattress over time, and with a waterbed the mattress is much thicker and treated. Just a thought, please feel free to continue to be comfy and cheap 🙂 but maybe you could buy someone’s old waterbed mattress and use that filled with air? You would need the base too, obviously.