Mattress for an adjustable bed

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

For health concerns we need to purchase an adjustable bed. Would like some information about the best mattress for an adjustable bed. Any information would be appreciated. We are in our 60s. Thank you

2

Hi LinL531,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

That’s a very common situation. I hope it’s nothing too serious.

There really is no one “best” mattress for an adjustable bed, just as there is no one “best” traditional mattress. The same guidelines apply whether selecting a mattress that stays flat or one that is bendable.

If you’re considering an innerspring mattress, it needs to be designed to be “adjustable bed friendly” (flexible), and there are more of those available these days and mattress manufacturers look to capitalize upon the popularity (or extra promotion) of adjustable bed bases. Most of these innerspring mattresses will use some sort of a version of a pocketed spring unit, as this unit flexes more easily than other types of innersprings. Overall, the best type of mattress to be paired with any adjustable bed base tends to be one with a foam support core (polyfoam or latex), which can most easily bend and put up with the specific demand and weight concentrations placed upon it through use when paired with an adjustable bed base.

There is a good adjustable bed (with some mattress discussion) thread located here.

As far as selecting a mattress, I would begin by reading the mattress shopping tutorial here. Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for, and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).

Outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you find out the information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.

In its simplest form … choosing the “best possible” mattress for any particular person really comes down to FIRST finding a few knowledgeable and transparent retailers and/or manufacturers (either locally or online) that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in that are in a budget range you are comfortable with and that you have confirmed will provide you with the all the information you need about the materials and components inside the mattresses they sell so you will be able to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …

  1. Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.

  2. Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight/BMI range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.

  3. Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

Phoenix