NEW YORK, Aug. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Select Comfort Corporation (NASDAQ:SCSS), the nation's leading bed retailer, today announced the company has enhanced the SLEEP NUMBER(R) 7000 and Sleep Number(R) 9000 beds. Available today, the new Sleep Number 7000 and Sleep Number 9000 beds combine the most advanced fabrics and materials and a modern, luxurious design with the ability to provide truly personalized comfort.

"The new Sleep Number beds represent the company's desire to continue to innovate for the benefit of the consumer," explained Greg Pesky, product director for consumer mattresses with Select Comfort. "The key attribute of the Sleep Number bed is the ability to adjust the firmness on each side based on personal preference. By adding layers of the most technologically advanced fabrics and materials available, we've taken the comfort a sleeper can achieve on the Sleep Number bed to an entirely new level."

The New Sleep Number 7000 Bed

The traditional elegance of the Sleep Number 7000 bed is perfect for those who prefer extra pampering. The new rayon and silk sleep surface found on the Sleep Number 7000 bed is softened with aloe vera, resulting in unparalleled softness to the touch. The fabric also provides effective vapor and moisture transfer, wicking away heat and sweat for added comfort while sleeping.

Also new to the Sleep Number 7000 bed is three inches of technologically advanced Intralux(R) Ultra comfort material, which is a premium foam exclusive to Sleep Number beds. With five unique zones of plush support, Intralux Ultra comfort material quickly forms and reforms to the body for an ideal balance of comfort, support and pressure-point reduction. And because Intralux Ultra comfort material is more permeable than other foam, the sleeper experiences better temperature control and a more comfortable sleep experience.

The Sleep Number 7000 bed also includes generous amounts of polyester fiberfill and a one-inch layer of Hypersoft(TM)* quilting foam to cradle a sleeper in comfort and provide a perfect pillowtop look.

The New Sleep Number 9000 Bed

The new Sleep Number 9000 bed is simply the ultimate in personalized comfort. The Sleep Number 9000 bed is covered in luxurious boucle yarn - a natural, rayon-cotton blend fabric used in high-end European bedding. Unique to the Sleep Number 9000 bed, boucle yarn ensures effective vapor and moisture transfer while it enhances the performance of the OUTLAST(R) Adaptive Comfort(R) technology.

Outlast(R) Adaptive Comfort technology is a high-performance material designed to balance a sleeper's skin temperature, allowing him or her to remain comfortable during the night. The technology also allows two sleepers with different temperature preferences to find compatibility in the same environment - further building on the personalized comfort of the Sleep Number bed.

Also exclusive to the Sleep Number 9000 bed is the Dual Foam Layering System(TM). The Dual Foam Layering System offers a reversible insert, which allows sleepers to customize each side of the bed according to their comfort preferences.

One side of the reversible insert is made from Intralux(R) Premium comfort material. Intralux Premium comfort material quickly responds and conforms to the contours of the body for increased comfort and support.

And the permeability of Intralux Premium comfort material allows the sleeper to maintain a balanced temperature all night long. Intralux Premium comfort material also is inherently anti-microbial and anti-dust mite.

The other side of the reversible insert is made of advanced "open-cell" memory foam that allows air to flow more freely than other memory foam. That moving air carries away excess heat and moisture, making the memory foam in the new Sleep Number 9000 bed an exceptionally comfortable sleep surface.

New Modern Design

Knowing consumers want a combination of function and beauty, Select Comfort also enhanced the overall design of the Sleep Number 7000 and the Sleep Number 9000 beds. Moving away from the more ornate Baroque fabric design of most mattresses, the new Sleep Number beds represent a fresh, clean, more contemporary design.

"With most mattresses, the look is very homogeneous. And the design feels outdated because it's so extravagant and ornamental," explained Brad Lohrding, vice president and design director with Polivka_Logan, a Minneapolis-based design house with a 45-year history in consumer product design. "With the new Sleep Number beds, we saw an opportunity to make a statement about the advanced technology found on the inside, by creating a modern, sophisticated design on the outside." More specifically, the Sleep Number 7000 and Sleep Number 9000 beds move away from a bright white color to a more natural, neutral tone, while woven into the ticking are contemporary abstract patterns that complement the beds' more distinctive fabrics, textures and finishes.

Personalized Comfort

The new Sleep Number 7000 and 9000 beds offer the same personalized comfort that has allowed millions of Sleep Number bed owners achieve a better night's sleep.

Unlike traditional innerspring mattresses, the Sleep Number bed uses uniquely designed air chambers that allow a person to adjust the firmness on each side of the bed to his or her Sleep Number setting - a number between zero and 100 that represents the ideal combination of comfort, firmness and support.

"Studies show that pressure points have a detrimental impact on sleep quality," said Pete Bils, senior director of sleep innovation and clinical research for Select Comfort. "When you're able to adjust your bed to your Sleep Number setting, uncomfortable pressure points are greatly reduced or eliminated, and you experience more deep, restorative sleep."

For more information, including pricing of the enhanced beds, please visit a local Select Comfort store or sleepnumber.com.

About Select Comfort

Founded more than 20 years ago, Select Comfort Corporation is the nation's leading bed retailer(1). Based in Minneapolis, the company designs, manufactures, markets and supports a line of adjustable-firmness mattresses featuring air-chamber technology, branded the Sleep Number bed, as well as foundations and sleep accessories. SELECT COMFORT(R) products are sold through its approximately 460 company-owned stores located across the United States; select bedding retailers; direct marketing operations; and online at sleepnumber.com.

* Hypersoft is a trademark of Carpenter Co.

(1) Top 25 Bedding Retailers, Furniture Today, August 14, 2006.

Source: Select Comfort Corporation