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Sleep Number review: back pain 6

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6:03 am EDT
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My wife is a blogger and she entered a blog contest for a free P2 Queen sized sleep number bed. She won the contest and a few months later, our Sleep Number bed coupon arrived. We drove an hour to take it to the store to redeem the coupon. Man were we excited. I have had back pain for a while now and we thought that it would help it tremendously. Upon receiving the sleep number bed in 4 different boxes, I was amazed to find out the bed is plastic...a $2, 000 plastic bed? Nonetheless, we set it up in about an hour and had a go at it. She loves it. Doesn't want to get rid of it, but I guess we're going to have to get separate rooms in order for me to sleep because this bed is absolutely horrid! I wake up after 5 hours of tossing and turning only to find that I can't fully straighten my back out. I have to work through the pain in my back for about a half hour or so while waiting for my Aleve to kick in.

There seems to be only 2 different positions that this bed will go in: (1) Hump mode and (2) ditch mode. Hump mode: In this mode, the air bag is filled up to keep from going in to ditch mode. Unfortunately, it causes a hump right down the center of my side of the bed, so my body is slipping down the hump towards my wife's side of the bed, or down towards the floor. I suppose I can try straddling the hump. . . . this doesn't quite work though, because once I'm asleep I usually wake up sleeping on the little piece of cheap foam that separates her airbag from my airbag.

Ditch Mode: In this mode, the "air bag" gets all the air pushed to the head and the foot of the bed, which causes my body to be contorted in to the shape of a "C." I've always wanted to be a cheerleader, but I never thought I should be "giving you a 'C' " while I'm sleeping. Anyhow, this mode seems to be a bit more comfortable, however I believe that this position causes the most back pain. It seems that every time I adjust myself in the bed another part of my body becomes adjusted as well due to the fact that the air is pushed to one side of the "air bag." The secondary adjustment is not a good thing, however. It is actually very painful. This Ditch Mode causes me a lot of pain in the morning. Terrible pain.

Like I said earlier, my wife absolutely loves this bed. She gets mad when I gripe about the bed, but let's face it: (1) I get no sleep which makes me grouchy and (2) EVERY morning I wake up with excruciating back pain. Her reasoning behind the back pain is "You're always in pain when you get up!" While this assertion is true, it fails to tell the true tale, because this bed makes my back hurt much much much worse.

Verdict: If your back is 100%, and you're a female that weighs 170 lbs, blonde haired, blue eyed with freckles, then this bed is perfect for you, but if you have back pain, weigh over 200 lbs and can't straddle humps well, then I would suggest passing on this Chinese made plastic box with an air mattress and strips of foam.* I'm just very glad that I didn't pay money for this bed. If I had, this review would be even worse and my wife probably would've already left me, taken the kids and found another man that doesn't have back problems, so she can keep the bed. (I'm joking of course.)

*disclaimer-I have no proof that the bed is Chinese made, but I can't think for the life of me why an American manufacturer would produce such a low-grade product.

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6 comments
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spinchab
, US
Apr 13, 2016 8:36 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I have had a Sleep number bed since 2009 and I have slept on it about a total of 30 times, from the very first night I had extreme back and shoulder pain and it is directly related to this bed no matter what setting I use. To try to make my sleep more comfortable we purchased a 3" memory foam topper and I must admit felt great when you first laid down to go to sleep but I woke up with the same back and shoulder pain. Since my wife enjoyed this bed I was pretty much exiled to the couch after she went to sleep if I wanted not to wake up in extreme pain for the last 7 years. My wife loved this bed at first but now she complains every morning about the same pain I was experiencing. What really enlightened her was we took a trip a few months back and stayed at a few hotels and with a few relatives and we both woke up feeling great. The bed we bought was one that had two twin mattresses with pillow tops and the adjustable base which wasn't a cheap endeavor, I believe we gave over $4500 for the setup. Now we are in the market for another bed and I would not buy another sleep number bed. I am really looking forward to spend entire restful nights in bed with my wife once again

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MadJeff
, US
Nov 07, 2015 10:26 am EST

I have tried every number on this bed except 0. This bed makes me feel like I'm 98 yes old. Joint pain, back pain, muscle stiffness etc...This is the worst bed I've ever slept on. I can't believe I spent $3, 000 to make my life miserable.

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Susanyc
Waverly, US
Feb 18, 2014 1:51 pm EST

I do agree with the statement if your back is in 100 % condition than maybe this bed will work for you! But for over 3 thousand dollars! Made of plastic ! And nothing more than an air mattress with a pretty topper please people save your money! Plus 300.00 dollars in no return shipping! Don't take the chance! Not worth the money! And costumer service is just awful/-(! I'm just so mad at my self for this bad choice I made purchasing the i8 sleep number bed! Can't wait till that truck pulls up to take it to wherever they take them and refurbish and sell again!:-( bottom line not worth a fraction of what the price is and poor costumer service:-(

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Aprilsc03
Woodstock, US
Jul 12, 2013 8:46 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Like Steph3 we paid about $4000 for this bed after I had back surgery and thought it would really help. This bed is a glorified air mattress. It's horrible and both my husband and I wake up sore every morning no matter the setting. They sent us extra foam to put in the middle to help with the hump effect and it makes no difference. I feel completely stupid and duped for wasting so much money. Expensive lesson.

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Steph3
Brazil, US
May 31, 2013 8:18 am EDT

Unfortunately I have to agree with you that it does cause back problems. I've adjusted it to different settings and it didn't make a difference. My husband, who has a fractured back was the one wanting this bed. It makes him
Hurt worse. I don't have back probs unless I sleep on it. We paid almost $4000 for it and I'm more comfortable in my daughter $100 cheap mattress. Very discouraging.

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Sleep Number Help
, US
May 14, 2010 2:12 pm EDT

Hello, my name is Chris and I work with Select Comfort's Online Customer Service team. I'm sorry to hear you've had difficulty getting comfortable on the bed. The Sleep Number bed has been clinically proven to reduce back pain and millions of our owners have benefited from our product. If possible, we would like to see if there's anything we can do to help you sleep better. Please contact us at [protected] so we can discuss the matter in greater detail. We would like to have the opportunity to help you enjoy your Sleep Number bed as much as your wife does.

Sleep Well
Chris V