Electric adjustable beds

Electric adjustable beds have become popular and affordable over recent years. They are available in single or double (and sometimes king) sizes and they have a number of benefits.

Because of their adjustment and ability to conform to different sleeping and resting positions they make good orthopedic beds.

How they work

Adjustable beds can have their angle of tilt increased from the horizontal towards the vertical by the use of quiet operation remote controlled electric motors.

With most adjustable beds this adjustment is applied and controlled separately for the top and bottom half of the bed. This means that the person lying on the bed can elevate their head and upper body and their legs and feet separately (or both simultaneously). This opens up an almost limitless number of horizontal and semi elevated resting positions which is why this kind of bed is often described as an ideal orthopedic bed.

The remote control unit is usually hand held and it allows very gradual and controllable adjustments of the top and bottom bed sections' tilt and elevation. In many adjustable bed models there will also be factory preset positions and the ability to pre-program user favourite positions.

The advantages of this kind of adjustable bed are many.

Some people will find it easier to get in to and out of a bed where the upper mattress section is elevated to a raked seating position. This is particularly true of older people and those with back problems or weak muscles.

The tilted seating position makes reading and watching TV more comfortable. It is also perfect for anyone who is convalescing and has to take their meals and drinks whilst in bed.

Slightly elevating the legs and feet is something that many older people find comfortable. It can also help if someone has swollen feet or ankles at the end of a busy day.

Having the luxury of being able to change the support positions that the bed offers, at the touch of a button, can aid sleep and alleviate pressure points on the body. By doing this it can increase the extent and restful quality of sleep.

Adjustable double beds

Most electrically adjustable double beds work like two connected single beds.

This means that each half of the bed (i.e. left and right side) has its own independent remote control, thereby enabling two people sleeping in the same bed to make independent positioning adjustments. This makes adjustable double beds very popular.

Other features

Adjustable beds will usually have special mattresses that have an additional flexing ability at their centre point. This allows the bed to cantilever up or down from its central horizontal axis without causing damage to the construction of the mattress.

In the case of a double bed there will be two mattresses, one for each sleeper. Many electrically adjustable beds will either have, or offer as an optional extra, a heating function for cooler nights.

Amazingly, a number of manufacturers now produce adjustable beds at similar prices to some of the top of the range visco elastic memory foam and composite orthopedic beds. This makes electrically adjustable beds a serious alternative to a multi layer memory foam mattress, or a combination spring and memory foam or Latex foam mattress.

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