# The Sleep Number bed. Doesn anyone have one? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 12, 2006, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sleep-number-bed-doesn-anyone-have-one/347991 "2006-03-12T01:23:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sleep-number-bed-doesn-anyone-have-one/347991/1 "2006-03-12T01:23:06Z")
You know the beds. The Sleep Comfort, Sleep Number, whatever. The ones you adjust with firmness from 1 - 100. Does anyone have one? All I’ve heard of them are the commercials and radio hosts that use them. And based on the fact they’re advertisers of said shows, I’m not ready to buy one based on that. The concept looks sound and the mechanics of it make it seem reasonable to expect more comfort, but I’d rather hang onto my money until I get unbiased opinions. So, does anyone have one of these beds? Or know someone you trust that has one? Are they worth the money? ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sleep-number-bed-doesn-anyone-have-one/347991/2 "2006-03-12T01:38:29Z")
My parents have one. My aunt and uncle have two. (They bought a double bed and liked it so much they replaced it with a queen-sized bed so now they have one in their guest bedroom). Several other peoople I trust have them. Most of these people were between the ages of 50 and 60 when they bought them (this may not mean anything whatsoever, it just happens to be true). Many of these people had had back problems that seem to have gone away. They all love them and think they are worth every penny. ---
**Author:** ![exastris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b38774/32.png) [@exastris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/exastris)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sleep-number-bed-doesn-anyone-have-one/347991/3 "2006-03-12T02:04:36Z")
My partner and I have one and it was the best money we ever spent. It was expensive, but if you are not sleeping well or if you are sharing a bed with someone who likes the opposite firmness as you, it is well worth it. You really don’t realize how the quality of your sleep affects your life until you get a good night’s sleep several nights in a row. If you go on the website or into the store they’ll try to predict your sleep number based on your weight, height, and sleep position, but don’t believe it. They insisted I’d enjoy a 35 and I sleep soundly at 85. I’m usually a stomach sleeper, but if I’ve pulled a muscle, or am feeling bad, I will sleep on my side. With this bed I can dial it down about 20 points those nights to compensate. Its great. Down side: I’m spoiled now. If you have any specific questions I’ll try to answer them. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sleep-number-bed-doesn-anyone-have-one/347991/4 "2006-03-12T02:20:00Z")
I guess they’re specific, but the first can be found with some research. Just taking the easy way out here. 🙂 We have a King size Simmon’s mattress with the requisite box springs. We paid about $900 for it (IIRC). It’s firm and doesn’t transfer movement. Either one of us can literally jump into bed without disturbing the other. Is there a way to compare price to what we have? (I don’t know the exact model of the mattress, it’s one of the firm ones though.) My wife has fibromyalgia. According to the doctor and everything I can find, sleep is a big component in it. Restful sleep, that is. Are there any studies about this disorder and the bed? I realize that’s reaching a bit for info, but I’ll take what I can get. I’m really intrigued by this bed, but I also really need something to sell me on it as we have so much tied up in the current bed. Heh, that kinda sounds dirty. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sleep-number-bed-doesn-anyone-have-one/347991/5 "2006-03-12T02:30:29Z")
My wife and I stayed at a B&B last summer that had them in the rooms. It was great; she prefers a soft bed and I like to sleep on something approximating a wooden pallet, and we were both able to adjust to a nice comfort level. ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sleep-number-bed-doesn-anyone-have-one/347991/6 "2006-03-12T04:24:11Z")
> [@duffer](#): > > You know the beds. The Sleep Comfort, Sleep Number, whatever. The ones you adjust with firmness from 1 - 100. Does anyone have one? All I’ve heard of them are the commercials and radio hosts that use them. And based on the fact they’re advertisers of said shows, I’m not ready to buy one based on that. > > The concept looks sound and the mechanics of it make it seem reasonable to expect more comfort, but I’d rather hang onto my money until I get unbiased opinions. > > So, does anyone have one of these beds? Or know someone you trust that has one? > > Are they worth the money? No idea of the cost, but the Radisson in King of Prussia has them on the beds. I liked them…love a firm mattress. The “100” setting was the bomb. VCNJ~ ---
**Author:** ![ethelbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@ethelbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ethelbert)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sleep-number-bed-doesn-anyone-have-one/347991/7 "2006-03-12T23:47:12Z")
FWIW, you can return it within 90 days. That’s what I did. It was ok, but not great. I ended up with Sleepy’s brand & I’m happy with that. My opinion is that these premium beds take advantage of the fact that people who don’t get a good night’s sleep will pay anything to get one. ---
**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:** [March 13, 2006, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sleep-number-bed-doesn-anyone-have-one/347991/8 "2006-03-13T01:22:23Z")
I have one. My only complaint is the foam piece in between the two sides of our Queen gets flattened and squished because we cuddle. If we both used higher numbers, it wouldn’t, though. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sleep-number-bed-doesn-anyone-have-one/347991/9 "2006-03-13T01:33:03Z")
I have a friend who bought one and gave it back for a Tempurpedic. I have the latter, and it’s a comfy snooze. But the cost is up around the $2500-$3000 mark. ---
**Author:** ![exastris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b38774/32.png) [@exastris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/exastris)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sleep-number-bed-doesn-anyone-have-one/347991/10 "2006-03-13T06:31:55Z")
> [@duffer](#): > > We have a King size Simmon’s mattress with the requisite box springs. We paid about $900 for it (IIRC). It’s firm and doesn’t transfer movement. Either one of us can literally jump into bed without disturbing the other. Is there a way to compare price to what we have? (I don’t know the exact model of the mattress, it’s one of the firm ones though.) We paid ~2300 for it, but we have a king with the mid-grade pillow top. Our problem was that we like exactly the opposite in beds. If you both like the same firmness (well whaddaya know, that sounds dirty too), then you could find a good standard mattress for cheaper. You don’t have a box spring type thing with a sleep number, so you don’t need that extra expense. You do have choices about frames, legs, etc. You can “build a bed” on the [website](http://www.selectcomfort.com/) . The 3000 model with a frame, dual chambers, no pillow top, king size runs around 1350 before shipping. I bought mine from a select comfort store, you can try out the different models and accessories there. ---
**Author:** ![Brainiac4](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brainiac4/32/3534_2.png) [@Brainiac4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac4)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sleep-number-bed-doesn-anyone-have-one/347991/11 "2006-03-13T18:25:49Z")
We have one and really really like it. Not only does it allow \*\*Dangerosa \*\*to have a softer bed and me a firmer one, but I can vary the firmness if I want (for instance, I had a stiff back that greatly benefited from increasing the firmness a while back). Perhaps the best benefit, though, is that the support is better distributed. I think high-end coil mattresses are similar, but our previous mattress did not distribute support equally across my body – my shoulders and hips bore more of my weight when sleeping on my side. With the Sleep Number, you’re sleeping on top of a captive balloon, so the surface flexes more. So, in summary: I like it. I think it was worth the money. They also have a Sleep Number hide-a-bed, which seems like an awesome idea for the eventual basement guest room. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sleep-number-bed-doesn-anyone-have-one/347991/12 "2006-03-13T22:50:36Z")
Funny you should post this, because the other night I was thinking I should start a thread singing the praises of the bed. I like it because Brainiac4 is picky about mattresses - it gets a divot and he thinks its time to replace the whole mattress. (OK, he is more picky about mattresses than I am - and he puts in bigger divots). But with this mattress, you just need to check every so often and make sure you have lost pressure. And maybe replace the foam on top every few years. So its expensive, but my sister and her 350+ lb husband haven’t needed to replace theirs yet. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sleep-number-bed-doesn-anyone-have-one/347991/13 "2006-03-13T23:53:15Z")
Yep. They are quite nice. We have a queen size. SWMBO and I change the numbers around every couple of months and it’s really cool. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sleep-number-bed-doesn-anyone-have-one/347991/14 "2006-03-14T05:25:48Z")
This is from another [bed thread:](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6610125&postcount=20) > [@](#): > > I bought one (Tempurpedic) back in March and love, love, love it. This was after trying a bunch of different beds and disliking them. Especially the Sleep Number bed. It might be a convenient idea for couples where one likes a firm and the other likes soft, but it felt like I was sleeping on a sandwich with inflatable peanut butter and jelly. It seemed poorly designed like I was sleeping on a bubble. Then there’s the incident (my fault) where I was sleeping in the king-sized bed alone and adjusted just the one side, I woke up very sore since I rotated and half my body was a 75 and the other half a 35. Ouch. On top of that, if there’s a discrepency in the numbers on the halves, it’s rather hard to cuddle or spoon. > > The Tempurpedic is the king among the beds, imo. I sleep on my side and back usually and do roll around a bit (but not as much as I used to). I have slept through the nights much better since getting it too. > > The three problems with the Tempurpedic were minor. One, the stink. It really, really stank when I first got it. After about 2 weeks, that disappeared, but that wasn’t a fun part of it. Two, it took a while to get used to the “sinking feeling”. My feet would sink in and it would take a little bit of lift to get 'em out of their newly made molds. Three, it’s a bit prissy about temperature. If the room is too cold, the mattress is too firm. > > Otherwise, I couldn’t be happier with it and highly recommend it. I’ve had the Tempurpedic for a year now and I still love it.