We've had a Sleep Number for over 10 yrs. Same bed. I love it. One thing no has mentioned is the warranty. You can FORGET about most bed warranties. The bed has to be in pretty bad shape to get them, if ur lucky, to honor the warranty. Not so with SN. They have been AWESOME over the years to use. The egg crate foam topper on top of the air chambers tore- they replaced it free. The wired remote to adjust the settings had some issue- they replaced it free and upgraded it to a WIRELESS one. Free. Some foam parts started sagging- very reasonable to replace with prorated warranty pricing. But ultimately, it's the comfort factor of the bed and that you can adjust it.
One last thing, that adjustable frame is a great thing. We didn't have one and eventually bought one from another furniture store after we had our bed prob 10 yrs. It's not a SN frame but works just fine. There are other benefits to that adjustable frame besides just putting your head up to read- and I'll just leave it at that.....
One interesting thing was that Mattress Firm has a promotion (not sure if this type of promo is something they do all the time) where you can get a platform that raises only the head of the bed, wired, not wireless remote, for free w/any bed over $1300 or $1400.
Neither of us has any great interest in an adjustable bed now, but watching my Mom's difficulties getting up and out of bed recently when she's had some issues makes me think that long-term having the option to raise ourselves up could be something we'd want.
We have a Tempur-pedic for > 5 years. I don't mind it but I have a different issue than most. In the winter when we keep the bedroom in the 67 - 68 range, initially when going to bed the mattress sucks the heat right out of my body. However in the morning it is OK to warm.
The question is.... when the room is very cool, does the air in the mattress cool you or insulate you?
We also keep our bedroom cool, and I find the bed moderately (too) cool in the winter. My wife loves that, but I solve it with a heated mattress cover for my side. Unfortunately, I haven't found one I can automate so I have to remember to turn it on a few minutes before I go to bed.
Like @Madcodger, in the winter I make use a heated mattress pad on a very low setting (2 or 3, out of a max of 20). I don't feel too warm while sleeping in the summer.
We keep our house at 62(in the winter) at night, my wife and I both like it cool when we sleep. When I first get in bed it is cool, but I get warm fairly quickly. So not sure the SN would be any different.
We're in the dark ages in the UK for home automation stuff, the mattresses and beds being discussed in this thread sound like props from Star Trek 0_o
I do, however, run a heated cover on our (relatively cheap and cheerful) IKEA mattress. If you find a cheap enough cover they can be set via analogue means rather than a digital control circuit, this means you can bring it into hubitat via a simple outlet as it is all preset when power is applied. My wife and I like different temperatures so it's a split cover with dual controls, essentially the rule monitors house temperatures and presence then turns the bed warmer on(imaginative name, I know) as appropriate.
FYI I automated mine via Zooz Zen16 relay where I soldered a wire on both sides of the mattress heater controller on/off button. I did this on both controllers so wife and I can independently turn it on. Then I have it plugged into an Iris smart plug that detects it’s on and will run it for 60 minutes and turn it off. Has worked well for 4 years.
I think this would depend on the type of topper you choose. I think there are at least two styles (standard pillow top & memory foam) and various thicknesses. Ours has a "medium" pillow top so we're fairly well insulated from the air chamber. We also keep the bedroom cool (60 F) and have a heated mattress pad for my wife. I never use my side. I'm generally a cold sleeper and stay comfortably warm all night. Two comforters on the top of the bed and flannel sheets for the winter.
Thank you, you opened my eyes to the construction. It seems what you sleep on is 10% memory foam (or similar) and 90% air mattress. Or some similar % age.
I was thinking the Sleep number as being similar to the old water mattress of the 80's where you were pretty close to the water.
Pretty close? I remember hearing it slosh around right below my ears in my first-gen water bed, no baffles, and any movement resulted in a small set of tidal waves.
I actually liked it when sleeping alone, but if I had "company" then it would result in each of us disturbing the other repeatedly when moving around. And if someone had to get up to take a pee, getting in and out of the bed was hurricane time.
Of course if I had "company" and was making love we could get the water in time with our movements However it sounded like the movement was shaking the building.
We have the i8 and as I recall from them assembling it, there's a layer of foam between us and the actual air cell. I don't really notice a temp. difference between it and a traditional coil mattress. We do have foot warmers in ours which my wife loves but I rarely use myself.
Does Sleep Number have a non-foam topper? My wife just isn't (so far, anyway) happy w/foam tops, and wants a more traditional mattress feel, rather than something you sink into like the foam.
There a lot of different types of foam. Depending upon the composition (latex vs polyurethane vs modified polyurethane memory foam), and the structure/density, foams can provide a variety of firmness levels. Mattress toppers are usually a couple of inches thick, so you do not sink much before you hit the primary mattress.
I like a very firm mattress, but as a side sleeper a mattress topper helps equalize the weight distribution rather than concentrating it on the shoulders and hips. Thus, for me, a hybrid type mattress works best.
I don't like sinking into foam either (I've tried sleeping on tempurpedic and foam toppers and don't like either). At least in ours, the foam is very minimal and effectively mirrors the effect of a traditional mattress. I'm sure a large portion of this is preference but personally I can't tell there's foam on top.
Thanks for the feedback on the i8...the i8 is well out of the range we are likely to spend. My wife announced last night that she doesn't want to spend more than a couple thousand on the bed. As usual, what she can afford and what she's willing to pay are very different numbers. We run into trouble all the time on larger purchases like these, where she wants X, can easily afford X, but can't bear to spend more than Y. So she buys Y and later regrets her choice.
And then we start shopping for another item and the same pattern recurs...
Later last night when we went to bed she said "You know, the mattress is actually still firm, it's not sagging or anything." (Which was my position from the start.)
So I currently have no idea what's going on and if she is actually going to buy a new bed or not. I do know I'm not looking forward to more hours spent (wasted?!) at mattress showrooms.
I think the ending of "The Fly" is appropriate here: "Help meeeee!!!"
A mattress is an investment, not an expenditure. It is something that should last 10 years or more. Depending upon your lifestyle, you spend approximately 1/3 of your life in bed. Thus, having a mattress that suits your personal needs and preference is important to your sleep, which is critical to your overall wellness.
Many people do not mind spending $5 on a cup of coffee prepared by their favorite barista and which they will consume in less than 30 minutes. Those same people may be reluctant to spend $1 per day over the course of 10 years to get a good night's sleep. If you sleep well and rise rested, you might not need that $5 cup of coffee to face the day.
I am playing up the known health benefits gained from good sound sleeping that you mention, and stressing that she should focus on her long-term health not the short-term $$.
I think that angle is starting to gain sway. We'll see...
I remember hearing it slosh around right below my ears in my first-gen water bed, no baffles, and any movement resulted in a small set of tidal waves. 
However it sounded like the movement was shaking the building.
