The Select Comfort Mattress

The Select Comfort mattress is a very specific mattress brand manufactured by Select Comfort Corporation of Minnesota. You may not be familiar with the Select Comfort name, but you might be familiar with the Sleep Number bed. The Sleep Number bed is this company's one and only product - and a very successful one at that. Their mattresses are inflatable air mattresses that are adjustable on the fly to provide maximum comfort for users.

Select Comfort Sleep Number beds come in the typical size you would expect including twin, full, queen, and king. Their queen and king mattresses can also be ordered as either single or dual chambered, depending on your preference. Customers can buy just the mattresses alone or combine them with foundations, pedestals, and accessories like pillows, mattress toppers, mattress pads, and so on.

Select Comfort Construction

The Select Comfort Sleep Number bed is very simple in design yet very effective in providing comfort and support. It begins with the inner air chamber which can be a single unit or two units depending on customer preference. The air chamber strongly resembles a typical inflatable camping mattress except that it's made from a heavy-duty synthetic material designed to last for 20 to 30 years. The air chamber is electronically sealed at every seam in order to prevent leakage.

The air chamber is placed inside a fabric casing which very much resembles the casing used for inner spring mattresses. Since the casing itself does not provide enough rigidity, foam inserts are used around the edges to provide that extra support. With a dual chamber mattress an extra foam rail runs down the center of the bed in order to provide additional support between the two air chambers.

On top of air chambers go a foam mattress pad and then the pillow top cover of the casing. The top is attached to the sides of the casing with a zipper that go all the way around. Plastic tubes connected to the air chambers are also connected to a digital pump on the other hand. That pump is used to inflate the mattress to its desired pressure using a remote control or a wired control. The more expensive models have a digital remote that can adjust the mattresses in single increments from 5 to 100. Less expensive models adjust the mattress in increments of 5.

The Foundation

A Sleep Number mattress needs a firm foundation on which to rest so you can't use it with an existing box spring. Most people will simply remove the box spring from their old bed frame, lay down a piece of plywood, and then put the Select Comfort mattress on top of that. If you want the extra height provided by the box spring you can buy a plastic foundation to set on top of your existing bed frame. If you want to discard your existing bed frame altogether, you can purchase feet for the foundation for an entire pedestal unit on which the foundation rests.

Benefits of the Select Comfort Mattress

The primary advantage of the Select Comfort mattress is the fact that it is easily adjustable at any time. And because it's air rather than coil springs, it conforms to the natural shape of your body without causing pressure points. According to surveys it is one of the most comfortable beds on the market. It is also a bed that rarely gets returned by dissatisfied customers. With the Select Comfort mattress you get exactly the right firmness night after night regardless of how you feel. If you need more firmness on one night you simply adjust up. If you need more softness the next night you can adjust down as well.

With the Select Comfort mattress comes the added benefit of no motion transfer. Of course, this is contingent upon using a dual chamber mattress rather than a single chamber one. Nonetheless, with a dual chamber mattress one partner barely feels anything when the other partner moves in bed. Unlike coil spring mattresses or water bed mattresses, the motion of one partner is almost entirely confined to his chamber.

Disadvantages of the Select Comfort Mattress

Among the disadvantages of the Select Comfort mattress, the most common complaint seems to be that the mattresses sleeps extremely hot. That's probably due to the fact that its construction resists airflow through the mattress while at the same time acting as an insulator. However, Select Comfort does sell a specialized mattress topper that mitigates the heat issue.

The other obvious disadvantage is that the Select Comfort mattress is still an air mattress and therefore more vulnerable to damage. Owners must still be careful not to drop large amounts of weight on the bed, keep sharp objects away, and avoid extreme temperature changes.

Shopping for your Select Comfort Mattress

Select comfort offers 10 different series of mattress and bed combinations designated by a specific number. When it's time to go shopping you'll want to visit a local Select Comfort store in your area and actually lie on the mattresses for a demonstration. Once you find the mattress that's right for you, you'll then have to mix and match the other options. You'll have to make choices regarding the number of air chambers, the type of control system you use, your foundation and pedestal, a mattress pad and topper, and any of the other options available at that particular time.

Once you make your choices you will fill out all the paperwork and make your payment. Select comfort usually ships within 48 hours so you'll have your bed in under a week. Once it arrives you should be able to assemble in about 30 minutes or less. The instructions are pretty straightforward, easy to understand, and complete with illustrations.