Hi there. I have some questions regarding adjustable bases that I hope someone with expertise can give insight on.
My husband and I are in the market for a new bed and have thus far only spent a few hours at a mattress store, but even before shopping I knew I would be interested in adjustable bases. I have for several years used a large C-shaped pregnancy pillow to help me sleep, starting before and continuing during and after being pregnant. Without the use of the pillow, which curves under my legs, I feel that I lack key support in my lower back area. I end up tossing and turning and cannot get comfortable without it. Although this may be partially due to sleeping on an old mattress, I have this problem even when sleeping in others’ potentially newer beds. My husband and I are both sick of the pillow and would love to be rid of it.
While at the mattress store, we tried a variety of mattresses. Most were on adjustable bases and when put into the “ZeroG” position, I honestly felt that it made any mattress extremely comfortable, even those that initially felt too firm. My initial feeling is that we could buy any mattress as long as we get an adjustable base, but I’d like thoughts from someone with experience with these devices. Am I likely to feel the same way about an adjustable bed once I bring it home? I know no one can tell me what will suit me for sure, but I’m hoping for general thoughts about whether adjustable bases are closer to a silver bullet or more of a gimmick.
I am also concerned about the durability of adjustable bases and their warranties. I have read that most adjustable bases have short warranties that quickly exclude the components most likely to break like the motor and electronics. I don’t want to buy an expensive base only for it to break and require more money to fix. Please comment on which bases are most durable or have the best warranty coverage. While I would like the base to be a wall-hugger and have a wireless remote if possible, I could care less whether it has massage or other “extra” features.
Good questions! There are many reasons to have an adjustable bed and they are not just for old people as was commonly thought. Here’s a few examples of my own experiences with an adjustable bed - my wife suffers from acid reflex and if she eats too late it keeps here from being able to fall asleep. Solution- raise up the bed and let everything settle. An hour later she can fall asleep.
I had a time when I had sciatica and the only way I could sleep at night was with my feet raised in just the right angle which took all the pressure off the sciatic nerve. It was amazing, the throbbing in my knee was gone, at least while I was in that position. Another time my wife twisted her ankle really bad and it blew up like a basketball. Raised the feet up and the swelling was reduced greatly as was the pain. I’m not surprised that you felt good in the zero-g position but getting the proper mattress is just as important.
Latex mattresses are the best type of mattress for an adjustable bed because of how easily they can bend and they offer both comfort and durability. Don’t believe me just put one of those adjustable bases in zero g and without sitting on it look at the gap between the mattress and the base. Do that with a solid latex mattress and there will be no gap.
I have sold hundreds of Leggett and Platt adjustable bases with only one warranty issue and that was taken care of promptly by Leggett’s customer service department. They even have techs in the larger cities who can actually come out to your house and take care of any problem, at least during the first year. Almost all adjustable bases these days are plug and play meaning that motors and control boxes can easily be replaced if there is a problem. It’s like most electronic devices, if they are going to go bad they do so early on and under warranty. My adjustable bases are 17 years old and still going strong.
I’ve had good experiences with Leggett and Platt, ErgoMotion, Reverie and the best warranty of all is with Southerland Bedding.
Just to reinforce the importance of what Ken was mentioning (Thanks Ken for such a detailed reply ) I would also advise against going under the assumption that you can make any bed feel good on an adjustable base. While bringing the knees up in the zero gravity setting the mattress can feel very comfortable in the beginning, keep in mind that your comfort over a longer period of time will be determined only by the quality and durability of the foams and componentry which you will want to address at the time of purchase as well.
For this you should always test a mattress in a flat position first so that you can assess how the mattress truly feels and performs or if you can’t test the mattress locally be sure to ask the guidance of a manufacturer that has your interest at heart to ensure that the firmness and comfort level are matching your needs and preferences. Then any adjustments with the power foundation settings will only enhance your sleeping experience.
As far as sleeping with the pregnancy pillow that you’ve been using under your knees … It’s not that the pillow is supporting your back more … but what’s happening is that you lost flexibility for your hip flexors and by brining your knees up you are shortening your hip flexor muscle group which allows a slight rounding of your lower back that is desirable when sleeping on your back and as it gets in more contact with any mattress you are sleeping upon it offers more support. This is probably why when you tried out an adjustable bed in the showroom with your knees raised, your lower back was better supported and you felt more comfortable. While it is true that bringing your knees up will have this effect, you still need to choose a mattress that uses good quality and durable materials so that it will maintain its properties for the long run.
Arizona Premium carries a large variety of very good power bases from the major manufacturers, and you can use Kens experience and high level the expertise to select the features that important to you. All the major brands tend to usually make reliable adjustable bases (the motors are generally not under that much of a strain and typically, again as Ken was mentioning, if you see an issue with the product it tends to be in a very short time frame after purchase when the product is usually under warranty)
Thank you both very much for your replies. I do understand that the mattress itself is important as well and do intend to shop carefully for one, but there is less out there about adjustable bases so that’s why a lot of my initial questions were surrounding them.
As for the mattress-- in stores my husband and I were preferring mattresses on the softer end of the spectrum, in particular the Tempurpedic Cloud Elite. Now, I’ve taken to heart the recommendations on this site to buy a mattress made of quality materials with a manufacturer that will tell you what is in each layer, so I don’t really want to buy the Tempurpedic (and anyways it is outside of our preferred price range). Looking to online mattress manufacturers, I have become interested in the Novosbed for us. The soft, however, has memory foam densities that are lower than the medium mattress that they make. How concerned should we be about this? In particular, the top layer of the mattress is 3.7 lbs/ft of “airflow gel foam”, and I’m not really sure what to make of that. Can you comment on the difference between airflow gel foam and memory foam, if there is one?
The AirFlow Gel Foam is a memory foam, and while all memory foam is generally quite soft, this combines with the 4 lb memory foam beneath it to create the softest model in the Novosbed lineup. The Cloud Elite would be considered by most to be an ultra plush, so in the Novosbed line their soft version would probably be the “closest”, although it wouldn’t be exactly the same. You’d also want to call Novosbed for their suggestions as well.
I’m not a big fan of memory foam simply because latex is a more superior product in air flow, durability, comfort and non-toxic. Plus you feel like you are floating instead of sinking which means you are actually getting an uplifting feel which is more supportive. It’s hard to explain unless you can feel the 2 side by side. The true test of air flow is to take a vacuum to both and see which one sticks and which one doesn’t. We have a video showing the results here https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=gFlC1Ahb7lg
Good questions, I did not see anyone comment about the durability. Many adjustable beds come with different warranties. What you need to look at if each base’s warranty just covers parts, parts and labor, and/or frame, and how long is the warranty. Here is a place to get the phone numbers of many adjustable bed manufacturer’s Warranty Dept if you would like to ask questions directly. After understanding the base’s warranty, many companies will offer extended warranties which helps cover what the factory’s warranty does not. When you are in the zero gravity position, it takes pressure off your back in most cases. It is why you are feeling better. If I was going to buy a base and mattress, I would make sure the mattress is quality, make sure it had some sort of certification of quality. Having a great base is great, but having a comfortable mattress is a must.
Hi!
We’ve been looking at mattresses and adjustable bases. I think we are slowly narrowing down our mattress choices, but have a disagreement on adjustable bases. We agree on Leggett and Platt, but he prefers the classic box springs look, and I prefer the more minimal foundation look. He believes the “box spring” type would be quieter than the foundation style. If so, I would be agreeable, but if there is no difference, I think the foundation style would be easier to clean and possibly work on if necessary down the line. Plus, some of the foundation styles don’t require the holding bar at the foot of the bed.
Any thoughts?
We have both styles in our showroom and I do not notice any real difference in noise between the 2 styles. Personally I like the more modern look of the thinner platform but cleaning underneath would be easier with the foundation style. None of the Leggett adjustables need the retainer bar because of their new Micro Hook technology which grabs the mattress fabric and keeps it from shifting around.
Thanks for the good questions.
Thanks for replying Ken; I really appreciate it!
Just to clarify (some days I can be a wee bit dense) between these two versions of the S-Cape, for example:
The foundation would be easier to clean around because the whole thing can be lifted up whereas the furniture style only the platform insert raises up. Both have Micro hook.
) I would also advise against going under the assumption that you can make any bed feel good on an adjustable base. While bringing the knees up in the zero gravity setting the mattress can feel very comfortable in the beginning, keep in mind that your comfort over a longer period of time will be determined only by the quality and durability of the foams and componentry which you will want to address at the time of purchase as well.