Tempur-Pedic vs Sleep Number Mattress Comparison

Overall Rating

8.0

Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-Adapt

Bottom Line

The TEMPUR-Adapt is a cushy memory foam mattress that contours closely to alleviate pain and pressure points in your most sensitive areas.

Check Price on Tempurpedic.com

$2,199 from Tempur-Pedic (queen)

Full Mattress Review

VS

Overall Rating

7.5

Sleep Number c2 (Classic Series)

Bottom Line

The Sleep Number c2 is an adjustable airbed that lets you choose from a wide range of firmness levels to match your preferences.

Check Price on Sleepnumber.com

$999 from Sleep Number (queen)

Full Mattress Review

Few mattress brand names carry as much weight as Tempur-Pedic and Sleep Number. These two companies are titans in the industry that have built their products around a defining mattress component that is featured in an extensive product line.

For Tempur-Pedic, that component is TEMPUR memory foam, which the company commercialized after it had originally been invented by NASA. This material closely conforms to the body, working to relieve pressure, support the spine, and foster comfort. It also excels at isolating motion, preventing one person’s movement from waking up the person sleeping next to them.

For Sleep Number, the defining component is the adjustable air chamber that forms the support core of their mattresses. Sleepers can make the bed firmer or softer by adding or removing air using a remote or smartphone app until they reach their ideal Sleep Number. As a plus for couples, each side has separate chambers and controls, allowing each person to set their own firmness.

With the strengths that each brings to the table, it can be hard to choose between these two luxury mattress brands. Given that each offers multiple mattresses, it can be tricky to understand the differences between all the models on offer.

We’ve covered what you need to know — from price to performance and everything in-between — to determine whether a Tempur-Pedic or Sleep Number bed is best for you.

When comparing Sleep Number versus Tempur-Pedic, it’s helpful to start by getting a high-level view of these brands. The following table takes a quick look and serves as a foundation for the more detailed comparisons in subsequent sections.

Sizing and Weight Options

A heavier mattress will be more difficult to move, which is a factor for people who expect to relocate with any frequency. The height of a mattress can affect how well your sheets fit as well as how easily you can get in or out of bed, which is a primary concern for people with knee, hip, or back pain.

Choosing the right mattress size has a direct impact on your comfort in bed, the space in your bedroom, and the total price you’ll pay. Most mattresses are available in the six standard sizes — twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, and California king — but there are exceptions within the Tempur-Pedic and Sleep Number product lines. Some models are not offered in smaller sizes, and more specialized non-standard options are available for many mattresses.

Both Sleep Number and Tempur-Pedic offer an extensive range of mattresses. They are similar in their height profiles with no extremely short or tall options. Regular-sized fitted sheets should go on any of these mattresses with little difficulty.

The weight of these mattresses ranges significantly depending on the model. The listed weights are approximate and may vary by firmness option. Thicker mattresses have more material and tend to weigh more, and hybrids are heavier than all-foam beds.

While twin and full sizes are not available in some models, both well-developed product lines provide plenty of choices for shoppers regardless of their preferred mattress size.

Couples looking for a larger mattress appreciate that both brands offer split king and split California king sizes. These are built with each side having a distinct feel, offering extra value to partners who can’t agree on an ideal mattress firmness.

For most models, Sleep Number also offers a FlexTop king and FlexTop California king. The FlexTop means that instead of being a fully split mattress, only the head of the bed is separated. This means that on an adjustable base, the legs will rise and fall together, but the heads can be set to separate angles.

Construction and Materials Comparison

The construction of a mattress is of central importance to its feel, performance, and durability. The construction includes both the design of its layers and the actual materials used in those layers.

In general, a mattress can be understood as having two main sections:

• The comfort system is the top part and offers the most immediate effect on feel. It is normally made of polyfoam, memory foam, latex, wool, cotton, and/or polyester.
• The support core is the bottom part of the mattress. It affects the mattress feel and the performance of the comfort system. The support core also helps prevent against excessive sagging in the mattress. It can be made with polyfoam, latex, innerspring coils, or air chambers.

Both the comfort system and support core can be made up of one or more layers that can be the same or different materials. Quality components in each and every layer will help protect against a weak link that drags down the overall mattress performance.

The following sections give an overview of the construction and materials in the Tempur-Pedic and Sleep Number beds. While we know the basics about what goes into them, neither company discloses all the specifications of their mattresses, which can at times make it difficult to fully compare their models.

Tempur-Pedic

TEMPUR Foam

A common component in the Tempur-Pedic mattresses is TEMPUR foam. TEMPUR is a type of visco-elastic foam more popularly known as memory foam. It closely contours to the body, providing considerable pressure relief and motion isolation.

The original TEMPUR foam was commercialized after having been developed by NASA, and Tempur-Pedic has since created variations on the original. Examples include TEMPUR-ES (Extra Soft), TEMPUR-APR (Advanced Pressure Relief) that offers more contouring, and TEMPUR-CM+ that is more porous for increased ventilation.

Tempur-Pedic Adapt Mattresses

The Adapt and Adapt Hybrid models have one layer of TEMPUR-ES and one layer of original TEMPUR foam in the comfort system. In the Adapt, the support core is polyfoam, and in the Adapt Hybrid, it is made with pocketed innerspring coils that have a bouncier feel.

In the LuxeAdapt, TEMPUR-ES or original TEMPUR foam (depending on the chosen firmness) rest above TEMPUR-APR and a polyfoam support core. In the ProAdapt mattress, the top two layers of TEMPUR foam can be ES, APR, or original depending on selected firmness, and polyfoam is used for the support core. The ProAdapt Hybrid is composed of TEMPUR-ES and  TEMPUR-APR foams above a pocketed innerspring support core.

Tempur-Pedic Breeze Mattresses

All of the models with “Breeze” in the name are built with features to reduce heat buildup. One of those features is a Phase Change Material (PCM) that can draw in or dissipate heat in order to maintain a stable temperature. That material works in combination with the breathable cover to promote moisture-wicking and comfort cooling.

The PRObreeze and PRObreeze Hybrid mattresses utilize a top layer of TEMPUR-CM+ foam, which is more porous, allowing greater airflow to resist heat buildup. That layer is supported by original TEMPUR foam. In the PRObreeze, the support core is composed of polyfoam, and in the PRObreeze Hybrid, it is composed of pocketed coils.

The LUXEbreeze, the most expensive option from Tempur-Pedic, has the same cooling features in the cover and PCM as the PRObreeze models. It also has TEMPUR-CM+ as its top component. What sets this mattress apart is its second layer of foam, which is made with ventilated TEMPUR-APR that is more breathable and contouring.

Tempur-Pedic: Foam vs. Hybrid Mattresses

Most of the Tempur-Pedic offerings are all-foam mattresses, but there are three hybrid options. The hybrids, which use an innerspring core, offer more bounce and edge support relative to the all-foam beds. Very little heat builds up around coils, so the hybrids sleep slightly cooler than a comparable all-foam model. However, because of the increase in bounce, hybrids may transfer more motion.

Tempur-Pedic Mattress Specifications

In many ways, Tempur-Pedic memory foams have long been a gold standard in the industry. While the company does not disclose the thickness of the layers or the density of their foams, customer reports indicate that they are durable and can be trusted to hold up well over years of nightly use.

Sleep Number

The Sleep Number Support Core

Any discussion of the Sleep Number product line must start with the air chamber support core, which is the defining feature of these mattresses. An attached pump can rapidly add or remove air, creating an immediate change in the feel of the mattress.

That pump can be controlled by either a smartphone app or remote on which the sleeper sees a single number, their Sleep Number. Higher numbers correspond to a firmer feel. Once they’ve identified a preferred setting, most people use a consistent Sleep Number, but one benefit of these mattresses is that sleepers always have the power to make adjustments in real time.

Another important aspect of the support core is that all full size or larger mattresses have separate air chambers on each side of the bed. Their Sleep Numbers are controlled independently, letting each member of a couple have their preferred feel.

SleepIQ Technology

Technology is another feature of the Sleep Number beds. They come equipped with a SleepIQ system that gathers data about the nature of your sleep, provides a daily score, and identifies trends and areas for improvement. Auto-adjustment features can be enabled that allow the bed to detect your support needs as they change in the night and modify the Sleep Number accordingly.

Sleep Number Comfort Systems

All of these mattresses have a foam comfort system that goes above the air chambers. Sleep Number discloses the total thickness but does not provide detailed information about the materials or layering. Polyfoam or gel-infused polyfoam is used in most of the mattresses except for the m7, which has at least part of the comfort system made with memory foam. The thickness of the foam comfort system in each is listed in the table below.

Sleep Number Classic, Performance, and Innovation Series

The Classic Series has all of the main features of the Sleep Number beds, including the dual air chambers, auto-adjustment capabilities, and SleepIQ technology. The Performance Series has those features plus a thicker comfort system, as demonstrated in the prior table.

The Innovation Series has all the features of the Performance line and adds even more pressure-relieving foam. The Innovation models also have a PCM-type material that is meant to improve overall temperature regulation.

A thicker comfort system like that found in the Performance and Innovation series can add contouring and motion isolation to the mattress, and it can also reduce the stress that is placed on the support core. At the same time, a thicker comfort system may decrease how much you feel the changes when adjusting the Sleep Number. Taller models also tend to be the most expensive in the company’s product line.

Sleep Number Setup

If you want to use a remote instead of the Sleep Number app, you have to buy it separately, and it is covered by its own warranty that lasts for two years. Setting up the SleepIQ system requires connecting it to a home WiFi network.

In-Depth Ratings

If you want to choose the best mattress, you need to know what to look for. This can unlock your ability to understand how a mattress will feel and impact your nightly sleep, letting you determine your top needs and priorities.

To take your mattress shopping to the next level, think about these features as you evaluate and compare your options, including when looking at the Tempur-Pedic versus Sleep Number beds.

• Durability: Signs of wear-and-tear, like sagging, can cause a mattress to lose its ability to feel comfortable or to promote spinal alignment. Poor durability can impact your bottom line, forcing you to purchase a new mattress sooner than you’d like. The quality of materials is one of the single most important factors influencing the longevity of a mattress, and most well-built mattresses should last at least five years.
• Motion Isolation: Motion isolation provides a buffer protecting a person from being disturbed when the person they share the bed with moves around on the mattress. It’s most important for couples, especially if tossing and turning is commonplace for one or more of the partners. The comfort system is most directly involved in preventing motion transfer, and foam, particularly memory foam, tends to offer the highest degree of motion isolation.
• Sex: Most people don’t just use a mattress for sleep. Having a mattress that doesn’t inhibit an active sex life is a common priority, especially for couples. A mattress can best facilitate sex when it has responsiveness, which feels like a bounciness when moving on the mattress. The sensation of being stuck in a mattress, which can occur with memory foam or other low-responsiveness polyfoams, can restrict motion and pose potential problems for sex.
• Temperature Neutrality: Temperature neutrality is a vital mattress characteristic for anyone who has a tendency to sleep hot. Heat retention can cause sleep disruptions and discomfort, and some materials are more prone to it. Those materials include foams with deep contouring that decrease airflow around the body as well as materials that naturally hold in heat, like traditional memory foam. Manufacturers often add features to improve ventilation and breathability so that a mattress stays cooler.
• Pressure Relief: Everyone’s body has certain points that create more impact with the mattress, and if they aren’t well-cushioned, it can be painful at those points and, even worse, throw the spine out of alignment. When a mattress can cushion the body proportionally to how weight is applied, which is a strength of materials like memory foam, it provides more pressure relief. This is particularly beneficial for side sleepers and pain sufferers who have sharp pressure points.
• Off-gassing: Some parts of the mattress production process can produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These are not harmful to health, but they can produce an odor. Some people find that smell to be minor (“new mattress smell”) while others find it bothersome. Since the smell usually fades within a few hours, this is only a serious issue for people who are highly smell-sensitive.
• Ease of Movement: If you are a combination sleeper — someone who uses more than one sleeping position — or just like to shift around on your bed, then ease of movement is an important element to have in mind. Mattresses with more responsiveness and less sink tend to be far better at allowing effortless movement on the bed.
• Edge Support: The weakest point of many mattresses is around the edge, and this can make it hard to feel stable when you sit or sleep near it. As a result, even a larger mattress can feel smaller because less of the actual surface area is usable. Certain materials, such as soft foams, are more susceptible to excess compression around the edge. Coil-based support cores and perimeter foam reinforcements can improve edge support.

In the next two tables, you can see how each of the Tempur-Pedic and Sleep Number mattresses stack up in these categories.

Tempur-Pedic

Sleep Number

In-Depth Pricing

A smart mattress purchase is important for your sleep and for your wallet. Mattresses span a wide range of prices, and choosing wisely can ensure that you get a good value no matter your budget.

There are diverse factors that can influence the price of a mattress. These can include its materials, design, features, the country where it was made, and how it’s delivered. Mattresses with specialty components frequently come with a higher price tag.

Shoppers should be aware that the sticker retail price (MSRP) is rarely what customers actually pay. Deals are frequent, particularly when buying online, which gives customers time to carefully research at their own price and diligently compare mattresses and their price points. Promotions and discounts are regularly found online without any haggling or negotiating.

The Tempur-Pedic and Sleep Number beds fall primarily in the luxury end of the market; however, there is still significant price variation within the product lines of both companies.

The tables below list the retail pricing for the Tempur-Pedic and Sleep Number mattresses at different sizes.

Prices and Sizing

Tempur-Pedic

Sleep Number

Prices for the Sleep Number and Tempur-Pedic mattresses are above-average relative to most mattresses sold online. These are luxury brands with well-established reputations, and while they do frequently offer deals, they are not bargain products.

That said, Sleep Number does have more affordable options, especially the c2 and, to a lesser extent, the c4. For people who want firmness adjustability without breaking the bank, these are compelling options. While the c2 and c4 have a thinner comfort system, this may be less important for people who weigh under 230 pounds and need less cushioning.

While Sleep Number has the most affordable options, it also has the most expensive ones. The highest prices come on the largest and most complicated sizes like a Split King. The more expensive Sleep Number beds have the most robust comfort systems.

Tempur-Pedic’s offerings do not reach a price point as low as the c2 or c4 from Sleep Number, but the performance of TEMPUR foam can justify the higher cost for people who value the feel of memory foam. The newer iterations of Tempur-Pedic’s foams add to the cost in the models like the LUXEbreeze.

Trials, Warranty and Delivery

The process and logistics associated with buying a mattress online are different from the traditional brick-and-mortar experience. For customers, it tends to be more convenient to buy online, but there can be some confusion about exactly how it works.

The next three sections cover topics that are frequently asked about by people who are shopping for a mattress online for the first time.

Shipping

Most mattresses bought online are compressed and shipped as a mattress-in-a-box to the doorstep of customers, but both Tempur-Pedic and Sleep Number are exceptions. As luxury brands with significant experience in mattress delivery, both brands provide White Glove delivery.

White Glove delivery means that the company coordinates a delivery time with you. At that time, technicians arrive to install the mattress. In addition to setting up the new bed, the technicians will remove your old mattress and take away any packaging or other materials related to the installation.

Tempur-Pedic provides White Glove delivery for free with the purchase of their mattresses. Sleep Number charges $199 for White Glove delivery, so customers need to factor that additional charge into their total mattress budget.

Customers Outside the Contiguous United States

Customers who live outside the 48 contiguous U.S. states or in some remote zip codes may have more limited and/or expensive delivery options.

Tempur-Pedic offers White Glove delivery to Alaska and Hawaii for an additional charge of $600. Sleep Number does not offer their White Glove delivery service to addresses in Hawaii. When available, delivery and installation by Sleep Number in remote locations and Alaska come at an extra cost that will depend on the location.

Sleep Trial and Returns

One of the main reasons that buying online is different from in-store is that you don’t have the ability to lie down on the bed before making your purchase. Instead, you have a sleep trial during which you can use the mattress at home with the option to return it for a refund.

Most customers appreciate an in-home sleep trial because they can test out the mattress in “real-world” conditions for an extended time. This gives a clearer sense of whether a mattress works for you than just feeling it out for 15 minutes in a mattress store. During the trial, you can return the mattress if you aren’t satisfied, and that usually entails the company sending someone to pick it up from your home.

Both Tempur-Pedic and Sleep Number provide a sleep trial with their mattresses.

• Tempur-Pedic gives customers 90 nights to try the mattress at home. You are required to keep the mattress for 30 nights before initiating a return. If you decide that you don’t want to keep it, there is a $175 charge for return shipping.
• Sleep Number gives customers 100 nights for a sleep trial and requires that you keep it for 30 nights before initiating a return. The return shipping charge for Sleep Number beds ranges from $199 to $249.

Warranties

A warranty protects you from getting stuck with a defective product. If a component breaks down as a result of a defect in materials or manufacturing, the warranty gives you a remedy that involves either repair or replacement of the mattress.

It is important for customers to know that warranties don’t cover normal changes that happen to a mattress from expected wear-and-tear; they only cover true defects.

The exact length and terms of a warranty can vary. In some warranties, your coverage may decrease based on how long you have owned the mattress. This is called a prorated warranty. In a non-prorated warranty, your coverage stays the same for the entire warranty term.

Tempur-Pedic provides a 10-year warranty that is non-prorated. If a defect arises during this time period, Tempur-Pedic will repair or replace the mattress. The only costs for customers are any shipping charges related to the warranty claim.

Sleep Number provides a 25-year warranty on their mattresses. It is a prorated warranty that includes full coverage of costs for repairs or replacements in the first two years. In years 3-20, customers pay an increasing share of repair or replacement costs, starting at 20% and increasing 4% per year. In years 21-25, the customer pays 96% of the costs. Starting in year three, the customer is also responsible for shipping costs. The warranties for the SleepIQ system and a remote last for two years and are non-prorated.

While the Sleep Number warranty is longer, it provides less coverage, especially once you’ve owned the mattress for more than two years. In the latter parts of the warranty, the customer’s share of costs is significant enough to make the coverage of minimal value. After two years, customers are also responsible for the full cost of any problems that arise with the SleepIQ system or remote.

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