An air bed can have many uses - from something for a temporary guest to sleep on - to a permanent sleeping solution. They can be set up and made like a regular bed, turning a home office or spare room into temporary sleeping quarters, or used to create more sleeping space in an existing bedroom. It's easy to deflate and store them in the closet until next time. They can be a great, inexpensive solution to holiday visitors staying over.
Before choosing an air bed, it's important to consider how you are going to use it. Will it be stored in the closet, just pulled out for the occasional overnight guest, or will it be a permanent sleeping solution? More and more, people are choosing air beds as their permanent mattress.
Upper end air beds can be as comfortable as a regular mattress, using standard sheets and bedding. You are literally sleeping on air. In fact, some high end air mattresses offer sophisticated control of support and firmness not found in traditional mattresses. They have dual zones so each sleeper can adjust the firmness to their desired level. This feature can not only offer a better night's sleep, but can help ease back pain in some cases. These are usually permanent sleeping solutions. Many people prefer air beds to more traditional inner spring based models.
Remote controls for the air pump are available on some models, allowing for fine tuning of the support system after you are in the bed. The hand held remotes have both inflate and deflate buttons to get the support level just right. Using the pump to deflate also allows for the maximum removal of air, making folding and storing the bed easier.
There are tons of great inflatable air beds and blow up beds like Coleman, Intex, Aero in various sizes and styles like Twin, Raised, Smart and Queen.
These high end luxury air beds are also known as soft sided beds. They have a layer of foam above the air chamber and along the sides which offers some extra cushioning and a different feel to the mattress. They also have multiple air chambers which allow for the fine tuning of support. eliminating pressure points. The multiple air chambers, combined with air baffles, also control the flow of air, providing a smoother, more stable sleeping platform. Beds in this class usually come in with a height of 21 inches or so, giving the feeling of sleeping in a regular bed, not on the floor.
Air beds can also have specific medicinal uses. There are upper end models which periodically inflate and deflate individual air chambers, changing the pressure on the body, with the intent of reducing problems with bed sores for patients who are bed ridden.
There are many great brands and styles including Coleman, Intex, Easy Rider, Sofina King Size Airbeds and many more!
The variety of air beds is large, from twin size units that are meant for camping or an occasional overnight guest, to expensive, sophisticated models that provide state of the art comfort and configurability, allowing both sleepers to control their own firmness and support levels. There are full size and queen size models that fold down into a duffel bag for storage in the closet when not being used, to queen size units that are meant as more comfortable, better supporting replacements for the typical inner spring based mattress.