Sleep Number Bed Review (i10 Model)

(Update: In April 2013 I did a follow up review of the Sleep Number Bed. You can find it HERE).

Do you happen to remember a post I wrote awhile ago called, “How Lack of Sleep Affects Running”? (What?? You don’t memorize every post I’ve ever written?) In the post I talked about how I wasn’t getting quality sleep every night, why that might be the case, and what I (and we) can do about it.
Enter my next product review.
After seeing that post, the Sleep Number people contacted me and asked if I would be willing to review one of their beds and to make efforts to create a “Bedroom Haven” for better sleeping.
I’ll be honest. I’ve never tried a Sleep Number Bed and it wasn’t even on my radar. But, a free bed to try? Yes, I was in.
Let me tell you, this Sleep Number thing is quite a process. First, Ken and I spent several hours at a Sleep Number store in Boulder on a cold and rainy night. Jeff, the very helpful and patient sales guy, navigated us through what a sleep number means and let us jump around on the beds and make messes of everything.

I got yelled at for putting my shoes on the bed

I hope my chiropractor does not see this. Not supposed to sleep on your stomach.

The idea behind Sleep Number is that everyone is different and therefore mattresses need to be individualized to the specific person. The bed has dual side air chambers that help to distribute your weight properly, decreasing discomfort, back pain, etc. There are pumps underneath the bed that respond to a remote control. A 100 setting is the highest and most firm the bed can go. Zero is the least or softest. To find your number, they start you at 100 and take you down to zero. You go up from there until just the right amount of firmness or softness is achieved.

I can’t figure this crap out

One of the coolest things was this 3-D technology they have in the store. You lay on the bed and can view on a computer how your weight is being distributed. As you moved towards a more ideal sleep number, the distribution becomes more even, taking pressure off of your back, hips, etc. For more info, watch this video HERE.
Ken and I like a pretty firm bed, so we were surprised by how low our numbers were. I was a 30 and he was a 40. After much laying around and diving from bed to bed, we settled on the a bed from the Innovation Series – the i10 model because it was the most comfortable, had a layer of memory foam in it and had a 15” pillow top that felt really plush, but not like marshmallows. We also picked the In Balance Queen Sheets and the Air Fit Adjustable Pillows in Goose Down.

Next up was getting the bed delivered. The set up is quite a process because there are pumps and air chambers and different layers of stuff. First they set up the foundation, then they put in the individual air chambers on each side of the bed:

Then they add a layer of comfort foam and a layer of memory foam (you can reverse them if you want):

And, voila! The bed is ready to go and delivery guy is glad he is done with the crazy lady taking pictures.

In addition to getting this kick ass bed, I was asked to create a “Bedroom Haven,” which just means adding some elements to your sleeping environment that make it more peaceful, restful and conducive to actually sleeping and not tossing and turning and sweating and crying because you can’t sleep and you have a race the next day. They even sent me an Illume saffron/lavender scented candle to “create a mellow mood in the bedroom.”
Here are my tips for creating a better sleep environment (i.e., Bedroom Haven):

• I like to spray lavender aromatherapy on my pillow. I find the smell soothing and relaxing.
  
• It's not too original, but I really enjoy Sleepy Time tea with honey before bed.
  
• We’ve got warm, soothing colors on the walls.
  
• I like a cool room and I also like white noise when I sleep. I always have a soft fan on when I go to bed.
  
• The darker the room the better, so I use dark wooden blinds on the window and a darkening blind over the skylight.

Go the the Sleep Number Bedroom Haven page to get more tips and to get a coupon for your own Illume Candle! The (honest) review: Admittedly, I have only slept on this bed for a few nights, so I can only give initial impressions. In my opinion the true test of a bed is only achieved after several months of sleeping on it. So, I will be back in about February to tell you more impressions. Until then: Pros:

• I’ve got to say this is probably the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept on. I’ve been having lots of lower back issues lately, and for some reason they are much worse at night. I find that the mattress/foam conforms to my body and supports it well, while not being too firm. My sleep quality has been very good and uninterrupted, which is different for me.
• Ken’s impression was that while he woke a lot the first night (he usually does that these days), he said it was the first time he has gotten out of bed in the morning (in a long time) and not had his usual 46 year old aches and pains.
• Ken and I are not heavy people, but for some reason we ruin our mattresses. No matter how high quality they are, we get visible sag/impression marks where we sleep. I am really excited that the Sleep Number bed will not sag or get too broken in (because the support comes from air, not coils, etc.).
• The sheets rock! I’ve got to say, I don’t mind spending a bit extra for good sheets. These  have fancy temperature balancing fibers to remove excess heat and are incredibly soft to sleep on/in. I highly recommend them, although I will say I thought it was rather cheap that pillowcases were not included in the set.

Cons:

• Price. While I did not have to pay for this bed (score for me!), if I did, I would not have one. They are pricey (about $999 to $4,999, but there is a sale going on now). But, when you take into account the technology behind the bed, as well as the quality and benefits, it just might be worth it.
• This is a complex system of air chambers, pumps, etc. That means there stuff that can go wrong. It also means this would not be the easiest bed to move. There is a 20 year limited warranty on the bed, with the first two years having no extra cost for repairs/replacements.
• I would not recommend the pillows that we got. While the idea behind them was pretty fancy (they have a valve that lets in or releases air, giving you the ideal firmness or softness), they are super dense and firm. I like my pillows fluffy and flexible, so this pillow did not work for me at  all.

Overall, I am really excited about this new bed. Like I said, you can’t truly judge a bed by only a few night’s sleep, so I’ll be back to give more impression in the upcoming months. But, for now sleeping on this bed is a total treat and I’ll probably be able to run a sub-3 hour marathon because of this bed (if only). If you want more info on the products, go online to Sleep Number or visit the Sleep Number Facebook page. Have you ever tried a Sleep Number bed or do you have one? What do you think? What type of mattress do you sleep on? Any tips for getting better sleep (i.e., stuff you do or don’t do before bed, how you have your room set up, etc.) SUAR Fine Print: I received these free Sleep Number products to review from Select Comfort/Sleep Number for this post to create my bedroom haven.