5 Health Benefits of Adjustable Beds

You’ve probably noticed that as we get older, sleep becomes a more and more precious commodity. Not only is it harder to get to sleep, but there are so many things that prevent us from staying asleep – achy joints, restless partners and extra trips to the bathroom to name a few. It’s a pity because getting enough, good quality sleep is one of the best ways to boost our health and give us more energy during the day… something we need more and more of as the years go by.

Fortunately, there are a few steps we can take to ensure we’re getting the best sleep we can, and one of these is to consider a good-quality adjustable bed. Not only does an adjustable bedmake it much easier to get comfortable when aches and pains flare up – which they often do at night – but sleeping with the head and knees slightly raised also offers several extra health benefits of its own, which you can take advantage of for no extra effort.

1. Find a Better Resting and Sleeping Position
2. Boost Circulation
3. Improve Mobility and Promote Independence
4. Relief for Back Pain
5. Support for Arthritic Joints

What is an Adjustable Bed?

An adjustable bed put very simply, is a piece of furniture designed for sleeping on. Unlike a regular bed, however, it has a special base and frame that allows the user to change position, so they can raise and lower the top or the bottom of the bed as they desire. This means the user can sit up in bed, sleep with their head slightly raised, raise their knees, lift their feet or choose any combination in between.

With tailored measurements, the hinges of a reclining bed are precisely aligned with the neck, hips and knees so the body is always fully supported, no matter what position the bed is in. It’s much better than using pillows, which lack support and often fall out of place, and is a great option for couples who have different sleeping requirements as each side can be operated independently. (If one of you snores or suffers from indigestion, it may also help with that as well!) As an extra bonus, adjustable beds are made to look like regular beds, so you don’t have to compromise on style or design either.

The Connection Between Health and Sleep

Lots of research has been done on the benefits sleep has on the body, and while not everything is known about the mysteries of the Land of Nod, it’s generally agreed that the body does its best healing work when we’re asleep.

When we don’t get enough sleep, these healing processes are short-circuited which means injuries can take longer to heal and we’re more likely to feel pain and tension in our bodies during the day. Sleep also helps regulate hormone levels in the body, including the ones associated with muscle repair and new tissue growth. Imbalanced hormones can make getting to sleep more difficult – even if we’re already tired – which further compounds the problem.

On top of that, insufficient sleep can also negatively impact our mood, concentration and energy levels during the day, making us more likely to sustain an injury through fatigue or via an accident. With all this in mind, it makes good sense to ensure we make our sleeping environment as comfortable as possible, so we can enjoy all the health benefits of a deep, uninterrupted night’s sleep.

The Health Benefits of Adjustable Beds

Speaking of health benefits, there are several more that rise and recline beds can provide, as well as improving our quality of sleep, and you can access them all simply by sleeping in the right position. These include:

1. Find a Better Resting and Sleeping Position

If you are experiencing chronic pain, finding a comfortable sleeping or resting position in a regular bed can be a challenge, especially if the bed is squeaky, lumpy or you can feel springs poking into you. With an adjustable bed and mattress, however, you can experience the comfort and weightlessness of the zero-gravity position, which is when the head and knees are raised slightly above the heart.

In this position, no part of the body is under more strain than any other, so it’s much easier to get comfortable. Tossing and turning is reduced, as are the chances of waking up due to discomfort, meaning we not only get more sleep, but the sleep we do get will be better quality. And that means that during the day we’ll experience more energy, better concentration and greater wellbeing overall.

2. Boost Circulation

As we get older, it can be more difficult to keep up our regular physical activity, and this can have a negative impact on our circulation. We may suffer from issues such as bed sores or better known as pressure sores, swelling, varicose veins and numbness, all of which are often made worse by long periods of bed rest.

To counteract this, it can be helpful to raise the legs slightly when sleeping, to ease the workload on the heart pumping blood around the body. As blood flow and circulation is also essential for healing, this is especially important for people recovering from injury, surgery or illness. It can also help rejuvenate tired legs and provide some relief from the effects of being on our feet during the day.

3. Improve Mobility and Promote Independence

Another advantage of adjustable beds is that they are good for maintaining and improving one’s mobility. Many people don’t like the thought of asking help from others to do mundane tasks such as getting out of bed or adjusting a pillow, but with an adjustable bed, they have the freedom and the confidence to move with little to no assistance from other people. With a remote control, they can easily find their ideal position, and an adjustable height function makes it much easier to get in and out without having to wait for help.

For individuals who do struggle to get in and out of bed unassisted, the raise and lower function of an electric bed makes it much safer for a carer to assist, or to move their patient from the bed to a chair and back again. Some models, like the Mobility Furniture Company’s  , even have a swing function to make this process even easier.

4. Relief for Back Pain

Nearly all of us will experience back pain at some point in our lives, and whether it’s a short-term injury or a long-term condition, being able to sleep comfortably is crucial to how much it impacts our daily routine and how quickly we recover. Sleeping in the zero-gravity position not only gives us more chance of uninterrupted sleep, but it’s much better for supporting the spine in its natural ‘S’ position than sleeping horizontally.

For lower back pain, sleeping with the feet slightly raised takes pressure off the lower back and is particularly good for anyone suffering from sciatica or slipped discs. For upper back pain, raising the head slightly helps relieve tension in the neck and shoulders without forcing them into an unnatural position. A good quality medium to firm adjustable mattress is also essential if you suffer from any kind of back pain, ideally in a material that has low bounce-back or motion transfer properties such as memory foam or gel, particularly if slipped discs are a recurring problem.

5. Support for Arthritic Joints

Arthritis is a common condition that affects the musculoskeletal system, usually characterised by sore and swollen joints and often painful at night. Arthritis sufferers often find it difficult to get comfortable and hence enjoy a good night’s sleep, which is a shame because sleep may be on of the best way to relax the body and reduce tension

Sleeping in the zero-gravity position is a helpful way to ease the symptoms of arthritis. Tailored measurements ensure that no joint is under more strain than any other, particularly around the weight-bearing areas of the knees, hips and spine. Using a high-quality, adjustable bed mattress, ideally made from memory foam which helps cushion the joints and hold in heat, adds an extra element of comfort and TLC for those sore and achy joints.

The Bottom Line

If you want to experience these wonderful benefits, why not try an adjustable bed for yourself? If you suffer from aches, pains or circulation issues, it’s a great way to super-charge your body’s healing processes and improve your quality of life during the day. Even if you don’t, an adjustable bed can still help you get that long, uninterrupted night’s sleep you’ve been craving.

If you’re not sure where to start or what features your new bed should have, talk to the team at the Mobility Furniture Company about our electric adjustable beds range, and how we can tailor make a bed especially for you and for them to directly deliver it to your doorstep. There’s nothing to lose, and so much to gain – a good night’s sleep is just the beginning!