How can I make my sofa bed mattress comfortable?

Here's how to make a sofa bed more comfy

A pull-out couch or sleeper sofa bed is one of those furniture staples that can give you the ability to host visitors without dedicating a room to the task — or to give you more space in a cramped studio where you may not have the room for both a bed and a couch. 

But all that space-saving comes at a cost. Sofa beds can be uncomfortable, especially over extended periods of time, and if you've ever spent a week or two (or more!) on a sofa bed, it's likely that you can still remember the pain in your back, neck or shoulders to this day. 

Those crossbars in the pull-out bed hit all the pressure points in the wrong way.  But how to improve the pull-out couch bed? How to get a good night’s sleep?

However, instead of swapping out that sleeper sofa bed for a bonafide mattress and box frame, there are some things that you can do to make that sofa bed mattress more comfortable. That's better than replacing an expensive piece of furniture if the sofa fits your aesthetic and your comfort level, even if you have your doubts about continuing to rely on that uncomfortable bed within.

Add a Mattress Topper

If the existing mattress in your sleeper sofa bed is adequate but you're just looking for additional padding during those long nights, you might be able to get by with a mattress topper, a pillow-top sofa bed. That mattress topper will add a couple inches in cushiony comfort to the sofa bed, and that may be enough to turn it into something that actually works instead of something you can't tolerate.

Made from simple foam, memory foam, gel-infused foam, microfiber or cotton, a mattress topper can help you dial up the comfort when added to an existing sofa bed mattress. They're also relatively inexpensive, which is great for the wallet, but it won't magically transform that uncomfortable mattress into one that you love. It'll be marginally better, and that could be enough.

Use A Sofa Bed Mattress Pad

When you think of pads to sleep on — and you’re not talking about a sofa bed mattress cover — then you might first think of the pads you sleep on when you’re camping. And the concept is really the same. Rather than a mattress topper, a mattress pad goes underneath the mattress and, just like a camping pad protects your back from rocks on the ground, a mattress pad protects your back from the metal crossbars of the fold-out sofa.

Use Good-Quality Pillows

When considering the comfort of a sleeper sofa, many neglect to think about the role that pillows play. After all, you're resting your head on that pillow all night, and a pillow that's too soft, stiff or that may be the wrong type for your sleeping preferences can turn even the most comfortable sofa bed into an uncomfortable nightmare.

By pairing the right pillow with your needs, by getting a special sofa bed pillow, you can help make that sleeper sofa bed much more comfortable than trying to use a decorative pillow or — worse yet — a rigid couch cushion that can tweak your neck at all sorts of weird angles.

As for what's inside, go for plush pillows with feathers or memory foam that will give where it's needed, but also provide the required support to help you or your guests make it through the night. If you have allergies, consider looking into visco-elastic foam pillows.

Add a Duvet

Most standard beds feature some kind of comfy duvet or blanket to keep you warm and cozy underneath. But if you're trying to get through the night with a thin sheet or a scratchy, uncomfortable blanket, that can make your sofa bed mattress feel a lot worse than it may actually be. By adding a comfortable duvet or a good blanket to the mix, you can turn that uncomfortable sofa bed into something that is tolerable, if not outright comfortable.

If you're still struggling with comfort after adding a comfortable blanket up top, try putting it underneath you. A nice plush blanket or duvet can have considerable padding of its own, and if you use it as a mattress topper, you may be able to get more comfort out of that sofa sleeper bed.

Try a Weighted, Warming or Cooling Blanket

If the duvet isn't quite doing it for you, you can always try specialty blankets to help make other aspects of your sleep more comfortable. For some people, a weighted blanket is a great way to relax and de-stress, which can help you get more rejuvenating rest out of your sleep.

On the other hand, a warming or cooling blanket is ideal if it's the temperature that is keeping you uncomfortable; they can help you manage how you feel in bed without having to reach for the thermostat.

Clean That Mattress

If you're like most people, the last time you cleaned your sofa bed mattress was probably when you — okay, let's go with never. But a dirty sleeper sofa mattress is not only gross, it can disrupt your sleeping if there are strange smells and other unpleasant things such as food or spills that were never properly addressed. Sure, you might be able to throw a new sheet on that dirty mattress, but those smells will still come through.

To get your sleeper sofa bed mattress cleaned, start with a vacuum. Run it over every seam, nook and cranny on your mattress, and make use of stain remover, too, if needed. You probably won't be able to completely clean your sleeper sofa mattress without removing it from the sofa bed, so bring it all out so it can breathe properly. When you're done, you can spray a fabric refresher to help pull out those smells and give it a pleasant scent.

Flip the Mattress

Over time, all mattresses lose their ability to support and provide comfort throughout the night. But inside of a sleeper sofa bed, that mattress can spend 99 percent of its time folded up and tucked away, creating bad seams and other uncomfortable signatures that make for a bad night's sleep. By flipping it, you'll be spreading out the wear and reducing the folds that may be making your mattress uncomfortable, as well as increasing the life of your mattress.

There's a handy trick that you can try before flipping your mattress to see if it’s needed. Just grab a yardstick and lay it on top of the mattress when it's folded out. If there are any gaps between the bed and the stick, you should flip it. 

Otherwise, or if you've already flipped it recently, you may want to leave it alone. Note that some mattresses are not designed to be flipped, particularly if they come with some kind of topper woven in.

Buy a New Mattress

If all else fails, you may need to buy a better mattress for the sofa bed. There's only so much that you can do to compensate for an uncomfortable sleeper sofa bed mattress, and it's often the case that buying a new, comfortable mattress is the only way to get a better night's sleep. 

And we recommend a foam sofa bed mattress. But not just any foam sofa mattress. Get a gel memory foam sofa bed for pressure relief.

Here at Dynasty Mattress, we sell a comfortable gel memory foam mattress designed to fit most sofa couches, up to 4.5 inches thick. Getting a sofa bed with a memory foam mattress — with Gel technology — will be one of the most comfortable things you can do for your pull-out couch bed. 

With dual high-density gel memory foam layers, it's one of the most comfortable mattresses you can buy for a pull-out couch. Starting with a base of foam — memory foam — which cradles you snugly and comfortably, we add a layer of gel that wicks away heat. There’s nothing worse than a memory foam mattress that hugs your body so you sweat all night. The high-quality gel takes care of that.

How to Improve RV Sofa Bed Comfort

Of course, all of these things can be said about an RV sofa bed. Most RV sofa beds are built with one purpose: to conserve space and weight. They’re not built with comfort as their primary objective. But after a long day of riding in the RV (or a long day doing camping activities and turning in at night), you’re going to want a comfortable RV sofa bed frame. 

Fortunately, Dynasty Mattress has an exclusive line of RV mattresses, not just special for the quirky bed sizes in an RV, but for RV sofa beds, too. You can absolutely get the comfortable night’s sleep you want on an RV sofa bed.

Shop our sofa beds here