Do You Need an Adjustable Bed Frame?
Disclaimer: This article is intended for general guidance and should not be considered medical advice. If you have mobility concerns, acid reflux or any other health conditions mentioned in this article, please speak with your GP or a medical professional for the best advice and guidance for your situation.
An adjustable bed frame raises the head or foot of the bed at the touch of a button, and it can be useful in a small number of situations. For everyone else, it adds cost, weight, motors and compromises to something that works very well without them.
Your comfort comes from the mattress and from a solid, supportive base underneath it, so to answer the question directly: For most people, the answer is no, you don’t need an adjustable bed. What you need for good sleep is adequate support, comfort, and temperature regulation.
How An Adjustable Bed Frame Works
An adjustable frame has a hinged base that's split into sections. Electric motors lift the head section, the leg section or both, and you control the angle with a handset. Larger sizes are often built as two separate halves so each person can set their own side.
The frame does the moving, and the mattress has to bend along with it every time. That's worth keeping in mind, because it limits which mattresses you can use and it asks a lot of the one you choose.
The Benefits of Adjustable Bed Frames
There are three main ones:
- Sitting up in bed. With the head section raised, you can read or watch TV with your back supported.
- Raised legs. Lifting the foot section can feel relaxing at the end of a long day.
- Getting in and out of bed. Raising the head section brings you closer to a seated position, which can help if you have limited mobility.
You'll also see adjustable beds suggested for things like snoring and reflux. If you're considering one for a health reason, speak to your GP or physiotherapist first, because they can tell you whether a raised position is likely to help you and whether there's a simpler way to achieve it.
For someone with a real mobility need, those benefits matter. For most sleepers, they're occasional conveniences, and a good headboard and the right pillow cover the first one very well.
The Drawbacks Worth Knowing About
If you’re planning on investing in an adjustable bed, there are a couple of things you should know:
- They cost a lot more. An adjustable base is a much bigger purchase than a standard frame, and if you choose a split model you're buying two bases and two mattresses.
- There's more to go wrong. Motors, hinges, handsets and wiring are all moving or electrical parts. A fixed frame has none of them, which is why a well-made one can carry a long guarantee with confidence.
- Your mattress choice shrinks. The mattress has to flex repeatedly without losing its support, so many deeper, more supportive mattresses aren't suitable. You can end up choosing a mattress for the frame's sake, when it should be chosen for yours.
- They're heavy and awkward. The mechanism makes the base far heavier than a normal frame. That makes delivery, assembly and any future house move more difficult.
- You lose the space underneath. The motors and framework fill the area under the bed, so there's no room for drawers or an Ottoman compartment. In most UK bedrooms, that storage is valuable.
- They need power, and they make noise. You'll need a socket behind the bed, and you'll hear the motor each time you adjust it, which isn't ideal if one of you goes to bed later.
- Split models change how the bed feels. Two bases mean two mattresses with a join down the middle, two sets of fitted sheets and a bed that separates whenever one side moves.
- Style options are limited. Adjustable bases are designed around the mechanism, so you'll usually have far fewer choices of headboard, fabric, colour and finish.
Where Good Sleep Really Comes From
An adjustable frame changes the angle you lie at. It doesn't change how well your body is supported, and support is what decides how you feel in the morning.
Studies have shown that a medium-firm mattress offers the best sleep quality and support, which is why every Simba mattress is designed to feel medium-firm. Our patented Aerocoil® titanium alloy microsprings respond individually to your hips and shoulders, our graphite-infused Simbatex® foam gives all the comfort of memory foam without the heat, and the breathable cover zips off for washing. If you're trying to fix restless or uncomfortable nights, this is where your money does the most good.
What We'd Choose Instead
We don't make an adjustable frame at Simba, and that's a deliberate choice. We'd sooner put the engineering into the mattress and give it a strong, simple base to sit on. Our fixed bed frames come in upholstered, wooden and metal designs, and they all have expertly engineered bases that give our Hybrid® mattresses the support they need.
Here's what you get with a Simba frame that an adjustable base can't offer:
- Built-in storage. Many of our beds can be configured with two drawers, four drawers or an Ottoman base. The Ottoman uses a gas-lift mechanism to raise the mattress platform, which opens up a compartment the full size of the bed.
- A sturdy headboard. Our upholstered beds have generously padded headboards in winged, curved, waved and scrolled designs, so sitting up to read is comfortable without any motors.
- Real choice. There are 22 colours and textures across velvet, tweed, brushed chenille and plush fleece, and our free swatch service lets you see them at home first.
- Quality materials. Our upholstered beds are made in the UK using FSC-certified wood, and our wooden beds are made from solid ash or oak.
- Peace of mind. Every Simba bed comes with a 200-night trial and a 10-year guarantee.
If sitting up in bed is what appeals to you most, pair one of these headboards with our Hybrid® Pillow. You can add or remove its Nanocubes® to change the height and firmness, so it works for reading as well as sleeping.
So, Do You Need An Adjustable Bed?
If you or someone you care for has a mobility need, an adjustable bed can be the right tool, and it's worth getting professional advice on which type. For everyone else, we'd spend the money on a supportive mattress and a well-built frame with storage. You'll get better support every night, a bed that suits your room, nothing to plug in and nothing to service.
FAQs
Our mattresses are designed for a supportive, dedicated mattress platform, and they're at their best on a sprung or rigid slatted frame, a divan or a box spring. If you already own an adjustable base and you'd like to know whether it's suitable, email hello@simbasleep.com and we'll confirm it for you in writing.
An adjustable pillow is the simplest way to change the height of your head and neck. If you've been advised to raise your upper body for a medical reason, ask your GP what they'd recommend.
If you're using a slatted base, the slats should be no more than 7.5cm (3 inches) apart so the mattress is evenly supported.
No. A well-made storage bed supports the mattress just as evenly as a bed without storage, so the feel comes from the mattress.
Yes. Our beds are on display in a number of Barker and Stonehouse showrooms, and the store finder on our website will show you the closest one. You'll also have the 200-night trial once your bed is home.
