Finding a comfortable mattress can be DIFFICULT!!!!!

My wife and I have very different ideas on the definition of a comfortable bed. We actually couldn't agree on the matter, so we kept the old mattress to long. I developed some back problems as a result of sleeping on that old, bad mattress. My wife lives with constant pain due to one of her health issues, so finding a comfortable bed was very important for her.

We shopped literally every mattress store within 50 miles of our home. We couldn't find anything that was acceptable for both of us. As a last resort, we finally went to the sleep number store and found a bed we could agree to buy. It cost more than a regular mattress. My side is set on "100". It's Ok, I'd prefer a little firmer, but my back does well with it. In our situation, we bought the lower priced sleep number because the more expensive one had a thicker foam on top of the air chamber. My back did NOT like that thicker foam! That made it to soft.

We have had the bed for 4 years. We have had to replace one of the air chambers due to it leaking air. A few weeks ago, we had to replace the pump. So far, the items have been partially covered by the warranty. Sleep number claims their beds last longer than a regular mattress. I'm doubting that any of the original components will still be in the bed 15 years from now. I could be proven wrong though.

Sleep number charges more for an adjustable base than many other stores. I do NOT know if their base is a better built unit. It may be possible to save some money buying the base from a regular mattress store and then purchasing the mattress from the sleep number store.

If I was single, I would have bought a different bed. In our situation, it was the only bed the two of us could agree on. When a person needs that type of bed to get a good night's sleep, the price becomes less of an issue. The aches and pains that often accompany growing older can limit our range of acceptable choices for a bed. If I had it to do over, I'd buy the sleep number bed again. It's not the perfect bed, but it is the best we could find for our needs.