Sweet Dreams

When I was little, I had the coolest bed…a TRUNDLE bed. I remember being so excited to get that bed because it meant when my friends slept over, they could have a little bed right next to mine, and that seemed like the most amazing thing. Right up there with sitting facing backward in the “way back” of the station wagon my parents had when my brother and I were kids.

Just like the station wagon became significantly less awesome when I turned 16 and inherited it as my first car, the trundle bed outlived its cool factor. It’s a twin bed, the mattress is about as thick as an ultra-thin maxi pad, and the frame squeaks and creaks (and not because it’s old…it was noisy as hell from the very beginning).

Don’t get me wrong, I still sleep GREAT on it if I spend the night in my old bedroom at my parents’ house because I spent the first 18 years of my life sleeping on that bed. And compared to the dormitory beds in college, the trundle bed was downright luxurious.

So when I moved out of my parents’ house after college and got to pick out an actual adult bed, I was pretty much obsessed with it. The mattress was thick and cushy, and I picked out the perfect CB2 Marimekko graphic floral duvet to make my bed the centerpiece of the bedroom. I was super stoked to buy some ultra soft jersey sheets as well.

But when my boyfriend moved in this past June, it was time to retire my old bed. The jersey sheets, twice replaced, had pilled and had holes in them. The corners of the box spring were ripped up by the same claws that made the holes in the jersey sheets. And the bed frame was literally down a leg. Not to mention the bed was a full-sized bed and my boyfriend is a larger than average full-sized human at 6 ft. Add two cats to the bedtime equation and I was feeling the need for more space.

So sleepy. Hecking up the bed is hard work.

Now that I am an (older) adult (read: no longer the 24-year-old who was stoked for jersey sheets), my boyfriend and I agreed it was a wise investment to buy a quality bed with quality bedding.

He can literally sleep anywhere at any time, but I alas cannot, and sleep is VERY important to me. I am convinced that ample, quality sleep is the key to good health. No matter how much celery juice you drink or crystals you use (wait, what do you do with crystals again?), sleep is the number 1 game changer.

I am not kidding, I literally have a recurring nightmare about being up all night. That’s it. Nothing else happens. I just see the sun start to come up and realize I’ve been up all night and it’s a BAD DREAM.

Since putting this bed together was a PROCESS, I am going to tell you about the splurges and bargain finds and preach to you the good word of sleep. FYI, none of this is sponsored (but if you want to partner with me, please get in touch, I would like free sleep things) so you are getting my honest opinions.

First, a little pro tip from me to you…or really from Scott to you, since he is the one who turned me onto this. Whenever we are looking to buy something for the apartment (bedding) or need a new gadget (wireless headphones) or really anything (2019 planner), we consult Wirecutter. Obviously, reviews are biased and subjective, which is why Wirecutter is great. They apply a nearly scientific way of testing and reviewing the best products on the market and update it regularly. They tell you what criteria they based their picks on and give you upgrade or budget options. So far it hasn’t let us down (we are now the proud owners of the softest fucking towels around and I am loving it), and we used it a lot when researching our bed and bedding.

As one does, we started with our mattress. There are so many bed-in-a-box brands now, it was hard to know where to start. But it was July, blazing hot outside, and Scott is a walking furnace. In the winter, I’ve been known to go to sleep in full sweats, socks, and even mittens because I am so goddamn cold all the time, but wedged between Scott and two cats meant waking up drenched in sweat more often than I’d prefer (which is never).

So we did some research and I asked around about cooling mattresses in particular. My friend Renee raved about her Ghostbed mattress, and after we did some research, we determined this was the best cooling mattress at the best price point. I love a soft mattress, but I know firm is better. Luckily, the Ghostbed is firm but not too firm for me. And if you’re in the market for a cooling mattress (or really any mattress), I’d also recommend the Ghostbed. Definitely look for deals though. We bought ours during a Fourth of July sale, got $150 off, and two free pillows…and I LOVE my Ghost pillow.

All of my sets of sheets were now too small for the queen-sized mattress, but Scott’s old sheets were big enough. He had a couple sets of Sheex, those “performance” sheets that are supposed to be cooling and moisture-wicking like workout clothes. Maybe it was the leftover Florida smell that we couldn’t get rid of no matter how much we washed them or maybe it was the clinginess, but I could not stand these sheets. (It was the clinginess, just taking a shot at Florida.) I personally hate it when sheets bunch up under me or get twisted around my legs, and these had a proclivity for doing that.

So we consulted Wirecutter for this one and dutifully went with their favorite pick four years running, the L.L. Bean 280-thread count Pima cotton percale sheets. They are super crisp and soften up the more you wash them, and as Wirecutter points out, they are cool in the summer. The first night I put these on the bed, I got in and started doing snow angels of happiness.

Next it was time to replace the biggest source of heat other than the living beings occupying the bed — the comforter. I had a cheap comforter inside my beloved CB2 duvet, and we debated back and forth about the merits of a comforter versus a quilt, but I couldn’t find a lightweight quilt that was what I wanted — a simple gray with white pinstripes. The quilts and coverlets were not doing it for me, so eventually we researched the best cooling comforters and settled on Buffy. I am a big fan of this “cloud comforter,” which you can try for 30 days before deciding to keep it and pay. Bonus: I was surprised with a free sleep mask that came along with it. I sleep with it on every night; it has lavender sewn into it and it is very soothing.

Here’s where I fucked up though — I did eventually find the pinstripes I was looking for when stores began stocking different duvets for fall. I got this cute reversible Threshold duvet from Target. But I didn’t notice it was flannel until it was too late, and all our carefully selected *cooling* items were for naught. Flannel is fucking hot. So when the weather warms up, we’ll be in the market for a lightweight quilt or coverlet after all (any suggestions)?

I won’t shit on Target though; I love their home items, and we did get some extra pillowcases there to supplement the ones that came with our sheets. These super affordable Room Essentials microfiber pillowcases are incredibly soft and come in a million colors and patterns.

So…#sorrynotsorry I put this much time, effort, and thought into my bed. Sleep is my favorite form of self-care.

What are your favorites? Come tell me how you dressed your bed either in the comments or on Instagram!

xo,
S