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Best Mattress for College Students
Best Mattress for College Students

Best Mattresses for College Students

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Review by Anelisa
OUR EXPERT ANALYST UPDATED 14.10.2020
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Sleep is critical to academic success. Not only is it important for students to get enough sleep, the quality of that sleep matters. Picking the right mattress will go a long way in improving the quality of your sleep. If that’s what you’re trying to achieve, you’re in the right place. No single mattress can be said to be the best. What works for you may not work for me. Things like sleep position, whether you’re a light or heavy sleeper; these are some of the factors that determine which mattress is best. On this page, we have listed the best mattresses that are a great fit for college students.

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Quick Overview

Best Mattresses Reviewed

 Buying Guide

FAQ 

The best mattresses for college students

  

Quick overview

Editor’s Pick

REASONS TO BUY
  • It’s thoughtfully constructed with a multi-layered design
  • A winning feature for the Aurora Hybrid is the coils; they let cold air through and warm air out, a great amenity for ‘hot sleepers’
  • It offers great value for money
  • The company gives you 120 days to try out the mattress and 10 years warranty

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20% Off

Best Organic and Natural

REASONS TO BUY
  • Avocado mattresses are made from natural materials using eco-friendly manufacturing methods
  • It only takes 15 minutes to unpack this mattress
  • The Avocado comes in two options; firm and medium firm
  • Although it has no cooling cover, you can expect lots of airflow through the independent pocketed coils
  • The fact that less of your body heat reflects on you while sleeping is another reason to buy the Avocado
  • It’s backed by a 25-year warranty and a one-year risk-free trial

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Best for Stomach Sleepers

REASONS TO BUY
  • Temperature regulation is no issue for this mattress; music in the ears of hot sleepers.
  • With an organic cotton pillow top, this mattress excels at responsiveness and even if you’re heavy, your hips just won’t sink.
  • The reactivity on this mattress is unmatched; it bounces back quickly without giving you the feeling of being stuck in quicksand
  • It comes with a 120-night trial and a 15-year warranty

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$100 Off

Best Memory Foam

REASONS TO BUY
  • Nectar claims that less than 3% of their customers return the mattress. Those are some pretty good success rates if you ask me. Mattress Nerd picked it as one of the best Mattresses for 2020.
  • It’s definitely worth the investment for those who like memory foam
  • It comes with a cover that’s resistant to dust mites and bed bugs
  • Great value for money
  • Comes with lifetime warranty and a 1-year trial period

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Free Accessories

Best for Hot Side Sleepers

REASONS TO BUY
  • Cooling
  • It comes with an FDA-approved celliant cover
  • Suitable for different sleepers
  • The Bear is shipped for free, comes in a box
  • You get a 100-night trial, risk-free and a 10 years warranty

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20% Off

Best Bed in a Box

REASONS TO BUY
  • The Awara has good motion isolation, which is perfect for light sleepers
  • Offers superb edge support
  • Cooling
  • Made from certified natural wool
  • It’s backed by a 1-year return policy and a lifetime warranty

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$300 Off

Best for Dorm Rooms

REASONS TO BUY
  • Offers optimal back support for college athletes
  • Made from bespoke quilted fibers that offer optimal airflow
  • CertiPUR certified
  • Free delivery
  • Very comfortable
  • Dreamcloud offers 365 nights trial and lifetime warranty

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Get $200 Off

The best cooling mattresses for hot sleepers reviewed

We’ve had a look at our top ten best mattresses for hot sleepers and the reasons to buy them. To help you narrow down your selection, we’ve rooted out the pros and cons with each and matched them to sleeping preferences.

1. Editor’s Pick – Brooklyn Bedding

Who is the Brooklyn Bedding good for:
  • For those who sleep on their stomach, the firm option is ideal because anything softer won’t give enough back support. If the mattress isn’t firm enough, your hips might sink in and bring your spine out of alignment.
  • All in all, the spine is in neutral alignment on this mattress. For those who sleep on their back, however, they might find that the medium firm Aurora hybrid gives way for the hips to sink in. This isn’t enough to raise alarm, but it’s important to remember that mattresses slowly lose integrity over time.
  • Side sleepers shouldn’t have an issue with the Aurora; pocketed coils help structure layers in such a way that it distributes pressure all around. Even with your sharp shoulder pressing down on the mattress, you’ll hardly feel any strain.
The Aurora Hybrid caters for everyone. With three firmness levels, you don’t have to worry about being too heavy or too light for this mattress. The Aurora hybrid is made out of five layers, the first of which Brooklyn Bedding created themselves. They call it flex foam and one thing that’s good about it is the responsiveness. It responds like a spring; perfect for a young, vibrant person that shows no signs of slowing down. The first layer also has a bunch of conductors like copper and gel, making it easier to redirect heat from your body. In the second layer, we have the same material as we did in the first, except this time, it’s a little firmer. This leads us to a one-inch layer of gel memory foam which serves as a transitional layer into the pocketed coil unit; where most of the support comes from.  This makes up 8 of the mattress’ 13-inch height and about 50% of its size. At the bottom, we have one more layer for the coils to rest on. Although this mattress isn’t made from natural materials, it has less of a chemical consistency than others and even though you get a whiff of chemical, it’s not as strong as others and it doesn’t last long.
PROS
  • It’s suitable for different types of sleepers
  • Responsive and perfect for active college students
  • The chemical smell doesn’t last long
CONS
  • It might not be too comfortable for back sleepers
   

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2. Best Organic and Natural College Mattress – Avocado

Who is the Avocado good for:
  • The standard version of the mattress is great for back sleepers as well as stomach sleepers. If you decide to add the pillow top, however, it doesn’t matter how you sleep. Also, due to the independent pocketed coils, it’s impossible for one movement on one side of the bed to be felt on the other side.
College students are progressive; they’re all about eco-friendly economics and ethical business practices. Made from natural and organic materials, the Avocado mattress is ideal for someone who is passionate about conservation and sustainability. Although most mattresses are made with chemicals; Avocado uses the sap of the rubber tree and it has the certification to confirm. Everything about Avocado is unique and trailblazing; the materials they use are grown in their very own farm. The wool comes from a herding collective that they own and as if that wasn’t enough, they’re big on accountability, measuring and verifying their carbon footprint through Climate Neutral, an independent nonprofit organization. The mattress is a bit heavy but the process of unboxing is fairly simple. It only takes 15 minutes to unpack it and it won’t cost you a cent to ship it over. The coils and latex foam make things easy, allowing for the mattress to quickly take shape. The moment you unpack it; the pleasant aroma of organic cotton will hit you.
PROS
  • Produced under eco-friendly conditions
  • Made from natural, organic and chemical-free materials
  • Quick and easy to setup
  • Pocketed coils make for a comfortable sleep regardless of position
CONS
  • It’s pricey but well worth it

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3. Best College Mattress for Stomach Sleepers – Loom & Leaf

Who is the Loom & Leaf good for:
  • The Loom and Leaf Mattress comes in relaxed firm and firm. It accommodates all kinds of sleepers but the firm is ideal for those sleeping on their backs and stomachs.  The heavier you are, the more pressure you apply on to a mattress and the firmer that mattress needs to be to take your weight. Expect pressure relief on your shoulders and hips but keep watch for any hip-sinking as this might indicate improper support.
For a long term purchase, Loom and Leaf is great because the materials are durable and the foam components are far better than those of competitors. The convoluted memory foam of this mattress allows for ultimate breathability and the gel infusion and cooling gel panel only complements it. Testing indicates that Loom and Leaf shows no signs of motion transfer, which is great for couples because you don’t want to feel your partner move every single time. You can pretty much bounce as much as you want and a light sleeper on the other side of the bed wouldn’t feel a thing. As you sit in the edge, you don’t get the feeling that you might fall off. It’s sturdy enough even for sharing. Even as you lie down by the edge, you can tell the support is better than most. Keep in mind that the weight limit on this mattress is up to 300lbs. For a bigger size; that means two people weighing 300 lbs. can sleep on it. On a smaller size, however, only one person weighing 300 lbs. would be able to sleep comfortably.
PROS
  • Durable and well-made
  • Responsive and comfortable
  • Designed to regulate temperature levels while you sleep
  • It’s breathable
CONS
  • This mattress is on the smaller side

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4. Best Memory Foam College Mattress – Nectar

Who is the Nectar good for:
  • Nectar is great for all sleepers. If you sleep on your back or stomach, you shouldn’t have a problem. But, if you’re a heavy person then you might have a little trouble because of its versatility. With all the resistance the mattress has, one might need more energy to roll over, resulting in possible restlessness.
  • For couples, Nectar is great because the firmness doesn’t decrease as you get closer to the edge. The tiniest movement might transfer to someone sleeping on the other side but it’s not enough to wake them up.
The Nectar mattress is one the simplest you can find. Nectar has a base layer of polyfoam which transitions into memory foam that leads to quilted gel memory foam inside the cover. Although it’s made in China, it has all the necessary certifications (which is all that matters). The cover is bug-resistant, designed to repel dust mites and it can be unzipped and spot cleaned with mild soap. The edge support on this mattress is decent and movement is easily stopped in its tracks because of the memory foam. It’s important to note that the Nectar is not a cool sleeping bed but the fact is that ‘hot sleepers’ are very rare.
PROS
  • Bug and mite resistant
  • Offers decent edge support
  • Comes with 2 free pillows!
  • It’s a foam mattress that’s comfortable on all positions
CONS
  • This mattress does offer limited bounce

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5. Best College Mattress for Hot Side Sleepers – Bear

Who is the Bear good for:
  • All sleepers should enjoy using the Bear mattress but the more petite body types might not do well on such a firm mattress.  If your body is small, you probably won’t get any pressure relief.
  • Side sleepers will be especially pleased with this mattress. The edge support is good and with memory foam silencing all movement, light sleepers should appreciate this mattress as well.
The Bear mattress is made from a unique type of memory foam that isn’t dense like others. It isn’t airy or fluffy and it pulls heat from the body. The Bear Mattress is the best bed for college students that like to stay active. The FDA-approved celliant cover helps with air circulation and recovery times, promoting a restful sleep simultaneously. It has a polyfoam foundation, a softer polyfoam transitional layer and graphite-infused gel memory foam. You still have to try it out for 30 days though, the bed takes time to soften up and you’ll also need to adapt to the sudden change.
PROS
  • It’s made from cooling memory foam
  • The brand offers free shipping
  • Decent edge support
  • Comes with an FDA-approved celiant cover
  • Very affordable
CONS
  • It might be too firm for petite body types

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6. Best Bed in a Box for College Students – Awara

Who is the Awara good for:
  • Back sleepers would love this mattress, whether you’re a heavy or a light back sleeper. For stomach sleepers, the Amara mattress doesn’t overarch, and its only side sleepers who might not be too fond of it.
  • If as a side sleeper you feel the pressure points taking their toll on you, that’s a sign of pressure relief. If you’re a side sleeper and you don’t experience this, the Awara is just fine for you.
  • There’s minimal dip, which indicates great edge support and since its mostly made of coils, there’s good airflow meaning you won’t ‘sleep hot’.
This Awara mattress is the best bed in a box for college students because of its versatility. This is a firm mattress with 9-inches of pocketed coils and 4 inches of organic latex. It’s made from natural materials like Dunlop latex; a 100% organic latex. 100% natural wool and certified organic cotton make the cover super smooth. The side-panel is robust and the whole mattress feels well-built. There’s good back support and it conforms to the curve of the spine. It isn’t entirely natural, but it has some pretty impressive certification. The wool is certified to be natural, though not organic and the latex is accredited by the Eco Institute, regardless of its Chinese origin. It has no chemical smell and it’s made to bend and flex.
PROS
  • Perfect for back sleepers
  • Made from natural materials
  • Offers good back support
  • It’s cooling and perfect for light sleepers
CONS
  • It’s not suitable for side sleepers
  • It’s a bit pricey

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7. Best Mattress for Dorm Rooms – DreamCloud

Who is the DreamCloud good for:
  • For a side sleeper, the Dreamcloud offers a lot of back support and lightweight customers shouldn’t encounter any challenges. For those that are heavier but not so curvy, the back is still supported. But, there might be a challenge for those that are heavy and curvy. It can give you a cradled, nestled feel, leaving you to sinking deeper than usual.
  • As a heavy sleeper sinking deeper, your body’s surface area won’t be exposed and this means that you’ll just gather more and more heat.
The Dreamcloud can be said to be a medium soft mattress with a firm top and a softer bottom. It stands at 15 inches high and 5-6 of those inches is for the quilted layer. It’s really comfortable for a college mattress. The Dreamcloud is a Chinese hybrid that isn’t exactly natural. But, it’s one of the best foam mattresses and the main support layer has steel and no harmful materials. All the foams are certified according to CertiPUR standards but some of the materials are petroleum-based. The fibers in the quilt allow for more airflow while heat penetrates through to the memory foam. You can expect quick recovery, excellent motion isolation and all-round comfort with this one.
PROS
  • Very comfortable
  • Offers optimal back support
  • Breathable and suitable for different sleepers
  • Comes with free delivery
CONS
  • It can cause a sinking sensation for heavy and curvy sleepers

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Sleep it off

There you have it, the best mattresses for college students right now. Figure out what type of sleeper you are, work out your budget and pick something that’s perfect for you and you alone.

According to a study done by the National Sleep Foundation about 86% of Students in the United States get far less sleep than that recommended (7 to 9 hours), giving rise to various health issues and a threat to the student’s academic success. 

Remember that you’ll most likely sleep on the mattress in your college apartment for many nights, so make sure that you purchase a mattress that’s going to help you sleep better at night. 

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