Blame it on aging, the pandemic, or news-cycle nightmares, but these days I find myself hitting snooze and napping more to rest my noisy brain. In my 20s, I guilted myself for craving sleep. Sleep was for the weak, I thought, for people who avoided ambition and adventure. That perspective shifted sharply with a 2017 diagnosis of adult-onset epilepsy. My wake-up call was a concussion and a black eye that resulted from smacking my head on a coffee table after months—years—of inconsistent sleep on stiff, cheap beds. This led me to upgrade my sleep setup, starting with my beloved Leesa mattress, which has changed my rest experience for the better and soothes me on the toughest nights.
A brief history of my beds: In my parents’ house in South Carolina is the traditional twin bed of my childhood, which is over 20 years old. When I sleep on it for a few nights every year, I can feel the coils digging into my skin, reminding me of all the innerspring mattresses of my youth. In college I slept on a series of dorm beds and futons. Looking back, I’m not sure how I put up with it. I tossed, failing to find a soft spot, or I turned, sinking too deeply into the mattress and struggling to pull myself out.
When I graduated in 2011 and moved to New York, I bought my first real mattress: a full-size, too-firm Simmons Beautyrest. Foam mattresses-in-a-box weren’t a thing yet, and my priority then was more budget than comfort. The internet told me boxsprings were the way to go and that Simmons was a known brand. At a Sleepy’s store, I committed myself to not-great sleep without the option of a return. The thin cushioning on top of this bed wore flat in a couple of years, which is not ideal given that the average lifespan of a mattress should be around eight.
For the first time, I got serious about mattress shopping. I did my research. I considered all of the things experts recommend you do: sleep quality, support (how the bed pushes back, which is different from firmness), comfort, temperature, materials, and more. I was drawn to the Leesa based on its positive reviews and all-foam composition. The company offers a generous trial period of 100 days, so I took the plunge on a full-size Leesa original mattress. (Spoiler: I never returned it.)
When the Leesa arrived in its trim, branded box, I remember crawling onto its cushy, quilted top and stifling a squeal of delight over how freaking comfortable it felt. I didn’t sink; I floated. Where had this mattress been my entire life?! I wondered.
The Leesa original mattress is a parfait of three medium-firm foam layers: the two-inch top layer is a special cooling polyfoam; the middle layer is two inches of dense, contouring memory foam; and the base is six inches of foam to bolster your core. This is all a fancy way of saying that this mattress both supports and hugs your body like a good friend. I’d hug it back if I could.
Every time I climb into bed now, my entire being breathes a sigh of sweet relief. Ahhhh. I’m a sweaty sleeper, but the Leesa doesn’t leave me feeling gross or slippery, thanks to its breathable top layer. There’s no more shifting because the mattress is wonderful at motion isolation (important if you sleep with a partner, or in my case, a jumpy cat). I sleep like a wee babe and no longer wake with a sore back.
As an added bonus, I appreciate that the Leesa is CertiPUR-US certified, meaning that it’s made without VOCs, flame retardants, and a bunch of chemicals that are harmful both for me and the environment. I love this mattress so much that I bought it again in a queen size when I moved in by myself (and sold the full-size to a friend, who loves it too).
It’s regularly $999 for the queen size, but you can find the Leesa for a reduced price, as I did, through the end of October 14 at 11:59 p.m. PT on Leesa’s site, as part of a competitive deal to Amazon Prime Day 2020. This mattress delivers and returns for free, and it has outperformed any other mattress I’ve slept on. I have zero regrets about this investment, as I know the Leesa will last me for years to come.
Leesa Original Mattress (Queen Size)
Available in twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, and California king sizes.
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