Sleep number matress

[wageslave23]

My wife and I are considering a sleep number mattress because we like differing firmness and hopefully there wouldn't be motion transfer. It costs $2400 for a king size, second from the entry level, with the base. Does anyone have any experience with a sleep number?

Does the padding thickness matter?  There's about a $500 cost difference for each extra inch.

[Norsky]

We have had one for over 25 years and it functions as well as when we purchased it. There is no motion transfer and we both enjoy having our personal settings. I imagine the new features would make it even better.

[Cassie]

Best bed ever and impossible to wear out. Our pump died and they sent us a new one.

[Psychstache]

While I do overall like my sleep number, I will say the separate chambers do have some impact on extra curricular activities. Not insurmountable, but it does kill the mood a little have to pause and level off the bed.

[wageslave23]

Does the foam padding depth matter? It goes from 2" to 8" in 1 inch intervals.  Each inch costs about $500 more. We were thinking about going with the 3" one.

[evme]

 $2400 for a king and that's one of their cheapest models?? They always seemed overpriced/gimmicky to me. They also advertise a lot, and guess who's paying for their advertising budget...

If my partner and I could not agree on mattress firmness I would probably just get two extra long twin beds where we each chose one with our desired firmness levels and push them together to create a king.

[CupcakeGuru]

We have had for for almost 18 years and just got a new one. We got a split king mainly due to my husband neck and back issues. It is by far the best bed I have ever had.

[herbgeek]

Wow, those prices have really gone up.  I bought mine 15?20? years ago for between $600 and $800 delivered, IIRC.  I got the cheapest model that doesn't even display a sleep number, there is just a control for more firm/less firm.  I love this bed so much.  Doesn't even have any extra foam on it. 

[KarefulKactus15]

I came here to read what a terrible gimmick it is.

Instead many people seem to like theirs very much.

[Ron Scott]

I came here to read what a terrible gimmick it is.

Instead many people seem to like theirs very much.

I’m surprised too.

Have had many mattresses over the years. Price in todays dollars maybe $800-$2000. Never made a difference to me. Can’t get excited over any of them. Head hits pillow, I’m asleep…

[wenchsenior]

While I do overall like my sleep number, I will say the separate chambers do have some impact on extra curricular activities. Not insurmountable, but it does kill the mods a little have to pause and level off the bed.

Yeah, we LOVE our Sleepnumber, but it is an older model and we do occasionally have to repad the gap in the middle or do a little strategic maneuvering if the sides are set really differently.

[Cassie]

It’s cheaper than regular mattresses in the long run because impossible to wear out as long as you can get parts for the pump.

[Catbert]

We've had ours maybe 20 years, replacing the pump once.  It's fine - I'm not very picky about mattresses. Not sure I'd pay $2,500 if we ever had to replace it.  DH has lots of sleep issues and likes the ability to tweek his "number".

[Cassie]

I recently divorced and let him have the bed and I bought a new queen. I wanted one where the head goes up because I have asthma and when sick can’t sleep flat. I bought the 360 smart bed. It was 2800 and worth every penny. After I lay down it pumps up around me so I am perfectly comfortable. You can turn off this feature if you want to.

[RedmondStash]

Interesting thread. I've had a hard time finding a good mattress, and have resorted to a DIY mattress from layers I bought separately. The one time I tried a Sleep Number at a hotel, probably 10 years ago, I hated it. Could not get comfortable, no matter the setting.

But it sounds like a lot of folks really like theirs. Food for thought.

[erutio]

Are sleep number beds the new vitamix blenders?

[Archipelago]

Interesting thread. I've had a hard time finding a good mattress, and have resorted to a DIY mattress from layers I bought separately. The one time I tried a Sleep Number at a hotel, probably 10 years ago, I hated it. Could not get comfortable, no matter the setting.

But it sounds like a lot of folks really like theirs. Food for thought.

Huh, similar thought here. We have a $200 foam mattress + $80 topper and it's extremely comfortable. 4 years now without any issues. Can't imagine getting a better night's sleep.

Always thought the whole "you sleep 1/3 of your life so you should pay a ton of money for a mattress" thing was a sales gimmick. But the posts so far are kinda saying otherwise. Interesting.

[wageslave23]

Interesting thread. I've had a hard time finding a good mattress, and have resorted to a DIY mattress from layers I bought separately. The one time I tried a Sleep Number at a hotel, probably 10 years ago, I hated it. Could not get comfortable, no matter the setting.

But it sounds like a lot of folks really like theirs. Food for thought.

Huh, similar thought here. We have a $200 foam mattress + $80 topper and it's extremely comfortable. 4 years now without any issues. Can't imagine getting a better night's sleep.

Always thought the whole "you sleep 1/3 of your life so you should pay a ton of money for a mattress" thing was a sales gimmick. But the posts so far are kinda saying otherwise. Interesting.

Believe me, I was the same way before getting married.  Now I'd pay $10k if I had to.

[semiretired31]

I came here to read what a terrible gimmick it is.

Instead many people seem to like theirs very much.

I’m surprised too.

Have had many mattresses over the years. Price in todays dollars maybe $800-$2000. Never made a difference to me. Can’t get excited over any of them. Head hits pillow, I’m asleep…

As someone who has never been “head hits the pillow, I’m asleep”, this thread is interesting to me. I’m forever jealous of those that sleep so easily (my wife included).

[Loretta]

I’ve had a Queen p5 since 2016 and it’s been lovely.  I sleep hot due to hormonal flux, and it’s the only bed that I’ve found that doesn’t trap the heat…. That said I am on my second pump.  I keep it at 100 and on rough nights I go down to a 35 or 45 to literally hunker down.  FWIW, my cats chillax on the other side of the mattress in comfort as well. 

[wageslave23]

I’ve had a Queen p5 since 2016 and it’s been lovely.  I sleep hot due to hormonal flux, and it’s the only bed that I’ve found that doesn’t trap the heat…. That said I am on my second pump.  I keep it at 100 and on rough nights I go down to a 35 or 45 to literally hunker down.  FWIW, my cats chillax on the other side of the mattress in comfort as well.

How much do the pumps cost?

[Sibley]

Interesting. I bought a new mattress last year, and while I like it I can already tell its not going to last 10 years. It may not even last 5 years. It's developed a sag in the middle, and I don't weigh enough for that to be expected yet. I don't think it's the springs, I think it's the padding on top of the springs. For now, I'm still comfortable but when it starts to make my back hurt then I'll have to replace it. I will investigate the sleep number then.

[Cassie]

The sleep number has a 20 year declining warranty. So replacing our pump cost 74. Per

[Loretta]

When I had to replace the pump, it was partially covered by the warranty so I think I paid about $200. 

How much do the pumps cost?
[/quote]

[RedmondStash]

Interesting thread. I've had a hard time finding a good mattress, and have resorted to a DIY mattress from layers I bought separately. The one time I tried a Sleep Number at a hotel, probably 10 years ago, I hated it. Could not get comfortable, no matter the setting.

But it sounds like a lot of folks really like theirs. Food for thought.

Huh, similar thought here. We have a $200 foam mattress + $80 topper and it's extremely comfortable. 4 years now without any issues. Can't imagine getting a better night's sleep.

Always thought the whole "you sleep 1/3 of your life so you should pay a ton of money for a mattress" thing was a sales gimmick. But the posts so far are kinda saying otherwise. Interesting.

Believe me, I was the same way before getting married.  Now I'd pay $10k if I had to.

I'd pay a lot for a comfortable mattress that really lasts. I wish I'd had a better experience with the Sleep Number. It sounds like at least it's got staying power.

I've never had an easy time sleeping, and I have back & neck issues that require threading a fine needle for plushness vs. firmness.

I'm doing okay with my DIY mattress, though I change the build every couple of weeks. It's better than the bed-in-a-box options I tried. But it's still not ideal.

[Dr Kidstache]

Interesting. I bought a new mattress last year, and while I like it I can already tell its not going to last 10 years. It may not even last 5 years. It's developed a sag in the middle, and I don't weigh enough for that to be expected yet. I don't think it's the springs, I think it's the padding on top of the springs. For now, I'm still comfortable but when it starts to make my back hurt then I'll have to replace it. I will investigate the sleep number then.

Doesn't it have a warranty? The mattress I bought recently (not a Sleepnumber, it's from Saatva) has a 15 year warranty. I don't know what's standard but less than 2 years old seems like it should be covered by a warranty.

[geekette]

I've seen this come up a few times.  We paid far too much for ours in '04 (close to $3k), but we still have it.  We did put a Costco topper on it a few years ago for additional padding.

The pump still works, but the LCD numbers on the remotes are long gone (no clue if they're replaceable - don't care).  It's just a guessing game now, but to be honest, we rarely change the pressure.

We went through a couple other mattresses before this one.  As overpriced as they are, it really helped me with night time hip and shoulder pain.

[Bruinguy]

Interesting thoughts here. My mattresses are not lasting 3 years and had given up trying to find a “good” one. I have assumed that my 225 lb body puts more wear and tear on the mattresses.  I’d be curious to hear if the sleep number beds hold up as well for heavy people.

[fuzzy math]

Fancy bed in a box mattresses changed my life! I did a ton of review research and bought the original GhostBed. Bought an adjustable frame too... they even make a split king for ppl who want that individualized experience. They also make a cooler bed for those who sleep hot.

[Arbitrage]

This thread made me remember our mattress purchase - can't believe it's been 12 years now!  Guess we'll probably be able to play out that 15-year life span. 

We considered a Sleep Number when we were shopping for our current mattress, but ultimately found our current mattress - latex (with some other layers underneath) - the most comfortable of anything we tried.  After 12 years, it does have some indentations, but nothing severe enough that we feel it affects anything detrimentally.  Perhaps it's time to rotate it.  Can't flip it due to the layering.

Not sure what we'll do when it comes time to replace it.  We've been very happy with this mattress, but it also seems like it could be possible to get an equivalent mattress for less than 2 grand. 

[Arbitrage]

Fancy bed in a box mattresses changed my life! I did a ton of review research and bought the original GhostBed. Bought an adjustable frame too... they even make a split king for ppl who want that individualized experience. They also make a cooler bed for those who sleep hot.

Yeah, we've gotten a couple of those for other beds in the house.  So far we've heard only good things.  I guess we'll have to see about the longevity.

[Turtle]

We have had one for over 25 years and it functions as well as when we purchased it. There is no motion transfer and we both enjoy having our personal settings. I imagine the new features would make it even better.

Same experience here, though not quite as many years.  We got the second lowest model IIRC.  Motion transfer and the ability to have different settings per person were our biggest drivers for choosing them.  Saved quite a bit of money due to not liking the ultra padded versions.

[Sibley]

Interesting. I bought a new mattress last year, and while I like it I can already tell its not going to last 10 years. It may not even last 5 years. It's developed a sag in the middle, and I don't weigh enough for that to be expected yet. I don't think it's the springs, I think it's the padding on top of the springs. For now, I'm still comfortable but when it starts to make my back hurt then I'll have to replace it. I will investigate the sleep number then.

Doesn't it have a warranty? The mattress I bought recently (not a Sleepnumber, it's from Saatva) has a 15 year warranty. I don't know what's standard but less than 2 years old seems like it should be covered by a warranty.

Yes it does, and I may well use it. It's not uncomfortable yet so I haven't bothered. I'm also not sure if this is a one off issue or a design issue.

[wageslave23]

Interesting. I bought a new mattress last year, and while I like it I can already tell its not going to last 10 years. It may not even last 5 years. It's developed a sag in the middle, and I don't weigh enough for that to be expected yet. I don't think it's the springs, I think it's the padding on top of the springs. For now, I'm still comfortable but when it starts to make my back hurt then I'll have to replace it. I will investigate the sleep number then.

Doesn't it have a warranty? The mattress I bought recently (not a Sleepnumber, it's from Saatva) has a 15 year warranty. I don't know what's standard but less than 2 years old seems like it should be covered by a warranty.

Yes it does, and I may well use it. It's not uncomfortable yet so I haven't bothered. I'm also not sure if this is a one off issue or a design issue.

Good luck collecting on any brand mattress warranty.  You usually have to prove a great than 2" indentation and without anyone laying on it, that is pretty severe.

[emiloots]

Love ours, we bought a split top king - aside from the sheets being ridiculously expensive (can get cheaper on Amazon) it's hands down the best bed we've ever had.  The zero gravity setting is our default chill in bed and read/watch TV setting.  It's heavy as sin though, so I hope to never have to move it out of our room.

[DrinkCoffeeStackMoney]

Wow! I wasn't expecting so many great reviews as I thought the Sleepnumber bed was just another gimmick. My wife has been talking about wanting one for a year or so, and after ready this I may be all in. We're polar opposite sleepers so this may be the bed for us. I like to be slightly elevated (I sleep on 2-3 pillows) and she like to be flat. I like the bed cool and she would live in a toaster oven. I like a firmer bed and she likes a soft bed she can sink into, etc.

[TheCatWhisperer]

I came here to read what a terrible gimmick it is.

Instead many people seem to like theirs very much.

I'm also surprised at all the positive comments. DH and I slept on one a few years ago on vacation. We still laugh about them being a glorified inflatable mattress. I slept ok on it, but I can sleep anywhere so that's not saying much. My $250 memory foam from Amazon still gives me the best night's sleep.

[GreenToTheCore]

Adding to the positivity.
Can't say enough good things about ours. We even had to go through customer service* and they were easy-breezy to work with. We have an egg-crate foam topper on ours, but I've always put one on every mattress so I wouldn't say it's specific to the sleep number bed.


*Nothing wrong with the bed. Back in 2012 the 2-chamber design had a foam separator and two separate chambers. SO found that he fell into the middle when he rolled closer. Turns out they had a design update where the two chambers zippered together to prevent that. They sent all new parts, fo' free, no hassle. Been a dream ever since. 

[tjscanlon]

Another vote for the sleep number - my wife and I like different settings.  I am light sleeper, her not so much.  She comes to be bed later and doesn't wake me up when she gets in.  The bed has very minimal topping material.  I added a gel foam pad as I thought that would help with sleeping on my stomach.  Turns out it, it gave me back pain.  Took the topper off and pretty much sleep at a 100 and back pain went away.  Previous mattresses have sagged after too short of time.  Was really uncomfortable with the purchase due to price but 8? yrs in, have been very pleased.  Good luck.

[wageslave23]

Thanks everyone for the feedback!  Makes me feel a little more comfortable spending that kind of money.  The point that it doesn't start sagging after a few years like most mattresses is a big selling point to me.  And that my wife loved our mattress and then got pregnant and hated it means flexibility in firmness settings is also important.

[SailingOnASmallSailboat]

Apparently there's a good discount using this link (I love Jonathan Fields and his podcast). Worth checking out in any case!
https://sleepnumber.com/goodlife

[Cassie]

Sleep number has frequent sales. Never pay full price.

[WookieeStache]

Another VERY satisfied customer here. 

We got ours back in early November and have been extremely happy with it so far.  Took a couple years to convince me to spend the money, but I'm so happy we did.

We talked to several friends who have had theirs for 5/10/15+ years and they all love it.

[Psychstache]

Thanks everyone for the feedback!  Makes me feel a little more comfortable spending that kind of money.  The point that it doesn't start sagging after a few years like most mattresses is a big selling point to me.  And that my wife loved our mattress and then got pregnant and hated it means flexibility in firmness settings is also important.

This was another huge boon we had. DW's sleep settings on the bed significantly changed after having a child. Nice to be able to hit a few buttons vs. buying a new mattress.