Adjustable bed recomendations

October 9, 2011 11:52 AM

My parents are looking for an adjustable bed (the kind where you can change the angle of the bed, not the adjustable firmness like sleepnumber). We've had a hard time finding good reviews, so I'm hoping some people here will have first hand experience to share. Any good/bad brands to keep in mind? Anything they should think about when buying such a bed, or things you wished you knew before buying one? Thank you!
posted by nalyd to health & fitness (4 answers total)

Keep in mind the effect of the adjustable frame on the bed itself. Innerspring mattresses will be damaged over time; the parts that bend will soften or warp, and then they'll be stuck with a lumpy bed. They definitely should not plan on just adding the adjustable frame to their old mattress.

As far as what *does* work, memory foam and Sleep Number are both good options. Might be slightly more wear on the foam over time, but I've heard good feedback about both. Sleep Number stores usually have adjustable foundations on display that your parents could try out; I imagine the same is true in stores that sell Tempur-pedic.

As far as brands, I'm not up on the current offerings, but I know Leggett & Platt used to produce something like 70% of the adjustable frames sold in the USA. Their quality control is excellent. As long as they're set up properly and not moved carelessly, those things will last a LONG time.

Disclosure/source of info: I worked for Sleep Number for a couple of years.
posted by SpiralT at 12:54 PM on October 9, 2011

My dad (70) adores his Tempurpedic adjustable bed. He bought it to facilitate reading in bed, but has found it's so comfortable he falls asleep within minutes, book open, light on. His only gripe is that it won't lower itself and turn out the light when it hears him snoring.

The only real downsides are that it was really expensive and that it can be a little hard to get out of as it's not springy - it just molds to you and makes it hard to roll out.
posted by cecic at 2:51 PM on October 9, 2011

A friend's mom complained that the fitted sheet would sometimes slip off from the top or the bottom when the head or foot was raised. She bought sheets made for a deep mattress and uses corner sheet suspenders to hold things in place and now seems happy with the twin beds she & her husband bought.

Another friend's dad said something about the pillows slipping down when the head of the bed was raised (well, duh) and he didn't always have the arm strength to pull the pillows back up from behind her. I think my friend sewed long ribbon type things into the pillow cases that Velcro-ed to the headboard with enough slack to keep the pillows in place with the head raised.

If they get the double twin bed option so they can adjust on their own, be aware that stuff sometimes gets in behind the bed when one side is up and the other side is down. Especially the TV remote. If your dad is in bed with a cold and this tragedy befalls him, you may or may not receive a call from your mother to come and fish the remote out before she kills him.
posted by jaimystery at 5:52 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

Thanks everyone!
posted by nalyd at 5:38 PM on October 10, 2011