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If you own a sofa bed, you likely already know the benefits they can bring. But one thing is for sure: they’re not quite as comfortable as a normal bed. But you can make your sofa bed comfortable and fashionable with a little manipulation and care. Sleep soundly with our tips on how to make a sofa bed more comfortable.
Add a Memory Foam Mattress Topper
Adding a memory foam topper is one of the best things you can do to increase the convenience of your sofa bed. The additional padding provides an extra comfortable layer to the sofa bed, helping to protect your back and remain kind to your joints. The actual fabric of the mattress topper doesn’t matter so much as long as it’s thick and adds plenty of comfort when you sleep or sit on the sofa bed.
Benefits of Purchasing a Memory Foam Topper
Relief From Pressure
A sofa bed mattress topper can mould to your body size, helping relieve any pressure on your joints for instant pain relief. As a result, you’re more likely to wake feeling ready for the day rather than sore and stiff. Memory foam toppers also revert back to their original shape once you’re awake, helping to make the surface smooth when you’re sitting on the sofa bed and great for switching between different guests.
Improved Motion Transfer
We’ve all slept on an uncomfortable surface at some point, which results in you constantly tossing and turning throughout the night. Fortunately, memory foam toppers prevent this from happening by offering motion isolation. It also means that this fabric will create disruption and disturbances for your partner when you do turn over in the night, preventing them from waking up, too.
Choosing a Memory Foam Topper
Below are some important considerations to make when looking for the right style and support from a topper.
Thickness
Toppers are available in an array of thicknesses, although we recommend a thickness of around three inches. This thickness can offer pressure relief without the sensation that you’re restricted on the surface and can’t get back up. On the other hand, a thinner mattress topper won’t provide as much support and may increase pain.
Cooling Factor
Many memory foam mattresses retain heat, which isn’t ideal if you’re already a warm sleeper. It is because the dense structure can restrict airflow, creating a build-up of hot air. If you get too warm when you’re sleeping, we recommend choosing a gel foam material that reduces sweat and helps retain a normal body temperature, so you’re not too cold or too warm.
Kind of Foam
Furthermore, a plant-based memory foam topper is firm while using plant-based oils that don’t trap body heat, allowing air to escape, so you’re less sweaty and feel cooler while you sleep. Plant oils also reduce any odours, helping to keep the topper fresher for longer. Many people also find that a plant-based topper is much more responsive and doesn’t make you feel stuck when switching positions or getting up in the morning.
Add More Pillows
Another way to make a sofa bed more comfortable is by adding more pillows—in particular, ensuring that you use them to cover any gaps in the sofa bed. It allows you more room to spread out while you’re sleeping, helping to make the sofa mattress much more comfortable for the sleeper. Pillows also help to make the space more inviting and cosy.
Purchase New Bedding
You can’t expect to endure a good night’s sleep if your bedding’s material isn’t soft. Try to avoid polyester covers, which aren’t soft, and instead, opt for skin-mind fabrics, such as cotton or silk. Additionally, ensure that the new sheets and pillowcases are the correct size for the couch; otherwise, you might end up with baggy corners and irritability. In fact, you may wish to purchase mattress clips to help the sheets remain in place. It is particularly ideal if you tend to move around a lot while you’re sleeping.
Use a Thick Duvet
A thin duvet won’t equate to restful sleep because the surface means that you can feel the frame and spring of the sofa bed. Instead, opt for thicker duvets that are comfortable and supportive; a firm fabric can help with deep sleep and makes a world of difference. However, consider the weather so you don’t become too warm or cold while sleeping on the couch.
Keep the Mattress Clean
A dirty mattress is an uncomfortable one. Whether you have guests over or you’re using the sleeper sofa for yourself, keep it clean. You should vacuum crumbs from food or dirt that will likely create an annoyance while you’re trying to sleep. Make regularly vacuuming your couch a part of your cleaning routine, or better still, avoid eating on the sofa in the first place to prevent these crumbs.
Additionally, you may need to use a stain remover to prevent the sofa bed from looking dirty and grimy every day. A refreshing spray might also help to provide a fresh scent; you may even want to choose a calming aroma, such as lavender, to help you fall asleep.
Flip the Mattress After Each Use
Flip a sofa bed mattress the following day after using it to help maintain its shape and quality to provide a comfortable night’s sleep. Once you’ve vacuumed the sofa bed mattress, flip it over onto the other side, clean it, and place it back onto the bed in this position. This way, the mattress topper won’t retain imprints and will have an extended lifespan.
Improve Your Sleep Environment
But no matter how comfortable sofa beds might be, the environment can have a huge impact on whether you have a restful sleep or not. Begin by removing any distractions, so turn off the TV, put your phone on silent and put away any electronics. If the sofa bed is in a room where you can hear other people playing electronics, invest in some noise-cancelling earphones to help you unwind.
Furthermore, invest in blackout blinds to prevent bright light from entering the room. And, if the environment is too stuffy, switch on the AC. Or, if it’s too cold, turn on the heating or snuggle up with a hot water bottle. You can also help yourself to fall asleep by playing some relaxing music before bedtime and drinking a cup of chamomile tea.
Can You Put a Regular Mattress on a Sofa Bed?
Since the sofa bed’s thickness and support can improve overall comfort, it might be tempting to use a memory foam mattress that’s designed for a regular bed. In a nutshell, you shouldn’t use regular mattresses on a sleeper sofa for many reasons. First, mattresses require a solid surface to remain stable, and a sofa bed is likely too soft to accommodate a regular-sized mattress. And depending on the size and quality of your sofa bed, it’s likely that the mattress will simply slide right off.
Aside from size and shape, a regular mattress won’t work on a sofa bed because it needs to be positioned on a surface that offers optimum airflow to prevent humidity build-up. Otherwise, a regular mattress could become a breeding ground for dust mites, mould, mildew and bed bugs. In fact, this is one of the reasons why wooden bed frames that have gaps in between each panel allow for air to flow through.
Thirdly, a sofa bed is designed for convenience, and placing a regular mattress on top of the couch is anything but convenient. And you can’t fold the two parts of the sofa bed back together when you’re done, so you’ll have to remove the mattress each time and then find a place to store this while guests aren’t staying over. Some sofa beds also come with arms, which makes it difficult to fit a mattress on top and have the exact measurements you need for a comfortable and neat finish.
Enjoy Your Sofa Bed
We hope the above tips on how to make a sofa bed more comfortable can help turn it into a piece of more sleep-accommodating furniture. After all, sleep is one of the best and most important things for your body.
Are you a proud owner of a sofa bed? If so, let us know your essential tips that make a difference in its style and comfort while you sleep.
Amy is a U.K.-based writer and editor with a penchant for helping consumers find the best home products for their needs, as well as providing easily digestible guides for living better at home. Her dedication to her work means she can usually be found elbow-deep in research or hunting down samples of the latest and greatest on behalf of her readers.
An avid DIYer herself, Amy’s passion lies in teaching others how they too can achieve their dream homes by tackling some of those pesky projects themselves! Whether it’s building furniture from scratch or turning an old dresser into a coffee table, Amy is always happy to share what she knows about making your house feel like home without spending a fortune.
