Buying a new bed is a big decision. We spend a third of our lives in our beds--more if we’re aging or disabled. Choosing the right bed is about choosing your quality of life, and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. 

If you’ve never slept in an adjustable bed, or think that a hospital bed is as adjustable as they come, then you’ve got a whole new world awaiting you. 

Adjustable beds offer so much to so many people and have many good qualities that their owners swear they would never live without. So can you afford to live without them? Is an adjustable bed right for you? And is an adjustable base worth it? 

Here we’ve compiled a list of all the reasons, pros and cons, as to why you’d want (or not want) an adjustable bed. 

What Are the Pros and Cons of An Adjustable Bed? Are Adjustable Bed Frames Worth It?

Let’s start off with the pros because, honestly, there are a lot more pros than there are cons when it comes to adjustable beds.

Pros of Adjustable Beds 

Pain relief

Do doctors recommend adjustable beds? Using an adjustable bed, you can get it into any position that you’d desire, and that can mean that it will take pressure off of tender, sore, inflamed parts of the body. 

Whether you’re raising your feet, your back, your neck, getting lumbar support, or any number of other tweaks, you can find a position that makes your body feel better. People with arthritis, frozen shoulders, and neck problems report that they’ve found relief. So have those with spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis, and other degenerative back problems. It can even help with acid reflux.

But it’s more than just physical pains that are relieved. Sleeping in an adjustable bed can help to cure insomnia, stop snoring, reduce heartburn, and help with restless leg syndrome. 

And if you’re struggling with your health, there are some beds that both lift to help you into a standing position, as well as lower to get your feet closer to the floor. It makes getting in and out of bed significantly easier.

Comfort

An adjustable bed is a comfortable bed. You can sleep in any position that you choose: if you want your feet elevated, you can do that; if you want a slight incline for your back (or a major incline) you can do that too. Some adjustable beds can go to 45 degrees or more.  

Plus there’s more to comfort than just sleeping. Beds that have good lumbar support as well as the ability to raise the neck and head make sitting in bed easy and comfortable, from head to foot. It makes watching TV or reading a book, or talking to other people in the room simple and easy, all while keeping you in a position that supports you where you need to be supported. 

And on top of that, once you find the right position for you, the place where you’re the most comfortable, you can program the bed so that it can return to that perfect spot every night before you go to sleep, or every morning when you wake up. It locks in your comfort positions. And they can adjust on both sides of the bed, so you and your sleep partner can be in different positions.

Independence

You may be reluctant to get an adjustable bed because what if your partner doesn’t like the same adjustments you do? What if they want to lie flatter while you want to be propped up? What if they need to be raised to keep from snoring while you want to roll on your side on a flat bed? 

The answer is in the split-mattress, split-bed technology. You can get your king, or even California king, sized mattress, but get it with a split down the center and you and your partner can be completely independent of each other. 

They can rise and you can lower. They can lie down while you stay up. Both of you can control your own sides with your own controls (which are simply apps on your smartphone). You get the best of both worlds.

And, as an extra convenience, the beds even have bells and whistles like under-bed lighting and USB ports so you can charge your phone while getting a good night’s sleep.

Built-in Massage

This should go without a need for explanation, but an adjustable bed can give you a massage unlike you’ve ever had, and you can get it without paying to go to a spa or even leaving the comfort of your bedroom. Built-in massage is one of the most coveted features of an adjustable bed, and many people swear by them, either as a relaxer at the end of a long day, or something invigorating to get the blood pumping in the morning.

A good massage from an adjustable bed can help with neck pain, swollen legs, and other aches and pains. It can even help keep your feet from falling asleep.

Good Warranty

A good adjustable bed comes with a good warranty. Now, granted, there are adjustable beds out there that we wouldn’t call “good” and that lack the warranty. But most adjustable beds come with a warranty that covers parts and labor for a certain amount of time, and then the frame itself for even longer. At Dynasty Mattress, our adjustable beds come with a 10-year parts and repair warranty and a 25-year frame warranty.

Cons of an Adjustable Bed 

You May Need a Different Mattress

While there are some adjustable beds that will accept any mattress, generally speaking innerspring mattresses don’t work as well in adjustable beds because they’re not as flexible and won’t move as the bed moves. 

There’s also the point (mentioned above) that you may want a split mattress so that the two sides can move independently. So, consider the fact that investing in a new gel memory foam mattress might be in your best interest when getting an adjustable bed. 

More Expensive

We’ll just come out and say it: adjustable beds are not as cheap as regular beds frames. But that’s because an adjustable bed offers so much more. With a regular bed you’ve got a couple of cross bars and a headboard, and not much else. With an adjustable mattress, well, we’ve already talked about what you get. 

Heavy

An adjustable bed is heavier than a standard bed, so if you’re the type to redecorate your room often and want to move the bed from over here to over there, then you’ll need to be aware that it’s more than a one-person job. For most people, this won’t come up more than once or twice over the life of their bed. 

Harder to Make the Bed

This is a small thing, but worth mentioning. Adjustable beds have retainer bars that hold the mattress in place as it moves up and down. This can make the traditional chore of making the bed somewhat different. It’s not harder, it just requires learning a new way to do the task.  

What Do Doctors Say? 

According to Dr. L. Anita Cone-Sullivan, MD, writing for Spine Health, she says that an adjustable bed can be particularly effective at helping with the following wide variety of health conditions: 

• Degenerative spondylolisthesis: If you sleep with your back elevated and your knees supported, it can lower back pain
• Osteoarthritis: Sleeping in a reclined position can minimize osteoarthritis pain because it puts less compression on the joints
• Lumbar spinal stenosis: Being able to lean forward can help relieve these symptoms
• Back surgery: if you’re recovering from back surgery, being in a reclined position will aid with your recovery
  
  

If you’re suffering from any of these afflictions, Dr. Cone-Sullivan recommends sleeping in a reclined chair one night and seeing if your pain is relieved at all. If it is, then that’s a good sign that an adjustable bed is right for you.

What Does Dynasty Offer? 

Dynasty Mattress is on the forefront of adjustable bed technology. The non-profit Sleep Foundation declared that, of all adjustable beds, the Dynasty DM9000s Series ranked the best for Overall Best Features.

DM9000s Series

The Dynasty DM9000s Series offers patented true lumbar support that really aims at your lower back to relieve pain. It also has independent head tilt, so you can control your head position without having to raise your upper body. There is independent chest and leg articulation, and the bed is wall hugging, which means that as it raises it slides backwards so that you’re always right next to your nightstand, no matter what position you’re in. It also is ultra quiet.

Shop Adjustable Beds

Are you ready to try an adjustable bed today?