How Do Our Adjustable Beds Work?

Do you struggle to get out of bed sometimes? Do you find your current bed increasingly uncomfortable to sleep on? Are you waking up with aches and pains? Well, an adjustable bed could be your next smartest investment.

At the touch of a button, adjustable beds lift you from a lying to a sitting position. This allows you to sit up in bed and read a book or watch tv, without having to uncomfortably lean against a headboard. This feature also helps you to get in and out of bed without the assistance of someone else. An adjustable bed really gives you your independence back.

As well as giving you a helping hand in the day-to-day, adjustable beds also aid a number of health benefits. For example, the semi-contour shape the adjustable bed puts you in allows your body to pump blood more easily, this is ideal if you have problems with circulation or swollen ankles.

Furthermore, the semi-contour shape is the ideal sleeping position to fall asleep in. Did you know that lying flat doesn’t give you the support you need to get a sound night’s sleep? If you sleep flat there is a gap under your knees, the lumbar region in your lower back and your neck meaning they are not supported properly. This can lead to muscle and joint strain. An adjustable bed fills in these gaps and relives the stress on these pressure points.

But how does it all work? If you’re inquisitive or mechanically minded and would like to know how an adjustable bed can help your sleeping, your joint pain and give you your independence back read on…

We call our base the K-frame and it is located inside our bed bases. This is the mechanism that allows the bed to move. The K-frame has 5 different movement points to support your head, back, bottom, knees and feet. It does this by bending into a semi-contoured position which supports you better than the tradition flat lying position.

The frame is made up of 26-30 birch plywood slats, meaning the frame is sturdy and long lasting as well as being flexible and comfortable. Four metal arms support this wooden frame underneath and the K-frame can be entirely removed if needs be. This makes moving the bed easy.

For extra support, the middle part of the K-frame is enforced with double wooden slats. This is because this is where the majority of your weight will be. Furthermore, these slats can be added or taken away to make the base softer or firmer. The rubber retainers can also be adjusted to vary the firmness or softness of the bed base. For firmer support pull the rubber retainers to the edge of the bed. For softer support push the rubber retainers to the middle of the bed.

The bed motor

Our bed motors are fixed onto the K-frame and powers the bed. We use Ram Motors for our adjustable beds. This means that the bed is only powered when it’s rising. When the bed is lowered, it allows gravity to do the work. This reduces the risk of the motor causing damage to the objects or things getting caught between the k-frame and the bed base. Our bed motors can support weight up to 30st with a simple motor upgrade.

Memory motor

This special feature can be added onto your adjustable bed. Imagine getting into the perfect position to sleep, then halfway through the night, you need the toilet, only to come back and spend ages getting into the right position again. Our Memory Motor is a brilliant way of making our beds easier to use for you. The controller has five buttons at the top to control the movement of the bed, with an additional three memory buttons. Once you’ve found your perfect sleeping position, you can save that position by holding the “memory” button for 10 seconds then press “M1” or “M2” to save it to that button.

The battery back-up system

The battery back-up is a safety feature which allows you to lower the bed in case of an emergency. The battery will automatically take over if the motor is not receiving any power. This is an essential safety feature for when, for example, there might be a power cut and you’re in a position on the electric adjustable bed that you can’t get out of, in this case, you would be stuck if you didn’t have an emergency battery back-up.

For the back-up battery pack, all you need is a 9V battery (the same as a home fire alarm battery) if ever it needs replacing. They should need replacing every 12 months or more or less, depending on how much you use them.

Hi-lo lifter

For those who need an adjustable bed and have a carer, a Hi-Lo lifter is the adjustable bed for you. As well as having the 5-point mechanism, this adjustable bed has an additional motor that moves the bed base up to the level a carer would need. This relieves them from bending down over the bed. We recommend that this mechanism should be operated by a third party/ carer only.

The Hi-Lo lifter is available in 2.6ft and 3ft wide but does not come with any motor upgrades, so it is limited to an 18st maximum weight limit.