GolfHos

Something changed after back surgery 19 months ago (on so many levels) but for the purposes of this poll we'll stick to sleep. Two years prior to surgery we gave up the 70's water bed in lieu of a trad. box spring & mattress VERY FIRM (Approx. $2000), everything was groovy...back surgery...now I wake up every morning so stiff I can barely move, 500 days without a good nights sleep, once I stretch for 5 minutes I can at least bend over to lift up the toilet seat (just 1 reason why I've stayed married for 23 years).

I finally have reached the "point", you know that point, so I'm wondering, help me out here, I'm really leaning to the sleep number bed, slept in a few for about 1/2 an hour yesterday, it felt great, I wasn't stiff when I got up, yes I get stiff in my bed if I lay down for even a half of an hour, irks me 'cuz I passed on a sleep number bed when we were shopping beds 4 years ago, another 2-3 grand.

I'm interested in the pros and cons, especially if you have a non traditional type of set up.

Have you had an injury?

Shoot maybe they left a sponge in me I dunno.

Thank You.

We have a sleep number bed.

Karen loves it.  I'm not so sure.  We too, had a waterbed for years, I miss it.
Forever, I could have slept on the rocks in your poll, and almost chose that one.  But lately I'm having trouble even on the Select Comfort.  Not so much pain, but I just don't find it comfortable.

I'm not much help on your difficulty, but as Karen's proxy I will endorse the Sleep Number bed.

well, this may or may not help you , but for $200-$300  have you thought of trying a memory foam mattress topper?

Have you?

I have been so tempted.  I just haven't broken down.  They look like a great idea.

Yeah I actually have one on our bed now, lol, the problem is it's only about 3 1/2 inches thick, I compress it right down to the mattress.

ahhhhh

You're more help than you could imagine, what is your sleep number? They set it for me yesterday at 40, and I played with it and got comfortable at about 20.

Sorry I should have included that in the beginning.

But I was stiff and hadn't had my cuppa yet.  :(

See, that's the thing.  I (while I can physically feel a difference) can't tell.
I followed there instructions, and it landed about 65, when my back started to sink.  But I've run it up and down the dial, and it doesn't make a difference in how I sleep.

Too much booze, snoring, and sleep apnea.  Oh, and an 8 y/o whose sole purpose in life, apparently is to rob us of what opportunity there is to attempt sleep. ;D

Just traditional box spring & mattress here.

Traditional here as well but we are planning on upgrading this summer.

We tried one of those a while back. The only difference it made for us was the fact that the mother*fudge*er didn't breathe for *feces* and I ended up sweaty by 1:00 am every single night. I have the same problem with the memory foam pillows we're using right now.

 :o

we have a sleep number. have had it for about 6 months and we too had a waterbed for over 20 years. we shopped for mattresses for literally 1 1/2 years. couldn't agree on a conventional mattress no matter what. the sleep number was our saving grace.
we got a king size with the pillow top, not cheap but very comfy.

i'm a 75
she's a 50
see why we couldn't agree on a mattress  ;D 

so if I may ask ... to you sleep # folks...


how much DO they cost,  how much warranty is there,  and  is there like a sharp divide in the middle of the bed or is it a smooth transition ?

bend over.

Thery're spendy.  I think we paid 2k.  Should be 200 for the materials in them.

To their credit, there is no sharp divide what so ever.  If you open it up, you can see it, but never feel it.  The nice part is, you can take the bed completely apart.  If you move, the whole bed gets the size of a, say 35 in tv box.

I can't recall on warranty, but it seems pretty good.

http://www.selectcomfort.com/customercenter/sleep_number_bed_warranty.cfm

I have that info dr.aske, I picked up the brochure yesterday.
http://www.selectcomfort.com

5 models to choose from.

Mod#    Mattress Thickness    wired/wireless remote    king/queen
3000    7 1/2 or 8 1/2            non digital                      1500-1900/ 1100-1450
4000    9 1/2                       wired digital                        K2250/Q1700
5000    11 1/2                 2 dig wired or 1 wireless      K2600/Q 2050
7000    13                    Dig Remo/2 spd fan/Memory  K3700/Q3050
9000    15                    Dig Remo/2 spd fan/Memory  K4800/Q4150

I didn't try the transition test yesterday but I will now, cuz thats a good question, my first thought is it felt normal or I should have noticed that.

The warranty is a limited warranty, it pro rates the longer you have the bed, one nice thing is that they are a component bed so if something fails you just need to replace the part and not the whole bed.

http://www.duxbed.com/dux_8888.html

Do you have one of these? I couldn't find a cost.

No. I sleep on a rock in Afghanistan. I've heard that it costs $7K+.

Seamus,

I'm a multi-line manufacturer's rep for hotel furnishings; one of the companies I represent is one of the big 3 mattress companies.  This isn't a sales pitch (I only make money on hotel sales).  Definitely easier to discuss via the phone (pm me if you want to).  If others are interested...

Innerspring mattresses
Traditional innerspring mattresses are not all created equal.  Innerspring design and quality varies widely across the board.  Coil count means very little; much more important than count is the design of the coil, the gauge of the coil, how many times the coil is turned (convoluted) and whether the innerspring is tempered (dual tempering is preferred).  Run away from a salesperson that focusses on coil count.

The function of the innerspring is to support the body weight, conform to the body shape to allow for proper spine angle. 

Many people believe, as did I, that a firm mattress may help people with a bad back.  I went through 6 years of rehab for 3 fractured vertebrae.  While you want an innerspring that will provide firm SUPPORT, firm mattresses will typically have very firm (hard) foam.  The firm foam will often create pressure points and increase tossing and turning.  If you sleep on your side, your hip and shoulder will take the majority of the weight; you toss and turn when those points become sore. 

While I advocate firm support from an innerspring, I actually recommend a Plush or UltraPlush comfort designation.  High quality foams, quality convoluted foams, minimize pressure points.  While my mattress has over 7" of foam, and is considered a Plush bed, it is not a bed that I sink into.  I have no back issues anymore...

The tough thing, when shopping for mattresses, is that pretty much any innerspring mattress will feel good in a store.  However, those mattresses with cruddy innerspring units, poor quality foam, or a cheap box spring will break down pretty quickly.

Specialy Beds
In the hotel market, you are often trying to please the aggregate consumer, rather than a specific retail consumer.  A high-quality Plush innerspring is what I recommend to hotels.  That said, the specialy mattress may be a good solution for certain individuals. 

Tempurepedic and Sleep No. have probably been the two most successful marketers of specialty beds.  The big three are all either offering or researching specialty beds as well, due to the successful marketing of the relative upstarts.

**Visco Foam/Memory Foam
Tempurepedic is the best known Visco foam manufacturer.  Visco foam is a very high-density open cell foam.  Typically, there are two layers of foam, the lower layer being a higher density and compression foam that will not compress as much as the top layer.

It is a love/hate relationship with visco foam beds.  Advocates will give up their first born, if necessary, to acquire one.  Detractors will often say that they sleep very hot (because their is no fiber to help the mattress breathe).  Also, they are not a good mattress for....uh.....love-making....

Visco foam mattresses have the highest return rate in the mattress industry.

**Air-bladder beds
Sleep No. is in this group.  The air bladders provide the support in place of innersprings.  Again, kind of a love/hate relationship.  It often takes a long time to determine the best #.  I have no idea as to the quality of the foam that they use.   

**Latex mattresses
Latex mattresses used to be very popular; I think they are the bomb.  No innerspring for latex mattresses.  Latex is a closed cell highly resilient foam.  Lower compression top layers provide luxury; higher compression lower layers provide support.

Latex mattresses are often considered plush for people that like plush beds and firm to those who like firm beds.  Latex serves both of these masters well.

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There are over 600 mattress manufacturers in the U.S.  There are some very good small companies that do things right on a regional level.  There are also some very bad ones.

I have a daybed, so I only have a mattress.

For whatever this is worth (probably nothing) when I was looking for a mattress, I heard a couple talking about the sleep number beds.  They mentioned that due to the center foam dividers/frame the sleep # beds have, anything less than king size doesn't leave much space (comfort-wise) for couples.  What that means for you, I haven't the foggiest.  But I just thought I throw that in for you.

It would be kewl to sleep on a bed of rocks in a cave, though. ;)

You can sleep there tonight if you want then. ;D

If it wasn't winter in Minnesota right now I would consider it. :P ;) ;D :D