Everything You Need to Know About Mattresses With Adjustable Base

Maybe you’ve decided that you want an adjustable bed--you’ve made the decision and you’re ready to take the plunge. Maybe you are interested, but you have doubts about it. And maybe you’re just looking and curious. We find that one of the main questions that anyone has when they look into adjustable beds is whether they need a new mattress, and if they do, then what kind of mattress do they need? An adjustable bed is a big investment (but a good one) but are you going to have to splurge a lot more to get a specialized mattress to work with it?

Adjustable beds bend anywhere from 40 to 70 degrees, and that requires a pretty flexible bed. It also requires a durable bed that can take the constant adjustment--up and down, up and down. Mattresses built for adjustable beds have to be able to bend and have to be able to do it repeatedly. 

Can All Mattresses Be Used on Adjustable Beds?

Most mattresses can be used on adjustable beds, but there are some notable exceptions. Below are the main types of mattresses and how they stack up.

Gel and Memory Foam Mattresses

These mattresses work beautifully for adjustable beds, as they provide all the same movement and flexibility as the memory foam, plus all the form-fitting comfort, but they also offer the cooling gel layer which lowers your temperature and wicks away heat as the memory foam conforms to your body. Sleeping on a pure memory foam mattress can leave you sweaty and sticky, as it clings to you, but the gel of a gel/memory foam mattress will take care of that problem right away.

Dynasty Mattress offers the High End Quality Mattresses that you need.

Here is there most popular Gel Memory Foam Mattress.

Spring Mattress

A spring mattress with coils cannot be used on an adjustable bed as it is simply too rigid and doesn’t bend properly to accommodate the movement of the bed. These mattresses, even the best and most expensive ones, need to be used on a flat bed frame. Granted, there are some companies now who are producing coil mattresses that are specially built to accommodate an adjustable bed, but they are few and far between, and you should never make assumptions about the mattress and bed without contacting the manufacturer. 

Memory Foam Mattress

A memory foam mattress is a great option for an adjustable bed. Memory foam (a technology invented by NASA!) is made to conform to your body shape, and just like it conforms to you, it also conforms to the movement of the bed. Adjustable beds are designed to eliminate pressure points as much as possible, and memory foam is made for the same purpose. By combining the two of them you get a bed that is a near-perfect adjustable bed experience.

Latex Mattresses

Latex mattresses are also made of foam and are also good at eliminating pressure points, so you’d think they’d be just as good as a memory foam mattress, right? It’s pretty good, and some of them can indeed provide a comfortable experience, but there’s something different about a latex mattress. They’re foam, but they’re more rigid, and they don’t conform quite as well--if they’re too thick. We’ll talk about thickness more below, but just know that a latex mattress that is too thick won’t bend and flex as well as a memory foam mattress of the same thickness.

Hybrid Mattresses

Hybrid mattresses are great, but you can easily get them confused with a different type of mattress that isn’t great--the innerspring. Innerspring and hybrid sound the same, because they both combine foam with coils, but while a true hybrid will work as an adjustable bed, an innerspring will not. The difference is in the type of coils. Hybrid beds have something called pocketed coils, which are flexible and allow them to move and bend. Innerspring mattresses have a lower layer of coils and a flexible foam layer on top, making them much more rigid and unable to flex and bend--and therefore unsuitable for adjustable beds.

Airbed Mattresses

Airbeds depend a lot on the type of airbed. Specifically, it matters how many air chambers the airbed mattress has. If it has multiple air chambers, then it can likely be just fine on an adjustable bed, but an air mattress with a single air chamber throughout will not work as it is too rigid. Also, the points where the adjustable bed bends will deflate or thin when using an airbed, causing less comfort.

Does Mattress Thickness Matter?

Thickness does matter, but how much it matters depends on the type of mattress. A latex mattress, as we mentioned above, needs to be much thinner than a memory foam mattress. So there really is no good rule of thumb. A mattress can be anywhere between 6” and 14” and be a good fit on an adjustable bed, but it totally depends on the structure of the mattress.

Typically with a foam bed, you’re looking in the 10” to 14” range, and everything will work smoothly and you’ll be most comfortable. Thicker mattresses are almost always more comfortable, and the same is true with adjustable beds. So a latex mattress that needs to be 6” will work, but it won’t be as comfortable as a 12” foam mattress that also works.

Are Adjustable Beds Worth the Money?

Adjustable beds are definitely an investment. The question is how much value do you place on your rest? Remember that adjustable beds provide not only a good night’s sleep, but also a place for reading, for watching TV, for talking to visitors. If you’re in a position where you spend a lot of time in bed, or foresee yourself spending a lot of time in bed, then you owe it to yourself to at least investigate an adjustable bed. Try one out. See how it feels. See if you think it will improve your quality of life, and, if it does, it’s hard to put a price tag on years of pleasant dreams.

Do Dynasty Mattresses Work on Adjustable Beds?

Dynasty Mattresses work beautifully on adjustable beds. Made from Gel Memory Foam, they provide all the comfort and form-fitting benefit of a memory foam bed with the cooling feeling of a gel. They bend and flex with the adjustable bed, up to 14” thick, and even our thinner mattresses like the 10” are much better than what you’ll find elsewhere on the market.