A sofa bed is the perfect solution for the mini-apartment, small rooms or as a place to sleep for guests. But what about if you want to sleep on the sofa bed permanently? Let's say this much: The FLOVED sofa bed is a great bed substitute. In this article, we would like to give you some tips and answer the most important questions about the topic of permanent sleepers.

What does a permanent sleeper actually mean and when do I become a permanent sleeper?

One thing right from the start: "permanent sleeper" has nothing to do with constant or permanent sleeping. It's a shame, really, because we could certainly all do with a little more sleep.

A permanent sleeper is rather a sofa bed that you can use every day for sleeping. This means that the sofa bed is ideally a multifunctional sofa bed that convinces you with a high level of comfort and - very important - is equipped with a bed base, slatted frame and a proper mattress. The high quality and high-quality features of a sofa bed or a permanent sleeper set it apart from an ordinary sofa bed that is only intended for occasional overnight stays.

Our FLOVED sofa bed falls into the category of permanent sleepers, but it has much more to offer! In any case, it is definitely a fully-fledged bed substitute! Why? FLOVED is not only equipped with simple upholstery like some other sofa beds, but also has a real mattress that rests on a real slatted frame in addition to a bed base.

Now the question is, when do you become a "permanent sleeper"? Here, too, we have to pull a tooth out of your mouth: you are not a permanent sleeper if you prefer to sleep all the time. You are a permanent sleeper if you use the sofa bed as a bed and sleeping place practically every night. However, we would advise you to choose a high-quality sofa bed or a permanent sleeper even if you or your guests want to sleep on the sofa several times a month.

When is a sofa bed suitable for daily use as a permanent sleeper?

The purchase of a sofa bed for a small flat, guest room or youth room has many advantages. There are countless variations and the most diverse types of sofa beds on the market. What criteria must be met for a sofa bed to be suitable for everyday use?

A permanent sleeper should have at least these four characteristics:

1. A separate mattress made of high quality material
   

   The mattress is probably the most important component for healthy and back-friendly sleep. When buying a conventional bed, a lot of attention is paid to the mattress. You have certainly experienced this yourself. People lie on it, jump on it, sit on it and test it for all it's worth. And rightly so! As a rule, we spend about a third of the day at our sleeping place and thus more time than on any other object in our environment. Our body recovers during sleep, so it is all the more important to provide it with a comfortable base in the form of a high-quality mattress.
   
   So why should you pay less attention to a good mattress when buying a permanent sleeper than you would for an ordinary bed? Exactly!
   
   There are also many differences in mattresses! Innerspring, latex and foam mattresses are among the most common. We have equipped our FLOVED sofa bed with a thermo-elastic foam mattress from OPTIMUM, which is particularly characterised by its high elasticity and adapts perfectly to any body shape. This way, FLOVED ensures healthy and restful sleep, even if you are a permanent sleeper. By the way, you can replace the mattress at any time if you need to, so that you can enjoy a FLOVED permanent sleeper for a very long time.

2. A qualitative and ergonomically shaped slatted frame
   Have you ever slept on a mattress on the bare floor? Uncomfortable, isn't it? The slatted frame is often disregarded when buying a bed and even less often considered important for a sofa bed. A pity really! Because the best mattress is useless without the right slatted frame. This applies to both the bed and the sofa bed. The slatted frame of a sofa bed also determines the firmness of your mattress and offers a lot of leeway in this regard through the respective setting. In addition, the slatted frame of the sofa bed ensures good and permanent ventilation of the mattress so that it remains breathable. Also not to be forgotten: An adjustable and ergonomic slatted frame for a permanent sleeper provides optimal support for the spine, offers a high level of comfort and also makes sense from an orthopaedic point of view. For all these reasons, we attach great importance to a high-quality and ergonomically shaped slatted frame as a supplement to the OPTIMUM mattress in our FLOVED sofa bed.

3. A bed drawer for extra storage space
   Where to put the pretty sofa cushions that you have placed on the permanent sleeper during the day? And where to store the duvet and other bedding for the night? Especially in small flats and cramped rooms, extra space is worth its weight in gold. The FLOVED sofa bed with its bed base under the seat and sleeping surface offers practical storage space for all those things that are not needed at the moment. Especially if you're not one of the tidiest people around, a permanent sleeper with a bed base keeps everything tidy and in its place! To ensure that the air can circulate well under the divan and in the bed base and moisture can escape, it is advisable to open the bed base regularly. However, this should not be a problem and should be taken for granted if you use FLOVED as a permanent sleeper.

4. Lots of flexibility and quick, easy handling
   

   Especially when space in your home is limited, the flexibility of the sofa bed is particularly important. It is not only practical to adjust or move the sofa bed, it also pays off in hectic everyday life. When buying a sofa bed, you should therefore look for a model with practical castors, for example. We have placed the FLOVED sofa bed on four castors so that you can always place it against the wall or in a corner to save space. Especially if the sofa bed is also to be used as a double bed, flexibility is required, as access should ideally be possible from both sides. The practical castors on the FLOVED sofa bed allow you to turn the bed 90 degrees into the room so that you can get into the bed from either side.

   In addition to flexibility, easy handling or convertibility of the permanent sleeper is recommended. What good is the most beautiful sofa bed if it takes forever to convert it from a sofa into a bed and vice versa? With a unique and patent-registered folding and rotating movement, FLOVED can be easily transformed from a sofa or single bed into a double bed in less than a minute.

Can two people sleep on the permanent sleeper?

Size doesn't matter? Yes, it does if you want to spend the night on the permanent sleeper as a couple! Whether it's a date or your better half, even if you are particularly fond of each other, a permanent sleeper with a large lying surface from 160 cm wide is desirable. To use the sofa bed as a couple, the right mattress is just as important as when you use the sofa bed alone. Ideally, the sofa bed for two also has two slatted frames and two mattresses. If necessary, the mattress and the slatted frame can be individually adjusted. Thanks to the patented folding/rotating mechanism and two mattresses, the FLOVED sofa bed transforms into a fabulous hotel bed with a lying surface of 165 x 200 cm. Thanks to the high-quality slatted frame and mattresses, FLOVED can also be used by two people as a permanent sleeper without hesitation.

Even if you'll be using the permanent sleeper mostly on its own, it doesn't hurt to be prepared just in case, does it?

What advantages does a permanent sleeper have over a normal sofa bed?

You have probably already read about many of the advantages of a permanent sleeper in this article. We would like to give you two more concrete advantages of a sofa bed for daily use. 

• A good permanent sleeper is a quick-change artist
  Sofa and seating on the one hand, comfortable single or double bed on the other. Especially in cities where living space is becoming smaller and smaller, it is important to use the available space as flexibly as possible. During the day, a permanent sleeper like the FLOVED sofa bed invites you to sit comfortably and in the evening it transforms into a comfortable bed in a few simple steps.
• The mattresses and slatted frames of a permanent sleeper are adjustable
  A high-quality permanent sleeper like FLOVED offers the possibility to adjust high-quality mattresses and slatted frames exactly to your needs. You also have the option of replacing them with new ones after a few years of use.

What should you look for when buying a sofa bed?

Are you thinking about buying a permanent sleeper? Before you make your purchase, you should take our checklist to heart:

• Take measurements and pay attention to the size!
  A permanent sofa bed only makes sense if it fits into your intended room. Therefore, measure the space for the sofa bed exactly and consider how long and wide it can be when folded out.
• How large is the lying surface of the sofa bed?
  Do you want to use the sofa bed mainly alone or is it important to you that two people can also sleep well on it? Depending on your needs, consider the size of the lying surface or the number of mattresses.
• What is the quality of the mattress
  The most important thing when buying a permanent sleeper is the quality of the mattress, just like the bed. When buying a mattress, look for a high-quality foam or innerspring mattress with a firmness level that meets your individual needs.
• Does the permanent sleeper have a high-quality slatted frame?
  The slatted frame is also an important purchase criterion, especially as it has a significant influence on healthy sleeping comfort. A good slatted frame is ergonomically shaped, supports the spine and can be adjusted if necessary.
• Is a bed base integrated?
  A permanent sleeper in particular is often used to save space. That's why an integrated bed base is a great advantage for storing pillows, blankets and co. during the day.
• Which type of folding mechanism suits the installation site?
  Different permanent sleepers have different folding mechanisms to convert the sofa into a bed. Some sofa beds extend forwards, while others fold down sideways with the backrest. The FLOVED sofa bed, for example, has a very special folding and rotation mechanism and is also on castors, so that the conversion from sofa to bed works completely independently of where it is set up.
• How long does it take to convert a sofa into a bed?
  What good is the best folding mechanism on a permanent sleeper if it takes a long time to convert it every evening? A good permanent sleeper can be converted into a comfortable bed in less than a minute.
• What is the lying height of the permanent sleeper?
  There are sofa beds where you lie only a few centimetres above the floor. This is especially the case if it does not have a bed base and a proper mattress. The ideal lying height for a good permanent sleeper is around 40-65 centimetres, so that it is possible to lie down and get up comfortably.

Any more questions? We hope that we at FLOVED have been able to answer the most important questions about sofa beds and the purchase of a sofa bed in this article. If you would like to know more about sofa beds and permanent sleepers, just take a look at FLOVED.

Image: © Meruyert Gonullu | Pexels