Study Well and Sleep Even Better on a Bed in a Box

With another school year on the horizon, regardless of whether your child’s district or university is resuming class sessions or remaining closed in favor of remote learning, you should ensure your favorite student is equipped to succeed.

It is widely understood that a key ingredient for excellent academic performance is good sleep, which rests on the quality of mattress your kiddo (young or old) has.

And yes, shopping for a new mattress can be stressful and many businesses are not offering in-store browsing, which is why we pose the ultimate solution—a bed in a box. What is that, you ask?

It looks like class is now in session.

It’s what it sounds like—a bed in a box can arrive to your door, changing how we shop for mattresses forever.

Touted for being a hassle-free buying option, this memory-foam bed uses automated compression technology so it can be rolled up and packed in a box small enough to be shipped to your door. Once these beds are unboxed, their unique foam structure allows mattresses to fully bounce back and expand to their original shape.

Industry experts assess that it takes as much as five minutes to unbox this cloudlike bed. And unboxing it is as easy as taking the mattress out of the box, carefully opening the plastic cover, and then allowing the mattress to expand. 

Here’s an important tidbit: It takes between 24 and 48 hours for a bed-in-a-box mattress to regain its full, glorious shape, so we’d hold off on replacing the one on your box spring for at least two nights.

While a bed in a box is invariably made of foam, that doesn’t mean this type of bed doesn’t accommodate a diversity of sleep positions or preferences. In general, memory foam mattresses typically fall somewhere in the medium-firmness range, making a bed in a box a great median for a broad spectrum of sleepers.

In addition, some of these mattresses are stocked with gel layers or copper-infused toppers for a cooling effect, and other beds arrange their layers of foam in various ways to provide substantiated levels of comfort and support.

Its unique compression technology isn’t the only thing that sets a bed in a box apart from the traditional models you can buy at the store (and must somehow strap onto the roof of your car).

The price tag on a bed in a box is bound to make your eyes gleam. Typically, these beds are more affordable than their innerspring counterparts, with many companies offering discounts more regularly than say, the yearly Memorial Day and Fourth of July sales at traditional mattress stores.

If you’re skeptical about the durability of a bed-in-a-box mattress, there’s nothing to worry about there. A bed in a box is engineered to last as long as a traditional bed—anywhere between 5 to 15 years, although experts recommend that you replace your mattress every 7 to 10 years.

With the COVID-19 pandemic closing down many furniture and mattress stores across the country, shopping for a bed in a box from the safety of your home is a very convenient option.

Plus, why would you want to shop for your new bed according to the imperfect Goldilocks metric of hopping on a display bed and thinking, “Hmm, this one seems just right?” An additional value of shopping for a bed in a box online is that risk-free trial periods are often longer than those of in-store purchases. In short, a more generous trial period will ensure your new bed meets your health requirements.

For older students leaving the nest for college, a compressed bed proves to be easier to tote around, lessening the load on move-in day.

Conversely, if your child or adult-aged kiddo is studying at home, why not replace their current mattress with a supportive, long-lasting one today? And If your student is outgrowing their twin-sized mattress or aging out of a bunk-bed arrangement, now is the opportunity to invest in a bed in a box!

A minor bedroom makeover, such as swapping out their old mattress for a new one, can help your student switch to a more productive mindset—as most changes rooted in positive change and growth do.

We’ve all heard that quality slumber is tantamount to elevated performance at school or at work, but the consequences of poor sleep are not often discussed.

Here is why you should make more conscious efforts to get in at least 8 hours of shuteye. It should be noted that students ages 17 or younger require at least 9 hours and up to 13 hours, per CDC recommendations.

• Deep sleep is critical in the functioning of all body systems and brain faculties, including learning and processing memories.
• During high-pressure periods, such as exam days, students who pull all-nighters are unable to reach the REM phase, which is instrumental for consolidating learning and memory.
• Sleep is needed for our brains to prioritize memories—compartmentalizing them according to their emotional importance.
• For adolescents, melatonin is released later in the evening compared to adults. Because of the delayed release of this sleep hormone, alertness is prolonged, making teens sluggish in the morning. In other words, consistent sleep schedules are particularly important for this age group.
• In children and teenagers, lack of sustained sleep makes them especially susceptible to physical and psychological drawbacks, such as high blood pressure, poor eating habits, mood swings, feelings of aggression, and low self-esteem.

Other than investing in the best bed in a box, here are some simple tips to help your student attain the right amount of sleep:

• To naturally unwind by evening, spend time outdoors! Research suggests that at least 3 hours of daily outdoor time for children are recommended to reap benefits such as emotional stability, creativity, and yes, even academic success. Adults see improvement in their mindset from spending at least 2 hours per week outside.
• To get your mind and body accustomed to a schedule, establish consistent mealtimes! It is also recommended that you stay away from meals that could weigh you down and be harder to digest—opt for protein-dense foods to hold you over between meals instead.
• Avoid electronic devices at least two hours before bed. The blue-light glow of screens stunts the production of melatonin, which inadvertently signals to your brain that it’s daytime and delays sleep.
• Create a bedtime routine! Consistency is key for your body and brain to unwind, so whatever you do, make sure you faithfully keep to a schedule. Exercise some creativity here, whether you engage in meditation, an elaborate skin-care routine, a hot bath, or a good book.

For all of your mattress needs, make sure you check out our catalog. And if you have any questions, contact our friendly staff of experts! We are always happy to help.