Sofa beds are one of the most practical pieces of furniture you can find, but a lot of the time they can be very uncomfortable, particularly to sleep on.
But why exactly do sofa beds have to compromise on comfort in favour of practicality, and how can you make a sofa bed more comfortable?
Join us as we take a look at the reasons why a sofa bed can be uncomfortable, and what you can do to make your sofa bed easier to live with.
The reasons why sofa beds are so uncomfortable
The problem with the majority of sofa beds is that they try to do two things well, but will never be as comfortable in their own right as a normal sofa or bed.
There are a few reasons why sofa beds can be very uncomfortable:
- The frame of a sofa bed is usually made from metal. This is not ideal because around the edges of the bed you will notice the metal can become irritating and cause discomfort while you sleep.
- Sofa beds tend to have very thin cushioning and are built to be very thin overall when they are extended into the bed position. This means the springs that provide support while you sleep are much more prominent and can cause a load of discomfort and irritation. In fact, the mattress itself on a sofa bed is usually half the thickness of a mattress that you would find on your bed at home, which further emphasizes the point.
- Sofa beds usually compromise in space. This means if you are a taller person you will find yourself short for space and hitting into the metal frame during sleep.
Not all sofa beds fall into every point that we have mentioned above, as clearly there are some brands who have worked to combat these issues. The problems we have highlighted are from our own past experience, which I’m sure you can all relate to.
All hope is not lost, however. There are a few methods that you can implement to make your experience of using a sofa bed much more enjoyable, which we will highlight below.
Ways to make a sofa bed more comfortable
Foam mattress toppers
A foam mattress topper is a sheet of foam that covers the entire surface of your mattress.
These foam toppers are usually around 1 inch to 3 inches thick and act as an extra layer of cushioning to not only extend the life of a mattress but also to change the firmness and ultimately making it more comfortable to lay on.
In todays market almost every foam topper you will come across will be made from memory foam, which is a type of foam that forms to your body as you sleep.
If you’re in the market to buy one of these foam toppers to improve your experience with a sofa bed, then check out our recommendation below.
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Replace the mattress
The mattress will most likely be the main reason that you may be having difficulties with your sofa bed. As we already mentioned, the mattress that your sofa bed uses will commonly be much thinner than standard mattresses, which means your comfort will be compromised.
Replacing the mattress will make your sofa bed much more comfortable as you will not feel the discomfort of the metal frame and springs as easily, allowing you to get a good nights sleep.
We aren’t experts in mattresses, but we it would be best to look for a thicker mattress than that already on your sofa bed to make sure you notice the difference.
Use more cushions
Yes, we know this one is obvious.
The other options that we have listed require you to go out and buy something, whereas you are bound to have loads of cushions laying around in your living room, so why not put them to good use?
Smaller pillows can do wonders to help you sleep if you place them above areas where you can feel the metal frame or springs, and larger firmer pillows can give your head that much needed support.
Sofa bed alternative?
You may think that there are no alternatives to sofa beds, but if you are willing to think outside the box you will find that there are a few different options to consider. The main alternative that we like is a wall bed, read below to find out more.
Wall Beds
A wall bed may not exactly replace a sofa bed, but it will allow you to place your sofa wherever you want without worrying about if the bed section of it would fit if it were a sofa bed.
Wall beds, or Murphy Beds, are beds that are custom fitted to your house in either wardrobes or on the wall that can be folded away at ease.
Although quite expensive, a wall bed will give you the freedom of being able to use a normal sofa alongside a proper bed that can be hidden away so nobody would even notice that it is there.
Final thoughts
Thanks for taking the time to read this article, we hope we’ve cleared up the problems surrounded why a sofa bed can be uncomfortable.
Please let us know if you’ve got any other tips by contacting us here!
