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.
Hi Rhoda 🙂 I’m a longtime follower and read your review of Sleep Number when it was first published. I especially enjoyed the photos of how it all gets put together! I’ve returned this morning to the review because my husband and I have got to purchase a new bed. I’m 45 and he’s 51; needless to say, our backs, necks, and shoulders are killing us. I appreciate the honesty of the comments here (except for the snarky ones :P). We have a Sleep Number store in the town 20 miles from us, so we’ll at least visit the store and check this bed out 🙂 Thanks for your review!
Hi Rhoda, I was wondering if you can give an update on your bed now that it has been about 9 months, we just bought an M7 sleep number mattress and are waiting for it to be delivered. Some reviews of it dipping in the middle have me nervous.
HI, April, I do love my bed! Now, I do sleep alone so I don’t tend to use the other side of the bed and so far it is doing fine. No dipping!
Hi Rhoda I’m 31 years old I’ve been disabled for 13 years and I’ve had so many back problems. The pain and stiffness got so bad that after my wife and I had our bed for less than 3 years I couldn’t sleep in it anymore. I’ve been to pain drs and have had so many things done to my back in those years to help with my pain and nothing helped. Nothing. The pain meds I ending up having to pop first thing in the morning just to function it would take me at least 3 hours every morning to finally get around and my back was getting so bad that I was going to a chiropractor all the time just for some relief. I ended up on the sofa with pillows under me for support for about six months you talking about straining a marriage. But she understands my pain and knows how I get down most of the time that I can’t move. It was hard for me to play with my child or even take care of her that I started to worry that I was going to be crippled. There is a difference in being disabled and crippled we don’t have a lot if money and she works for all we have we do not draw welfare and struggle sometimes to put food on the table but the good Lord does take care of us. I said that to say this it was very hard to get a bed that costs a fifth of our house. And we are paying payments on it. We’ve had our bed for only two months now and my back is so much better I’m no longer using pain mead first thing when I wake up. My back still has the disc problems I’ve always had but I’m not so stiff I can move bend over and the best of all play with my child. This is all true and I don’t benifit any by posting this. And for all you people that hit on this post about her getting a free bed to try and post a blog about good for her. They wouldn’t give her one if it was crap and I truely believe if it was she would say so. I do have concerns over time will things go bad. It does consist of many parts but time will tell. If I sleep and feel as good in even eight years with this bed as I do now I will purchase another. And for all of you that say you threw yours out or want to I will gladly take it. If you’re changing your number constantly then you got to take it slow and find the correct setting for you. Think of it this way your body is getting into alignment when you have proper support and that will make you sore until you get used to it. That’s why you don’t want it to firm my number is 35 and it’s just right. I’m not saying that these beds are for everyone but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. They are not loud and once you find your number leave it there. My wife is set at 45 and we have a queen I can tell a slight difference when we snuggle but it’s nothing very noticeable. Sorry for such a long post I just wanted to share my experience and do hope that I get it paid off soon and it does hold up to be as good as it has been. Again this is my honest opinion and and I have nothing to do with the company or benefit from it at all just hope that others do. Rhoda thanks for the info and your experience and again I’m glad that you recieved your bed for free because it’s a nice gift to you and your blog is a nice gift to us
THank you, Alex, for sharing your Sleep Number story. I’m so glad it is working for your back pain. I too have some back and hip issues and it sleeps very well for me too, a year later. I appreciate your comments and you taking the time to share them.
I can’t wait to buy a sleep number one day. I’ve heard very good things. The store has many options.
I wish that I had found your post on this a year ago! We just moved into a new home and decided to put our sleigh bed in one of the guest rooms and find a new bed for our master. I polled my Facebook friends and Sleep Number won hands down. We had been to the Sleep Number store years ago, but I was skeptical and ended up purchasing a latex bed because I thought it would be beneficial for my husband who suffers from asthma and allergies. It was a good mattress, but after several months, my back and hip issues resurfaced and like you, issues with hormone changes on top of it, didn’t make for a good night’s sleep. We now have the Sleep Number m7 in our new home and these first three nights have been amazing! I haven’t slept well through the night in years. I don’t even hear if my husband snores because I am sleeping through the night and I don’t even think I ever move! The reason I am commenting now is that we didn’t purchase another bed or headboard to go with our m7. So now I’m looking to see what would work with it. Had no idea we could use a regular headboard and footboard like our sleigh bed as you have. Thanks for posting this and sorry I missed it when you first posted!
I wish that I had found your post on this a year ago! We just moved into a new home and decided to put our sleigh bed in one of the guest rooms and find a new bed for our master. I polled my Facebook friends and Sleep Number won hands down. We had been to the Sleep Number store years ago, but I was skeptical and ended up purchasing a latex bed because I thought it would be beneficial for my husband who suffers from asthma and allergies. It was a good mattress, but after several months, my back and hip issues resurfaced and like you, issues with hormone changes on top of it, didn’t make for a good night’s sleep. We now have the Sleep Number m7 in our new home and these first three nights have been amazing! I haven’t slept well through the night in years. I don’t even hear if my husband snores because I am sleeping through the night and I don’t even think I ever move! The reason I am commenting now is that we didn’t purchase another bed or headboard to go with our m7. So now I’m looking to see what would work with it. Had no idea we could use a regular headboard and footboard like our sleigh bed as you have. Thanks for posting this and sorry I missed it when you first posted! I was a skeptic at one time, but I’m a believer now!
I have had a sleep number for about 10 years now and love it. When the remote broke, they sent me a new one for free. We had a problem with one side of the mattress and they walked us through a procedure to determine if it was the hose, the pump or the air mattress. When the problem was identified, a new part was sent. Yes, it was prorated; but if I recall correctly, it was about $150 and my mattress was already 7 years old. Not a bad price to pay to get already another three years and still going.
I have wasted a lot of money over the years on other mattresses for myself and my children. They seem so comfortable in the store, only to find out later that a full night’s sleep on them is a misery. I replaced my daughter’s mattress with a sleep number and KNEW that it wouldn’t be too firm or too hard because it is adjustable. She absolutely loves it–so much so that when she recently moved out to her first new apartment, she ordered a smaller one for her new tiny bedroom. Also, my husband likes a soft mattress and I like it really firm…it is the perfect solution.
I want to purchase one for our coastal southern retirement home and the only concern I have before buying it is whether the humidity will seriously affect the bed.
Rhoda
I was wondering how it is after a couple years now? I recently got one and so far so good.
Darryl, I still love my Sleep Number bed and I’ll be doing more posts this year about my experience.
Have mine for about 3 weeks and I’m ready to drag it out in the lawn and BURN it. Worst $7K I’ve ever spent.
Wow, Doug, so sorry to hear that. Three years later, I still love my Sleep Number bed. Maybe you can call them and get some tips on finding a way to make it more comfortable for you.
Tried that already. All I can return is the mattress, the adjustable base is yours forever once it’s in your hous!
You should just go ahead and return that mattress and sell your adjustable base on Craigslist! No since in wasting if it’s not for you. Everyone is different. I’m strongly considering purchasing a sleep number as we speak.
Guess it’s better than sleeping on the couch.
Nope, that’s where I’ve been sleeping, much more comfortable than the $7K boat anchor.
Same here. $6k and nearly 3 years later, I’ve spent far more comfortable nights on a $300 Rooms2Go couch and my old temperpedic that was formerly relegated to the guest room in favor of what I thought/hoped would be a god-send for my achy back. I could have purchased a lot of cheap couches to sleep comfortably on for $6k. It’s now 3:46 and in Lou of still having my old temperpedic, I’m headed to the couch so I can get some sleep…
Hey there! I know you posted this a while ago, but did you get to use your own bedframe? I wasn’t sure if you had to buy a specific bed frame for the mattress. Thanks!
Hi Rachael, I did use my own bed and frame, so no need to get another one if you have one already.