10 Questions You Should Ask Before Buying an Adjustable Bed Base

From the kitchen to the bedroom, technological advances have completely revolutionized our furniture and appliances. These days, it’s a challenge to find a household item that hasn’t been enhanced with technology—from our coffee machines down to our beds.

Bed technology might not be the first thing you think of when you imagine high-tech home gear—an adjustable bed base is understandably less exciting than a fridge that can create your grocery list for you—but we think beds deserve more attention. Many household tech enhancements, after all, are made to support health and wellness. Considering that good sleep is fundamental to good health, it’s about time we scrutinize our sleep environments and come up with improvements. One such improvement is the adjustable bed base.

These motorized beds offer zero-gravity support, inclining to various angles to relieve pressure and promote your body’s natural functions, including circulation, digestion, and spinal alignment. Designed to maximize comfort and facilitate sleep for individuals and partners, an adjustable bed base, is the key to deeper, more rejuvenating rest.

For a long time, adjustable beds flew under the radar, but now, you can find them from pretty much any major sleep brand. They often resemble each other, but don’t be fooled. Each adjustable bed base is unique and shouldn’t be purchased haphazardly. Before you buy an adjustable base, ask yourself these questions to make sure you are getting a product that meets all of your specific needs.

10 Questions to Ask Before Your Purchase

1) Does It Work With Your Mattress?

Many people choose to purchase an adjustable bed base at the same time that they purchase a new mattress. Sleep brands often offer both products, making shopping easy, especially because you can rely on a brand to sell an adjustable base that is compatible with its mattress.

However, if you are shopping for an adjustable bed frame to go with your current mattress, exercise caution. Not all mattresses are suitable for adjustable beds and risk serious damage when paired together.

Source: Saatva.com

Innerspring mattresses, for example, while receptive to the normal pressure of a body, don’t take well to the intense compression of an adjustable bed base. When adjusted to a zero-gravity position, in which both the head and the foot of the mattress are inclined, innerspring mattresses either won’t bend or will risk the integrity of their coils.

Most foam mattresses and some hybrid mattresses can be paired with an adjustable base. Always check the product description to confirm before purchasing.

2) Is It Available in Your Mattress Size?

If you’re shopping for an adjustable base for your current mattress, the construction of your mattress isn’t the only detail you need to keep an eye out for. Size matters, too.

It may not be fair, but not all sizes are treated equally when it comes to adjustable beds. In fact, many, if not most, brands only offer adjustable bed bases in four sizes: Twin XL, Full, Queen, and Split King or Split Cal King. Search the product descriptions to make sure an adjustable bed frame will accommodate your mattress.

Those with Twin-sized mattresses or King-sized mattresses need not worry—there are still options. Plushbeds and Latex for Less are two brands that offer adjustable beds in an extensive range of sizes, though the most inclusive brand is Saatva, Saatva offers their adjustable bed in nine different sizes, including Twin, Split Queen, King, Split King, Cal King, and Split Cal King!

3) Does It Offer Massage Settings?

All of the best adjustable beds offer this luxurious feature, and it’s not just there for your indulgence. Vibration massage, the kind of massage found in most adjustable bed bases, has a wealth of health benefits, too. By sending gentle vibrations to localized zones or the whole body, vibration therapy can help improve you feel more relaxed.

Most adjustable bed brands offer a variable, multi-speed massager, but there are select brands, like Leesa, that don’t. Look for a mention of a massager in the product description if being gently lulled to sleep is a priority.

Source: Nectar.com

4) Are There Underbed Lights?

This is a featured beloved and appreciated by those who are up often in the middle of the night. Underbed lights act as a nightlight and soft guide for when you inevitably wake up for your 3 AM bathroom run. No need to feel around blindly in front of you as you search for the bedroom door—underbed lights illuminate the way.

Underbed lights are especially good for seniors, for whom falls are a serious health threat. Having a light to guide you as you navigate the dark makes getting around safer and helps prevent potentially grave falls.

Saatva, Puffy, Leesa, and Plushbeds all offer an adjustable bed base with underbed lights.

5) Does It Have Adjustable Legs?

Another feature that seniors and people with mobility issues will love is adjustable legs. The incline of the head and foot of the bed isn’t all that adjusts in an adjustable bed base—some come with adjustable legs, too! Sleepers can customize the height of their bed to make it easier to get in and out of bed without overworking sore muscles and joints.

The best adjustable beds come with legs that can raise to at least 10”, though some go much higher, such as PlushBeds, whose adjustable bed base has a maximum height of 23”.

6) How Quiet is the Motor?

Having a tech-enhanced bed frame is fine and good, but not if the motor is going to agitate you each time you adjust your sleep angle. The goal of an adjustable bed is to help you get better sleep, after all, and a loud, humming motor isn’t going to make that any easier.

Now that adjustable beds have become quite popular in the sleep industry, sound-muffling encased motors have become pretty standard. However, an encasement may make the bed look cumbersome and chunky, so some brands have forgone motor encasements to create a sleek-looking bed frame.

7) Does It Have Wall-Hugging Design?

Wall-hugging design means that the bed does not pull away from the wall when you raise or lower the head of the bed. Though not the most evident, it is a feature you will want your adjustable bed to have for two reasons.

The first benefit of wall-hugging adjustable beds it that when you raise the head of the bed, your nightstand remains within reach beside you. That way you have somewhere to place your book when you’re done reading or your laptop when you’ve finished working.

The second benefit is aesthetic. It’s not pretty to have a bed that looks like its free-floating near, but not against, the wall. You shouldn’t have to sacrifice good bedroom feng shui for better comfort and improved sleep!

8) Does It Come With USB Ports?

A staggering statistic says that 71% of people sleep with their smartphones. That can be attributed to multiple factors. Some are relatively harmless, such as people who use their smartphones as alarm clocks. Others are more contestable, such as those who spend their last waking hours browsing social media.

In any case, our smartphones and other devices are never too far from us, even in our sleep. To make sure that your devices are charged and ready for a full day, many sleep brands have begun embedding USB ports in their adjustable bed bases. Thus, you can charge your devices’ batteries while you charge your own, so to speak. This feature is indispensable for any smart home or tech-head who puts their devices first.

Brands that sell adjustable beds with USB ports include Nectar, Awara, and Level Sleep.

9) Is White Glove Delivery Offered or Available for a Fee?

Once you’ve made sure that an adjustable bed offers all the features you’re looking for, it’s time to consider practical matters. That means setup.

There’s no way around it, setting up an adjustable bed base isn’t going to be easy. Most are delivered in pieces to be assembled. Depending on the size of the bed you’ve ordered, it may even come in multiple shipments. It’s more than likely that setting up your new adjustable bed base will take more than one person, or else, a professional.

White glove delivery and installation is a reliable way to make sure your bed frame comes together correctly. It also takes out the heavy lifting!

If you’re concerned about your ability to properly put together your adjustable bed base, choose a brand that offers white glove delivery. In most cases, this will cost an additional fee and may extend delivery time by a few days. Saatva and Nectar, however, offer white glove delivery free of charge.

10) What is the Warranty Like?

Lastly, consider the future. As with any big investment, you want to make sure you are covered in case something happens to your adjustable bed. Always look for warranty information in the product description. It will most likely differ from the warranties any given sleep brand offers on their mattresses.

In some cases, your adjustable bed may only come with a short-term limited warranty, with extended warranties available for purchase. In other cases, brands may advertise a long-term, or “forever” warranty, but it may be subject to strict limitations. Smart shopping involves weighing the pros and cons of each warranty and making the decision that is right for you.

Conclusion

Our website is a great place to browse adjustable beds from trusted sleep brands. Compare adjustable bed prices and features to get a rounded idea of what each brand has to offer. Better sleep could be a few clicks away!