Sweet Dreams or Your Worst Nightmare!

This post  was written by my husband, Paul.
Beds last a long time so when it comes time to buy a new one you need to catch up on what is the latest. Some friends of ours told us they recently purchased an adjustable bed, what some people would call a hospital bed. Well the times are changing, and adjustable beds aren't just for people that have medical issues. They can make reading and watching TV much more enjoyable. On average we spend one third of the year in bed. 

The big change for us was the decision to go from the standard passive bed to one that had an adjustable base. We started by visiting a few large local bed and mattress stores but quickly found that there was a lot of choices and a lot of pressure to buy a big name mattress paired with a branded base. There was the plethroa of sales, warranties, sleep on risk free for x number of days, memory foam, latex foam, air beds, water beds, classic coil spring and hybrids combining coil springs with foam.

 We also experienced sticker shock even when they were having their blowout sales. So as we normally do, we turned to the Internet to do our research and see if we could get a better deal. A week later we came to our conclusion. We will give pointers to the websites we felt had the best information so you can do the research and draw your own conclusions. But you know, while we were doing all this research, it would have been nice for someone to say here's what we picked and why. Here's a great link for mattress comparison. Sleep Like the Dead.


You don't have to get a mattress and base combo. You can mix and match. Costco had an okay one we almost went with, but we decided against it,because they had an entry level base and a foam mattress that lacked the features we wanted. Cut your problem in half and pick a base that has the features you want. There are really only about 3 major adjustable base manufacturers and we picked the Prodigy 2.0 from Leggett & Platt. We also love the extra features, because we are both techy people.

The Prodigy 2.0 (2016 model) is their middle model in addition to the foot and back adjustments, this model had a 3rd movement which is called pillow articulation. This 3rd movement allows the pillow section to be rolled forward just a bit to make reading or watching TV just a little nicer. In a middle tier bed you will also get foot and back massage areas but this model also had a wave feature where the massage moves from foot to head for the feeling of a wave.

 Also, nice but not 100% correcting, is what they call the “wall hugger” feature. As you raise the back, you are moving forward which means you have to reach back to get something off your night stand. The wall hugger feature moves the whole bed backward as the back comes up. It is not 100% correction because you still have a mattress depth (12 inches) between you and the headboard. You get a wireless remote to control your bed and some keys to store your favorite positions.

 This base also has bluetooth and you can download free Apps to your Android or Apple smartphone or tablet to control the bed. There is also a USB charging hub on the side of the bed for charging your device. The reason we wanted this feature is you can load other Apps to control your ceiling fan, lights, and change TV channels (more on this later).It also has under bed lighting, so when you get up in the middle of the night, there is a light to help you maneuver your way.

Now picking the mattress. We didn't consider air or water mattresses and I'm not sure if they would work on an adjustable base. That leaves coil springs, memory foam, latex foam and hybrids (mixture of two or more of these). These 3 typically will work on an adjustable base. Since we were switching out our coil spring mattress for something new we wanted to try foam.

Memory foam is very popular and you probably have seen the person pushing their hand into the mattress and then releasing it to watch the hand imprint disappear. When you lie on a memory foam it kind of hugs you as you sink in to it. Some people feel it traps more body heat but they have made some design changes to address this.

Latex foam comes from rubber trees and is natural (some manufacturers add petroleum products so read the label). Latex foam is bouncier so you don't sink into it but feel more like you are on top of it. Fresh out of the box there is little to no odor and it doesn't sleep as warm as memory foam. We were concerned about heat and found a latex bed we liked, “Pure Talalay Bliss Worlds Best Latex Mattress” and that is the one we picked. Make sure you buy Pure Latex mattress. Here's a link to reading about finding Pure Latex.
 

It's Hypoallergenic  *   It's Breathable   *   It's made in the USA

We ended up buying  locally, so if there was any issues, it would be easier to exchange.
Linda researched online and found the bed base and mattress  for $2,000 less and free shipping.
I contacted  our local bed store and he gladly matched the price.  Great savings when you do your research!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

 So what did we learn on this journey.

1. Shop around the internet for the best prices, the mark ups in your local store even with a sale are steep. We wanted to buy locally and were able to negotiate a 30% saving by having prices to match
2. We did a split King which means each person can adjust their side of the bed (see nightmare for drawback to this)
3. The Base had all the features we wanted. The extra head movement is a nice feature.
4. Bluetooth control allows you to use an App on a smart device (tablet or smartphone) in addition to the wireless control that comes with the bed. You can use other bluetooth and Wifi Apps on the same tablet to control your light switches (WEMO), ceiling fan (Fanimation), and TV (Logitech).

1.  The split King gives you a gap between you and your spouse which makes the bed seem smaller .
2.  You will need new  bottom sheets for the split King. ,because they are separate.
3.  Your bed now moves and you need to make sure you have clearance for that movement so as to not damage the base. A comforter at the bottom can be an issue.
4.  When you raise the back, even with the wall hugger feature, your night table will be behind you.
5. Comfort guarantee. Most bed stores and internet have a 30 to 120 day sleep on it and return it, if you don't like it guarantee. Read the fine print. Some say you must sleep on it for 30 days or more before you can return it. Some give a money back guarantee, some only an exchange. On an exchange they may say any discount will be voided and you will have to pay full price. If you bought it on the internet you most likely will have to pay to ship it back.

Bottom line:  We are happy with our choice but still getting use to some of the changes.

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About Linda @ Life and Linda

Hello, welcome to LifeandLinda. I am from Northern California. I enjoy blogging, Designing Blogs, Decorating, cooking, entertaining, gardening and clogging. I hope you enjoy your visit.