• Hard-sided waterbed mattresses require a wooden frame to contain the mattress, while soft-sided mattresses do not. After that distinction has been made, there are three types of waterbed mattresses that you can choose from. The right waterbed mattress will suit your lifestyle and provide you with the maximum amount of comfort.
  
  

Free-Flow Mattresses

• Free-flow mattresses are the most inexpensive waterbed mattresses. They contain water within one large chamber. Because of this, the support that they provide is fairly uneven. The weight of the person on the free-flow mattress causes them to rest at the lowest point on the mattress. Similarly, ripples and waves in the water take longer to subside than they do in the other models.
  
  

Fiber-Filled Mattresses

• Fiber-filled waterbed mattresses have sheets of fiber batting in the chamber of the mattress that absorb the motion of the waves. Waves in the waterbed are reduced by between 50 percent and 95 percent. Fiber batting can also increase support to the back and the neck, and the reduced motion allows the sleeper to get in and out of the bed more easily. The two major disadvantages of fiber-filled mattresses are that they are slow-draining because of high water retention, and if the fiber batting becomes untethered inside the water chamber, it can cause discomfort.
  
  

Hydraulic Mattresses

• Hydraulic mattresses have round vinyl coils attached to the base of the mattress. These coils are filled with water as the mattress is filled. Then, the coils float up close to the top of the mattress, where their presence provides the sleeper with more support. Because each sleeper will have her own set of coils inside the mattress, she will not be disturbed by the other person's movement.
  
  

Dual-Chambered Mattresses

• Dual-chambered mattresses have two compartments inside the mattress that store water. The divided water allows for separation of movement, and if the mattress is going to be fiber-filled, it allows different rates of filling. This is ideal for people who have different opinions on comfort and the amount of ripples and waves that they find acceptable.