A sleeper sofa gives you a flat place to lie down. A lift chair helps you stand. Irene House lay-flat lift recliners are built to do both, with powered positioning in between: recline to a true 180°, change position from the hand control at 2 AM, and lift back toward standing in the morning.
Then choose one built for lying down for hours, not just for sitting.
Stop anywhere between 105° and 180°; the chair holds the angle.
Every chair on this page lifts you toward standing.
For someone who already prefers, or needs, to rest in a chair, the question is not whether the surface is flat. It is how much work your body has to do before and after sleep.
| Bed | Sleeper sofa | Standard recliner | Lift recliner | Lay-flat lift recliner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat sleeping surface | ✓ | ✓ | Rarely | Some models | ✓ 180° |
| Lies you down by motor | — | — | Power models | ✓ | ✓ |
| Raises you toward standing | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Change position without getting up | — | — | Power models | ✓ | ✓ |
| Back and legs on separate motors | — | — | Some | Some | ✓ every model |
| Sleep → get up at night → sleep again | You do the work | You do the work | Partly powered | Powered | Powered, lying flat |
| Length chosen by your height | — | — | — | Rarely | 69.5" to 83" |
| A normal chair by day | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
"Lay-flat lift recliner" means the 180° models on this page. Our 165° heavy-duty models are listed separately below: elevated rest, not flat.
| Sleeper sofa | Lay-flat lift recliner | What moves | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lying down | Lower yourself onto the sofa, lift your legs up, shuffle into position | Sit, press a button: the footrest rises, the backrest reclines, stop where you like | The chair, not you |
| Getting up | Roll or push yourself upright, swing your legs down, push off with your arms | Press a button: the backrest rises, the footrest closes, the seat lifts you toward standing | Lift assist |
| Changing position at 2 AM | Move your body | Move the chair from the hand control | Back and footrest on separate motors |
| Fitting your height | One size | Reclining length 69.5" to 83", chosen by height | You pick the length |
With a bed or a sofa bed you move your body to the furniture. With a power recliner you sit, press a button, and the chair brings you to lying flat.
Getting comfortable is only half the problem. The lift raises the whole chair and tilts it forward, so you come toward standing without pushing off with your arms.
Many lift chairs stop at 165° with your upper body still raised: fine for TV and naps. Every 180° model here lies flat, back, hips and legs in one line.
Instead of moving your body around the furniture, the furniture moves around you: backrest and footrest on separate motors, from the hand control, in the dark.
Sizing for sleep is stricter than sizing for sitting: heels on the footrest, not past it, and a seat with room at the hips. Reclining lengths run 69.5" to 83" and seats 20.5" to 30.5"; between two sizes, take the roomier one.
Lumbar heat and massage are on every model, for winding down. They come last on this list on purpose.
A typical lift chair runs 105° to about 165°: good for television, reading and napping, with your torso still noticeably raised. A lay-flat model keeps going to 180°, so you can stretch out as on a bed. We print the actual angle on every chair, so you can choose. Our own 165° models are the heavy-duty EWT500 (below) and the 9185 petite.
If you want something closer to a bed, choose 180°.
If you only sit and watch television in a lift recliner, a snug chair is fine: a little heel past the footrest does no harm, and a bigger chair just takes up room. Sleeping is different. For hours lying down, your heels should rest on the footrest, not past it, and the seat should have room to spare at the hips and shoulders.
Sit down and measure from your hip to your heel with your leg stretched out: that number has to fit inside the chair's seat-to-footrest length with a little spare. Then check the full reclining length against your height and your hip width against the seat.
Between two sizes? For sleeping, take the roomier one.
Measure first. Then choose the roomier of the two.
Prices and colour counts update with stock. Reclining length is the number to check against your height.
73" reclining length, 23" seat, footrest stops level.
78" reclining length with an extended folding footrest.
24"–27.5" seats, 73.5"–77.5" reclining length; footrest rises above flat on the 9188E and 9205.
81"–83" reclining length, 26"–27.5" seats, 400 lb, extended footrest that rises above flat.
69.5" reclining length, 20.5" seat, power headrest.
Reclines to 165°, not flat: elevated rest for users to 6'7" and 500 lb, on a 5 mm steel plate frame.
Swipe sideways to see all four models →
| Petite sleeper · 9188S Pro | Everyday sleeper · 9188 | Tall sleeper · 9205L | Heavy-duty sleeper · 9188 EWT500 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Smaller frames, full flat | Most adults, full flat | Taller users, full flat | Larger users, elevated rest |
| Recommended height | 4'7"–5'5" | 5'2"–5'9" | 5'7"–6'6" | 5'8"–6'7" |
| Weight capacity | 300 lb | 300 lb | 400 lb | 500 lb |
| Seat width | 20.5" | 23" | 27.5" | 30.5" |
| Seat depth | 18" | 20.5" | 22.5" | 21" |
| Motor | Triple + headrest | Dual | Dual | Triple, two share the lift |
| Recline | 180° · 69.5" flat | 180° · 73" flat | 180° · 83" flat | 165° · 82", not flat |
| Footrest | Standard, stops level | Standard, stops level | Extended, rises above flat | Extended (T = extended footrest) |
| Starting price | from $999 | from $799 | from $1,399 | from $1,999 |
Starting prices as of October 2026; the cards update with stock. 9188 Pro, 9188S Pro, 9188E Pro and 9205L Pro add a headrest motor.
Lean back with the heat and massage on while you read or listen. Every model has lumbar heat and massage, and both switch themselves off on a timer, so you can drift off with them running.
Backrest and footrest move on separate motors, so you can stop anywhere from upright to fully flat. Pro models add a power headrest.
Change your position from the hand control without getting out of the chair. Pro models return to a saved position with one touch.
Bring the chair upright, then hold the lift button: the chair rises and tilts forward to bring you toward standing.
Return to upright. The chair is a chair again.
My husband is finally sleeping through the nightVerified buyer · 9188 · Mar 2026
This chair was exactly what I was looking for with the extended foot rest. I will be 91 next week and I sleep in mine every night. It is very comfortable.Verified buyer · 9188ET · Jun 2026
I absolutely love reclining in this chair after a long day. The chenille fabric feels soft against my skin, and I love how easy it is to adjust the position. The lift function is easy to use and reliable. It’s been a comfortable spot for my afternoon naps.Verified buyer · 9199 · Jan 2025
I relax back and take a nap in my recliner almost every day after playing pickleball for 2 or 3 hours. It’s a great chair!Verified buyer · 9205 · Sep 2023
I bought for my husband who is 6ft, he love the chair and it also a nice addition to the room. He using it not just during the daytime but he also sleep on it at night time ( he finds more comfortable than our bed)Verified buyer · 9188T · Aug 2024
The chair is long enough for my 6’4” long-legged husband. It is very comfortable and he actually takes naps in it. This was the only chair after a long search, that fit his needs. We highly recommend this chair, it’s worth every penny!Verified buyer · 9188T · Jan 2025
A group of friends purchased this recliner for a birthday gift. Our friend prefers to sleep in a chair rather than a bed and this is a game changer. She tells us she hasen’t been so comfortable or slept so well in years.Verified buyer · 9188 · Dec 2022
I sleep in it and it's the best sleep.I've had in years.Verified buyer · 9205L · Apr 2026
The 9219 zero gravity recliner stops at 160° with your legs raised above your hips — a different long-rest posture that some people prefer to lying flat. It is not on this page because it does not lie flat; the Lay Flat page explains the 180° mechanism in detail.
Some Irene House models recline fully to 180° and are chosen by customers who spend extended periods reclining or sleeping in their chairs. Comfort needs vary, so compare reclining length, seat dimensions and adjustment functions before choosing.
No. A sleeper sofa gives you a flat surface, but you lower yourself onto it and push yourself up from it. A lay-flat lift recliner reclines you to 180° by motor, lets you change position from the hand control, and lifts you back toward standing. The word "sleeper recliner" is also used online for ordinary recliners people nap in, so check the actual recline angle.
The 180° models: 9188, 9188 Pro, 9199, 9188T, 9188E, 9188E Pro, 9205, 9196, 9188ET, 9205L, 9205L Pro and 9188S Pro. The heavy-duty 9188 EWT500 and 9205 EWT500 are on this page too but recline to 165°, an elevated rest position, not flat; the 9185 and the 9219 zero gravity are not listed.
Compare your height with the chair's full reclining length and recommended fit: 73" for the 9188 family (5'2"–5'9"), 78" for the 9188T (5'5"–6'5"), 76.5"–77.5" for the wide-seat 9188E and 9205, 81" for the 9188ET and 83" for the 9205L (to 6'6"–6'7"). Taller users usually need the extended footrest models.
Up to 400 lb, the 9188E, 9188E Pro, 9205, 9188ET, 9205L and 9205L Pro lie flat at 180° with 26" to 27.5" seats. At 500 lb, the 9188 EWT500 and 9205 EWT500 have a 30.5" seat and a 5 mm steel plate frame, and recline to 165°: a deep, elevated rest rather than a flat bed.
You do not push yourself up. Bring the backrest and footrest back toward upright with the hand control, then hold the lift button: the whole chair rises and tilts forward to bring you toward standing.
Yes. Every model on this page has lumbar heat and massage from the hand control, and both run on a timer that switches them off by itself, so they will not stay on all night.
We recommend keeping a battery backup pack beside the chair, so it can still return upright and lift you if the mains fails. We do not sell one ourselves; they are easy to find. For the 500 lb EWT500 models choose a pack with a 110 V AC outlet rated above 200 W, because a standard 29 V pack may not have enough power for their motors.
Lay Flat 180°A true 180° lay-flat, petite to big & tall
Zero GravityLegs above the heart · 105°–160° · 9219
Triple Motor · ProHeadrest motor · one remote · memory positions
LeatherTop grain and faux leather, by fit
Recliners You Can Sleep In · you are here180° lay-flat · 69.5"–83" long · naps & overnight resting
Reclining length is the number that decides whether head and heels are both supported. Everything else is comfort and colour.
See the models by height →
