I receive free products and participate in affiliate programs where I may receive a commission, at no cost to you, if you visit a merchant’s site and make a purchase using links from within this page. 

eLuxury 10″ Gel Memory Foam Mattress Review

Foam mattresses in a box have become popular in recent years as an increasing number of people are choosing the comfort and convenience of buying a mattress online. They can be a great option for those who enjoy the simplicity of online shopping while avoiding high-pressure sales tactics that are often used by mattress stores.

Memory foam mattresses can be compressed, packaged, and shipped to your doorstep in a surprisingly small box. Upon arrival, you can easily move it into position before removing the plastic and allowing it to expand into its original shape and size.

eLuxury, a company that has made a name for itself selling Luxury sheets at a reasonable price, had recently introduced a selection of foam mattresses to their lineup of products.

Their mattresses are handmade in the United States using the same high-quality standards as their sheets.

In this review, I’m going test out their 10″ eLux Gel Memory Foam Mattress and present my findings.

Shipping And Delivery

According to the eLuxury website, warehouse handling time takes between 1-2 business days and transit time is typically 1-5 business days for domestic orders while international orders can take 5-10 days.

My eLuxury mattress shipped on a Wednesday and arrived by Friday. It was packaged inside of a 19″ X 19″ X 42″ box with a shipping weight of 45 lbs (twin size).

I was able to maneuver the mattress by myself, although I could have used a helping hand. Those who order larger mattresses should definitely consider recruiting a helping hand to help carry it.

The package contained some information such as setup instructions, a “Thank you” card, and a warranty card.

Using a pair of scissors, I carefully cut across the first layer of plastic and unrolled it. I then punctured the vacuum seal and removed the second layer of plastic.

Within a few minutes, the bed seemed to have fully expanded, although I allowed it to sit for the full 24 hours as suggested before putting it to the test.

Setting up the mattress was super easy and only took a few minutes. It actually took longer to break down the box and carry it to the recycling cart along with the plastic wrapping.

The Smell Test

Some foam mattresses give off a strong odor, especially once they are unpackaged and decompressed. In most cases, the odor usually disappears in a few days, although in some cases the smell can be long-lasting.

This smell is caused by off-gassing of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) which are found in all freshly manufactured foams. Adhesives that contain acetone are sometimes used to bind together foams and may also produce a smell.

The smell can range from a slight “new” scent to a noxious odor that may irritate the respiratory tract and eyes. In some cases, the odor may cause dizziness, nausea, or headaches.

The foam that is used to make the eLuxury mattress is CertiPUR-US certified and one of the certification requirements is that the foam must contain low VOCs levels of less than 0.5 parts per million. Because of this, my expectations were that this mattress would produce little to no smell.

After removing the plastic packaging, the first thing that I always do is give it the sniff test, so I placed my face on the mattress and gave it a good whiff.

Not surprisingly, this mattress gave off very little odor. The smell that it did give off wasn’t unpleasant at all and disappeared after a couple days.

Heat Dissipation Test

In the early days, foam mattresses gained a reputation for retaining heat. One of the most common complaints was that these mattresses sleep hot.

Foam material has come a long way since then and today there are foams that have gel beads incorporated into the material which helps to carry away body heat and allow for cooler sleeping.

The top of the eLuxury mattress has a 3″ layer of gel foam which helps to facilitate heat removal from the mattress.

In order to give you an idea of how well the eLuxury mattress dissipates heat, I heated it up and measured the temperature as it dropped. You can compare the results of this test to other mattresses that I have reviewed.

I heated a 3 lb rice bag in the microwave for 2 minutes and then placed it on top of the mattress for 10 minutes in order to simulate body heat.

I then removed the rice bag and a no-contact inferred thermometer was used to measure the surface temperature over the course of 2 minutes. You can see the test results in the charts below.

As you can see, the eLuxuary mattress experienced rapid heat loss during the first 20 seconds before gradually slowing down. Here’s a quick summary of the heat loss in 30-second increments.

0-30 seconds: 18.9°

31-60 seconds: 6°

61-90 seconds: 3.6°

91-120 seconds: 2.4°

Over the course of 2 minutes, the mattress cooled a total of 30.9°. Considering that it’s a foam mattress, it did an excellent job dissipating heat.

When trying out the mattress, I found that it slept as cool as many coil spring mattresses that I have slept on. 

Firmness Test

Mattress firmness, not to be confused with mattress support, describes the feel of a mattress and can range from very soft to very hard. Some mattress manufacturers use a scale from 1-10 to describe the firmness of their mattress.

In the end, the firmness of a mattress is somewhat subjective and will vary from one person to another depending on factors such as weight, body style, and sleeping position.

There is a method called Indentation Load Deflection (ILD) that can be used to help quantify the firmness or softness of a foam.

ILD simply measures the amount of weight that it takes to compress a 4″ slab of foam by 1″ within an 8″ diameter circle area. The more weight required, the higher the ILD rating and the “firmer” the foam.

Some mattress manufacturers offer both the foam density rating as well as the ILD while others only offer one and some do not offer either.

While eLuxury gives the density of each foam, they do not offer an ILD rating.

With each mattress that I review, I add 42lbs of weight and measure how far the mattress compresses. You can use this measurement to compare firmness levels of other mattresses on this site.

I placed a concrete-filled bucket onto the bed and used a straight edge to measure how far the top of the mattress compressed. As you can see in the video above, the mattress compressed 2 3/8″.

eLuxury states that their mattress is a “medium”. The firmness test showed results similar to other medium firmness mattresses that I’ve tried.

The feel of this mattress is not too hard yet not too soft – somewhere in the middle. I will have to agree that this is a medium firmness mattress with a rating somewhere around a seven.

Body Support

While you may find that a mattress has the desired firmness level, this does not necessarily mean that it offers proper support.

Support refers to how well a mattress provides pressure point relief while aligning your spine. Sleeping with too much or too little support will misalign your body and cause discomfort during your waking hours.

A mattress that provides proper support can have a firmness level that may fall anywhere between very soft and very hard. For this reason, it’s important not to confuse the two.

The way to determine body support is to lay on the bed in your normal sleeping position and have another person observe your body alignment. If your body is in a “V” or “U” shape, the mattress is not providing enough support.

When laying on this mattress, I had my wife take a close look at my body alignment and she found that my spine was aligned when laying in both the side and back sleeping positions.

I’m 215 lbs and felt as though it did a great job providing proper support.

eLuxury uses a combination of 2 fairly dense foams which help to provide good pressure point relief compared to a lower density foam.

I would say that this mattress should support most body types. Keep in mind that if you are a larger person, the foam is going to compress more and support may become an issue if your weight is in the upper 300’s.

Recovery Time

Depending on the type of memory foam used, every mattress will have a different recovery time once compressed.

Why is this important?

A slow responding foam mattress can make it difficult to change positions and may leave you feeling stuck inside of the mattress. You may want to choose a foam that contours to the shape of your body but quickly returns to its original shape once weight is taken off.

Since this mattress does not contain any coil springs, you should consider the recovery time.

In the recovery time test, I press firmly on the mattress and observe the response time. Take a look at the video above and you can see for yourself.

The foam that’s used in the eLuxury mattress recovers very quickly. The base layer bounced back almost immediately while the gel foam comfort layer only took about a second to recover.

When laying on the mattress, I did not experience the feeling of being stuck. I was able to roll over multiple times without any issue.

Motion Isolation

Motion isolation or motion transfer refers to how well a mattress can isolate movement. This is especially important if one or both partners toss and turn throughout the night or make frequent trips to the restroom.

When it comes to motion isolation, this is an area where most foam mattresses are superior.

While a quality pocketed coil mattress works well to isolate motion, a foam mattress almost always performs better.

I performed a weight drop test in order to give you an idea of how well this mattress isolates motion.

On one side of the bed, I dropped a 17.6 lb weight from a distance of one foot. On the opposite side, I placed a wine glass that was half-filled with water.

I used a phone app to measure vibration that occurred.

The weight drop test was performed three times and the results are shown below.

As seen in the video above, very little movement of the glass occurred with this mattress. Also, the vibration meter registered low scores with a mean of 2.5 MMI and a max of 4.5 MMI.

As anticipated, the eLuxury mattress performed quite well in motion isolation test.

Edge Support

Edge support simply refers to how well the edge of a mattress supports your weight.

This is important because a mattress with good edge support allows you to utilize the entire surface area. A mattress without a supportive edge can cause the feeling of being ejected from the bed if you lay too close to the edge. Also, a bed with poor support will make tasks such as putting on your shoes difficult.

To test the edge support, I first sit on the edge of the mattress and then lay down in the center and roll toward the edge to see how it feels.

While sitting on the edge, the mattress seemed to provide a fair amount of support, although it was not as supportive as other coil mattresses that I’ve tried.

While laying down, rolling around or sleeping on the bed, I didn’t experience the feeling of being tossed from the bed.

I found the edge support to be satisfactory. The foam used in the mattress allows you to enjoy the entire area of the mattress without fear of being ejected from the bed.

The Company

eLuxury is privately owned and operated by Paul Saunders of Evansville, IN. Saunders was a former Marine officer and Naval academy graduate who stumbled upon the idea of selling high-quality, reasonably priced sheets while searching for a sheet set to give to his wife as an anniversary gift.

While shopping, he had become disappointed with what the market had to offer. Saunders noticed that there was a lack of high-quality sheets being sold at a reasonable price. He thought about creating an e-commerce website that would fill this void.

This idea soon became reality in 2009 when Saunders launched an e-commerce store and fulfilled orders from his garage. In 2013, as the business outgrew his home, he relocated operations to a nearby warehouse.

The company soon began expanding far beyond sheets to include mattress pads, pillows, blankets, quilts, duvet covers, pillowcases, sheets, and comforters. They also sell a number of other household items.

eLuxury eventually decided to start manufacturing several of their own products. In 2014 they purchased a factory in Tennessee and had become both a manufacturer as well as an e-commerce seller. Since then, they have moved this manufacturing facility to Evansville, Indiana which has brought hundreds of jobs to the area.

Most recently, eLuxury decided to capture a portion of the rapid-growing mattress-in-a-box market by offering three different mattresses including their 8″ Gel Foam, 10″ Gel Foam, and the 12″ hybrid mattress.

Today, eLuxury is the fastest growing company in Indiana and the fourth fastest growing company in the US.

eLuxury believes in giving back and is committed to supporting their local community as well as several national organizations such as the March of Dimes, Toys for Tots, Soldiers Dogs for Independence and St. Judes Children’s Hospital.

Mattress Construction

A high-quality foam mattress will offer both proper support as well as a cool and comfortable sleeping surface.

In order to achieve this, two or more foam materials need to be joined together, which is exactly what eLuxury did.

The eLuxury mattress is 10″ thick and contains two layers of foam. These layers include:

• 7″ base layer
• 3″ comfort layer

First, a 7″ layer of base foam with a density of 1.8 lbs is used to provide the support that your body needs in order to maintain alignment and quick response when weight is added or removed.

The pound rating refers to the density of the foam and is simply the weight of one cubic foot of a particular foam material. Typically, a more dense foam will weigh more.

On top of the base layer is a 3″ layer of comfort foam which is no ordinary piece of foam. This is a dense layer of 3 lb gel-infused foam which offers a soft and comfortable surface along with cooling properties. Standard memory foam has a tendency to trap heat, so gel beads are added to the foam which helps to dissipate heat. This keeps your body cool and dry throughout the night.

The mattress is covered with a material that’s a blend of 80% polyester and 20% spandex and has a nice feel that’s not too thin yet not too thick.

CertiPUR-US Certification

Safety is a concern that’s at the top of most people’s list.

On average, a person sleeps for 8 hours per night. This means that we spend 1/3 of our lives in bed which is why it’s important to know exactly what’s inside of your mattress.

In 2008, the CertiPUR-US certification program was created in order to address the issue of potentially dangerous foams that were being imported and used in furniture manufacturing.

CertiPUR-US is a not for profit organization that certifies foams that are used to manufacture mattresses among other products. In order to display the CertiPUR-US badge, a foam must pass an annual test and cannot contain any of the following:

• Ozone depleters
• PBDE, TDCPP, TCEP flame retardants
• Mercury, Lead, other heavy metals
• Formaldehyde
• Phthalates regulated by CPSC
• High levels of VOC’s

eLuxury is currently listed on the CertiPUR-US directory as being an active member. Both their foam and mattresses are made in a factory in the state of Mississippi.

Mattress Firmness

This mattress is only offered in one level of firmness, which the manufacturer describes as medium or 7 out of 10. The majority of people find a medium firmness mattress to be comfortable.

If you prefer a very soft mattress or a very firm mattress, this mattress may not work for you. If you are unsure of which firmness level is right for you, there is a good chance that this medium will work.

Will It Support Heavier People?

This mattress supports up to 800 lbs or 400 lbs per side, so even if you are on the heavier side, it should provide enough support.

Warranty

The 10″ foam mattress from eLuxury comes with a 10-year full coverage warranty. A 10-year warranty is fairly standard in the in the mattress industry.

There are however some limitations to this warranty which includes:

• Damage due to improper use, negligence, or improper storage
• Slower than normal bounce back
• Indentation due to improper support
• The use of cleaning products which may compromise materials
• Mold, dirt, stains, burns, or tears

eLuxury provides a warranty card with each mattress, which lists the details as well as all of the exclusions that apply.

Pricing

The eLuxury mattress varies in cost depending upon size. Expect to pay between $489.99 – $799.99. In comparison to other 2-layer gel foam mattresses, this one is priced fairly.

If you prefer to make monthly installments, this is an option with the eLuxury mattress. They have partnered with Bread to offer easy and affordable financing.

Your monthly payment is determined by your interest rate which is determined by your credit score. The table below shows the monthly payment amount with an interest rate of 9.99% APR over a 36-month term. This payment amount will, of course, vary by individual.

In addition to using Bread, you can also choose PayPal credit and receive interest-free financing for six months.

Shipping is free on orders over $50, so any size mattress qualifies for free shipping.

Visit eLuxury Website

Trial Period

As with most online mattress stores, eLuxury does offer a trial period in which you try out their mattress and if you are not satisfied, you can return it for a full refund.

The idea may seem difficult to believe, but such offers are not uncommon in the online mattress industry. After all, most buyers are reluctant to purchase a mattress online because they are unable to lay on it first. A trial period helps to ease this fear.

eLuxury offers a 120-night trial period in which you can test out their mattress to see if it’s right for you. The length of this trial period is slightly better than average compared to others who are selling similar mattresses.

If you decide that this mattress is not for you at any time during the trial period, contact them and they will send someone to pick it up and issue a refund for 100% of what you paid. The mattress will be disposed of or donated to a local shelter.

The truth is, you will know if the mattress is right for you within the first 3-4 weeks, so a trial period that lasts 4 months is really excessive.

Keep in mind that a new mattress will offer more support than an old one. Because of this, it may be somewhat uncomfortable for the first few weeks until you break it in and become accustomed to sleeping on it.

Final Thoughts

There are a lot of factors that one should consider when choosing a mattress. The first step is to decide which type of mattress may be right for you.

Foam mattresses, such as the one offered by eLuxury, are a great alternative to traditional coil spring mattresses. You can order one online and it will arrive at your doorstep within a few days.

I found the eLuxury mattress to be an all-around great value. The company offers a quality foam mattress that covers all bases at a reasonable price.  It’s not the cheapest 10″ gel foam mattress out there but certainly nowhere near the most expensive.

As for comfort and performance, this mattress did not disappoint. It sleeps cool and comfortable while providing excellent support and superior motion isolation.

It’s made from CertiPUR-US foams that are made in the US. This mattress does not contain toxic chemicals and does not smell.

The 120-night trial allows you to ensure that the mattress is a good fit for you.

The gel foam mattress from eLuxuary is one that should be considered if you are interested in an all-foam mattress.

Visit eLuxury Website

I receive free products and participate in affiliate programs where I may receive a commission, at no cost to you, if you visit a merchant’s site and make a purchase using links from within this page. 

The Layla Story

The Layla brand was formed by two brothers from Southern Connecticut.  After years of spending many evenings after school and weekends in the family furniture store, Akrum and Akbar Sheikh envisioned a new sales model for their family’s brick-and-mortar store.  The brothers decided to follow the ever-growing e-commerce movement and revolutionize the way people buy mattresses.

The two are no strangers to showroom salesmen and understand the customer’s reaction to salesmen when they walk into a furniture store or mattress warehouse.  Akrum and Akbar decided to completely eliminate the salesman from the picture and create an online business where you could shop for a mattress without the pressure of someone behind you following you around the store.

They also discovered during their countless hours at the family showroom that people had too many choices when making their selection.  Whether it was furniture or beds, there were too many options available, leaving the customer confused and undecided.

The brothers designed one mattress that was reversible – it had a firm side and a soft side. Two options to sleep on.  Not only did they completely eliminate the stress of salesman from the process of buying a mattress, but they also limited the number of options.

After realizing success selling their mattress, Layla began branching out and selling other products such as mattress toppers, bed foundations, bed frames, and even pillows.

I recently had the opportunity to try out the Layla pillow, which as it turns out, was one of the most comfortable pillows that I have tried. Continue on to read more about my experience, but let’s first cover the basics.

Layla Pillow Features

Materials and Composition

The Layla pillow is composed of a blend of polyester, Lycra, Copper, and Viscose.  The copper part sounds interesting, right?  Well, it is actually.  It turns out that copper serves several purposes in the pillow.  Not only does it wick away moisture while keeping your head cool, but it also has antimicrobial properties.

The tag indicates that the pillow contains 70% memory foam and 30% Kapok fibers.

The memory foam inside the Layla Pillow is CertiPUR-US Certified meaning that it has undergone extensive testing by an independent agency to ensure that it doesn’t contain any harmful elements.

The pillow also has a stuffing that is made of Kapok. Kapok is a tree variety native to the Amazon rainforest and grows upward of 150ft tall. It’s said to be the tallest tree in the Amazon. The tree produces fruit that contains seeds engulfed in a fluffy fiber similar to cotton.  The fibers are commonly used in stuffing for life jackets but have recently made their way into furniture, mattresses, and pillows. Kapok fibers are hypoallergenic which is good to know if you have any allergy issues.

Dimensions

Like most pillows on the market, the Layla Pillow is available in the standard pillow size as well as the king size. Here are the dimensions that Layla has listed on their website:

• Standard 18″ x 24″
• King 18″ x 33″

Pricing & Shipping

The Standard Size Layla Pillow retails for $99 and the King Size is $119.

Layla offers free shipping to most states. The Layla pillows ship for free in the United States except for Hawaii and Alaska.  Shipping is $20/pillow in those states.  International shipping charges will be incurred outside of the U.S.

Care Instructions

The Layla Pillow should be spot cleaned only.  Layla mentions that you may be able to run the pillow through a gentle washing cycle and even drying cycle, but this may completely void their warranty.

Return Policy & Warranty

Layla offers a pretty incredible trial period.  They suggest you sleep on the pillow for at least two weeks before making the decision to return it.  You can use it for up to 4 months (120 days to be exact) as a trial period and even then return it for a full refund.  Hassle-free.  No questions asked and no return shipping fees.

In addition to their trial period, Layla also comes with a 5-Year Warranty.  The warranty covers the following:

• Fading or color changes
• Noticeable change in shape
• Defective construction in the stitching
• Unraveling seams
• Flattening of the memory foam

My Personal Review of the Layla Pillow

The Arrival

The Layla Pillow was shipped from Pacoima, California and took a total of 4 days to arrive on the east coast via FedEx. It arrived wrapped in plastic and folded in half inside of an 8.5″ x 8.5″ X 17″ box.

Upon arrival, I unboxed the pillow and removed the plastic. It was a bit flattened at first but within about 5 minutes, it had expanded to its full size.

After expanding, the measurements were 15″ x 23″ X 6″ and it weighed right around 3 lbs. Looking at the size and weight, Layla did not skimp on filler when making this pillow.

The gray and white quilted cover was made from a very soft material that had a much thicker feel than the thin pillows that I’m accustomed to. Layla mentions that the cover is copper infused, although it wasn’t apparent when looking at the cover.

The design of the pillow was very interesting and was almost three dimensional.

Looking at the overall appearance, it seemed to be made well with attention to detail.

Pressing down on the pillow, it felt as soft as down and had a medium to fast recovery time. The Kapoc and memory foam created a nice mixture that was not clumpy and remained in place when the pillow was held up by its edge.

The pillow had a medium feel that was not too soft yet not too firm.

I plunged my face into the pillow and took a deep breath and found that it had no offensive odors. It had a fresh smell that was not overpowering.

At this point, I was actually excited to put this pillow to the test, so I slipped it inside of a pillow case and tossed it onto my bed.

Sleeping With Layla

When I laid down and rested my head on the pillow, it was supportive yet soft. My head rested nicely on the surface and wasn’t buried inside of the pillow.

I often need two pillows (or fold one pillow over) to support my head but found that the Layla was thick and supportive enough to use by itself.

It felt great, unlike any pillow that I’ve tried before, almost as if my head was gently lifted by a cloud. The pillow slept well when laying on both my back and side.

I’m a hot sleeper and notice that most polyester or down feather pillows sleep hot. The Layla slept very cool and remained comfortable throughout the night. The back of my head stayed cool and dry. I usually need to turn my pillow throughout the night to the cooler side but didn’t need to with the Layla.

In the morning, I experienced no neck discomfort which indicates that my head was supported properly throughout the night.

I spent the next 3 weeks sleeping on this pillow every night and the pillow did not compress or go flat. I did fluff it once, which was not necessary but something that I like to do.

I noticed that the foam and Kapoc did not shift around as I’ve experienced with other pillows that contain chunks of foam. The foam remained consistent across the entire pillow.

I can’t speak for exactly how long this pillow will last, but I will try to update this review in a few months to let you know how things go. So far, it’s looking good.

Does It Help With Snoring?

It’s said that copper infused material is supposed to have an effect on snoring. This information was new to me, so I was interested to see if this pillow helped with my snoring.

If you have read my blog for any period of time, you probably already know that my snoring is loud and very disruptive. I usually sleep with a mouthpiece to keep my wife from kicking me out of the bedroom.

Needless to say, I was curious to see if this pillow had any effect on my snoring.

For the first time in years, I didn’t use a mouthpiece and used the Layla pillow instead. I allowed my wife to judge my snoring as I slept.

Interestingly enough, the pillow did seem to have some effect on my snoring. While it didn’t completely eliminate it, it was greatly reduced to a very soft sound.

After giving it some thought, I believe that the primary reason for my reduced snoring had to do with having a pillow that properly supports my head which helps to facilitate breathing.

The two pillows that I have used in the past may have propped my head up too high thus causing my airway to become restricted.

While I can only speculate what caused my snoring to decrease, I’m certain that the Layla pillow had some effect on my snoring.

Final Thoughts

When is a pillow worth $100?

When it exceeds your expectations.

At first, I thought the price was a bit exorbitant but after spending three weeks on this pillow I can see why others are willing to pay for such a high-quality pillow and why this pillow was so highly rated.

Layla seemed to have designed a pillow that offers the perfect balance between support and comfort. The pieces of memory foam offer support while the super soft Kapoc fibers give the pillow a nice soft touch.  I like the fact that I didn’t need a pillow to support my pillow.

While the copper-infused material is not clearly visible, it must be present as it helps tremendously with heat dissipation. If you live in a warmer climate or your bedroom is warm, this is the pillow for you.

Layla’s four-month trial period is one of the most generous in the industry. Most high-end pillow manufacturers don’t offer a 100% money back guarantee, especially four months later. Plus the warranty covers flattening or changes in the shape of the pillow. If this pillow goes flat, they will replace it.

Being CertiPUR-US certified and made in the USA, you will never have to worry about the Layla pillow containing anything harmful.

This pillow is one of the most comfortable that I’ve slept on and is one that I would recommend to anyone who’s looking for a quality, comfortable, cool and supportive pillow.

Visit Layla’s Website

I receive free products and participate in affiliate programs where I may receive a commission, at no cost to you, if you visit a merchant’s site and make a purchase using links from within this page. 

WinkBed Hybrid Mattress Review

While most online mattress retailers spend their time focusing on making a product that they can squeeze into a smaller box to reduce shipping costs, WinkBeds is raising the bar by offering a high-end mattress at a cost that is 1/3 of what you would expect to pay at a brick and mortar store. Their secret – manufacture a mattress and sell it directly to the consumer while cutting out the middleman.

WinkBeds is a direct-to-consumer mattress company that focuses on delivering a luxury hybrid mattress in a choice of 4 different levels of firmness. Each mattress is built-to-order and hand-crafted in the United States in Watertown, WI using US sourced foams that are CertiPUR-US certified.

This monster 14.5″ thick euro-top hybrid mattress is 33% thicker than the average mattress and is made from six different layers of foam and coils, giving it the feel and appearance that you would expect from a quality mattress.

After reading several reviews on the WinkBed, I had to give one a try to see what all the buzz was about.

Is this bed really as comfortable as they say? Is it worth the price they are asking for it? What makes this mattress different from the hundreds of others that are out there?

Over the next two weeks, I’m going to sleep on this mattress while putting it through a series of tests. Along the way, I will share what I learned (the good and the bad) and will then offer my recommendation.

The Company

The year was 2014 and Casper had just dropped millions of dollars on advertising, bringing awareness to the “bed-in-a-box” industry that was previously unknown to most. Up until this point, most people had never even considered buying a mattress online.

Within the next several months, dozens of such memory foam mattress companies began sprouting up all over the internet, each creating a slightly different variation of a pressed and rolled foam mattress.

It wasn’t long before consumers were becoming comfortable with the idea of buying a mattress online without ever visiting a showroom.

During a period when most startup companies were following a Casper-style business model, WinkBeds company founder Dan Adler had a different idea in mind.

Adler recognized the lack of higher-end luxury mattresses that were being offered online. His idea was to create a direct-to-consumer luxury mattress business to fill this gap.

In March 2015, WinkBeds was launched, offering an alternative for those who are interested in purchasing a mattress online but demanded more than a slab of foam.

Unlike most competitors, WinkBeds does not flatten and stuff their mattresses into a box. They are actually not compressed at all. Their mattresses are wrapped loosely in plastic for protection and then delivered to your home inside of a large cardboard box.

In addition to their mattresses, WinkBeds also sells the coolControl, a mattress base that adjusts the temperature of each side of the bed individually using the same technology used to heat and cool car seats.

Today, WinkBeds remains a small company that continues to thrive with 10 full-time employees.

Mattress Construction

A hybrid mattress such as the WinkBed offers the best of both worlds – a traditional coil spring system which delivers the “bounce” that many of us are accustomed to, and memory foam, which has become a popular choice due to the comfort and support that it offers.

Each WinkBed mattress is made using a combination of six different layers of foam and springs.

Before going into the details of each layer, I’ll start by offering a brief explanation of two acronyms that you will frequently hear when shopping for a mattress:

Pounds Per Cubic Foot (PCF) is simply a measurement of foam density. In other words, the weight of one cubic foot of a particular foam. The heavier the weight, the greater the foam density.

Indentation Load Deflection (ILD) is a measurement that indicates how soft or hard a foam is. Using a 4″ thick sample of foam, this is the weight that it would it take to compress the foam by 25% using an 8″ disk. A higher number indicates a harder foam while a lower number indicates a softer foam.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about the 6 layers that make up the WinkBed.

Base Layer: Starting with the base, there’s a 2″ piece of support foam with a density of 1.5 PCF and an ILD rating of 28. This provides a base for the pocket coils to rest on.

Tempered Pocket Coils: Located directly above the base is the first layer of individually wrapped American made tempered support springs or pocket coils which are 7.5″ in height and encased in foam. These are also known as Marshall coils, named after the inventor.

Rather than being wired together, these pocket coils operate independently, which helps to decrease motion transfer.

As for pocket coil count, a queen size WinkBed mattress has 858 coils while the king size contains 1,054.

Lumbar Pad: Separating the support coils from the micro air-springs is a 3/4″ lumbar pad which is made from pre-compressed densified cotton.

The purpose of this layer is to reduce stress on the lower back and provide additional pressure relief.

Micro Air-spring Coils: above the lumbar support is a second layer of smaller USA made springs that are referred to by the manufacturer as micro air-spring coils.

These coils are also encased in foam but measure only 2.4″ in height. The purpose that they serve is to promote airflow while providing contoured support.

The queen size contains 1,353 micro-air springs while the king contains 1,722.

Gel Foam: Just above the air-springs is the comfort layer. First up is a 1″ thick breathable premium gel foam layer with a density of 1.5 PCF and an ILD rating of 17.

Gel foam is used to assist with motion isolation as well as heat dissipation. This type of material typically contains gel microbeads which are mixed in with the memory foam to create a cooling effect.

This gel foam layer contours to your body to provide additional support.

Hypersoft Foam: To top things off, a 1″ thick slab of Hypersoft foam is added, which has a density rating of 1.5 PCF and an ILD rating of 17.

This is a soft, fast responding layer of foam which is designed to provide a comfortable surface to sleep on and prevent that “stuck” in the mattress sort of feeling.

The mattress is covered in Tencel and Strech-nit fabric that is softer than silk and has moisture wicking properties that are better than cotton.

Perimeter Support Foam: Around the edge of the mattress there’s a perimeter support that’s made from a high ILD foam. The perimeter support helps to contain everything inside and is necessary to support the edge.

It’s essential because it allows you to lay close to the edge without it collapsing. A bed without good perimeter support will cause you to literally roll out onto the floor if you lay too close to the edge.

The perimeter support is 4.5″ wide and made from 1.5 PCF foam with a very high ILD rating of 65. This firm foam will allow you to sit on the edge without it collapsing.

CertiPUR-US Certification

With rising concerns of potentially dangerous, substandard foams entering the United States, the CertiPUR-US program was created in 2008.

CertiPUR-US is a not-for-profit organization that certifies flexible polyurethane foams to ensure that they are made without ozone depleters, PBDE, TDCPP or TCEP flame retardants, heavy metals, formaldehyde, phthalates regulated by CPSC, and that they have Low VOC emissions of less than 0.5 PPM.

In order to display this seal, foam manufacturers must go through the certification process twice within the first year and then annually in order to maintain their certification.

When a mattress manufacturer displays the CertiPUR-US seal, you can be assured that you are receiving a product that’s made with foams that have been tested and are safe to use.

WinkBeds states that their mattresses are CertiPUR-US certified. If you take a look at the CertiPUR website, you will see that WinkBeds is listed as a participating company.

Firmness Options – Which One Do I Choose?

When introduced in 2015, the WinkBed was only available in one level of firmness. Today the company allows you to choose from four different levels:

• Luxury Firm
• Softer
• Firmer
• Plus

The basic internal structure remains the same with each mattress. A few select components are either added or swapped out to create a different feel. For instance, an additional layer of foam may be added or standard springs may be swapped out for heavier-duty ones.

Here’s a description of each firmness level and an example of a person who may choose that level.

Luxury Firm: This is their most popular option because it’s suitable for most people. This firmness level is best described as medium and is designed to satisfy the majority of sleepers.

The average person will choose Luxury Firm. This is going to be a mattress that’s not too hard yet not too soft.

Soft: If you prefer a mattress that’s on the softer side, one that allows your body to “sink” in, then you may be interested in this one.

Consider the soft if you like to sleep down inside of your mattress.

With the softer version, the standard spring set is swapped out for a more flexible, lighter-duty spring set. An extra layer of hypersoft foam is also added to the comfort layer.

Firm: If the Luxury Frim seems like it would be a good fit but you would like a little more midsection support, then the firm option may be for you.

This version of the mattress is identical to the Luxury, except the middle section of supports springs are removed and replaced with heavier-duty ones.

Essentially, this creates three zones. The upper and lower thirds contain the standard pocket coils while the middle third has firmer springs.

Plus: The Plus is also a popular choice.

This mattress is best suited for heavier people who need the extra support that’s provided by lower-gauge support springs in the midsection.

The Plus mattress contains the same coil set as the Firmer but has a more supportive edge. Also, the micro air-springs are replaced by seven layers of latex, which also helps to provide better overall support.

If you are a larger person and find that most mattresses that you try do not offer enough support, the Plus firmness level might be right for you.

Having A Hard Time Choosing?

If you already know that you prefer a firm mattress, go with the firm.

If you are certain that you prefer a soft mattress, go with the soft.

For all others (most people) the Luxury Firm will be just right – not too firm, yet not too soft.

Exchange Program

It’s easy to see how having four different firmness levels to choose from can make the decision process difficult. Luckily WinkBeds offers an exchange program to help ease your fears of choosing the wrong mattress.

Here’s how it works:

If after sleeping on the mattress you find that it’s too firm, too soft, or doesn’t provide enough support, you can exchange your mattress for one with a different firmness level.

Keep in mind that all mattresses experience an initial break-in period, so give it a little time before deciding to exchange it.

WinkBed does charge a $49.99 fee if you decide to exchange your mattress. This helps to cover the cost of shipping a new mattress to your house and removing the old one.

To avoid the hassle of having to exchange your mattress, spend a little time thinking about which firmness level would be the best fit before ordering.

Warranty

As with most mattress companies, WinkBeds comes with a 10-Year full replacement warranty. This seems to be the standard in the industry, as very few companies offer a warranty that exceeds this length of time.

There are several items that are not covered by this warranty. Some examples include:

• Normal wear and tear
• Burns, tears, stains, soil
• Issues due to improper boxspring support
• Impressions that are 1.5″ or less
• Damage caused by tampering

Contact WinkBeds for a full list of items that are not covered.

Overall, the warranty, as well as details, are identical to nearly every mattress out there.

Pricing & Financing Options

Pricing

The cost of a WinkBed will vary based on size. The larger the bed, the more you should expect to pay. Also, the cost of each mattress is about $200 more if you choose the “plus” firmness level.

You can save $50 by using Promo Code SMG50 at checkout.

Visit WinkBeds Website

The prices in bold reflect the cost after the promo code is applied.

Financing

If making a single payment of several hundred dollars isn’t feasible, WinkBeds does offer financing options.

They have partnered up with e-Commerce financing company Bread to offer 6 months, 0% APR financing to those who qualify.

If you have less than perfect credit, Bread may still offer a loan with an APR rate that ranges from 1.00%-29.99%.

You will, however, need to enter some information to learn the exact rate they can offer. The good news is that checking your rate will not affect your credit score.

As for monthly payment options, Bread accepts check, money order, ACH transfer or debit card.

Lease To Own

Perhaps your credit is not so great. There’s still one option that you may want to look into.

WinkBeds is also partnered up with Zibby, a lease-to-own company that allows you to pay over time for items such as furniture, appliances, and electronics.

They require no credit check, and it takes about 30 seconds to get approval for up to $3,500.

In order to apply, you will need to provide some basic information such as your name, phone number, address, SSN, email, and a photo ID.

Lease options are for 12, 18, or 24 months and renew automatically.

Zibby is available in all states except for Minnesota, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Trial Period

The thought of buying a mattress online without ever touching it can be difficult to accept. What if the mattress is not what you expected?

Fortunately, many online mattress companies are now offering a free trial so that you can be certain that the mattress is right for you.

You do have to exercise some caution when choosing a company that offers a “free trial”. Before ordering, be sure to read the fine print in their return policy. You may be responsible for “return processing fees” or “restocking fees”.

WinkBeds offers a 101 night free trial with no restocking fees and no return processing fees. 

Simply stated, if you don’t like your mattress, you can contact WinkBeds and they will pick it up and refund the full amount that you paid. This is truly a free trial with no hidden costs if you decide not to keep your mattress.

Shipping & Delivery

When I ordered my WinkBed, I received an autoresponder email letting me know that my mattress was being made and that I would receive notice once my mattress has shipped.

I was surprised to receive an email only a few hours later letting me know that my WinkBed was finished and it was on the way. Perhaps I chose a good time to place my order – I’m not sure.

WinkBeds delivery service, Pilot Freight, sent out an email the same day asking me to schedule an appointment to receive my delivery. I had scheduled my delivery for the first available date, which was 4 days after it had arrived at the local warehouse.

Seven days after placing my order, the delivery driver arrived on time in a Pilot Semi truck with a lift gate and carried the mattress inside my home.

Unboxing & Setup

Once inside, I removed my WinkBed from the box that it came in and took off the protective layer of plastic before setting it up.

After uncovering the mattress, my initial impression was that it appeared to be well made and way more luxurious than I had envisioned. The Tencel fabric that topped the mattress was very soft and plush.

With the help of my wife, we hoisted the mattress up onto a previously used wood slat bed which was still in good condition. Since the mattress weighed just under 80lbs, maneuvering it proved to be a manageable task for two people.

If you don’t have the ability or desire to set up this mattress, WinkBeds does offer a premium white glove delivery service. For an additional $99, they will deliver the mattress, unbox and unwrap it, place it on top of your bed platform and remove all the trash from your home.

They will also haul away your old mattress for an additional $60. Their mattress removal service is an add-on item if you were to go with the white glove delivery option.

The Smell Test

Have you ever purchased something new and noticed that it emits a chemical smell? Sometimes the smell can be so strong that it causes irritation while breathing or even headaches.

This smell is actually called off-gassing and it’s caused by the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are created as a result of the manufacturing process.

VOCs can be found in nearly everything produced including new carpet, cleaning products, building materials, and new furniture. Most experts agree that VOC’s are relatively harmless at low levels.

There’s certainly no shortage of mattresses out there, especially foam mattresses, that give off this “new foam” smell when they are removed from their package.

When a freshly manufactured foam mattress is vacuum sealed and squeezed into a box, VOCs are unable to escape and are released when the mattress is opened once it arrives at your home.

Since WinkBeds are made to order, they are not sealed, packaged, and stored in a warehouse for months. What this means is that most off-gassing that’s created by the foam has a chance to escape before reaching your home.

As mentioned, WinkBeds uses CertiPUR-US certified foams which guarantees super-low VOC emissions of less than 0.5 PPM.

After unpacking my WinkBed, the first thing that I did was give it the smell test and found that my mattress did not produce any off-gassing odors. It smelled like fresh linens and did not have a chemical smell at all.

If you are sensitive to smells, this mattress will not cause you any issues.

Heat Dissipation Test

The WinkBed is made with a layer of gel memory foam as well as hundreds of foam encased micro air-spring coils.

The gel foam is infused with gel beads which have cooling properties and are designed to help carry heat away from the mattress and your body.

The micro air-spring coils, located just below the gel foam, permit air to flow through the mattress, allowing it to breathe.

In addition, the Tencel cover has moisture wicking properties which help to carry any sweat away from the mattress.

Most people agree that a hot-sleeping mattress is uncomfortable and will prevent you from getting a good nights rest. Because of this, I like to conduct a heat dissipation test which measures how fast a mattress cools.

This test allows you to visualize how cool or warm a mattress may sleep.

A heat dissipation test was conducted using a 3lb rice bag, which was heated in the microwave for 2 minutes before being placed on the mattress for a total of ten minutes.

After the mattress was heated, the rice bag was removed and heat loss was measured over the course of two minutes using an infrared thermometer and a stopwatch.

The temperature and time are noted in the chart below.

As you can see, the temperature dropped 15.3° during the first thirty seconds.

Between 30-60 seconds the WinkBed lost an additional 4.2°.

Between 60-90 seconds, it experienced 2.1° of heat loss.

During the final 30 seconds, it lost an additional 2.1°.

WinkBed lost a total of 23.7° during this 2-minute experiment. 

The greatest amount of heat loss occurred during the first 30 seconds followed by the second 30 seconds. The amount of heat loss seemed to stabilize and slowly fall during the second minute of this test.

Overall, this mattress dissipated heat fairly well, considering it is topped with memory foam which has a tendency to hold heat. The gel infused foam seemed to perform much better than standard memory foam.

My wife and I both agree that this mattress slept very cool.

Firmness Test

When shopping for a mattress, you will notice that the first thing that most people do is sit or lay on a mattress to get an idea of how soft or firm it is.

Some prefer their mattress to be soft while others like it hard, and then there are those who prefer something in between. Firmness level is usually expressed on a scale from 1-10 with 1 being on the soft side and 10 being on the harder side.

By far, the most popular choice of mattress is a medium or luxury firm. This is also the firmness level that I chose for my WinkBed. When sleeping on the mattress, I found the plush euro-top provided a cozy surface, while the supportive spring prevented me from sinking down too far into the bed.

On a scale from 1-10, I would rate my luxury firm mattress somewhere around a 6 or 7. 

As mentioned earlier, an Indentation Load Deflection (ILD) test is used to measure the firmness of a foam.

Using a 2-gallon bucket filled with 42lbs of concrete, I measured how far this mattress sinks in when weight is applied. This test allows you to visualize the firmness level if you were to choose the luxury firm.

As you can see in the video, the mattress compressed 2.125″ over an 8.25″ circle area. 

Body Support

Firmness isn’t the only factor that should be considered when deciding on a bed. A mattress should properly support your body weight so that you sleep with your spine aligned. Without proper support, you may wake up with aches and pains in different areas including your neck, shoulders, or back.

The amount of support needed depends on your weight and body style. A larger, heavier person will require more support than a smaller, lighter individual.

Just because a mattress is considered firm doesn’t mean that it will provide enough support for you. Even a soft mattress can be too rigid and provide too much support.

The way to tell if a mattress provides enough support is to lay down in your normal sleeping position and have another person observe your body alignment. Your spine should remain straight and in line. If your back is bowed up or down, the mattress is either not providing enough support or too much support.

I’m 6’1, 215lbs and I found that the luxury firm mattress provided just the right amount of support. 

When choosing a mattress, keep in mind that what works for one person will not work for all. If you are a heavier person, consider choosing the “plus” mattress which is made with stiffer coil springs and will provide better support.

Recovery Time

The recovery time of a mattress refers to how fast it returns to its original shape after being compressed.

You have probably seen a piece of high-density memory foam that takes several seconds to bounce back once compressed. While this type of foam may be ideal in some applications, most people prefer a foam that responds quickly, as slow responding foam can create a rut that’s difficult to roll out of and can leave you feeling stuck in the mattress.

There are however a few who enjoy the feel of a slow responding foam. Some prefer a slow recovering foam mattress in which they can create an impression of their body and remain nestled in the exact same spot throughout the night.

Recovery time is especially important if you are considering an all foam mattress where no coils are present.

Since the WinkBed contains two sets of springs topped by 2″ of 17 PCF foam, my expectation was that it will respond fairly quickly after being compressed.

As you can see in the video demonstration above, the WinkBed has a very fast recovery time that is almost instant. There’s no need to be concerned about being swallowed into the mattress.

Motion Isolation Test

Motion isolation refers to how well a mattress is able to absorb one’s movement. Certain types of mattress materials, such as memory foam, are known to absorb movement better than others.

If your partner has a tendency to move around the bed at night, you may want to consider a mattress that isolates motion well.

The comfort layer of the WinkBed contains 2″ of memory foam which assists with motion transfer. To further assist, the pocket coils in the WinkBed are individually wrapped with foam and are not tied together.

I performed a motion isolation test on this mattress to give you an idea of what you should expect.

Two measurement tools were used simultaneously – a vibration meter app and a wine glass that was filled halfway with water.

Here are the basics of how I conducted the test:

• On one side of the bed, I set up a wine glass that contained water.
• On the other side of the bed, I dropped a 17.6 lb kettle ball on to the mattress from a height of 12″. This test was repeated 3 times.
• The movement of the glass was observed and meter readings were noted.

As you can see, the meter showed a mean reading of 2.3 MMI and a max reading of 6.4.

In the video, you can see some movement in the wine glass, but certainly not enough to cause it to fall over and spill onto the bed. Overall, the WinkBed held up fairly well during the motion isolation test.

How did it sleep?

My wife and I both have a tendency to toss and turn quite a bit while asleep which can be disturbing to each other. Our prior mattress also contained pocketed coils which helped.

While sleeping on the WinkBed, our expectations concerning motion transfer were met. We were both able to sleep well without disturbing each other. No complaints here.

Edge Support

There are a couple reasons why edge support should be considered when evaluating a mattress.

First, you don’t want to roll off of the mattress when laying too close to the edge. A mattress with poor edge support will collapse when too much weight is applied to the edge.

The other reason for needing edge support is to hold your body up when sitting on the edge of the bed, say to tie your shoes.

The perimeter of the WinkBed is wrapped with a very firm 4.5″ strip of foam with an ILD rating of 65.

This foam creates a very firm edge that allows you to utilize all of the bed space.

Sitting on the edge, I noticed that the mattress barely moved down. Overall, the WinkBed offers excellent edge support.

Final Thoughts

WinkBed is an all-around great choice for anyone who’s interested in trying a hybrid mattress without taking on any risk, thanks to their generous trial.

It’s made in the US from CertiPUR certified foam and other US  made materials. Looking at the quality and craftsmanship of this mattress, it is clear that WinkBeds takes pride in what they offer.

I found this bed to sleep cool and comfortable. As a side sleeper, the Luxury Firm provided just the right amount of support.

While you can expect to pay $200-$400 more for this mattress compared to an all-foam bed-in-a-box style mattress, the extra money for a high-quality coil spring hybrid mattress is well worth it.

Winkbeds is not another bed-in-a-box. It’s a high-quality mattress that’s not squished into a box. Similar higher-end mattresses that are found at a mattress store sell for $3,000+. WinkBeds cuts out the middle-man markup and delivers a mattress for about 1/3 of the cost.

My recommendation – If you have the cash (or ability to finance) and want a high-quality mattress, buy this one and you won’t be disappointed.

Visit WinkBeds Website

I receive free products and participate in affiliate programs where I may receive a commission, at no cost to you, if you visit a merchant’s site and make a purchase using links from within this page. 

Tomorrow Sleep Memory Foam Mattress Review

Following the release of their Hybrid mattress, Tomorrow Sleep now offers a slightly less expensive Premium Memory Foam mattress that’s constructed from three distinct layers of foam.

Body heat retention is a common complaint among foam mattress users and Tomorrow believes that they have come up with the solution.

This mattress features a layer of breathable graphite-infused open-cell foam, which the company claims will help to keep your body cool and comfortable throughout the night.

Does the Tomorrow Memory Foam Mattress live up to all of its promises? Is it really worth it? Should I buy it?

These are a few questions that I hope to help you answer as I spend the next 12 nights putting the Tomorrow Memory Foam mattress to the test.

The Company

Launched in June 2017, Tomorrow Sleep is a relatively new entrant into the direct-to-consumer “mattress-in-a-box” industry.

In addition to mattresses, the company also sells pillows, comforters, sheets, mattress protectors, bed platforms, curtains, and even a sleep tracker.

While Tomorrow Sleep may be one of the latest to enter the bed-in-a-box market, the company is backed by the knowledge, research, and engineering of one of the oldest and most popular mattress companies in the US.

Although you may not be familiar with the Tomorrow brand, it’s likely that you have heard of their parent company Serta Simmons Bedding LLC (SSB), who operates two wholly owned subsidiaries – National Bedding Company LLC and Simmons Bedding Company.

National Bedding Company sells mattresses under the “Serta” brand and includes models such as The Perfect Sleeper, Sertapedic, iSeries, and iComfort, while Simmons Bedding Company produces brands such as the BeautySleep and Beautyrest.

Considering that SSB currently holds 40% of the mattress market in the US, there’s a pretty good chance that if you were to check the tag on your current mattress, it would display one of these two brands.

SSB employs 40+ sleep scientists who spend their days working within 40,000 sq. ft. of laboratory space within the US. The company has a combined 220 years of experience and currently operates 39 manufacturing plants in the United States.

Rather than becoming a subsidiary of SSB, Tomorrow Sleep is independently operated and managed, yet is backed by the knowledge and experience of a company that has been around for decades.

Tomorrow Sleep founder, Brian Murphy

Bryan Murphy is the founder and president of Tomorrow. Prior to creating Tomorrow Sleep he sold his company, WHI Solutions, to eBay and spent the next three years as an eBay executive.

Why is this information about Tomorrow and SSB important?

I’m going to let you in on a little secret.

Have you ever noticed how many bed-in-a-box companies are out there? The answer is well over 100. What’s the reason behind this?

With low barriers to entry, the industry has captured the attention of many entrepreneurs who are interested in cashing in on a booming industry.

The vast majority of direct-to-consumer mattress companies simply private label their mattresses, meaning a factory (typically located somewhere in China) manufactures a standard mattress by gluing together 2-4 layers of foam and then slipping on a cover.

They then “white label” it by attaching a tag displaying the name of XYZ company. After rolling out one batch, they create another batch for company ZYX using the exact same mattress, only adding a different tag and the process continues on.

This means that several mattresses-in-a-box:

• Are actually the exact same product with a different name.
• Are not created using innovative design. There are no “sleep scientists” involved in the design process.
• Are often made with low-quality inexpensive materials in order to keep the manufacturing costs low.
• May use foams that are not CertiPUR-US certified.

With Tomorrow Sleep, you are getting a uniquely designed mattress that’s backed by science, made from quality certiPUR materials, and manufactured in the United States in Charlotte, NC.

Mattress Construction

When it comes to foam mattresses, the materials that are used and how the mattress is assembled are two distinguishing factors that separate the good and average from the bad.

The Tomorrow Memory Foam Mattress is latex-free and is constructed from three layers of viscoelastic polyurethane foam, each serving a unique purpose. The total thickness, after unpacking and decompressed is 10″.

Here’s a breakdown of the three layers that you will find inside.

• 7″ of 2 PCF Durable High-Density Base Foam
• 2″ of 2.5 PCF Pressure Relieving Gel Swirl Memory Foam
• 1″ of 2.8 PCF Cooling Open-Cell Memory Foam

The density of foam within a mattress is expressed in PCF or pounds per cubic feet. Simply put, if you were to take one cubic foot of a particular foam, this is how much it would weigh. The higher the PCF, the greater the density which makes it a more durable product.

While a correlation often exists between density and support, a higher density foam doesn’t always indicate a more supportive product.

Indentation Load Deflection (ILD) is a technique used to measure the softness or hardness of a foam. I was unable to locate any information on ILD rating for the Tomorrow Memory Foam Mattress, but I will do my best to describe the firmness in a later section during a test that I performed.

Looking at the PCF rating of the three layers, the foams used in this mattress fall within the medium to high-density range.

The 7″ bottom layer is fairly dense and provides a good base that will not allow your body to sink in too far, leaving you stuck inside of the mattress.

The 2″ middle layer is made from a dense open-cell memory foam which makes it breathable and enables the dissipation of body heat.

Topping off the mattress is a 1″ piece of open-cell memory foam that’s infused with graphite. According to Tomorrow Sleep, the Graphite is used to remove excessive heat away from the mattress.

Graphite is often used to remove heat in applications where petroleum-based products typically fail. Infusing mattress foam with graphite is a unique solution to a common issue with most memory foam mattresses that manufacturers face.

Tomorrow Hybrid Mattress vs Memory Foam Mattress

When introduced in 2017, Tomorrow sold only one mattress, their hybrid which could be purchased in either “medium firm” or “medium soft”.

In early 2018 the company released their Memory Foam Mattress. While both mattresses are 10″ in thickness, the similarities end there. Here are a few key differences between the two mattresses:

• As the name implies, the Hybrid mattress contains pocketed high-carbon steel coils that are found in traditional mattresses as well as 3-4 layers of memory foam, while the Memory Foam series contains only foam.
• With the Hybrid, there are two “feels” to choose from. The Memory Foam model offers only one.
• The Hybrid is going to have a different feel in comparison to the Memory Foam. Because the Hybrid contains pocketed coils, you will notice a difference in the “bounce” of the mattress. Keep in mind that since the coils are independent of each other, they will transfer very little motion.
• The Hybrid starts at $545 while the Memory Foam mattress starts at $445, so there’s a little bit of savings with the foam mattress.

Warranty

Like the majority of mattress companies out there, Tomorrow offers a 10-year limited warranty with their Memory Foam Mattress.

Does this mean that the mattress will only last 10 years?

Actually, according to Tomorrow, they have tested their mattresses in a lab and found that they can last up to 20 years! 

While the mattress can physically handle 20 or more years of sleeping, due to health reasons it’s advised that you replace your mattress every 10 years.  Over the years, dead skin, sweat, and dust mites can add pounds of weight to your mattress, creating an unhealthy environment to sleep in.

The 10-year warranty is limited and does not cover issues such as:

• Tears, cuts, or burns
• Normal body impressions up to 1.5″
• Mattresses used without proper support
• Costs to transport, inspect, or remove the mattress

Overall, the limited warranty that’s offered by Tomorrow is fairly standard in the industry.

Price & Financing Options

Price

The price of a Tomorrow Memory Foam Mattress varies according to size, with a Twin size costing the least and a California King costing the most.

Tomorrow’s pricing strategy involves listing each mattress at an original price and then by default, reducing it by $50.00.

Use Promo Code SMG100 to receive $100 off the original price. This promo code only works for purchases totaling $495.00 or more.

Visit Tomorrow’s Website

The prices that you see in the chart below reflect the price of each mattress after the default reduction. Prices shown in bold are what you can expect to pay after using the mentioned promo code.

0% APR Financing

If dropping several hundred dollars on a mattress is not in your budget, you can take advantage of some financing options that are available.

Tomorrow Sleep has teamed up with Klarna, an online financing company that prides itself on transparency with no hidden fees.

During the checkout process, you have to option to choose Klarna for payment. You will be required to enter some basic information in order to set up an account. Klarna uses this information to perform a “soft” credit check which will not affect your credit score.

The credit check is nearly instant. If your credit is good, they will likely offer 0% APR financing for 18 months.

Perhaps your credit is not squeaky clean. In this case, you may be eligible for a 10%-30% APR loan. The percentage that you pay will depend upon your creditworthiness. In some cases, a down payment may be required in order to obtain financing.

There are three options for making monthly payments including ACH Transfer, check, or debit card.

Trial Period

Not having the ability to physically handle a product prior to making a purchasing decision is a challenge that every online retailer must face. In regards to online mattress sales, this statement is especially true as most shoppers prefer to lay on a mattress for a few minutes to get a “feel” for it before making a final decision.

How does a direct-to-consumer mattress company such as Tomorrow Sleep overcome this hurdle? By offering a trial period where the consumer can try a mattress out in their home for a specified number of nights. In the event that they are not satisfied, the mattress can be returned for a refund.

In recent years, offering a trial period has become the industry standard in online mattress sales. Nearly every mattress company is offering a free trial period of around 100-120 nights.

This is an area where Tomorrow excels because their trial period lasts for 365 nights! 

In the event that you are not satisfied and would like to return your bed, the company will take care of this, so you don’t have to worry about stuffing it back in the original box (which, by the way, is an impossible task). They offer return shipping at no cost, so there’s no loss if you decide to return your mattress.

Their return policy does however ask you to “break in” the mattress for at least 30 nights prior to requesting a refund.

Shipping & Delivery

Sending a mattress in the mail may seem cost prohibitive because it’s a large and heavy item.

Like other mattress-in-a-box retailers, Tomorrow Sleep compresses and roll their mattresses in order to fit them into a manageable sized box. While the weight remains the same, the amount of space that the mattress occupies is greatly reduced which also decreases the shipping cost. Because of this, they are able to offer free shipping to your doorstep.

The shipping box measures 20″ X 20″ X 42″ unless it’s a Cali. king which ships in a box with dimensions that are one inch longer all around.

Tomorrow ships using UPS ground services, which will take 2-3 business days to arrive. Mattresses are shipped from their warehouse in either Kentucky or California.

Compressing and shipping a mattress does not affect its integrity or performance.

Keep in mind that once the mattress arrives, you will have to carry it to your bedroom and unpack it. Since the box can weigh well over 70lbs, it’s best to perform this task with the help of a partner.

If you don’t have the ability carry and set up your mattress, Tomorrow offers white glove delivery in most areas. For an additional $75.00, they will deliver and set up the mattress in a room of your choice and will even take away the packaging that it came in.

They also offer an old mattress removal service for an additional $49.00.

Unpacking and Setup

Once your bed arrives, the setup process is fairly straightforward and should take less than 20 minutes.

If your existing platform is still in good shape, you can reuse it. The Tomorrow mattress can lay on top of a traditional box spring, wood slat, or even directly on the floor. I reused my old wood slat platform with my mattress.

The box has a pair of handles cut into the top and bottom. With the help of my wife, we carried the box into our bedroom and removed the mattress from the box.

A set of instructions along with an opening tool (which is simply a letter opener) came inside of the box.

Following the instructions, I cut through the first layer of plastic using the provided tool and then laid the mattress out on the platform, face side up, before carefully cutting through and removing the second layer of plastic. The sight and sound of the expanding mattress provided a moment of entertainment as we watched the mattress take shape.

In less than 10 minutes, it slowly expanded to its original shape and size.  The manufacturer suggests that it may take up to 24 hours to fully expand. However, you should be able to sleep on it after only a few minutes.

The Smell Test

If you have ever installed new carpet in your home or have purchased a new vehicle, you are probably familiar with the “new car smell”.

All memory foam mattresses, specifically ones that have been compressed, sealed, and packaged shortly after being manufactured, will emit some sort of “new” smell when first opened.

This smell actually comes from a reaction called off-gassing in which chemicals used during the manufacturing process break down and disperse into the air. More specifically, these chemicals are referred to as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).

There is no way to escape VOCs, as they are present in nearly everything manufactured including all furniture. There’s no conclusive evidence indicating that VOC emissions, at low levels, are dangerous to your health.

The foams used in Tomorrow’s mattresses are CertiPUR-US certified. The CertiPUR certification program was created in 2008 in response to concerns over toxic foams being imported into the United States.

CertiPUR-US is an independently operated not-for-profit organization that tests foams to ensure they are made without ozone depleters, PBDEs, TDCPP, TCEP, mercury, lead, other heavy metals, formaldehyde, regulated phthalates, and have Low VOC emissions of less than 0.5 PPM. Tomorrow Sleep is listed in the CertiPure directory as a participating company.

After opening my Tomorrow mattress, I did notice a faint “new foam” smell, which is difficult to describe.

I wouldn’t necessarily label it as an offensive odor and it didn’t irritate my nose or cause a headache. It simply smelled like, well, a new foam mattress.

The new mattress smell lingered around for the next 2 days, gradually diminishing with each passing day. By the third day, the smell had disappeared.

Neither myself nor my wife experienced any issues with the smell of the mattress at any point during the testing period.

Knowing that all memory foam mattresses are going to create some off-gassing and that the Tomorrow mattress is CertiPur certified, I was the least bit concerned about this smell.

Heat Dissipation Test

Falling asleep and staying asleep on a hot mattress is nearly impossible. For this reason, I always perform a heat test which shows how quickly body heat dissipates from a mattress.

As mentioned, the top layer of Tomorrow is made from a graphite infused open-cell memory foam, which is supposed to dissipate heat. The middle layer contains a Pressure Relieving Gel Swirl memory foam which also assists with body heat removal.

I’ll perform a heat dissipation test using a heat source, non-contact infrared thermometer, and a stopwatch. The heat source in this case is a 3 lb. rice bag that I warmed in the microwave.

Here’s a rundown of the process:

1. Heat the rice bag in the microwave for 2 minutes, which will bring its temperature up to around 120°
2. Simulate body heat by laying the rice bag on top of the mattress for 10 minutes to allow heat to transfer from the bag to mattress.
3. Remove the bag and start the stopwatch. Using an infrared thermometer, record the temperature and time as the mattress cools.

As you can see from the above chart, the mattress experienced rapid heat loss during the first 30 seconds after the heat source was removed. During this time period, the temperature decreased by 19°.

Between 30 and 60 seconds, the temperature decreased by an additional 5.7°.

Between 60 and 90 seconds, the temperature decreased by an additional 3°.

Between 90 and 120 seconds, the temperature decreased by an additional 1.8°.

The greatest amount of heat loss occurred during the first 30 seconds. The amount of heat loss tapered off with each passing 30-second interval.

During the 120 second test, the mattress lost a total of 29.5°.

Overall the heat dissipation is above average for an all-foam mattress. While sleeping on this mattress my wife and I did not experience any issues overheating at any point during the night.

Firmness Test

When you lie down on a bed, the first thing that you may notice is the firmness of a mattress. Firmness refers to how soft or hard a mattress feels. Keep in mind, this should not be mistaken for support which refers to the degree to which the mattress keeps your body aligned.

Indentation Load Deflection (ILD) is used to measure the firmness of foam. In a laboratory setting, the ILD rating is determined by compressing a 15″ X 15″ X 4″ piece of foam using a 50 square inch (8″ in diameter) disk. Weight is added until the foam beneath the disk is compressed by 25% or by 1″. The more weight that it takes to compress the foam, the “firmer” the foam.

Using a modified version of this test, I measured the amount of mattress sinkage using a 2-gallon bucket with an 8.25″ diameter bottom. The bucket has been filled with concrete and weighs a total of 42 lbs. A ruler has been attached to the side of the bucket.

Instead of measuring how many pounds it takes to compress the mattress 1″, I measured how far the mattress sinks when the 42 lb bucket is added.

This measurement is relative and will come in handy when comparing the firmness of two or more mattresses reviewed on this site, using the same weight.

As you can see in the video above, the Tomorrow mattress experienced 2.5″ of sinkage when weight was added.

I would describe this mattress as being medium-firm. Laying down, I didn’t feel as though I was being “swallowed” by the mattress. It felt as if I were laying on top of the mattress and not inside it.

Body Support

Choosing a mattress that provides proper body support is a factor that’s easily overlooked.

The support layer is located underneath the top comfort layer. In the case of the Tomorrow mattress, support is provided by a 7″ layer of high-density foam just beneath the first two layers of memory foam.

A mattress can be firm and yet provide very little support. The same can be true for a softer mattress.

Areas with a greater concentration of weight, such as the back and buttocks need to be supported in order to maintain body alignment. If not properly supported, your body may bend at the middle and you may experience discomfort the next day.

Weight, body type, and sleeping position will all affect how well a mattress supports one’s body. In other words, a 120lb petite side sleeper may find that a particular mattress provides proper support while a larger 275lb side sleeper may find that the same mattress doesn’t provide enough support.

At 6’1 and 215 lbs, I found that the Tomorrow Memory Foam Mattress provided adequate support for side sleeping. I experienced no aches or pains in the morning while sleeping on this mattress.

Remember, your results may vary. For instance, a back sleeper who’s heavier may find that the mattress does not provide enough support.

Recovery Time

Recovery time is another factor that should be taken into account if you are interested in a memory foam mattress.

Depending on the composition, some memory foams will respond almost immediately while others will take several seconds to respond. Higher density foams generally have a slower recovery time.

Some may find that a mattress containing a foam that’s slow to respond will leave them feeling “stuck” while others enjoy the hugging nature of a slow responding foam mattress.

As you can see in the video demonstration above, the Tomorrow mattress has a rather fast recovery time.

While trying out this mattress, I found it rather easy to change positions without feeling stuck.

Motion Isolation Test

Motion isolation refers to the mattress’s ability to absorb movement. Motion isolation is sometimes referred to as motion transfer.

If you sleep with a bed partner, motion isolation is something that you may want to pay close attention to. This is especially true if you or your partner sleep lightly and are disturbed by tossing, turning, or multiple trips to the restroom at night.

One of the benefits of choosing an all foam mattress, such as the Tomorrow, is the excellent motion isolation that it provides. Since the mattress does not contain metal coils, the transfer of motion will be very minimal.

I used two methods to test the amount of motion transferred by this mattress. I filled a glass halfway with water and placed on the bed alongside a smartphone running an app which measured vibration.

In order to simulate motion made by a partner tossing around or getting out of the bed, a 17.6 lb kettle ball was positioned on the opposite side of the bed and was dropped from a distance of 12″. This test was repeated three times. As you can see, the meter showed a mean reading of 2.2 MMI and a Max of 5.3 MMI.

My wife and I normally sleep on a mattress with pocketed coils, which works fairly well to isolate motion.

However, when sleeping on the Tomorrow mattress, we both noticed a marked reduction in motion transfer.

Edge Support

Edge support simply refers to how well the edge of a mattress holds up when weight is placed on it. While laying near the edge, do you feel as though you are going to roll off? While sitting on the edge of the bed, how far does the mattress compress?

Mattresses with innerspring or pocket coils are made from steel and usually provide the best edge support. Foam mattresses often receive a bad rap for not providing adequate edge support. This can be true, especially if the manufacturer uses low-quality foam.

After allowing the mattress to expand, the first thing that I did was lay on it and roll over towards the edge.

If you feel as though you are about to roll off the edge, this may be an indicator of a poor quality mattress. In the case of this mattress, I felt completely secure while laying near the edge. 

I then sat up on the edge, concentrating all of my weight in one area. The first 3″ or so of memory foam compressed a bit, but the 7″ layer of high-density foam kept my bottom well above the platform.

Tomorrow seemed to have hit the mark when choosing a base layer that’s dense and thick enough to keep you on the bed, where you belong while sleeping.

Final Thoughts

After spending 12 nights sleeping on the Tomorrow mattress, my wife and I both agree that this mattress is a keeper.

The Tomorrow Mattress offers the perfect balance of comfort and just the right amount of support.

What I found most impressive about this mattress was its ability to remain cool throughout the night. Memory foam mattresses have a reputation for trapping heat. The graphite infused open cell foam seemed to really help with this problem.

This mattress was designed by a company that employs sleep scientists and uses safe foam that’s Certipur Certified.

The 365-night trial is one of the best in the industry, which can be reassuring if you have never slept on a memory foam mattress but would like to try one without the risk.

Overall, this mattress is a great choice and one that is worthy of being placed on your short list if you are considering a foam mattress.

Visit Tomorrow’s Website

Do I really snore? How can I tell if I snore? These are a couple questions that you may ask yourself if you suspect that you have a snoring problem.

Perhaps your bed partner or roommate is always complaining that your snoring disrupts their sleep. Maybe you are simply curious as to whether or not you snore. Whatever the reason, you want to get to the bottom of what goes on after your head hits the pillow and you fall asleep.

You’re not going to be able to figure out if you are snoring by yourself. You will need help from either a partner or technology.

How To Determine If I Snore

Ask Your Partner, Friend, or Family Member

The first and most obvious way to tell if you snore is to ask your partner to listen as you sleep. If your snoring is loud enough, they probably already informed you without having to ask. If you do snore, have them note the position in which you are sleeping and the intensity of your snoring. Be sure to also keep a journal of activities such as drinking alcohol or eating before bed which can impact snoring.

If you don’t have a bed partner, ask a close friend or family member to stay the night with you and observe you for the presence of snoring. While this may seem like an odd request, you will be glad you asked, especially if you find out that your snoring is a symptom of sleep apnea which is a serious condition that requires medical attention.

Enlist The Help of Technology

If you are not able to find anyone willing to help you (or are too embarrassed), you can turn to technology to lend a hand.

Smartphones can be an excellent tool for identifying a snoring problem. There are a number of different apps, many that are free, which can listen for snoring and record it so that you can hear it the next day.

There are even specialized apps that are able to differentiate the sound of snoring from other bedroom noises. These specialized apps will often assign a score to your snoring which helps to quantify it. You can then take corrective action and compare the score from before and after.

Signs That You Are A Snorer

While there are only two ways to know for certain that you snore, there are a few daytime symptoms that you may notice which can offer a clue as to whether or not you snore.

Daytime Tiredness: The first sign that you may notice is daytime tiredness. No matter how many hours of sleep you get the night before, you are tired and sluggish upon rising in the morning.

Snoring can affect your quality of sleep, preventing you from achieving REM sleep which is necessary to rejuvenate the body and prepare it for the next day.

A Sore Throat In the Morning: Having a sore throat in the morning may suggest snoring may be present.

Most snorers sleep with their mouth open which allows air to pass through and dry out the mouth and airway. A dry mouth plus a uvula and soft palate that are tossed around as you snore are a recipe for a morning sore throat.

Difficulty Concentrating: As mentioned, snoring can disrupt your sleep patterns and lead to daytime sleepiness. Due to the body not getting enough deep sleep to refresh itself, you may also notice a decline in your ability to concentrate. Are you having difficulty focusing on what you are doing or have a short attention span? Snoring may be the cause.

Morning Headaches: Do you have an unexplained headache when you wake up in the morning. Does it frequently occur? Snoring may be to blame.

Snoring is caused by a restricted airway. If you are unable to breathe properly at night, carbon dioxide builds up in the blood and affects the nervous system. This, in turn, can cause headaches in the morning. Morning headaches may also strongly suggest that sleep apnea is present.

What To Do If I Snore?

Snoring, in its benign form, can be harmless although disturbing your partner’s sleep is an issue that should be addressed.

Snoring that’s related to sleep apnea should be addressed by a medical specialist who can treat this condition.

Telling the difference between snoring itself and snoring as a sign of sleep apnea should be left up to a medical professional who is trained in sleep medicine.

Once you are certain that your snoring is not related to Obstructive Sleep Apnea, there are a few remedies that you can try.

First, avoid alcohol and sedatives before going to bed which can worsen snoring.

Avoid sleeping on your back. Sleep on your side instead which will help to keep the airway free of obstruction.

If you are overweight, try losing weight which helps by reducing the amount of fat around the airway.

If snoring persists, you may want to consider the use of an oral appliance which can help by holding the jaw forward to help clear the airway and prevent the sound of snoring.

If you are considering buying a snoring mouthpiece, you’re probably wondering how long it takes for it to work. Does it work the first night or will it take some time before you begin to see results?

Snoring mouthpieces typically work the first night which means for most, you can expect to see immediate results. In some cases, you may experience an adjustment period before you begin to see a reduction or elimination of snoring. Then, there are less common cases where a mouthpiece does not affect snoring. Here are a few reasons why a mouthpiece may not work immediately and a proposed solution.

Reasons Why A Snoring Mouthpiece May Not Work

Poor or Improper Fitting

The Problem: The most common reason why you may not see results the first night of use is due to a poor or improper fit.

Most mouthguards require a custom fitting which typically involves heating the unit and taking an impression of your teeth.

There are two reasons why this is done. First, a mouthguard that has been custom fitted will stay in position and not move around. Second, a properly fitted mouthguard will keep the jaw forward, which is an essential part of clearing the airway of breathing obstructions.

The Solution: If you suspect that your oral appliance is not working because of an improper fit, start by reviewing the fitting instructions that came with the packaging to ensure that it was molded properly.

One mistake often made with a boil and bite thermoplastic mouthpiece is not pushing the jaw out during the fitting. When correctly fitted, the lower teeth should be slightly in front of the upper. If not, the jaw is not properly advanced and snoring will continue.

Mouthpiece Falls Out While Asleep

The Problem: You wake up in the morning and find that your mouthpiece has fallen out and is laying next to your pillow. The issue, of course, is that the mouthpiece has to be inside of your mouth in order to work.

The Solution: There are a couple different possibilities here. First, the appliance that you chose may be too small or too large for your mouth. Some manufacturers offer different size appliances for different size mouths. For instance, women’s mouths are generally smaller than men’s, so they may require a scaled-down regular size mouthpiece. Several companies such as VitalSleep or Snoremeds offers different size options.

An improper fit will also cause a mouthpiece to fall out. Once again, ensure that it fits snugly and does not move around when inside of the mouth.

Sometimes, even a properly fitted mouthpiece will fall out at night if you tend to sleep with your mouth open. In this case, you may want to consider using an elastic chin strap along with your mouthpiece to hold the jaw closed and prevent the mouthpiece from falling out. Neoprene chinstraps can be purchased for less than $20 online.

Snoring Is Caused By Some Other Issue

The Problem: While snoring is almost always caused by a narrowed airway due to the jaw falling back, there are cases where a snoring mouthpiece may not be effective.

If your snoring originates from the sinuses, which is far less common than the airway, a mouthpiece that holds the jaw forward is not going to help. It’s possible that a nasal obstruction is causing your snoring.

The Solution: Try creating the sound of snoring while laying on your back. Next, move your jaw forward and see if the snoring sound becomes quiet or is eliminated. If you do not notice a difference in sound, your snoring may originate elsewhere. In such a case, it may be best to consult with a physician so they can determine the exact cause.

What Is Blue Light And How Does It Effect Sleep?

While laying in bed at night, you check your email, Facebook, Instagram, catch up on the latest episode of your favorite TV show or read an e-book. Is there really an issue using light emitting electronic devices before going to bed? Interestingly enough, the answer is “yes”.

Electronic devices such as our smartphones emit short wavelength enriched light. What does this mean and why is it important?

Scientists have been taking a closer look at the effects of blue light on sleep and have found that blue light exposure significantly impacts the sleep-inducing hormone called melatonin. In fact, it delays the production of melatonin more than twice as long as red light which is at the opposite end of the light spectrum.

As a result of blue light exposure, there is a disruption of circadian rhythm which is our internal regulator that cycles through night and day over a 24 hour period. Environmental factors, such as the presence or absence of light, regulate circadian rhythm. At night, our master clock (known as SCN) alerts the brain to produce more melatonin which makes us sleepy.

Blue light exposure at night causes a delay in our ability to fall asleep which reduces the total amount of sleep each night. Once asleep, the lack of melatonin can prevent us from reaching REM sleep, which refreshes and restores our bodies for the next day.

Simply stated, our body uses light to signal that it’s time to get up and do things while the absence of light signals the body that the day is over and it’s time to get some rest. The artificial light that comes from electronic devices tricks the brain into delaying the production of melatonin which in turn keeps us awake longer and prevents deep sleep.

It’s believed that melatonin suppression and lack of sleep can lead to several other issues such as obesity, type II diabetes, depression, and even cancer.

The effects of blue light do not stop there.

As we fall into a deeper sleep, our core body temperature begins to fall. It’s been scientifically proven that when exposed to blue light prior to bed, our body temperature does not drop as it does normally. On the other hand, those who were exposed to red light prior to falling asleep saw a normal drop in body temperature throughout the night.

Reducing Blue Light Exposure Prior To Bed

In order to get the best night sleep possible, you should avoid exposure to blue light at least 2-3 hours prior to going to bed. The purpose of a bedroom is for sleeping, not catching up on your social media accounts. Make a habit of leaving your devices in another room to avoid the temptation of picking them up and reading. This also includes electronic readers.

If you must use blue light emitting devices late at night, consider trying a blue light filtering software which will help to reduce your exposure. Most recently made smartphones have such a filter built in, so all you need to do is turn it on. In other cases, you may need to download an app, which is often free.

Try replacing the lightbulbs in your bedroom with ones that are specifically made to reduce blue light wavelengths. LED light bulbs that give off warmer light are available at most hardware stores.

Other ways to reduce blue light exposure is to wear glasses that are specifically designed to block this spectrum of light. There are also filters which can be placed on your screen to reduce exposure. These filters are commonly used on computer screens.

Another way to reduce your exposure to blue light is to take a carotenoid supplement which aids your eyes in the ability to block blue light. Possible supplements may include Zeaxanthin and Lutein, both which can be found at your local drug store.

Should I Completely Avoid Blue Light?

While blue light should be avoided entirely at night, it can actually be helpful during the day, signaling the brain not to produce melatonin. In fact, it’s suggested that a half hour of blue light in the morning can improve alertness and improve memory.

Light exposure during the day is very important. In fact, those with circadian disorders are often prescribed light therapy. Natural sunlight is free and of course is the best source of light. There are also lamps which you place in front of you if sunlight is not available.

Those who live in the northern hemisphere often lack sun exposure which can lead to a circadian disorder, seasonal affective disorder, and even depression. For these people adding light therapy to the daily routine is important.

While light should be avoided at night, you should aim to get enough during the day.

We are a sleep-deprived nation. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 33% of us do not get enough sleep on a nightly basis. That’s 107 million out of 325 sleep-deprived individuals, in the United States.

There are a number of different reasons why we are getting less than 7-8 hours of sleep per night, as recommended by the CDC. Stress, room temperature, sleep disorders, work worries, financial troubles, and children are a few reasons why we fail to get enough shut-eye each night.

One of the most common reasons why married couples are sleep deprived has to do with their bed partner.

Couples often maintain different sleep schedules. Some enjoy staying up at night reading or watching television while others prefer going to bed early.

Then there are those who are early risers while their partner enjoys sleeping in. Early risers can wake their partners as they shower and get dressed before starting their day.

Snoring is yet another bedroom nuisance that’s more common than you may realize. It’s estimated that up to half of the population has a snoring problem. Snoring is an issue that can keep your partner up all night without you even realizing it.

It’s fairly easy to see how a bedroom partner can disrupt your sleep, but what does one do to reclaim a peaceful night of rest? Some are turning to sleep divorce as a solution, but is that really necessary? What is sleep divorce and how can it be prevented?

What is Sleep Divorce?

“Sleep Divorce” is a term that has been coined to describe separate sleeping arrangements for married couples. In lieu of divorcing their partner due to disruptive sleeping habits, the couple simply agrees to sleep separately so that their partner is not disturbed.

In many cases, couples end up sleeping in separate bedrooms, while this is not necessarily true in all cases. Some partners will agree to sleep in the same room but in separate beds. For instance, they may opt to use two separate twin size beds instead of a king size. Other times partners will sleep with dedicated covers but in the same bed.

How common is sleep divorce? You may be surprised to hear that an estimated 30% – 40% of couples choose to sleep independently. The reason why this statistic is so startling to some is that most couples who sleep separately often do not openly share this information with others.

While sleep divorce is not accepted as the norm today, it was very common over a century ago when some homes were built with separate sleeping quarters for him and her. Homebuilders today are noticing a trend where buyers are requesting joined master bedrooms.

There are a lot of opinions as to whether or not a sleep divorce is helpful or harmful to a relationship.

On one side of the argument, some believe that doing so will cause you to miss out on pillow talk and intimacy. Then there are those who argue that a sleep divorce will often save a relationship as some peoples’ bad bedroom habits are grounds for an actual divorce.

No matter which side of the argument you are on, most can agree that it’s best to avoid a sleep divorce if possible. How can this be accomplished?

How To Avoid Sleep Divorce

Before you throw in the towel and move to another bedroom, here are a few suggestions that you may want to try.

Get Checked Out 

If you are unable to sleep because your partner snores or moves around too much in bed, there may be an underlying medical issue that needs to be addressed.

Sleep disorders such as Restless Leg Syndrome, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, and Insomnia are just a few issues that may prevent the two of you from sleeping in harmony. Sleep Apnea alone affects over 20 million people with the majority (80%) being undiagnosed. Would you like to guess the number 1 symptom of sleep apnea? Yes, it’s snoring.

Make An Agreement 

Simply taking some time to talk things out and make an agreement may be all that it takes to restore your bedroom zen.

For instance, if your husband is an early riser and you like to sleep in, the two of you can agree that he uses a guest bathroom to get ready in the morning so that you can sleep without being disturbed.

If your partner enjoys watching television or reading at night, ask them if they can watch TV or read in another room and come to bed when they are prepared to sleep.

Maybe your partner goes to bed early and you are a night owl. Perhaps you both can agree on a bedtime somewhere in the middle?

Rethink Your Bed

Sometimes, environmental factors along with your partner’s habits can make sleeping next to them unbearable.

For instance, a bed that is too small or of poor quality can be an issue. Have a queen? Consider upgrading to a king. Sleeping on a standard spring mattress? Think about upgrading to a Posturepedic. A new mattress can mean the difference between feeling your partner’s every toss and turn to their movement going unnoticed.

Remove Electronics From The Bedroom

Both you and your partner can benefit from removing electronics from the bedroom such as TVs, phones or tablets.

Several studies have suggested a link between blue light (which emits from such electronic devices) and a disruption in sleep due to the suppression of melatonin.

It’s suggested that you should avoid blue light from screens 2-3 hours prior to falling asleep. If using electronic devices are absolutely necessary, consider blue-blocking glasses which will help to filter out blue light.

A Handy Solution For Snoring

Since snoring is the most common bedroom nuisance, it’s worth mentioning that snoring aids are available that can help.

One of my favorite products is the Snoring Mouthpiece, which is a device that fits inside of the mouth and is incredibly effective. If you want, you can read more here.

Snorelax is yet another anti-snoring product that has been recently introduced on crowdfunding websites such as Indiegogo or Kickstarter. Between the two sites, the company has raised over $183k in funds to launch their product. They are planning to start shipping the Snorelax as early as August 2018.

What Exactly Is Snorelax?

If you google the term “Snorelax”, Google will automatically show you results for the search term “Snorlax” (That’s Snorelax without the “e”). Here, you will find pages of information on a fictional character from the Pokémon cartoon, and not necessarily the snoring device.

Finding any information on the product requires that you click on the “Search instead for Snorelax” link which will direct you to the results for the product as it’s truly spelled.

Once you arrive at the correct search results page, you will not see a whole lot of information on this product or company aside from their Kickstarter campaign, a press release, and their official website which actually redirects you to their Indiegogo page.

Since I’ve never seen anything like it, I was intrigued and had to know more about what the company had to offer. Since their fundraising page was the only place that I was able to find information, I started my research there.

Perhaps the best way to describe the appearance of the SnoreLax is a cross between a large Band-aid and a jaw strap.

While it’s made from a 100% cotton material, it shares some of the same characteristics as Band-Aid because it has an adhesive backing which attaches to the face in two areas – below the cheekbone and under the chin.

It’s similar to a chin strap because the placement of the adhesive strip prevents the jaw from falling back, which in turn causes a narrowing of the airway. Chinstraps have been in existence for many years now and many have found them to be helpful when it comes to preventing snoring.

The Claim

The message that Snorelax delivers is straight-forward and simple. They believe that their product will allow you to wake up feeling energized, improve your health and in some cases, save your marriage.  Their product requires no maintenance, is non-invasive, is beard-friendly and allows you to sleep in any position.

The company claims that snoring is the third leading cause of divorce (although infidelity, financial issues, and lack of communication arguably rank among the top three). We do know that snoring can disrupt our partner’s sleep and lead to marital problems and perhaps divorce in some cases. It’s also known that snoring can be bad for your health.

While their Kickstarter page doesn’t offer any scientific evidence proving their product to be effective, they do suggest that their product was developed by “medical doctors” with combined medical experience of 65 years.

They do show a before and after MRI which illustrates a narrowed airway before using the Snorelax and after. There is a clear difference between the airway opening in the first and second image.

What’s The Cost of Snorelax?

Snorelax is currently in production, so it’s not available for sale to non-backers.

They are however offering “perks” to their backers which might give us some insight into how much these will sell for in the future.

For $29, you will receive a 30-night supply of Snorelax. For $55, you will double the amount that you receive to 60. The price per 30-day supply reduces as you purchase in volume.

At about $1 per day supply, it’s unlikely that the cost will exceed this amount as many will be hesitant to spend nearly $400 annually on an anti-snoring product. I would expect it to eventually sell for $30 or less for a 1 month supply.

My Thoughts On Snorelax

Snorelax is certainly interesting and is a one-of-a-kind stop product that captured my interest from the moment that I came across it online.

In the past, I have tried using chinstraps which wrap around the head and provide similar jaw lifting action. The results of such products varied. In some cases, they reduced my snoring while other times I could not tell a difference in the amount or intensity of my snoring.  Perhaps since the area that it targets is more focused, it will be more effective.

I’m however still not entirely sold on the science behind the Snorelax. Knowing the doctors behind the product or citing specific research showing a study that was conducted would be helpful.

Overall, for around $30, I believe this will be a product that’s worth trying, despite the lack of evidence. The cost is lower than most snoring devices, although the ongoing cost of using this product daily can become expensive.

I hope to review this product soon and will add the information that I find to this post.