Choosing the right mattress for your needs

In my previous post on everyday air mattress beds I mentioned the Sleep Number bed by Select Comfort. I’m not specifically advertising for Select Comfort or their product and only mentioned it because their commercial campaign has been so prolific that it is one of the more readily recognized air beds out there (even though many folks don’t realize it’s an air bed from the commercials).

Having disassociated myself as a paid advertiser for the product, I do want to give it more of a mention here simply because of my own experiences and the experiences of others I’ve interviewed. Please remember that I’ll only offer testimonials if I have personal experience to draw on or the experiences of trusted individuals who have their own personal experiences.  In the case of the Sleep Number bed, I can offer both.

First a bit about the Sleep Number bed by Select comfort. This mattress is an air filled bed with independent comfort chambers. It is offered in several models numbered 3000-9000 (as of this writing) and the company offers a variety of additional products including mattress pads and a build-your-own pillow option. What distinguishes the Sleep Number bed from offerings by many other companies, however, is the independently adjustable firmness. This means that a couple can independently adjust the firmness on their side of the bed without affecting the other side.

My personal experience with a Sleep Number bed was at a bed and breakfast near the Appalachian mountain range.  My wife (then girlfriend) and I enjoyed a romantic getaway which included such exciting events as hillbilly hospitality, entirely too much antiquing, the company of a drooling, flatulent bull dog and the best night of sleep I can remember having.

One could argue it was the mountain air, the escape from my daily grind or the miles of walking from one store full of old stuff to another, but none of that explains waking up without any of the stiffness and soreness I’m accustomed to at home. When I marveled at the quality of sleep I’d experienced, the proprietor smiled knowingly and explained I could thank Sleep Number for the experience. Over a plate of the best eggs and bacon I’d enjoyed in years, I pointed out she might want to let folks know in advance and direct them to the controllers which we’d spent the night completely oblivious of.

In addition to my own experience, a close friend and a colleague I work with both own Sleep Number beds and swear by them. After more than a year of ownership, they are each independently passionate about their beds. Says one, “If my bed could cook, take care of the kids and it weren’t illegal to marry inanimate objects, I’d divorce my wife tomorrow and get hitched to my Sleep Number.” The other, who has owned his Select Comfort bed for just over a year proclaimed, “It’s better than any other bed I’ve ever slept in or tested. Doesn’t feel at all like an air mattress or anything. Feels like a real bed with a super cozy pillow-top cover only better.”

Each of these owners professes better sleep, less aches and pains, better dreams, greater refreshment in the mornings and an overall improvement in their quality of life for no other reason than the purchase of a bed. That’s one heck of an endorsement.

Are other everyday air mattress models as good? I couldn’t say without having one for comparison but the Sleep Number bed isn’t the only air mattress bed with independent “coils” and a well researched and constructed framing system. Select Comfort has to share the limelight with other air mattress models when it comes to the potential for improving sleep quality and comfort because reasonable construction, a good mattress pad and the pressure point avoiding nature of air are what make these mattresses so good for you. They do get individual credit for their sleep number adjustment feature, though. It’s a system they are duly credited with perfecting.

As promised, there will be more on the health benefits in a subsequent post.

Ok, I think we can all concede that there are fantastic benefits to any of the air mattress beds discussed in previous posts. Who can argue with the added comfort these things provide on camping and hiking trips? Who wouldn’t rest easier on a long road trip in the family mini van or SUV with an air bed in the back? But what about every night at home? Are air beds suitable for everyday use?

It’s important to recognize here that there are air mattresses and then there are air mattresses. The temporary raised or double air mattress you subject your guests to is one thing. In the short term, these are great alternatives to sleeping on the hard floor or on a lumpy old couch that offers little to nothing in the way of back support. But, over the long term, they do leave something to be desired. For everyday use you should consider a permanent, high-end air mattress designed with that purpose in mind such as the Sleep Number bed by Select Comfort.

Everyday air mattress beds have a great deal more in design, construction and comfort to offer over their convenient temporary cousins.  Unfortunately, they are also notably more expensive. That price tradeoff for full time use is, in my estimation, money well spent for several reasons.

A quality everyday air mattress is designed with a frame in mind which helps limit distortions due to weight distribution (think of a balloon in a box). This makes them decidedly friendlier to you tossing-and-turning types who’d otherwise roll off an ordinary air mattress.

In addition to better conformity, everyday air mattress beds also improve on comfort. From the more mundane but luxurious addition of mattress pads in any number of thicknesses to the more exotic features of independent firmness adjustment offered in Select Comfort’s Sleep Number models, everyday air mattresses definitely warrant the increased expense over their less ambitious cousins.

One final note I’ll expand on in my next post - multiple studies seem to support the finding that switching to an air mattress bed for your everyday use could result in dramatic improvements in sleep, quality of sleep and back pain relief.  If that doesn’t have you considering switching out that old spring torture device you’ve been enduring for years then you might just be a glutton for punishment.

If you own a pickup truck, minivan or SUV, my condolences on the expense you have to pay for gas. You’ve probably noticed, though, that you have a wonderful area in back which would lend itself well to sleeping if not for the various inconveniences created by hard, cold metal and back-poking tie downs. 

Fortunately, you can turn that wonderful space into luxurious sleeping accommodations for a surprisingly low price. Air mattress beds made specifically with the contours and space of truck beds, minivans and SUVs in mind are readily available. 

If you’re looking for an air mattress bed for your pickup truck bed, consider models that accommodate the wheel wells. Hourglass shapes with good abrasion resistance, luxurious 8 inch depth and cold weather resistant features are your prime consideration. These work extremely well with truck and SUV tents which allow you to either cover the bed of your truck or turn your SUV into an extra room! 

Any good source on SUV, minivan and Truck mattress beds should provide a list of applicable vehicle models for the mattress you are considering. If they don’t, make sure you read the size specs on the air bed you are considering and compare them to the interior specs of your truck bed. Remember that some air mattresses allow for the tailgate to be down in their sizing. 

Where automotive camping has often been the domain of RVs, a good truck air mattress bed can have you living in near equal comfort for just a fraction of the cost of those houses on wheels. They will allow you to combine comfort and convenience in any outing.