How To Raise An Air Mattress Off The Floor (And Why You Should)

When you sleep on an air mattress, do you wake up in the middle of the night cold and can’t figure out why?

You have a heavy comforter and flannel sheets on your air mattress that ordinarily keep you nice and toasty. Don’t worry; you’re not coming down sick; it’s probably the position of your air mattress.

Factors That Cause Cold Air Mattresses

Single air mattresses laying directly on a floor are prone to being chilly year-round. This may be ideal for those hot summer nights, but not for the colder months. Whether your flooring is tile, wood, or carpet, you will contend with a chilly air mattress.

So, now we have winter approaching. The nights are growing colder, and so is the temperature at the floor level in your home.

Your heater kicks on, warms the house, and guess where the heat goes? Straight up because heat rises. Yet, your floor remains cold.

Not only does this cause your air mattress to grow colder, but it also causes air loss within your mattress. Air condenses in your mattress as temperatures get colder.

The solution to having a much warmer night’s sleep and preventing air loss is to get your air mattress up and off the floor by raising it.

It’s Beneficial To Raise Your Air Mattress

The first reason to raise it is that we are perpetually chilled to the bone with our mattress on the floor. There are multiple benefits to raising one.

  • You stay warm throughout the night.
  • Temperatures are warmer as you go higher.
  • The warm air can flow underneath the mattress, not just across the surface.
  • Raising keeps a more consistent level of air because the temperature is warmer.
  • Raising prolongs the life of your mattress.
  • It makes it much easier to get in and out of bed.
  • Bed linens fit better.
  • You have extra storage underneath if you have an open foundation frame.
  • You can add bedside tables and lamps.
  • You have fewer aches, pains, and strains because you struggle to get up off the floor.

Ways To Raise An Air Mattress

Raising your air mattress is a must if you are a full-time air mattress sleeper. We’ll give you some ideas on doing a DIY raise and options for purchasing a solution.

Some foundations, such as wood or upholstered, may cause your air mattress to slide. To prevent sliding, lay down an anti-skid rug pad that provides gripping.

Raised Metal Frames

Metal frames are perfect for those who want a simple solution that won’t break our bank account.

Metal frames come in twin, full, queen, and king sizes. Air mattresses on folding frames are perfect for easy storage if you want something to raise your mattress for occasional uses such as overnight guests or camping.

One-piece (more permanent) platform metal frames provide equal support without the option of folding.

This solution is good for those who sleep full-time on an air mattress. Metal frames are fairly straightforward in assembly. Costs can vary according to the features of each frame.

Cot Foundation

Twin and Queen size folding cot beds provide a solution for raising air beds off the ground. This may not be suitable for long-term use but rather for short-term.

DIY Solutions

When using wood to create your own air mattress raised frame, be very careful to sand the wood down to remove splinters and soften corners. After putting the sweat into a project to find that it punctures an air mattress can be very disappointing.

An easy wooden frame can be constructed in just a few hours, as shown in this YouTube video.

Repurposing wooden pallets is a creative way to recycle and raise your air bed with little investment! If you are looking for inspiration on other ways to create your mattress frame that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, there are a lot of resources online.

Stacked Traditional Mattress Box Spring Foundations

You can snag a pair of cheap traditional mattress box spring foundations and stack them on top of each other to raise your air mattress.

A cheap set of two of these foundations costs as little as $100. Also, you can watch for local second-hand sales at garage sales or Facebook Marketplace.

Remember, Up And Off The Floor Keeps You Toasty!

Unless you enjoy a chilly mattress, getting one up and off the floor is a must to stay warm.

We have given you long-term air mattress sleepers many options to raise your bed. Regardless of your chosen method, be sure it won’t leave you with a punctured air mattress.