You've probably seen the TV commercials.
And it seems to be the buzz among mattress shoppers. I'm talking, of course, about the Sleep Number bed.
If you don't already know, the Sleep Number bed is an airbed. It uses air as the main supporting feature -- as opposed to innersprings, water or memory foam.
I'm going to tell you about its main advantages of disadvantages.
I first, however, want to tell you that I'm uniquely qualified to give this information. That's because I recently spent at least 250 hours scouring through nearly 50 online forums, message boards, consumer websites, etc. gathering information from at least 1,600 people on what they think of their mattresses.
Advantages
Comfort -- Most people are pleased with the comfort of their Sleep Number bed. In fact, those who like the bed often do so passionately.
Adjustable firmness -- The Sleep Number bed provides adjustable firmness at the push of a button, as do most air beds. More air in the mattress means more firmness, and vice versa. The Sleep Number bed offers duel air chambers which allow two people sleeping on the bed to have their own firmness setting. And the bed is called "Sleep Number" because the firmness level is indicated by a number. The firmer the setting is, the higher the number.
Disadvantages
Air loss -- All air mattresses by their nature will lose air over time (permeation), and air will need to be added to compensate. However, according to my research, about 11% of Sleep Number bed owners reported frequent and significant air loss. This apparently was mostly due to faulty air pumps and connections and not merely permeation.
Trench / intrusion in middle of bed -- According to my research, about 14% of Sleep Number bed owners said that there was a trench or intrusion in the middle of the bed between the two air chambers. This was especially noticeable when the two chambers had very different firmness levels. This trench / intrusion could undermine the bed's comfort and discourage intimate encounters among couples.