Question about the Sleep Number bed

[Romandub]

My 80-year old DF with terrible back problems (two surgeries) still sleeps on the bed he and my mother bought THIRTY YEARS AGO! :eek: He has a board under the mattress because he says he has to have a very firm bed and "they just don't make them firm enough." He has "tried" to shop for a new bed a couple of times, but hasn't found anything he likes and isn't willing to try other beds. I am pretty sure his old awful bed is contributing to his back problems. I am wondering if the sleep number bed could be the solution for him, since he could make it as firm as he wants to. Does anyone have experience with those? Do you like them? How firm can they actually get?

[little_bopeep]

They are extremely adjustable and can be made pretty darn firm. I love mine (well, I did until I started sleeping in the living room, and now I can't get used to it again--long story :D ).

[Jazzmatazz49]

I'm sure he knows what he needs, but an orthopedic surgeon told me that you should not have a hard mattress if you have back problems. He said you need firm support but with a soft covering, such as a pillow top. That's what I bought and it is WONDERFUL. It's a Sealy Posturepedic firm with a great pillowtop that helps support the curvy areas. I can even sleep on my stomach on this mattress without the lower back achiness I used to get.

[krhm]

We just upgraded to a king-sized Sleep Number bed from our queen-sized bed that we had for around 7 years. We love love love it. DH also has back problems and prefers a firmer mattress, while I like a soft one. We bought the 5000 model, which also provides a pillowtop, so there is the firmness but also the softer layer. Our queen was the basic model, and we didn't find that the foam inserts held up quite as well as they said they would, and we also did not like that the basic model did not provide a numerical setting. Since our settings were so different, we would have to adjust the bed for non-sleeping activities, and then it was hard to figure out the right setting again. But, for your parents, that might not be an issue! :D We moved the queen bed into the guest room, and I bought a $40 foam pad that we zipped into the cover, which made a big difference. So, your parents may be fine with the basic model; just consider purchasing that extra foam pad (I got mine from Target) if the inserts wear out.

[MKSquared]

We got our king-sized Sleep Number 5000 bed in September, and we love it. The firmest setting, 100, is pretty darn firm! It's too straight for me - I can feel all the curvy bits of me hitting the bed and the rest of me not. Another bonus about the sleep number bed - it's easy to move into a house, since it comes in a large box. It gets installed in the bedroom, so no need to maneuver a gigantic mattress/box springs around corners to get into a room.

[Romandub]

Thanks all! As usual, this BB is so helpful! I'll see if I can talk DF into trying a sleep number bed.

[LakeMartinGal]

We just upgraded to a king-sized Sleep Number bed from our queen-sized bed that we had for around 7 years. We love love love it. DH also has back problems and prefers a firmer mattress, while I like a soft one. We bought the 5000 model, which also provides a pillowtop, so there is the firmness but also the softer layer. Our queen was the basic model, and we didn't find that the foam inserts held up quite as well as they said they would, and we also did not like that the basic model did not provide a numerical setting. Since our settings were so different, we would have to adjust the bed for non-sleeping activities, and then it was hard to figure out the right setting again. But, for your parents, that might not be an issue! :D We moved the queen bed into the guest room, and I bought a $40 foam pad that we zipped into the cover, which made a big difference. So, your parents may be fine with the basic model; just consider purchasing that extra foam pad (I got mine from Target) if the inserts wear out.We also bought the 5000 in a queen size, and use an additional foam topper that we had! This is the best of all worlds, since we thought the foam topper that came with the 5000 wasn't enough. I have had miserable back problems on every other mattress, but have reduced my chiropractic visits to less than one a month, and have very little back pain, and no pressure point pain! I'm glad you are going to urge your parents to buy one. Be advised, though, that it can take the whole 30 days to find your setting and feel comfortable! It's not an instant process. I felt as though the bed was pushing me in all the places that hadn't touched the mattress before.:o

[Kay Henderson]

Some hotels have SN beds in some of the rooms. Perhaps your father could try out one of these beds. The Sleep Number website here (http://www.selectcomfort.com/corporation/radisson_hotel_with_sleep_number_bed.cfm) has a link to reserving such a room. Click on "Book your Sleep Number bed room today."

Kay

[Barrie]

My in-laws bought us a king-size SN bed for Hanukkah, and we love it. I always thought I liked a firm bed but I keep mine set on 30 (pretty low). We also got the 5000. After a couple weeks of sleeping on it, we decided it wasn't "cushy" enough for us so we bought a SN super-padded mattress pad that adds a lot of extra cushiness to it. We love our bed and I would recommend it to anyone!