Getting a good night’s sleep is so important. I went through a few years of not sleeping well, sometime around the time I moved to Birmingham, my sleep patterns began to change. I blamed a lot of it on menopause and I’m sure that was a big part of it, but looking back, a marriage filled with anxiety didn’t help either. Anxiety can make you stay awake at night and losing sleep night after night for several years in a row will take a toll on your body. I tried lots of things to sleep and some of them worked temporarily, but now, after moving back to Georgia and getting my life back in order, I’m sleeping more soundly than I have in years.
Having a good mattress and boxsprings is also a wonderful prelude to sleeping well. I have some back problems too and sleeping on a good mattress helps that considerably too. So, getting a good night’s sleep is so important to our health and well-being, as we all know. I love to sleep through the night with minimal waking up, don’t you?
We had a Beautyrest pillowtop mattress over there and it slept very well, but it’s going on 8 years old. Imagine my surprise and glee when I got an email from the folks at Sleep Number, asking me if I’d like to try one of their beds at my house. To keep for my very own. Yes, yes I would! I had a choice of 2 different mattress sets and I went to the store to check them out in person. I had heard all about Sleep Number and how you can adjust each side’s firmness with a remote control, but really didn’t know much more than that.
Going to the store and checking them out in person was a fun experience and I learned a lot about Sleep Number beds and how they are put together.
My local store is in the mall close to my house.
I went in and met with a very nice associate who showed me the Sleep Number ropes. There were 2 beds for me to consider, this one is the pillowtop version, the p5.
And this one is the memory foam version, the m7. This is the one I ended up choosing. I thought memory foam might be too squishy, but it was really nice when I laid down and moved the numbers down. I like a mattress that is not too firm, one that gives a little. Too firm a mattress is not comfortable to me and I really liked how the memory foam gives with movement. So, after the decision was made, they placed the order and had the Sleep Number m7 sent to my house, along with 2 delivery guys who set it up for me.
They unloaded all the boxes from the truck and brought it all up to my bedroom. I had removed the old mattress and boxsprings and will be passing those on to my niece, Lauren. They just bought a house!
My sleigh bed was ready for the new mattress.
I had a surge protector ready for them to plug into, since this bed requires power. That’s what pumps up each side, air power and hoses. It was fascinating to watch the process of putting this bed together.
They added the plastic base of the set on top of my slats.
Then these 4 plastic pieces snapped into place on top.
That gets a cover.
I’m watching all of this, snapping pics as they go. These guys really knew what they were doing.
Those long pieces of foam are packed into the next cover.
One on all four sides.
The cover is pulled up.
Then more foam goes underneath on the bottom.
Next, the actual mattress with air goes into each side of this king set.
A piece of foam goes in the middle and they are all zipped together.
Every piece of this gets zipped into place, all nice and snug.
Those air filled mattresses then sit down inside the top piece.
All of that gets a cover too.
Next comes the 7” memory foam that goes on top.
It is placed on top.
Then the last cover is zipped into place, creating a nice cushioned top that looks like one piece now. I was amazed at all that goes into one of these mattresses and how it is all set up.
I made my bed back up and the sheets actually did fit fine. This mattress is probably a good 3 to 4” taller than my old one, but my sheets still fit and my coverlet is just a tad short now, but I think it will be fine. I brought the left side up just a bit so that I could hang the right side down a little longer. I almost have to vault into bed now! Not really, it’s not that bad. A little hop up and I can stretch out and relax on my new Sleep Number m7 bed.
I played with the numbers in the store and came up with under 50. Right now, mine is set at 40 on both sides. I just like it a little softer with more give than a really hard mattress, so I’m sure my number will stay down lower most of the time. But, that’s the beauty of the Sleep Number. When you have a partner on the other side, you can both find your own comfort level so everyone can snooze away in perfect peace.
And that’s what it’s all about. Getting a good night’s sleep. I do have to say that I really am loving my new bed. It’s very comfy and feels very good under my back and hips. Sometimes my hips ache a bit when I’m on my side, but I don’t think I’ll have a problem with this bed. I love the feel of the memory foam. It’s sort of squishy, but supportive too.
After having it for about 3 weeks now, I’ve been sleeping like a baby and getting plenty of rest is such an awesome thing. I know that I’ll enjoy this bed for years to come and I’m very grateful to have it.
How about you? What kind of bed do you have and do you like it? Have you ever tried a Sleep Number?
Disclosure: I was given a Sleep Number m7 bed from Sleep Number and I agreed to do a post and review on my experience with my new Sleep Number bed. I wasn’t compensated with payment, nor was I told what to say. All opinions are completely my own.
You are one lucky girl!! My brother and sister-in-law bought a sleep number bed several years ago and have never looked back! I am not sure who loves it more- them or their opportunistic cat who can be found there most hours of the day- you know what they say- they can always find the most comfortable place in the house to sleep!
Best,
Mimi
I have fibromyalgia and have a lot of trouble sleeping and being comfortable at night. I replaced my regular matress with a sleep number bed. It was much better than a regular matress for me. But after a year I gave it to my parents who love it and I got a memory foam matress. The memory foam matress is the most comfortable bed I have ever had and I will never have anything else. But as I said my parents love the sleep number bed and have excellant customer service. They had two of the air bladders replaced for free when there was an issue with them. When we moved we took it all apart and packed the whole thing in a closet moving box and it was so easy to put back together when we got to the new house. Everyone likes different things and for me it is memory foam.
Michele
We have a Serta pillowtop mattress, and we really like it. When we got it though, it was soooo much thicker than our previous set, it practically covered up the headboard. So my husband had to do some major carpentry work to get it “proportionate” again. Thanks for sharing how they put the number beds together. I would never have dreamed that they had all of that inside them! Glad you are enjoying your new mattress set.
We’ve had 2 sleep comforts and wouldn’t have anything else. We love them….being able to choose your own firmness is great and the bed lasts forever. Sleep Comfort also provides great customer service. Enjoy your new bed!
I’m curious to know what happens when the power is out? Will it stay inflated?
My husband and I prefer very different mattresses, but we got to try a sleep number bed in a hotel once and we felt like we were sleeping on a bubble. Maybe we just didn’t get the settings right. It does seem like it would be a good solution for us since he likes the bed very firm and I like it soft.
Sally, I think it does stay inflated, but when the power goes out, you do have to recalibrate it.
The bed will stay at the Sleep Number and you dont have to do anything once the power comes back on, no recalibration is necessary
We were sentenced to sleep on a sleep number bed for the duration of a vacation, and it kept powering up and down (faulty?) Too many aches and pains, and no where to go. I kept enduring the best I could. I inquired of my recently married mature in laws, why didn’t they use the bed…yup…you guessed it…to much pain, too hard to get close to one another.
Sorry, I dont think I will like this bed..Enjoy your new bed!
I have a sterns and foster pillow-top mattress that I like very much. I have never tried a sleep number. I just assumed the price was way out of our league! Rhoda, I have only been reading your blog since I just discovered it about a month ago. However, I am always anxious to see where you have been or what project you have tackled next. We have very similar tastes and I am guessing about the same age. Keep blogging my new friend! And I shall keep reading!
I have a generic knock-off sleep number bed purchased from Sam’s for about 8 years now. I don’t know who actually made the bed but it is fabulous, I love it. I did add a 3″ memory foam mattress pad from Costco after a couple of years. Recently I married. My husband has a Leggett-Platt bed that flexes at the head and knees with memory foam latex mattresses and you can’t imagine the comfort. The Sleep Numbers company sells these Leggett-Platt bed bases also, although my husband did not get his bed there. They are pretty expensive but I don’t think you would ever need a new base for your bed in anybody’s lifetime. BTW, my generic bed stays inflated very nicely even during a power outage.
(Good bloggers, from what I can see, work ExTremely hard, don’t let anyone steal your joy. Personally, I really appreciate what you’re doing. If you get a “free bed” which is not really free, because they are looking at your entire blog and the readership, which is great cause you’re working so dang hard, good on ya!)
Thank you, Nancy for chiming in! I really appreciate the good comments.
I am curious to know whether you have ever given a negative review for a comp’d product. If so, do you remember what the product was?
Riley, see comment above, someone else asked the same question and I answered.
I don’t see that you answered the question at all. Please read the question again. He asked if you have ever given a negative review for a comped product.
Your previous answer was about the mattress in the review. “If I didn’t love the bed, I would tell them that I would have to say that in my post”
No, I haven’t. But I haven’t had any products that I didn’t like or enjoy enough to write something positive about them. If I hated a product, then I would tell the company that and probably would not write about it after all. I try as best I can to write my own personal opinions about products I use.
Seems like the logical thing for a blogger to do, when not liking a product she has been given for a review, is to tell the sponsor that she would prefer not to review it at all. W/ her honest feedback, the sponsor might learn something valuable about how to improve the product. To publish a negative review would likely result in no more offers from merchants.
I enjoyed seeing the way these beds are put together, although I am too much a Luddite to buy one. My thick memory foam topper does the job for me.
Way to GO Rhoda! You truly have a wonderful blog. You work VERY, VERY hard at it and it is not easy. Having a blog of your magnitude is so awesome. Not only for you but for us as well. For all of you out there reading her blog. She is a true person. I have followed Rhoda since her very beginning years.
I am not interested in purchasing a bed quite yet… but it was such a wonderful learning experience to watch how it was put together. Thank You!
~~Nancy from OHIO
I am also curious as to what happens with power outage…I am not sure I would know how to piece this puzzle together if I had to move.
We have one, no one liked it so we moved it into basement for those nights when we have to seek shelter in basement due to severe weather. Last time we had to flee into basement for the night, we fought over the futon, no one wanted to sleep on the Sleep Number. My husband bought it because our American Beauty Rest was getting old, but it was fabulous sleeping for at least 5 years. We will not be buying another one, thinking more on the lines of latex bed.
I don’t have a bed. I sleep on the floor.
After several years of loving our Sleep Number bed, we found it very uncomfortable. It is cheaply made, not cheap to buy, but cheaply made, with a thin fabric covering that is meant to hold the whole thing together. The sides have stretched out so badly that they no longer do their job. The “foundation” is merely some cheap pine boards, covered by a type of cardboard. We now have some cut-to-size plywood over the foundation and under the mattress shell, and that helps. I contacted Sleep Number years ago, but they were unwilling to stand behind their warranty. I wasn’t looking for a new bed, but some assistance with the low quality. I am so disappointed with the the Sleep Number bed.
We also had many happy nights sleep on our Sleep Number bed. Never had any problems 6+ years until it was suggested to check for MOLD ! once I unzipped I was horrified at what we were sleeping on , the company replaced “recalled” parts but nothing keeps two people from rolling/sinking to center of the bed. A single person should be fine. I have a Sterns & Foster 20yr war. now.
Bought a sleep number 18 years ago, just after a broken neck. I have not been able to tell yet whether it is comfortable…my muscles only relaxed some last year so that I no longer sleep on my back. But my Ex liked it..I was a softie at 30, and he hard as a rock at 65…the dogs slept in the middle on the foam center.
The bed came out of the box, sent by freight, and my husband put it together…after he left, I softened his side to forty for the dogs, and they were happy, but I know what you mean about the bed starting out really well. After a while, though, the walls break down, and the beds also lose air as they age. I’ve had to have 5 pumps and several remotes along the way, and never did get a leak fixed on one side…just traded that for mine…the current dog doesn’t seem to mind. Also, that warranty ages…the longer you have your bed, the more you have to pay for each fix.
I will be trading mine in for something a little more stable, after I check out all the possibilities.
One thing I know…adjustments might be nice for a 4″ cover, but not as a bed. I think my problem will be figuring out what kind of bed to get instead.
It looks like a lot of work to move the bed and take it all apart if you moved to a new home.
The M7 costs about $3500 for a queen, over $4K for a king. Pretty pricey, you can get a great mattress for half that cost.
And that great mattress will be GREAT – compared to the Sleep Number bed – which is nothing but an over priced gimmick. We despise ours.
I paid about $300 for a generic brand memory foam mattress that I got at a big box store about 5 years ago. I’ve never had a more comfortable bed. Every spring mattress I ever slept on developed “valleys” where the springs weren’t as strong and subsequently failed to provide even support.
I recommended the same mattress to friends who have also been quite happy with theirs.
In the long term, I expect the foam will eventually start drying out / breaking down, but I do like the lack of complexity compared to something like the sleep number beds. Well that and the price!