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5 of the best adjustable beds - 2020
Should I buy an adjustable bed?
Adjustable beds are popular with people with bad backs or mobility problems as they allow you to find a comfortable lying position. There are two types:
This guide focuses on ‘lifestyle’ beds as I don’t feel qualified enough to advise on more specific mobility problems.
Here are five of the best adjustable beds to consider:
- Most adjustable beds sold by major bed retailers are called ‘lifestyle’ adjustable beds. They’ll lift your head up so you can watch Match of the Day in bed, or you can try out a few positions to stop you snoring or feel more comfortable. They look like a normal divan bed.
- More specialist adjustable beds are called ‘profiling’ beds. They aren’t generally sold by major bed retailers and are more akin to the kind of thing you’d have in a hospital or residential home.
This guide focuses on ‘lifestyle’ beds as I don’t feel qualified enough to advise on more specific mobility problems.
Here are five of the best adjustable beds to consider:
1. Casper Adjustable Base - £650 (double, king or superking, excluding mattress)
**Casper sale: 50% off furniture until 30/06/20 with discount code FURNITURE50**
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Casper's adjustable bedframe is unusual because you get a 30 night home trial. If you don't like it they'll pick it up and give you a refund. That means you get a proper chance to test it out rather than relying on a few minutes in a showroom or taking a guess online.
It's got a simple and modern design which will appeal to anyone who prefers a bedstead or bedframe to the more traditional divan base which your grandma likes The head end and foot end are both adjustable, though it doesn't have anything fancy like massaging. There aren't a lot of reviews for this product online, although there are loads of reviews of Casper as an overall brand. The average on TrustPilot was a very decent 4.5/5 when we checked. The Casper adjustable base doesn't include a mattress but the guidance says that you can use 'Casper mattresses or any flexible foam mattress' (see our top 6 memory foam mattresses for some ideas). It comes with a three year guarantee. |
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2. Sleepeezee Gel Comfort 1000 adjustable divan - £700 (single including Medium firmness mattress)
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If you want a reasonably priced adjustable bed from a recognised brand then I'd take a look at the Sleepeezee range most of which comes with a 7 year guarantee.
It's only available as a single, but you could put next to each other which has the extra advantage of having your own set of controls for when one your spouse wants to read and you want to go to sleep. As an overall brand, Sleepeezee get terrific reviews on TrustPilot of 4.5/5 (when we checked) and they even have a Royal Warrant. The mattress on this base has 1000 pocket springs, which is an adequate number for a light person but is a little low if you are an 18 stone bodybuilder. As it's a pocket spring mattress, it will appeal to those of us who don't like the sinking feeling of memory foam. Pocket spring mattresses are the best sellers and they offer much better support than a grotty old open coil mattress which your grandma had in her spare bedroom. |
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The downside (in my opinion) of this mattress is that you can't turn it over, you just rotate it to avoid sagging. Of course, if you have a bad back then you might not want to attempt to turn over a mattress anyway.
It's got a 'gel foam' which should add a bit of added comfort. It's a medium firmness which generally means that it is most suited for people of an average weight, as you will sink in enough to end up with a nice straight spine.
The slight problem is that bed manufacturers have never actually agreed what soft, medium and firm means so it's a bit of a guess unless you are able to try it out in store.
It's got a 'gel foam' which should add a bit of added comfort. It's a medium firmness which generally means that it is most suited for people of an average weight, as you will sink in enough to end up with a nice straight spine.
The slight problem is that bed manufacturers have never actually agreed what soft, medium and firm means so it's a bit of a guess unless you are able to try it out in store.
3. Dreams Adjustable bed with Fontwell mattress - from £1198 (single, Double, king or Superking including Firm mattress)
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This Fontwell adjustable bed from Dreams gets very good reviews (4.6/5 at the time of writing) and it's available in a number of sizes including single, double, king and super king.
The bundled mattress is a firm memory foam mattress which is 15cm deep. That's quite a thin mattress and I personally tend to go for a mattress which is 20cm to 30cm. A thicker mattress makes more difference to a heavier person than a lighter person. Having said that, memory foam is good for providing consistent all-over support and is also good for people with allergies. If you want something with fancier features, take a look at the Sleepmotion range. You just an adjustable frame without a mattress but some of them come with built in massagers (such as the Sleepmotion 900i) or a built in TV (such as the Sleepmotion 200i). |
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4. Dreams Westwood adjustable bed with pocket sprung mattress - from £1298 (single, double, king or superking including medium/firm mattress)
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If you prefer a traditional feel mattress, then I'd consider this Dreams adjustable bed which has a Westwood adjustable pocket sprung mattress with a comfort layer of memory foam.
The base is available in three colours and adjusts in five places, so you can try out a number of options. As with most of these adjustable beds, they can cope with a limit of 18 stone. The mattress has got 1200 pocket springs, which I would say is perfectly adequate for the majority of people. If you are very heavy then you'd benefit from the support of somewhere nearer 2000 springs. When we checked, customer reviews on the Dreams website were averaging 4.7/5. It describes itself as a medium/firm mattress. |
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5. Tempur Moulton adjustable divan bed - £2769 (king size base, but other sizes are available)
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This divan base doesn't actually come with a mattress but it's made by one of the most famous names in the UK bed market.
If you want a Tempur mattress to go with it, you'll need to spend another couple of thousand pounds. Most of their adjustable bed frames are King Size, but Tempur also have sizes including Super King and 'long singles' with the idea that you can put two adjustable beds next to each other. With the Moulton model you can move your head, hips or legs and it's also got a built in massager. Ooooooh baby.... Tempur are best known for pioneering the memory foam mattress, after developing NASA's technology. Tempur say their mattresses are 'not just memory foam' and the company certainly deserves some credit for leading the way. Memory foam provides consistent support all over, and it is good for people with allergies. Most things I've read also claim that memory foam mattresses are long lasting and shouldn't lose their shape quickly, whereas pocket sprung mattresses can start to sag with age (don't we all, eh?). In their guide to sleeping, the charity Versus Arthritis says that ‘many people find memory foam mattresses or toppers helpful’. |
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The downside with memory foam is that some people don't like the sinking feeling and find it makes them feel hot. Having said that, many manufacturers have made efforts to overcome the heat issue with 'cooling layers'.
6. Sleepkings adjustable bed with memory foam mattress - £499 (single including mattress and headboard)
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This budget adjustable bed and mattress from Sleepkings gets decent customer reviews and costs less than many standard single divan beds, particularly as it includes a headboard.
It'll lift your feet up or your head and it comes with a mattress with a reasonable specification, even if it's not a household name. The mattress is memory foam, which many people think offers a more consistent support than pocket springs. It's also good for allergies, although some people don't like the slight 'sinking' feeling which comes with memory foam. When we checked it was scoring 4.2/5 from more than 60 reviews. |
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However, before you spend a small fortune...
...let's go over some of the questions you might have about buying an adjustable bed.
Can I use any mattress with an adjustable bed?
My advice would be to buy an adjustable base that comes with a mattress or buy a mattress which calls itself an ‘adjustable bed mattress’. I wouldn’t attempt to use a mattress you’ve already got on a new adjustable base.
The gist of what I’ve read is that adjustable beds need mattresses with a lot more bendability (I may have made that word up). So, you will find some pocket spring mattresses, memory foam mattresses and latex mattresses which work with adjustable beds, but that doesn’t mean any old mattress will do the job. If you’re deciding which you want, here’s a quick summary:
The gist of what I’ve read is that adjustable beds need mattresses with a lot more bendability (I may have made that word up). So, you will find some pocket spring mattresses, memory foam mattresses and latex mattresses which work with adjustable beds, but that doesn’t mean any old mattress will do the job. If you’re deciding which you want, here’s a quick summary:
- Memory foam offers great support, it's good for people with allergies and it is hard wearing. On the downside, it can make you feel hot and some people don't like the sinking feeling.
- Latex is a good natural alternative but it is expensive (Dunlopillo is probably the market leader and gets outstanding reviews from customers on TrustPilot).
- Pocket spring mattresses are the best sellers and are what most of us are used to
- Open coil mattresses/'traditional' mattresses are old-fashioned rubbish (in my opinion) and should only be offered to your dog or a relative you are hoping won’t visit for long.
Which are the best adjustable beds?
The most expensive adjustable beds tend to have:
Prices are correct at the time of writing.
- several possible sleeping positions. Cheaper adjustable beds just lift up your head, whilst more expensive ones have more options. Take a look at what the bed can do rather than wasting your money on features you'll never use.
- built in massagers (bit of a gimmick but oooooh yeaaahhh).
- two separate halves. Ideally a couple would want two singles stuck together otherwise you'll have to agree about when to lift and lower. If you don't share a bed you can get a double which lifts the whole thing
- a fancy mattress to accompany the frame. I wouldn't spend your money on an amazing adjustable frame and then use a rubbish mattress on top. It’s a bit like buying a really nice pair of shoes and then wearing them with a nasty pair of itchy socks.
Prices are correct at the time of writing.
