Our Sleep Number Bed Vs. Tempur-Pedic in 2018 mattress comparison reviews two of the most popular high-quality mattresses on the market. While each is unique in its own design, they share the same target customers. They are so different that it is not easy to choose between them, although we should be able to help you decide which of the two is the more suitable for your needs.
Both Sleep Number and Tempur-Pedic offer a number of different models, and we shall be discussing the mattresses in general rather than each individual product. Here is how each mattress manufacturer compares in general terms across their respective ranges.
Table of Contents
Construction:
Tempur-Pedic mattresses are built with a layer of memory foam over support layers of polyurethane foam. The memory foam is responsive to pressure and temperature, and allows the pressure points of your body to sink into the foam for more protection.
Sleep Number mattresses have layer of memory foam or other foam on top, depending on the model. The C2 model is an air bed with a thin 'foam' top. The support layer comprises air cells that can be inflated to any desired hardness level. In fact, each side of the mattress can be adjusted independently. The other Sleep Number models tend to have a memory foam top layer, with air-bed technology below it.
Comfort:
When comparing the comfort layers of the Sleep Number bed vs. Tempur-Pedic, both use memory foam as the main comfort layer and other foams for support. Not all Sleep Number models contain memory foam. Tempur-Pedic is generally regarded as the industry standard for memory foam mattresses. Each gets good reviews for comfort and there seems to be no or very little difference between them.
Support:
This is very difficult to judge! However, Sleep Number just wins it by a whisker. That is because you can adjust the firmness of Sleep Number mattresses electrically. An electric pump inflates air cells to a hardness level most suitable for your weight and your preference. Sleep Number uses smart technology to offer a good level of adjustment in its mattresses.
However, with a Tempur-Pedic Cloud (3-4-5) or Contour mattress (6-7-8) you can choose your preferred support level when you buy your mattress. (3: Soft, 4: Medium Soft, 5: Medium, 6: Medium Firm, 7 & 8: Firm.) The adjustability of the Sleep Number mattress just swings it towards them. If you are not keen on using a pump to set these variables, then Tempur-Pedic wins it.
Motion Isolation:
The memory foam of the Tempur-Pedic mattress leads to excellent separation of movement between partners. The memory foam absorbs pressure and heat to soften around each partner, and when one changes position in bed, it has next to no effect on the other. Tempur-Pedic wins easily here over Sleep Number.
Partners:
Sleep Number offers the facility to adjust the hardness or support of each side of the bed independently. This is done by means of two different sets of air cells each side of the bed, whereby each partner can adjust their own side independently. Many love this facility, but some do not. They complain about an issue with the centre of the bed where the two sets of air cells meet. There is no such issue with Tempur-Pedic mattresses. It boils down to a matter of preference. Some like the Sleep Number facility while others do not.
Cooling Effect:
Memory foam is known for its inability to wick away body heat during the night. For that reason, Tempur-Pedic mattresses tend to lose out to Sleep Number mattresses. Although certain design aspects of the Tempur-Pedic can help to minimize this to an extent, the air cells of the Sleep Number mattresses tend to be more effective in drawing heat out of the mattress.
Mattress Weight:
The Sleep Number mattress weighs a good bit less than the corresponding size of Tempur-Pedic mattress. This is because of the support layers: Sleep Number uses air cells while Tempur-Pedic uses solid foam. This is not generally an issue, but could be if you decide to return your mattress. Carriers may charge by weight.
Quality and Satisfaction:
When asked how satisfied they were with the quality of their mattress more people gave Tempur-Pedic a good rating than the Sleep Number mattress which tended to be around average quality. Also about 2.3% more people were satisfied with their Tempur-Pedic than with their Sleep Number. A problem with the latter is that it contains electrical and mechanical components that the Tempur-Pedic doesn't have - so more potential issues.
Sleep Trial and Warranty:
Both companies offer a sleep trial with their mattresses. The Sleep Number trial is 100 nights, but if you decide to return the mattress, you must pay the original shipping and set-up fees plus the return shipping fee. This can be several hundred dollars.
The Tempur-Pedic trial is 90 nights, but you must keep the mattress for at least 30 nights before returning it. You also pay shipping costs, but these are much less than those charged by Sleep Number.
Tempur-Pedic also offers a 10-year warranty. The firm will repair or replace your bed free of charge within the first 10 years. The Sleep Number warranty is only two years. After two years you must pay 20% of any repair costs up to 20 years, and 96% of repair costs from 20 to 25 years. You will be very lucky for a mattress to last that long! The Tempur-Pedic sleep trial and warranty are the better of the two.
Mattress Foundation:
The Tempur-Pedic mattresses should be used with a solid or slatted foundation or base. Slats should be at least 3″ wide and no more than 4″ apart. You can also use adjustable bases. Box springs cannot be used with a Tempur-Pedic. The firm also supplies suitable bases if you need one.
The Sleep Number mattress needs a firm flat base to support the air cells. Again, a box spring foundation is no good. The company markets suitable bases and also the FlexFit ™ Smart Adjustable Base that can make best use of the smart features of the system.
Sleep Number 360™ Smart Bed
In this Tempur-Pedic vs Sleep Number review, the Sleep Number mattress comes with one useful optional extra: the SleepIQ ® system. This is a system available with the Sleep Number 360™ Smart Bed. It uses a touchless biometric sensor to track how you sleep each night. It monitors your breathing rate, your movement in bed and your heart rate.
That data is claimed to be able to enable the system to make adjustments to the bed while you sleep to keep you comfortable all night. If you go to bed around the same time each night, it warms the bottom of the bed so your feet are warm immediately. There are other features of the Sleep Number 360™ Smart Bed, but you do pay for them!
Here is how the various properties of each mattress compare. We give one point to the better of each of those we have discussed above and two to the poorer.
1: Best - If both are #1 then there is no difference between them.
2: Comes second, even if only by a whisker.
Lowest Number wins!
Note: We have not taken the benefits of the Sleep Number 360™ Smart Bed into consideration here. That cost a good bit extra over the price of the standard mattress. It is in option if cost is not an issue with you. However, make sure that the benefits of this system would be useful to you.
What this indicates is that there is very little difference between these two products. Sleep Number vs. Tempur-Pedic or Tempur-Pedic vs. Sleep Number - whichever way you look at it, they are very similar with regard to the factors we have considered above.
Conclusion
In the Sleep Number Bed Vs. Tempur-Pedic in 2018 mattress comparison review, there is very little difference between the two. Your choice will likely come down to whether you prefer the memory foam approach to mattress construction or the air support system of the Sleep Number. Make sure you get it right because the cost of returning the mattress could be high - particularly with the Sleep Number bed. However, if you love Smart technology, that could be your preferred choice.
