Can I Sleep On A Sofa Bed Every Night?
A traditional bed is always best if you want a quality night's sleep - but with rooms getting smaller, more and more people are looking into sofa beds for small bedrooms or even for everyday use. This seems strange to those who are used to the luxury of larger rooms - but to the space-savvy among us, it could be a lifesaver!
Is there such a thing as a sofa bed for permanent sleeping - or are they just not comfortable enough? We've lined up some tips and info you may wish to consider before purchasing a bed settee for everyday sleep.
What is a sofa bed?
A sofa bed is also known as a convertible couch. It usually contains a mechanical or hinge mechanism to open up the sofa's seating cushions into a thin mattress, suitable as a guest bed or single-night sleep.
A staple of bedrooms since 1931, the Sofa Bed was initially called a 'Castro Convertible', named after its creator, Bernard Castro. He opened his first store using $400 from his savings and sold over 5 million over 60 years! Initially, sofa beds were only used in small bedrooms - but Castro took his convertible sofa into the living room for the first time and made them fashionable.
Castro intended his sofa bed to be for more than a single night's sleep, as he wanted a sofa bed for everyday use and made it as comfortable, compact, and versatile as possible. His space-saving sofa bed was equally popular with students, small families, and more.
Things are much the same today; as tech has improved, so has the sofa bed. The compact size means that a sofa bed is generally half the depth of a standard mattress and tends to stick to a shorter length. However, this doesn't mean less comfort - with the advance of memory foam and compact mattress designs, space-saving sofa beds are far more likely to provide a decent night's sleep without much interruption!
How big are sofa beds?
A sofa bed typically, when folded, is the size of a standard two or three-seater sofa - though there are exceptions. The exact measurements of a sofa bed will differ according to which one you choose, so read the dimensions on the product listing to ensure your room can accommodate a folded and unfolded sofa bed!
Are sofa beds worth buying?
The short answer is yes - a guest bed is always a good utility for any home, especially during the holiday season, and can only be improved by extra functions. By being a convertible piece of furniture, a sofa bed becomes a compact, comfortable and helpful solution for saving space - and looks far nicer in a room than a folded metal frame in the corner.
As technology in both mattresses and bed frames has moved on, sofa beds have drastically improved, too - they're now better looking, more comfortable, more compact and more inconspicuous than ever.
Perhaps even more decisive - their prices have never been better value. Sofa beds are now roughly in line with decent quality sofas, sometimes even cheaper! They're a no-brainer for a particularly social home or families with regular guests.
What kind of sofa beds are there?
There are two popular types of sofa beds that you're likely to see when shopping for your top pick. Thankfully, they're pretty easy to remember!
Clic-clac sofa beds
These are simplicity itself. Simply pull the back of the sofa forward until it clicks, then push it back flat until it clacks! As the mechanism is so simple, the clic-clac is becoming increasingly popular and tends to be one of the cheapest types of sofa bed on the market.
However, there isn't a pull-out mattress involved, so these can be firmer or less comfortable for a whole night's sleep. These are also safer for homes with pets, as there's less chance of them getting stuck in the frame. It sounds unlikely, but it does happen!
Pull out sofa beds
With a frame inside the sofa, a pull-out sofa bed is a more traditional design that's more comfortable for everyday sleeping. Pull up the cushion, unfold the frame, and voila - one convertible sleeper.
These sofa beds tend to have dedicated rollout mattresses, making them more comfortable and usually boasting slightly more generous fillings that may be more inviting for guests. These often resemble ordinary sofas with armrests, too, while clic-clac sofa beds can appear simple and practical.
Which sofa bed for everyday use?
A more comfortable option is a sofa bed with a separate mattress. With these space-saving sofa beds, you simply have to roll out the mattress and bedsheets on an evening. This contemporary, space-saving sofa bed is quick and easy to convert, with a pull-out frame that only takes a minute or two to unfold.
One of the issues here is the added fuss of preparing a mattress every evening. If you use your sofa bed for permanent sleeping, there may be better options!
Last, consider where you will keep the bedding when this furniture piece is used as a sofa. After all, a duvet can take up quite a bit of space. A day bed with storage is better if you don't have a trunk coffee table or empty cupboard nearby. Daybeds look more like a bed, with a rigid back and a mattress seat that is permanently on show, whether sitting or sleeping on it.
Are sofa beds safe?
All sofa beds sold in the UK must conform to British safety standards for strength, durability and fire repellency. As a result, you can guarantee that your Happy Beds sofa bed is safe and comfortable.
How to make sofa beds more comfortable?
If you're researching which sofa bed is best and have comfort at the top of your priority list, have you considered a mattress topper? Like regular beds, mattress toppers can provide sofa beds with an additional layer of comfort, adding more padding to perfect your night's sleep.
This will make the base even more comfortable and protect the bed underneath, ensuring your sofa bed lasts longer and provides a better evening's rest. Memory foam mattress toppers are ideal, as they can easily be rolled up and stored when not in use, so you can still be comfortable, but your sofa bed can still be used as a sofa.