Reduce Your Nightly Snoring With an Adjustable Base

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An adjustable base for your mattress might be exactly what your bed is missing. Here’s what an adjustable bed base is and why it might be the right choice for you.

Joshua Cox-Steib is a sociologist and freelance writer. He lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with his wife and their menagerie of pets. Joshua holds a degree in sociology from the University of Tulsa and worked as a behavioral analyst before becoming a professional writer.

Finding the right mattress is integral to a good night’s sleep. But sometimes we need more than one static mattress, and that’s where adjustable bed bases come in. Let’s say you want to sleep on a level mattress one night, but other nights, you’d like your head and upper body to be slightly more elevated than your feet and legs. In that situation, you could use an adjustable base to shift your mattress back and forth between such settings.

What is an adjustable base?

Adjustable bases are support structures for mattresses that raise them off the floor and allow you to make multiple height adjustments to your bed. Most commonly, you can change the height of the head and foot of the bed relative to each other. Some of these bed frames go much further, including smart technology (like the Tempur-Pedic Ergo Smart Base), remote controls and electric lift systems. 

Not every mattress can function with an adjustable base, so checking your mattress’s compatibility before committing is essential. Although mattresses that are suitable for adjustable bases are sometimes referred to as adjustable beds, this term can also refer to adjustable mattresses that allow for adjustable temperature and firmness controls. However, adjustable mattresses are distinct from adjustable bases.

5 benefits of an adjustable base

Research is still light on the medical benefits of adjustable bed bases. Still, there is a great deal of self-reported information about how these specialized frames have helped individuals with their sleep health. People find that adjustable bases can address various sleep problems ranging from snoring to acid reflux, poor sleep and back pains. Because using these bases for one health problem may require a different setting than treating another (feet or head higher, for instance), it may be difficult to treat some combinations of these problems simultaneously. Before treating any medical condition, speak with a medical expert. The adjustable base benefits below may not capture all potential adjustable bed benefits.

May reduce snoring

Some studies have indicated that these bases can help alleviate snoring when they are set to elevate the head and upper body relative to the legs and feet. Data in the study above found that this type of elevated sleeping was correlated to a 7% reduction in snoring duration.

May reduce the risk of acid reflux

Many find that using an adjustable base to elevate the head and lower the feet can help reduce acid reflux at night. This arrangement allows gravity to keep stomach acid from traveling up toward the esophagus.

May help with better quality of sleep

The same study that investigated inclined sleeping as a means of treating snoring also measured its impacts on sleep quality. The researchers found that using an adjustable base to elevate your head at night correlated to 4% fewer awakenings and 5% more time spent in deep sleep.

May help with back pain

Setting up your adjustable base to help with back pain may be a bit trickier than pursuing the other benefits. Depending on your spine and discomfort, you may want to try several different arrangements with your bed. In general, the goal is often to reduce pressure on your spine and provide support for its natural curvature.

May help with sleep apnea

Some people have reported that sleeping with an adjustable base has helped with some sleep apnea symptoms, although more research may be needed.

What are the disadvantages of an adjustable bed?

While adjustable bases offer many potential benefits, they also have a few potential drawbacks that you may want to be aware of.

• More expensive: Adjustable bed bases are often significantly more expensive than a plain, traditional bed frame.
• May require repairs and upkeep: Many of these bases involve motors, electronics and moving parts, so they can require repairs and maintenance that a conventional base would not.
• May be heavy and difficult to move: These bases are known for being heavy and often awkward in shape, making them more challenging to move and assemble.
• May be loud: Depending on the model and how it functions, some of these bases can be very loud when adjusting. However, noise levels are model-dependent and can vary.
• May not last as long: These bases can experience more wear and tear than traditional ones and may not last as long.
• May be uncomfortable for stomach and side sleepers: People who sleep primarily on their sides or stomachs may find these bases challenging to get comfortable on. When the mattress is at an unlevel elevation, sleeping on anything but the back can create unnatural bends in the body. However, if sleepers use a body pillow and minimize their head elevation, they should be able to accommodate various sleep positions.

Bottom line: Do you need an adjustable base?

Whether or not you need an adjustable base will depend on you and your circumstances. These bed frames have the potential to provide several sleep and health benefits, but they do come with some downsides. However, if you’re a back sleeper and suffer from snoring, acid reflux, back pain or poor sleep quality, one of these adjustable bases may be a good fit. However, remember that it will be pricier than a standard base, more difficult to move and may not last as long as you’d like.

If you decide to pursue an adjustable base, remember that they come in a wide variety, and adjustable beds can mean two things. One type of adjustable bed refers to the mattresses that work with these adjustable bases. The other kind refers to specialized mattresses with built-in controls for firmness and temperature. 

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.