How to Make Sofa Beds More Comfortable for Guests

We all know the drill. Someone pulls out the sofa bed, and suddenly everyone’s scrambling to avoid it. Lumpy sofa cushions and that magical combination of too-hot yet still freezing bedding.              

But here’s the good news. It doesn’t have to be that way. With a few smart tricks and some practical upgrades, you can transform your sleeper sofa from last resort to prime sleep real estate.                     

In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to make sofa beds more comfortable. Whether you're hosting the in-laws or crashing there yourself, real comfort is just a few steps away.        

Content

• Quick Fixes for a Comfortable Sofa Bed 

• Level Up Your Sofa Bed Game  

• Creating a Sleep Environment    

• Enjoy Comfort and a Good Night’s Sleep

Key Takeaways

Smart pillow choices and placement can seriously upgrade comfort for any sleeping position, whether a side sleeper or a back sleeper.                                     

Mattress toppers are the no-brainer upgrade that turns a sofa bed into a cloud you won’t want to climb out of.

Blackout curtains aren’t just for drama. They block out the neighbor’s floodlight and let your brain finally stop thinking it’s midday.

Sleep is a team sport, and airflow’s your secret weapon. Open a window or place a fan nearby and you’ll wake up feeling like a human not overheated.

Blanket choice is not just about style. Having a lighter blanket means no more wrestling with a clunky bed frame or kicking it off at 3 a.m.       

A few tweaks to lighting and distractions help the brain realize it’s time for some sleep, not just a nap between Netflix episodes.    

Quick Fixes for a Comfortable Sofa Bed                

So you've got yourself a sofa bed and you want to make it even more comfortable. Smart thinking. While modern sofa bed designs like our award-winning Koala Sofa Bed are already incredibly comfortable straight out of the box, you can always make these little tweaks to create your perfect sleep experience:      

Good Quality Pillows   

It’s time to get strategic with your pillows. This isn’t about compensating for anything. It’s about crafting a more restful sleep setup that’s tailored to you.                       

Those decorative pillows that came with your sleeper sofa are great for relaxing. But if you want restful night’s sleep, swap those throw pillows for ones that offer additional support. Think of it as transitioning from day mode to night mode.                                                                                                              

Next, master the art of pillow placement. Your sleeping style makes all the difference. Back sleeper? Slide a pillow under your knees for spinal alignment. Side sleeper? Try the knee-tuck-and-hug combo that turns you into a human pretzel of comfort.                                                                      

One great pillow is all it takes to make a sofa bed more comfortable. It’s a simple touch, but an impressive one.              

Temperature Sweet Spot

Getting the temperature just right can make the difference between a comfortable night's sleep and absolutely amazing sleep. It's one of the easiest, yet most overlooked, ways to make a sofa bed feel more comfortable.                                                   

Don't forget the power of airflow. Crack a window or place a fan nearby. Fresh air circulating helps create a cooler room, and you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, like you actually slept, not just stewing in your own heat.                                                  

Switching to breathable bed linens can also help. Linen absorbs moisture and enhances airflow around your body, helping you stay cooler and more comfortable as you sleep.                                                           

These little tweaks can transform an uncomfortable sofa bed into a perfectly cozy place to sleep. The best part? They cost practically nothing, and you can try them all tonight. Sure, they might not turn your basic sofa bed into a traditional bed, but they'll definitely help you get the best possible sleep from whatever you've got.                                                            

Level Up Your Sofa Bed Game

So you've tried the quick fixes and you're still waking up feeling like you've been wrestling with a particularly stubborn piece of furniture all night. Time to get serious about your sleeper sofa comfort game. This is what you need to make the sofa bed more comfortable:       

Add a High-Quality Mattress Topper    

Let's talk about the game-changing power of a high-quality mattress topper. Think of it as the difference between a basic instant coffee and a properly made latte. Both technically do the job, but one will make you question your life choices.   

Now, here's where most sofa bed companies leave you hanging. They sell you the furniture and then expect you to figure out the comfort part yourself. Not us. At Koala, we actually thought this through before you had to.                                       

Every single one of our sofa beds comes with a mattress topper. The Byron Sofa Bed comes with a queen-size 6-inch thick mattress featuring Kloudcell® cushioning and a washable mattress topper designed to give you that cloud-like comfort from day one. No hunting around furniture stores, no guessing games about thickness, no wrestling with slip-and-slide mattress toppers that migrate to the floor.                                  

Kloudcell® technology is our secret weapon here. It's like memory foam's cooler, more responsive cousin. Unlike memory foam, it conforms to your body for pressure relief but bounces back quickly, so you're not stuck in a permanent body-shaped dent. Plus, it's naturally breathable, meaning you won't wake up feeling like sleeping in a sauna.               

Bed Linen That Works       

Standard sheets on a sofa bed with a thick topper? About as good a match as a screen door on a submarine. If you don’t want your sheet popping off every time you roll over, you’ll need deep-pocket sheets that can handle the height. Aim for pockets at least 15 inches deep if you’ve added a thick layer. Trust us, you’ll thank yourself later.    

While you're at it, don’t skip on a mattress protector. Ones made for sofa beds are worth their weight in gold. They help keep your sofa bed clean, protect your mattress topper, and the good ones come with non-slip bottoms so everything stays put. The best part is they’re much easier to wash than wrestling with a whole sofa bed mattress.                       

When it comes to blankets and duvets, lighter is usually better. Your back will be happy, and your sofa bed frame won’t feel like it’s carrying a baby elephant every night. 

Creating a Sleep Environment

You could have the world's most comfortable sofa bed, but if you're trying to sleep in a room brighter than a football stadium with the acoustics of a train station, you won't have a good night's sleep. You need this to transform your living area into a sleep sanctuary:                                           

Add Blackout Curtains

Your living room wasn’t built for sleep, and chances are it wasn’t built to be dark either. Between street lights, early morning sun, and that blinking LED on the TV, it’s a wonder anyone gets any decent sleep. The good news is you can make your room dark.               

Blackout curtains are your new best friend, but avoid the cheap ones that let light pour in around the edges. Go for light-insulating blinds that actually seal off the window.       

Making It Feel Like a Bedroom

The psychological aspect of the sleep environment is huge. If your brain thinks it's still in "living room mode," it will resist switching into "sleep mode." Here are a few simple ways to transform your space and help your brain shift into rest mode:

• Stash that pile of work papers on the coffee table in a drawer.

• Drape a throw over bright artwork on the walls, especially the most stimulating pieces.

• Replace harsh overhead lights with table lamps, warm bulbs, or battery-operated LED strips.

• Start dimming the lights at least two hours before sleep so your body's natural circadian rhythms can kick in properly.

Enjoy Comfort and a Good Night’s Sleep       

Here's the thing about all these comfort hacks. They're excellent for making sofa beds more comfortable. But wouldn't it be nice if you didn't have to become a sleep engineer just to get a decent night's rest?                   

That's exactly why we built Koala sofa beds the way we did. While other brands leave you hunting for mattress toppers and wrestling with slippery sheets, our sofa beds come ready to deliver proper comfort from day one. Kloudcell® technology, integrated toppers, washable covers, and tool-free assembly. It's all taken care of before you even get it home.          

Sure, you can make your sofa bed more comfortable. Or you can just get a sofa bed that's designed to be outstanding right out of the box. Plus, you've got 120 days to make sure it's absolutely perfect. No stress. No sleep engineering required.                              .            

Ready for sofa bed comfort that doesn't need hacking? Browse our award-winning range and discover why thousands are choosing Koala for better sleep.