How the Sit ‘n Sleep Adjustable Bed Helped Our Son with GERD

December 13, 2017 Margalit Sturm Francus

Our son has autism and also suffers from GERD. Not only has GERD it kept my son up at night, but it has also kept myself and my husband too. He would often cough at night, as well as suffer from frequent stomach aches. First, we tried changing his diet, we also tried many over the counter and prescribed medications, and nothing helped. Then one night, we noticed he slept better when he slept upright. Since sleeping in an armchair is not feasible, we tried numerous pillows in different positions, but due to how my son tosses and turns the pillows always ended up on the floor. As a last resort, we tried the Sit ‘n Sleep Bed frame, and to our surprise, my son now sleeps through the night.

Our Challenge

It never even crossed my mind when my son was diagnosed with autism, that he would encounter gastrointestinal issues too. Through research, I quickly found out that it is quite common for individuals that have ASD. I also learned that more than 60 million adult Americans have gastrointestinal issues such as heartburn, or acid reflux. Even more surprising I discovered that about 25 million adults suffer from severe heartburn or acid reflux.

Now here is some information on GERD, also known as acid reflux. What this means is the acidic liquid in the stomach will back up into the esophagus. GERD can be caused by an abnormal lower esophageal sphincter, hiatal hernia, slow emptying of the stomach or irregular esophageal contractions. Heartburn is when the stomach acid interacts with the lining of the esophagus, and it feels like your chest or throat is burning. Symptoms include heartburn, nausea, and regurgitation. Because GERD can affect the esophageal lining, we had multiple tests done, but they concluded that there would be no long-term solution. GERD can also have long-term complications such as ulcers or strictures of the esophagus, Barret’s esophagus, asthma, inflammation, lung infections, and even affect the sinuses and ears.

Once we knew we were dealing with GERD, we had to watch what he ate. After all, no one wants to deal with the symptoms of nausea or regurgitation of his food. We started by avoiding all citrus and eliminated chocolate. When this did not help, we also added in antacids and even prescription medications.

The Solution

After diet and medications were not helping our son, I started researching getting him an adjustable base for his bed. Many medical studies had stated that elevating the head could help individuals with gastrointestinal issues. The studies also said that raising of the head and torso must be at least 6-8 inches. The whole idea of the incline is to allow gravity to help prevent the stomach acids from moving up into the esophagus. After piles of pillows ended up on the floor; we wanted to try a different bed frame and see if that worked.

Shopping for a Mattress

After living in California for two decades, we have shopped at the Sit ‘n Sleep store for years. Most people who live in Southern California have heard of Sit ‘n Sleep stores from their hilarious commercials, and excellent customer service. They currently have over 38 superstore locations and sell more mattresses per store than any other US retailer.

Sit ‘n Sleep also participates in giving back to their community. The company has helped organizations like the Make a Wish Foundation, People Assisting the Homeless, Padres Contra el Cancer, and the City of Hope Habitat for Humanity. Supporting a company that helps our communities is very important to me, so showing Sit ‘n Sleep was very important to me.

Excellent customer service is also essential to me, as it is most. The staff has to go through months of extensive training. Because of this training, they are very knowledgeable and very patient when it comes to answering questions. I ask a million and one questions, and I never felt like I was a burden.

The Adjustable Bed Frame

Our salesman Ken was just excellent. Not only did he listen to our situation he immediately recommended their bestseller, named the Goodnight. It features a Powerful Orkin motor that has a lift capacity of 880 pounds. The Goodnight bed frame also has a wireless remote that covers all the different angles that the base can move. The sizes available are Twin XL, Queen, King, and California King.

Here is what is included in the Goodnight package. A tan line fabric, power surge protection, emergency power down option, German-made Okin Encased motor, wireless remote control, and lift capacity of 880 pounds. It also comes with universal headboard brackets, adjustable legs, and a three-year parts and labor home warranty. For review purposes, the company sent us the frame, but the price for the Twin XL is $999.99 plus tax. You can also get free local delivery as well as next day delivery.

The Delivery

Once we told my son about the new Sit ‘n Sleep Goodnight bed frame, he had some minor concerns. He wanted the bed to be the same height as his current bed. Just as promised the delivery men showed up on time and quickly assured my son they could get the same height.

Once it was set up, he hopped right on and found it to be super comfortable. Considering we only got the frame, he was happy to keep his old coil spring mattress. My son also discovered the wireless remote, after a little while of playing with it, I decided to make him pick a comfortable position then I took the remote and put it in a safe place. Otherwise, every night he would either play with the remote or lose it. If you are worried about it being plugged in, the unit can be unplugged and still keep its position.

Our Takeaway

So far we have not found any cons of the Sit ‘n Sleep Goodnight Bed frame. Since we chose the Twin XL, I can say that it would fit most kids and young adults. Also with the Twin XL, during the day you can have it positioned at a 90-degree angle which is perfect for a smaller bedroom.

The bed is exceptionally comfortable, especially when paired with a pillow top mattress. My son’s exact words are, “It feels like sleeping on a cloud.”

Best of all, my son now sleeps through the night. It has helped his GERD so much, that he rarely complains of discomfort at night now. With him sleeping through the night, that means my husband and I can sleep through the night.

Disclaimer: Thank you Sit’n’Sleep for sending us an adjustable Goodnight frame to test how it could help kids like our son with Gerd.However, all opinions are our own.