Am I Dreaming More on My Saatva Classic Hybrid Mattress, or Did I Just Forget My Meds? A Review

  • Sleep Improvement: 19/20

  • Value: 17/20

  • Materials: 18/20

  • Firmness: 20/20

  • Shipping and Returns: 20/20
    TOTAL: 94/100

I avoid spending large sums on my home. And yet, since my favorite activity is sleeping, and even just hanging out horizontally in my bed reading (aka streaming shows), I’m willing to throw down mad, mad cash toward this ongoing rehearsal for the day I will finally welcome the sweet, sweet release of death. So while the prospect of parting with over a thousand dollars on a mattress makes me borderline ill, I’m thinking of it as an investment in my mental and physical wellness. And since the Saatva Classic hybrid mattress carries a 365-day money-back guarantee, what’s the risk? Here’s what I learned.

First, Why Buy a Mattress Without Experiencing It First?

In the old days, mattresses were mostly fabric-covered slabs of metal coil sold exclusively in showrooms, so that shoppers could lie down and test each mattress. That’s still a thing, however according to one bedding market analysis, in 2018, 45 percent of mattresses were purchased online. And more recently, there’s been an increase in sleep disturbances aka “covidsomnia”—as well as in increase in in-person mattress shopping complications— caused by COVID-19, which has only encouraged more online mattress sales. Suffice it to say, consumers are getting more confident in ordering big-ticket items (think of the mattress as a sleep appliance, if you will) without testing first—especially since direct-to-consumer companies are offering increasingly generous return windows.

What is a Hybrid Mattress?

Yesteryear’s innerspring-only mattresses have been updated, with additional layers of foam and/or padding added in order to increase comfort and reduce the sound and feeling of rolling over and making the bed shake, shudder or creak. A hybrid mattress is also a great compromise between people who like or loathe memory foam, since hybrids offer some of the cushion without the deep sinking-in feeling of an all-foam mattress.

What Was Sleeping on the Saatva Classic Like?

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve increasingly depended on a good mattress to really align and support my body to not only ease from a day of tensed shoulders and tech neck, but also to recover from physical exhaustion from taxing workouts. No matter what minor aches or pains come my way, I know if I can just ease down into bed, my spine aligned thanks to my favorite pillow, it’s only a matter of time until I sleep it off.

The Saatva Classic was a happy surprise since it has the perfect combo platter of comfortable and body-supporting elements. Previously, I’ve enjoyed the feel of memory-foam mattresses, but found them hot. The Saatva Classic has a top layer made of breathable organic cotton and three-inch pillow-top cushiness, so I’ve never overheated. And the entire layer-cake of its construction is engineered to provide support where your back needs it most—the top is extra-quilted in the lumbar region, and there are additional lumbar supports made of wire and high-density memory foam. The mattress has two additional layers totaling 1,300 coils in two different steel densities to keep you supported and floating on the mattress, not slurped down into it. And finally, I appreciate that it is crafted with a nice firm bumper of high-density rails around the bed so that they don’t droop, as is the case with too many memory foam mattresses.

Since my first night on my Saatva, I’ve noticed I regularly dream more, which leads me to believe I’m sinking faster and longer into what neuroscience says is the recuperative REM dream state. (Previously, this only happened when I forgot to take my anti-anxiety medication for a couple of nights.) I wake up feeling more refreshed, and frankly, I drift off to sleep faster, since I’m not tossing and turning to feel comfortable.

Oh and the Saatva special touch, to me, was that after I ordered the mattress online, it didn’t come rolled up in a box. It was delivered by a two-person team that not only set it right atop my frame, they removed and discarded my old mattress free of charge. And there was no chemical smell that needed off-gassing, so I felt safe to make the bed right away, no 12 hours of open bedroom windows necessary. And especially, no need to use that year-long guarantee offer—I’m holding on to my Saatva for good.

Buy It ($1,770; $1,588)

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