SLEEP NUMBER MATTRESS OWNERS - WHICH SERIES MODEL?

[fullrun]

We've been considering purchasing a SLEEP NUMBER BED. I'm the one with sleep apnea and sleep on my side and experience discomfort and pressure points with our current mattress. I've heard a lot of positive feedback about the SLEEP NUMBER Mattress/Bed. I've also heard that it is advisable - if you can afford it - to go for their Performance and/or Innovation Series. Would really appreciate any feedback from current owners regarding their specific model of the bed and its effectiveness in providing a good night's sleep (less tossing and turning). Thanks for your time with this... Appreciated.

[Lizistired]

I had Select Comfort Sleep Number bed for about 10 years. I hated it but didn't plan well enough when I purchased to really evaluate it during the trial period. I had the middle one, king size, dual controls. Pillowtop but not the caadillac. I still tossed and turned, and the pressure I needed on my back was different than that needed on my side. Sleeping on my stomach was nearly impossible. There is a foam bar in the middle separating the 2 sides, so each side is really narrower than a twin. And don't plan on sleeping across or in the middle of it. It is also NOT conducive to snuggling.

When I discovered MOLD under the foam layer I was shocked! Googled to find it had been a huge problem. The company finally had to refund full purchase price to those customers. No wonder Select Comfort had been sending me glossy ads to upgrade. It took awhile and a great deal of arguing until I figured out what you had to say to get the full refund, but I got it after 10 years.

Even without my MOLD experience, it's still just an overpriced adjustable air mattress!

[Pugsy]

I got the top of the line Innovation series (would have to look if it were I 8 or I 10) I think I 10, wasn't the Special Edition though) last December. Love it. Immediate difference in my aches and pains which caused me a lot of grief and fragmented sleep. Morning pain reduced dramatically. No more pain when I turn over in bed. I do sleep much, much better. Best money I have ever spent.

Performance series would have been sufficient, quite comfortable but I liked the added memory foam stuff. Yes, I could also have added a layer of that but right at Thanksgiving time when we were looking they had Black Friday sale and the top of the line Innovation series was 50% off which brought it right down to price of the Performance 5000 which would have been okay choice. No brainer. Pretty much same amount of money and I got what my usual champagne taste (beer pocketbook) wanted.

I have king dual sides as husband prefers much more support than I do. I never have noticed the "ridge" in the middle though I know a lot of people do comment on that fact. Maybe it is because the Innovation series has more "stuff" on top of that divider. It actually has 2 different kinds of memory foam. One for "cooler" sensation and one for more plush sensation. I like the plush which is solid and the other is egg crate looking. Easily changed to preference. One sits on top of the other inside the mattress. Just unzip and swap to change.

I read about the mold, I read about people having problems. I understood that not every product works the same for everyone. Make sure you understand how that money back guarantee works just in case. Buyer is responsible for return costs so save the boxes.... I educated myself to the ins and outs and how things are actually prorated if a problem after 2 years. Morning after the first night using it, husband says his hips no longer hurt, asked about my back which was hugely better. Told him to burn the boxes.. I was that confident and I am still well satisfied.

Yes, in all honesty probably overpriced but a really good mattress of any kind is not cheap and I was desperate. Even with drugs I was waking up 10 to 20 times a night every time I moved. Not surprising that I didn't feel so hot despite having good cpap therapy numbers. Now I rarely wake up during night and when I do it is usually something unrelated to back pain or OSA (like cat or dog fighting on me)

I actually think that the Sleep Number Bed has enabled me to finally actually feel the good numbers I had in my cpap therapy. My husband noticed the difference in me immediately. More spring in my step he said.

So here you have two completely different reviews. I do think that model difference would make some difference in overall feel. I don't think the lower end Classic models would be as comfortable at least that is what I experienced. The Performance series was really quite comfortable. I just like the extra plushness of the Innovation series, There are other members here that use Sleep Number bed and told me when I first started therapy and was complaining of my back pain to get one. I am sure they will chime in.

Seems like people either love it or hate it. Not much in between and it all comes down to personal preference. Just make sure that you fully understand the warranty and return policy so no ugly surprises. We did assemble it ourselves to save money. I did spring for the special water proof mattress covering (it was 50% off also). Didn't get any of the extra fluff though. The "cool" pad was interesting and I might do that this summer. There is a difference in temperature feel with it. I was just cutting costs as much as possible because it was so much money and we have very limited income.

If you want to try it, go to the store and try each model, unzip to see how it is made and look at the differences. Watch for sales, they do have them.

I have bad, bad arthritis in my pelvis and lower spine and neck. Also have developed scoliosis in lumbar spine due to degeneration. Husband hated the thought of Tempurpedic so we decided to at least look. He has pain in pressure points in hips and shoulders. None at all when sleeping on the new bed.

[MsBea]

We have had ours and loved it for years now!

[JeffH]

We owned two of them. Last winter we replaced the 2nd one with another companies bed (out of Houston, TX) Don't remember their name, maybe Sleep Better Bed Store? Anyway we've had trouble with it from day one. Has 3" memory foam topper and sags in the middle. I hate it. If I ever come into some money I'm getting a different bed first thing!

BTW, the Sleep Number beds worked fine, just don't last the 20 years like they say. They are good for about 10 years.


JeffH

[lars4life]

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[GumbyCT]

When I was diagnosed with OSA I realized it was time for a new bed. I had been sleeping on a sleep number bed for about 10 yrs and the labs bed felt better to me. I bought a Sears bed but am not happy with it either. My bed is too high for her or I would just add a mattress topper which is a fast and cheaper way out.

If you haven't layed on a Kingsdown Mattress, you need to BEFORE you spend your money on another mattress. Certainly they are pricey but are the most comfortable mattress I have ever come across. I've never heard them advertise anywhere before.

If there is a dealer near you go in to try one out - even if you aren't in the market for another mattress just yet.
http://www.kingsdown.com/about/

You won't be disappointed.

[Rickd1]

I spent the money and got a Tempurpedic its worth every penny.

[adambrock]

I believe the Sheraton hotels use the sleep number beds. It might be worth spending a night at a Sheraton if you want to try one out.

[lktnky]

Bought the I8 bed for a fortune and after 6 months cried Uncle. I'm thankful to have found someone who wanted to buy it. I'm with Lizistired although we never had the mold problem.
A Sleep Number bed was an expensive air mattress and, IMO, NOT worth the $$$$.

[digitaleagle]

We had the top of the line model quite a few years ago. The Company HQ was in the same building as ours in Eden Prairie MN. They manufactured the beds in Minneapolis. I got a HUGE discount for being one of their vendors so we decided to try it out. They had a 90 day trial period.

First - I was amazed at how cheap the parts were. I felt you could buy the parts for this thing for under $100 bucks. We hated the bed right away, but decided to try it out for a while. I could never get comfortable on it. After you sleep on it for a while it looks like a canoe on each side. Yes - it sags in the middle. No matter what pressure I put it at I could never get comfortable.

We finally gave up and returned it for a full refund. This was a pain for us to do and we lived in the same city. I can only imagine how difficult it would be if you had to ship the thing back. Just try to get it back in the same vacuum packaging that it comes in.

The marketing makes it seem like a great bed - who can resist being able to adjust each side of the bed? However, you will see that there just isn't much to this bed, (air mattress x2, some foam, a pump, and some covering) and a HUGE mark up.

I'm sure some people love these things but IMO, for the same money, you would be much better off purchasing a quality foam mattress. We bought the Sealy latex foam mattress and have been pretty happy with it. It stays much cooler than the Tempurpedic. You should also try the Tempurpedic, many people swear by them. We have one for our guest room and my son loves it. I'll have to give it a try some night. There are also some very comfortable spring mattresses for a lot less money.

[CrazyOldCatLady]

I had one for a couple of years (back about 4 years ago). Agree with the comments that you spend a lot of money for something with pretty cheap parts.

Pros: I could vary the softness/hardness of the mattress at any time

Cons: The pressure sensors would go nuts periodically and all of a sudden a 40 was either very soft or very hard. OR it became impossible to add or subtract just a little.
The queens and kings DO have a divider down the middle which is not conducive to snuggling in the middle.
Be careful if you put your head at the very top of the bed while the mattress is set for soft. It will be on the foam part which is fairly firm while at the same time your body is flexing on the soft part. I had headaches every morning until I figure this out.
Yes, if you have it set very soft it is hard to get out of and you either need to pump it up or feel like you are squishing the side mattress support.

Oddly enough, I LOVED my cheapie AirBed. No fancy foam surround. Didn't pretend to be a 'real' bed. I could set it for ultra soft and sink into bliss. But not the thing for people with cats. lol.

BTW, the sleep lab where I had my tests used Sleep Number beds and NONE of the were working properly. Either the control was totally dead or the LCD display showing the number was only half working.

Not something I will ever want to spend money on again.

[GumbyCT]

When I was diagnosed with OSA I realized it was time for a new bed. I had been sleeping on a sleep number bed for about 10 yrs and the labs bed felt better to me. I bought a Sears bed but am not happy with it either. My bed is too high for her or I would just add a mattress topper which is a fast and cheaper way out.

If you haven't layed on a Kingsdown Mattress, you need to BEFORE you spend your money on another mattress. Certainly they are pricey but are the most comfortable mattress I have ever come across. I've never heard them advertise anywhere before.

If there is a dealer near you go in to try one out - even if you aren't in the market for another mattress just yet.
http://www.kingsdown.com/about/

You won't be disappointed.

I am retracting my above statement. Recently, while shopping for a mattress, I ran into a couple who has 2 Kingdown mattresses they said are being replaced under warranty because of sagging. Like me he said in the store they were extremely comfy. He was shocked when I told him the mattress he liked made by "Sleep to Live" is the Kingsdown rebranded, ha.

So now I am researching mattresses made by "Chattam & Wells". Anyone heard of them?

But in a related search I came across this link which has complaints about the Sleep Number beds (Select Comfort).
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/furniture/select.html

[remstarcpap]

I'd not buy a Sleep Number bed, there are better options even if you want an air bed. Check out the airbeds that Habitat sells :

lhttp://www.habitatfurnishings.com/air_bed.html

I've never slept on one, but they a) don't have the foam bar in the middle, and b) have a 180 return warranty. Anyplace that lets you return for 6 months must be very confident of the quality.

Also, I'm told that Sam's Club sells a pretty decent no frills air bed for tons' lesss money. http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/produ ... tId=130368 Can't beat the price. Most folks add a memory foam topper to this, and get a pretty awesome air bed for around $1100 total.

If you want to side sleep, I'd try a costco 3 inch memory foam topper on your mattress, that should do it.

BTW, I am not affiliated with any of the companies, just did my own research, and ended up keeping my current mattress.

[sam1234]

We've had an I8 sleep number bed since October, 2010. It is the most comfortable bed we have ever had. One of the great features is that you can adjust the bed to how you feel. I can always find an adjustment to relieve pressure points and provide more or less support to my back as needed. You do need an understanding as to how to adjust the bed to your needs.

After a motorcycle accident in January, 2010, it is amazing how difficult it was to lay on my side or back. The sleep number bed made a big difference.

As for cheap materials, I don't know. I really haven't needed to look at them as the bed functions as promised. We'll see how it works in the long run.