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ded_tired

Advice about adjustable beds?

3 years ago

I‘m thinking about getting an adjustable bed for my guest room/ home office. I‘m having shoulder surgery in June and will have to sleep propped up. Maybe i should say not be able to sleep, but it is what it is.

I looked at adjustable bases and mattresses at Mattress Firm. I‘m considering a base that would go on my existing bed frame . I wonder if thats a mistake and if I‘d be better off getting rid of my bed ( it’s cute but nothing special) and using the legs that come with the base. The bed will stay in the room permanently. The room can only accommodate a twin or maybe a full. I’ll add a link for the bases and I’ll still have to buy a mattress. Not looking to make a big investment, but to get me comfortably through recovery.

Tell me what you know about adjustable beds. I also have a recliner but I’m hoping to sleep in a bed

Once i’ve recovered, I’m going back to my own comfy bed.

Adjustable bases

Comments (29)

  • 3 years ago

    We have one—my daughter calls it a ”taco” bed. we have it on a slight incline but it makes reading in bed easier and im told I might snore less . It also makes changing sheets super easy.

  • 3 years ago

    Oo, never thought about sheet changing. Thats a big plus. Jo, is it your primary bed?

  • 3 years ago

    We bought a Queen size adjustable base several years ago and love it. We have the base on its legs but it sits within our bed's headboard, footboard and side rails. The only thing we had to do was remove the wood slats that went across the bed. Our base has a remote control that adjusts the head and/or foot portion. It has an anti snore option and a zero gravity option. since my DH does snore, we use that setting all the time. I have found the zero gravity setting to be great when I have had some serious backaches. If you have or develop any kind of circulatory issues being able to sleep with you legs slightly elevated is much easier than putting pillows underneed your legs to elevate. I dont watch tv or read in bed but it certainly would be good for that. My niece used our bed once when she stayed at our house while we were out of town and she loved the adjustable base.

    I see no negatives with an adjustable base other than being more expensive than a traditional base but to me its worth it.


    Ded tired thanked badgergal
  • 3 years ago

    DD and DDIL bought a Sleep Number years ago and they still rave about it. They have it on their regular bedframe.

    Ded tired thanked maire_cate
  • 3 years ago

    We have a split king adjustable sleep number bed. I had shoulder surgery 18 months ago and slept very well with the head raised. Good luck!

    Ded tired thanked jmck_nc
  • 3 years ago

    Ded, ouris in our bedroom. We dont have one at our cottage and i wish we did.

    Ded tired thanked jojoco
  • 3 years ago

    We recently bought a new mattress for our primary home primary bed. Oddly, the adjustable frame was cheaper than the standard frame 🤷🏼‍♀️. Like badgergirl, ours sits within our upholstered headboard, sides, footboard frame.

    We decided to buy/try it because my husband has GERD. (And because they offered for less than the standard frame. 😆) Sleeping with our heads slightly elevated has been helpful for the GERD. I was afraid I’d have trouble adjusting back to no elevation in our secondary home bed, but I didn’t and he hasn’t commented. I think we should consider changing the frame there after he retires and he spends more time there.

    I think it would be well worth the expense for shoulder surgery recuperation. Good luck with your surgery and recuperation.


    Ded tired thanked hhireno
  • 3 years ago

    I bought a split king adjustable bed primarily for DH.


    I would say that the biggest negative is needing a custom bedskirt on a split king. But since you are not getting a split king, that isn’t a consideration for you. No bedskirt looks pretty raw, I think.



    Since that picture, I’ve had the headboard reupholstered in white linen and I have a standard king white linen bedskirt. I just make sure that I move both sides of the bed in sync. (FWIW, the rug is pale blue wool and jute.)


    I bought my mattresses from Costco and the frame from Overstock.

    Ded tired thanked bbstx
  • 3 years ago

    A new split bed came with our current house. The previous owners were suppoes to take, but didn't, so we gave it to one of the movers. DH has had two shoulder surgeries. Both times he was the most comfortable in our recliner. It was not just laying down, but the getting in and out of bed too. I have used the recliner for sleeping after three surgerie and never had issues sleeping (and I am not normally a back sleeper).


    Good luck with your shoulder surgery.

    Ded tired thanked Allison0704
  • 3 years ago

    I've had an adjustable base for several years on our primary bed and we love it. For sleeping, I have the head raised slightly and the foot end raised slightly and that seems to be perfect for us. I decided to get it because I was having a little bit of back aches (not severe) that nothing else seemed to help, and I was amazed at how that solved the problem. I guess sleeping on a flat surface doesn't work well for me.

    By the way, ours is a split king base, meaning, both the head and foot end can be raised and lowered independently on each side, but.....we have a regular king mattress on top. I'm not sure if it would be ideal for the mattress to have the two sides raised to different levels all of the time, but, temporarily we've done it and it's fine.

    Ded tired thanked lettersatoz
  • 3 years ago

    We went to an adjustable base 2 or 3 years ago when we bought a new mattress. Basically the base takes the place of a box spring. We both like it very much. We generally sleep with the head inclined a bit. We have a metal bed and with our adjustable base, my husband was able to take the headboard and footboard loose from the original frame and connect it to the adjustable base. You can buy bedskirts for adjustable beds, but I had one made from better quality fabric also. Our adjustable base has kind of padded/upholstered sides (protects your shins LOL) so you would want a bedskirt to cover that. I love a bedskirt, so no problem with that. Ours is queen, head and foot will raise and it also has massage, which is very, very rarely used. I would definitely recommend the adjustable base : )

  • 3 years ago

    That is a lot of handle at once. If your family members are anything like you, they will take care of themselves and the house.


    While a lift option would make it easier, DH did not have any problems getting out of a regular recliner. Our was (DD2 has now, after we moved) a not hard or too cushy leather you pushed back on. Looks like a chair when closed. It is the one DGS drew a family portrait on the back of with his fingernail when we lived on the lake.

  • 3 years ago

    I have the Sealy Ease and love it! I bought mine just because I wanted it five years ago. I had to have surgery 3 months later, and it was GREAT for getting out of bed. Make sure you get the 10 year protection on it, as it covers the motor and electrical.

  • 3 years ago

    No advice to offer, just wishing you the best!

  • 3 years ago

    Ded, you have alot on you. Try not to worry about things and let your niece be in control once she gets there. You will be in good hands!!


    Our bed will raise up (top) a good bit, so I think you shouldn't have any trouble getting out of the bed in that position. Maybe with one arm not useable, you might have something there (nightstand?) that you can hold on to with good arm if need be. I hope all goes well!

  • 3 years ago

    Looks like i have changed identities here. I never know which one of screen names will popup.

    I may be overthinking this whole comfort situation ( overthinking?Me?) , but i am in favor of swapping money for convenience if possible.


    great advice from all of you, as always. Many thanks!

  • 3 years ago

    It won't matter on a twin so much, but I discovered that having an adjustable base under a king allows you to clean under the bed in all the places dust bunnies go to die and hide until you move furniture.

    I know someone who had heart surgery and had to sleep at an incline. He has slept in a recliner ever since because he says he slides down with an adjustable base unless his feet are also up and he hasn't been able to find something that bends in the right places on both ends and he can get comfortable with -- so I would suggest trying whatever you buy if possible.

  • 3 years ago

    Excellent advice, lascatx. That is one of the problems with my recliner, too. Maybe i can put some of those rubber shelf liners under my behind!

    Ill let the cleaners deal with dust bunnies!

  • 3 years ago

    I must have the same base as badgergal because although we never really use the zero gravity option, I've always wished it would actually let me float around the room. We sleep with the head raised, which cured DH's snoring and my back pain but if it's set too high, I do slide down and so can the mattress itself. We usually flatten it to change bedding because of the pressure the raised mattress can exert on the bottom corners. But that could well be an issue of the mattress fit to the bed frame - they were sold together, however.


    I'm having shoulder owies and I've never thought about the incline as being relevant to their comfort or discomfort, but after a tooth implant, I can see that an incline is super helpful if you are supposed to be sleeping upright. I don't mean to sound negative. I love ours but will probably get a split mattress next time so that DH and I can adjust angles individually.

  • 3 years ago

    ded, for the slipping it is only an issue if you are almost upright in my experience. While I needed to be in that position I also put a pillow under my thighs right at my bottom to keep from sliding. It worked for me and after a few days I was comfortable lowering the bed so that I was not so upright. I also had a pillow to put under the sling side of my body to keep that slightly elevated. Honestly, I slept fine and did not need any pain meds...I hope you are as lucky! The nerve block they gave me lasted almost a week...which was strange, but kept the pain away. I'm glad you have your niece to help because you will need help to shower and get back in that sling.

  • 3 years ago

    Thanks, jmck. I appreciate the suggestions and the encouragement. I have plenty of body wipes to get me through to that first shower. Happy for any tips!

  • 3 years ago

    You are going to be so *prepared*!

    I'd vote for investing in the very best recliner, which you may use later.

    If a raised head is the only need, couldn't you buy a triangular wedge for the head of an existing bed?

  • 3 years ago

    I have an adjustable frame. As far as I know you can put any mattress on top of it. I love mine. I just recently hurt my back and it helps a lot to be able to get up easier. Good for reading and watching TV too.

  • 3 years ago

    Joann, i dont see how an innerspring mattress would work. They dont bend. Am I wrong?

  • 3 years ago

    I just found this: For an adjustable base to work, you’ll need a compatible mattress—that is, one that flexes. That includes virtually all foam mattresses, says Keith Cushner, of the sleep website tuck.com. Many of today’s innerspring mattresses are also designed to accommodate adjustable bases. Always check both the mattress and adjustable base specs to make sure they are compatible—or simplify matters by buying both from the same company.

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    I've been told most hybrids and all foam mattresses work with an adjustable base.

  • 3 years ago

    Yes, that is correct. We have a (non-flippable) innerspring mattress (actually it is springs and foam) on our adjustable base. It is a good bit thicker than past mattresses we have had and very heavy. Good thing you don't flip it, however you still need to turn it. It works great on our adjustable base.

  • 3 years ago

    The mattress on my adjustable base is also a non-flippable innerspring mattress. It came as a set from a local mattress company. We have had the set for a few years and there have been no problems with the mattress. As Tina Marie said, "It works great on our adjustable bed".