Getting Started With Your Perfect Sleep Chair

There's a lot your new Perfect Sleep Chair & Lift Chair from Journey can do. It helps you sit down and stand up, elevate your legs, recline for reading or television, move into a flat position for rest or sleep, and add heat and vibration massage when you want to relax. If you have the 5-Zone model, you can also independently adjust your headrest, lumbar support, and the angle of the seat itself.

That probably sounds like a lot of buttons to learn on day one. But the main positions are easy to master, and the device is intuitive to use, once you learn the basics. Here's how to get started.

Set Your Chair Up in the Right Spot

Before experimenting with the controls, size up the space around your chair. The Perfect Sleep Chair reclines, so check that there is enough room behind it to move without hitting a wall, table, lamp, or other furniture. The 5-Zone requires 26 inches of clearance from a wall or corner; the 2-Zone needs 30.5 inches of wall clearance.

Place the chair on a level surface. If you have especially thick carpet, make sure it does not interfere with movement of the footrest. The 5-Zone model has adjustable leg levelers that can be raised if additional clearance is necessary.

Also, consider the power cord. The chair should be close enough to a wall outlet that the cord does not stretch across a walkway where someone might trip over it.

Check the Power Connection

Your Perfect Sleep Chair relies on electricity to operate its lift and positioning motors. Plug the chair directly into a grounded wall outlet. Do not use an extension cord or power strip. Before connecting it, check that the cord is not tangled and that no part of it can become caught beneath the chair or in its moving mechanism.

On the 5-Zone model, the power cord connects to a transformer before running to the wall outlet. Make sure those connections are secure. The chair also uses indicator lights that can help confirm whether power is reaching different parts of the system. If the chair is not responding, these connections are among the first things you should check.

Learn the Basics

You may be tempted to start testing zero gravity, massage modes, and a host of other features immediately. (Who doesn't want a massage right now?!) But a better approach is to first learn the three basic movements you are likely to use most often:

• Backrest. This button raises or lowers the frame that supports your upper body.
• Footrest. This button raises or lowers the seat beneath your legs.
• Lift position. This button raises the entire chair frame toward vertical to help you stand up and lowers it back into its seated position to support you as you go from standing to sitting.

These functions are adjusted independently using the hand controller that you can store in the side pocket of the chair. Releasing a button stops the chair, so you don't have to commit to moving a section all the way up or down.

Spend a few minutes moving each section a little at a time. This will help you get a feel for how quickly the chair responds and how different combinations affect your comfort.

Practice Getting Into the Chair

The lift feature sets the Perfect Sleep Chair apart from the competition. It is one of the most important functions to learn, particularly if lowering yourself into a conventional chair is difficult.

Before sitting, use the lift control to raise the chair. Back up toward it until you can feel the seat behind your legs. Lean back into the chair for support, then gradually lower the chair while settling into the seat. Avoid dropping or "flopping" into the chair while it is raised, since sudden impact can damage the lift mechanism and may cause injury.

Once you are fully seated, continue lowering the chair until it is firmly in its normal position on the floor.

Practice Standing Up

Now that you're sitting in the chair, let's practice getting out of it. Start from an upright seated position. Make sure your feet are positioned securely on the floor. Then use the lift control to slowly raise the chair. Stop when you reach a height that allows you to transfer your weight comfortably onto your feet and stand.

Don't feel that you have to raise the chair to its maximum height. Use only as much lift assistance as you need. After you stand up and move away from the chair, press the button to return it to its normal seated position so that children, pets, or objects cannot move underneath an elevated chair.

Experiment With the Reclining Position

Once you are comfortable with the basic controls, start exploring different sitting and reclining positions. Both versions of the Perfect Sleep Chair allow you to adjust the backrest and footrest independently. That gives you considerably more flexibility than a traditional recliner.

For example, you can:

• Remain relatively upright while raising your feet.
• Recline your back without fully elevating your legs.
• Raise your legs and recline your back at the same time.
• Explore zero-gravity positioning for optimal rest or sleep.
• Recline fully into a flat configuration; the chair extends to 78 inches long.

There is no single "correct" position. Try several combinations and pay attention to what feels most supportive for reading, watching television, relaxing, or sleeping.

Explore the 5-Zone Extra Adjustments

The 5-Zone model adds three additional powered adjustments beyond the basic backrest and footrest controls that come with the 2-Zone.

• Headrest. The headrest moves up and outward or down and inward, allowing you to fine-tune the position of your head and neck.
• Lumbar support. The lower-back section can move outward for more support or inward for less.
• Cradle or seat tilt. Instead of moving only the backrest, this function changes the angle of the entire seated body into sleep-ready positioning.

The additional controls are useful if you like the overall position you are in but want to make a small change such as bringing your head forward to watch television or adding more support behind your lower back.

Try the Preset and Memory Positions

The 5-Zone model includes several MaxiComfort positions, including settings for TV, lounge, zero gravity, and rejuvenate. Once you find a position you particularly like, you can also save it using one of the programmable memory buttons. The controller allows several positions to be stored and recalled later.

Whichever model you have, there's no need to program your preferred positions immediately. Spend some time experimenting first with what works and feels comfortable. Once you know which positions you keep returning to, use the memory feature to store and save it for next time.

Add Heat and Massage

The Perfect Sleep Chair uses targeted lower-back heat and vibration massage to create a total relaxation experience. You can adjust the intensity of the heat as well as the intensity and mode of massage (pulse, wave, and vibration, and so on) through the controller. Begin with a lower setting and see how it feels before increasing the intensity.

The heat and massage controls work separately from the positioning motors, so you can use them while upright or reclined. Think of them as optional comfort features rather than something you need to use every time you sit down.

Safety Habits to Make Automatic

Once you are familiar with your new chair, operating it will become routine. Still, there are a few habits worth practicing from the beginning.

• Before moving the chair, check underneath and around it. Keep pets, children, clothing, cords, and other objects away from the moving frame.
• Never sit or stand on the footrest or armrests, and don't reach underneath the chair while it is plugged in or operating.
• If you notice damaged wiring, sparks, unusual noises, or movement that doesn't seem right, stop using the chair and contact Journey or an authorized service provider rather than trying to repair electrical components yourself.

Take Your Time Finding the Perfect Position

Owning a Perfect Sleep Chair means you no longer have to settle for the two or three positions a conventional recliner comes with. With the Perfect Sleep Chair, you can literally eat breakfast sitting upright, watch TV with your feet up, recline for a movie, and flatten yourself to sleep at night.

The options are many, but you don't need to learn every setting immediately. Start with the basic controls, make small adjustments, and notice which positions feel best for different activities.

Before long, the Perfect Sleep Chair will be less of a mystery and more of a solution to all your resting and sleeping challenges.

Want to Know More?

For more details on how to get started with your Perfect Sleep Chair & Lift Chair, contact Journey Health & Lifestyle customer support at 888-404-1724.