Sleep Number

Sleep Number is an American sleep-products company and brand headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is best known for beds that use adjustable air chambers rather than a fixed conventional spring or foam core. Each sleeper can select a preferred firmness setting, called a Sleep Number, and partners can adjust their sides independently. Higher settings increase air pressure and firmness, while lower settings reduce pressure and create a softer feel. The system is designed to address differing comfort and support preferences within the same bed. The business was established in 1987 as Select Comfort by Robert Walker and JoAnne Walker. Its roots are connected to the adjustable air-supported sleep-system category developed by Comfortaire Corporation in South Carolina. Select Comfort later acquired Comfortaire in January 2013, consolidating an important part of the category's history and product expertise under its ownership. The company closed Comfortaire's third-party retail business in March 2017 and changed its corporate name from Select Comfort Corporation to Sleep Number Corporation in November 2017. Sleep Number's business includes adjustable mattresses and beds, foundations, bases, bedding accessories, and related sleep products. Its core offering has evolved from a remotely controlled air-bed system into a connected sleep platform. The Sleep Number 360 product family incorporates sensors and automated adjustments intended to respond to movement and sleep conditions. Depending on the model and configuration, the company has marketed features such as automatic firmness adjustment, temperature-related comfort functions, sleep monitoring, and individualized settings for each side of the bed. The brand's proposition combines customization with consumer-facing sleep technology rather than competing solely on traditional mattress materials. The company primarily reaches customers through its own retail network and direct sales channels in the United States. It has operated manufacturing and distribution facilities in South Carolina and Utah in addition to its Minnesota headquarters. Its intellectual-property portfolio has included U.S. and foreign patents relating to its products; company information cited in the reference material reported 23 issued or pending U.S. patents and 40 issued or pending foreign patents as of December 2011. Sleep Number has also pursued research relationships intended to connect sleep quality with broader health outcomes. In 2020 it announced a five-year collaboration with Mayo Clinic involving sleep science and cardiovascular medicine. In 2022 it announced a long-term partnership with the American Cancer Society to support foundational research into sleep quality, cancer prevention, and recovery. The brand has faced legal disputes involving retail relationships, product warranties, advertising, trademark claims, and alleged competitive conduct. These matters include litigation brought by Sleepy's, a warranty-related class action involving Leggett & Platt, and a dispute with Dires LLC concerning the phrase 'number bed' and alleged interference with online marketing. The company has also experienced leadership transition and financial pressure. Linda Findley was appointed president and chief executive officer effective April 7, 2025, succeeding Shelly Ibach. Reference material also reports a 2026 going-concern warning, proposed retail-store closures, and a subsequent asset sale to a wholly owned subsidiary of Sleep Country Canada. Those later developments may affect the corporate status and ownership structure of the brand, while the Sleep Number name remains associated with adjustable beds and connected sleep products.

Sleep Number's history is rooted in the development of adjustable air-supported sleep systems in the United States. Comfortaire Corporation of South Carolina is identified as an early participant in the category, having developed an adjustable air-supported sleep system in 1980. Robert Walker, who had worked at Comfortaire, and his wife, JoAnne Walker, founded Select Comfort in 1987. Select Comfort built its business around beds containing air chambers whose pressure could be changed by the user. This approach allowed sleepers to alter firmness without replacing the mattress and enabled couples to choose different settings on opposite sides of a bed. The company used a numeric scale to describe those settings: higher numbers corresponded to more air pressure and a firmer surface, while lower numbers produced less pressure and a softer feel. The system became the foundation of the Sleep Number brand proposition. Over time, Select Comfort expanded beyond the air mattress itself into foundations, bedding accessories, and related sleep products. It also developed proprietary product technology and accumulated patent rights in the United States and abroad. Information cited in the reference material stated that, as of December 2011, the company held 23 issued or pending U.S. patents and 40 issued or pending foreign patents. In January 2013, Select Comfort acquired Comfortaire Corporation. The transaction brought together the company that had been founded by a former Comfortaire employee and the earlier air-bed business from which the category had emerged. Select Comfort subsequently closed Comfortaire's third-party retail business in March 2017. In November of the same year, Select Comfort Corporation changed its corporate name to Sleep Number Corporation, making the consumer-facing Sleep Number identity the company's principal corporate identity. The company later emphasized connected sleep technology through the Sleep Number 360 platform. These products extended the original manual or remote-controlled air-adjustment concept with sensors and software intended to monitor sleep and adjust comfort. The brand's modern offering has included smart beds, adjustable bases, foundations, pillows, and bedding accessories. Its sales model has centered on branded retail locations and direct customer relationships in the United States, supported by manufacturing and distribution facilities in Minnesota, South Carolina, and Utah. Sleep Number has sought to associate its products with formal sleep research and health science. In January 2020, it announced a five-year collaboration with Mayo Clinic concerning sleep science and cardiovascular medicine. In February 2022, it announced a long-term relationship with the American Cancer Society to conduct foundational research into the possible relationship between quality sleep, cancer prevention, and recovery. The company has also experienced litigation and competitive disputes. Sleepy's sued Select Comfort in 2005 over alleged disparagement of Sleepy's Personal Preference beds, warranty comparisons, and the interpretation of a retail contract. A lower-court dismissal in 2015 was later revisited by the Second Circuit in 2018, which also rejected a previously awarded $2.63 million legal-fee award. A separate 2015 proposed class action involving Sleep Number and Leggett & Platt alleged failures concerning product warranties and repairs. In 2019, Dires LLC sued Sleep Number in Minnesota over alleged monopolization, interference, deceptive trade practices, unjust enrichment, online marketing conduct, and claims involving the phrase 'number bed.' Leadership changed in 2025 when Linda Findley was appointed president and chief executive officer, effective April 7. She succeeded Shelly Ibach, who had announced her retirement in October 2024 and continued as board chair until the expiration of her board term at the 2025 annual meeting. Reference material describes further financial and ownership developments in 2026. It reports a partnership and investment arrangement with football player Travis Kelce, followed by a going-concern warning amid declining sales and planned closures of underperforming stores. It also reports that a bankruptcy court approved the sale of substantially all assets and ongoing business operations to SNBR Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sleep Country Canada, with the transaction announced as completed on July 31, 2026. Because these developments are later than many standard reference records and may change the legal status of the corporate entity, the current ownership and operating structure should be verified against authoritative filings.

• 2026

  Reported financial distress and asset sale

  [1]Sleep Numberen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reports a going-concern warning, planned store closures, and a later court-approved sale of substantially all assets and ongoing operations to Sleep Country Canada's subsidiary.

• 2025

  Linda Findley becomes chief executive

  [1]Sleep Numberen.wikipedia.org

  Linda Findley takes over as president and chief executive officer on April 7, 2025.

• 2022

  American Cancer Society partnership announced

  [1]Sleep Numberen.wikipedia.org

  The company announces a long-term research partnership with the American Cancer Society focused on sleep and cancer-related outcomes.

• 2020

  Mayo Clinic research collaboration announced

  [1]Sleep Numberen.wikipedia.org

  Sleep Number announces a five-year collaboration with Mayo Clinic involving sleep science and cardiovascular medicine.

• 2017

  Comfortaire third-party retail business closes

  [1]Sleep Numberen.wikipedia.org

  Select Comfort ends Comfortaire's third-party retail operation.

• 2017

  Corporate name changes to Sleep Number Corporation

  [1]Sleep Numberen.wikipedia.org

  Select Comfort Corporation changes its corporate name to Sleep Number Corporation.

• 2013

  Comfortaire is acquired

  [1]Sleep Numberen.wikipedia.org

  Select Comfort acquires Comfortaire Corporation.

• 1987

  Select Comfort is founded

  [1]Sleep Numberen.wikipedia.org

  Robert Walker and JoAnne Walker establish Select Comfort, the company that later adopts the Sleep Number name.

• 1980

  Comfortaire develops an adjustable air-supported sleep system

  [1]Sleep Numberen.wikipedia.org

  Comfortaire Corporation of South Carolina is identified as an early developer of the adjustable air-supported sleep-system category.

Premium, personalized sleep brand combining independently adjustable air support with connected sleep-monitoring and comfort technology.

• Adjustable mattress

  Sleep Number adjustable air bed

  The core Sleep Number product uses one or more air chambers whose pressure can be adjusted to change firmness. A numeric setting communicates the selected level, with higher values representing greater pressure and firmness and lower values representing less pressure and softness. Dual-sided configurations allow partners to select different settings on the same bed.

• Connected smart bed

  Sleep Number 360 smart bed

  The Sleep Number 360 family extends the adjustable-air concept with sensors, software, and automated comfort features. The platform is intended to detect movement and sleep conditions and to provide individualized support or adjustments for sleepers on each side of the bed.

• Bed foundation

  Sleep Number foundations and bases

  Sleep Number sells foundations, bases, and related support structures designed to work with its adjustable mattresses. These products form part of the complete bed system and may support positioning or adjustable-bed configurations.

• Bedding accessories

  Sleep Number pillows and bedding accessories

  The brand's broader assortment includes pillows and bedding accessories intended to complement its mattress and bed systems. These products extend the brand beyond adjustable air support into the surrounding sleep environment.

• 2019

  Dires dispute over 'number bed' phrase and online conduct

  Dires LLC accused Sleep Number of monopolization, tortious interference, deceptive trade practices, unjust enrichment, and misuse of trademark-related claims involving the phrase 'number bed.' Dires also alleged that Sleep Number influenced search advertising and posted misleading or negative commentary about its products.

  Source

• 2015

  Warranty class-action allegations

  A proposed class action against Sleep Number and Leggett & Platt alleged that the companies failed to honor warranty obligations and repair a customer's bed, with the filing claiming that other customers experienced similar issues.

  Source

• 2005

  Sleepy's litigation over product disparagement and retail contract

  Sleepy's alleged that Select Comfort made disparaging statements about the quality and comfort of Personal Preference beds and offered inferior warranty terms, while the dispute also concerned a contract governing Sleepy's sale of a Select Comfort product. The case was dismissed in 2015, revived on appeal in 2018, and included a rejected $2.63 million legal-fee award.

  Source

Read more

• 2026Travis Kelce partnership

  United States

  Reference material reports that Travis Kelce became a Sleep Number partner and investor, combining an endorsement relationship with open-market stock purchases and restricted stock units subject to vesting conditions.

  Outcome. Partnership and investment arrangement announced; campaign performance is not specified.

  Source
• 2022American Cancer Society sleep research partnership

  United States

  The company entered a long-term partnership with the American Cancer Society to pursue foundational research into how quality sleep may relate to cancer prevention and recovery.

  Outcome. Long-term research partnership announced; detailed results are not specified in the supplied material.

  Source
• 2020Mayo Clinic sleep-science collaboration

  United States

  Sleep Number announced a five-year collaboration with Mayo Clinic to advance sleep science research, including work connected with cardiovascular medicine.

  Outcome. Research collaboration announced; detailed outcomes are not specified in the supplied material.

  Source

• 2026

  Warn of financial restructuring risks and reduce retail footprintStrategy

  Background

  Reference material reports that sales declined during 2025 and that the company faced difficulty funding operations and meeting debt obligations.

  Action taken

  Sleep Number issued a going-concern warning and said it might pursue financial alternatives, including restructuring or Chapter 11 proceedings. It also planned to close dozens of underperforming stores.

  Aftermath

  The supplied material later reports a court-approved sale of substantially all assets and ongoing operations to a Sleep Country Canada subsidiary.

  Source

• 2026

  Sell substantially all assets and ongoing operationsM&A

  Background

  Reference material reports that Sleep Number entered an asset purchase process during financial distress and that a competitive auction followed.

  Action taken

  A bankruptcy court approved the sale to SNBR Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sleep Country Canada; completion was announced on July 31, 2026.

  Aftermath

  Sleep Country stated that the combined business operated more than 800 retail locations across Canada and the United States. Current legal ownership and brand operation require verification.

  Source

• 2025

  Change chief executiveOther

  Background

  Shelly Ibach announced her retirement, prompting a planned leadership transition.

  Action taken

  The board appointed Linda Findley president and chief executive officer effective April 7, 2025.

  Aftermath

  Ibach continued as board chair until the expiration of her term at the 2025 annual meeting, according to the supplied reference material.

  Source

• 2022

  Pursue sleep and cancer researchStrategy

  Background

  The company pursued broader evidence about the relationship between sleep quality and health outcomes.

  Action taken

  Sleep Number entered a long-term partnership with the American Cancer Society for foundational sleep research.

  Aftermath

  The supplied material does not specify published outcomes.

  Source

• 2020

  Expand sleep research through Mayo Clinic collaborationStrategy

  Background

  Sleep Number sought to connect its sleep technology and brand proposition with formal medical and sleep-science research.

  Action taken

  The company announced a five-year collaboration with Mayo Clinic concerning sleep science and cardiovascular medicine.

  Aftermath

  The supplied material does not specify the collaboration's research results.

  Source

• 2017

  Rebrand the company as Sleep Number CorporationStrategy

  Background

  The Sleep Number consumer identity had become central to the company's adjustable-bed business.

  Action taken

  Select Comfort Corporation changed its corporate name to Sleep Number Corporation.

  Aftermath

  The corporate name was aligned with the principal consumer brand.

  Source

• 2013

  Acquire ComfortaireM&A

  Background

  Comfortaire was an early participant in the adjustable air-supported sleep-system category and was connected to the origins of Select Comfort's product segment.

  Action taken

  Select Comfort acquired Comfortaire Corporation.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition brought the two businesses under common ownership; the Comfortaire third-party retail business was later closed in 2017.

  Source

• 2020-01-08

  Sleep Number and Mayo Clinic announce sleep-science collaboration[2]Sleep Number与梅奥诊所宣布睡眠科学合作ksl.com

  Sleep Number announced an agreement with Mayo Clinic to fund sleep-science research, including research focused on cardiovascular medicine, and to establish a research and development fund.

1. 1Sleep Numberen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Sleep Number与梅奥诊所宣布睡眠科学合作ksl.com