Until a few weeks ago, I was still sleeping on the mattress I had in college. It was when I moved from dorms to an apartment just before my senior year that I was finally able to persuade my parents to buy me an “adult” mattress. As in, one that was bigger than a twin.
They bought me a double, and within a month of getting it, my college buddy had already spilled at least a six-pack of beer on it and burned it twice with that cigarette. When I complained to my parents, they told me to return it and deal with it; it was the only mattress they were going to buy me in my life.
My mattress has seen a lot of action, not just in my single years, but he lived happily in New Hampshire for a while, in Boston for an even shorter time, and traveled to New York where he saw the interior of three different apartments in the East Village.
He also saw his fair share of urine, thanks to my dog, Hubbell, who peed on the bed when he was nervous, which meant every time there was a fly or mosquito in his apartment, and even an encounter with bedbugs during the summer when it seemed like half the town was infested. It also comforted me through many breakups, shingles, mono, and easily 1,000 hangovers.
When my mattress and I finally parted ways, it was stained, almost worn out, and had not one or two, but three toppers, as a way to make it somewhat comfortable.
I was sad to see him go, but my husband, excited that he would be the only one sleeping in a new bed with me, was happy to drag him down the five flights of stairs, leaving him on the sidewalk with a sign reading “No bed bugs! I promise!”
Now was the time to fall in love with a new mattress, and after hearing such great things about this mattress from other friends who had recently upgraded it (and swore it was the best mattress for sexy times), I knew that was what we wanted.
And in a queen size bed, of course, because two adults shouldn’t sleep in a double bed, especially when you hate sharing a bed in the first place (that’s me!)
The day he arrived, my life changed. I had no idea a new mattress could have such an impact on my life, but I was wrong.
Here are 5 ways my mattress has transformed my relationship:
1. I am well rested
When we received the mattress, we were a little surprised. It ships to your door in a box. Yes, a mattress in a box. Once you open it, it sort of unfolds before your eyes. Before I even officially had it on the bed frame I threw myself on it and lay down there… where I fell asleep quickly because my husband wasn’t home and I really didn’t see the need to get up from where I was.
When he came back, he woke me up and we put the mattress on the frame…where we both said over and over again, “OMG. OMG. This is the best bed in the world.” Granted, our last mattress was the pits, but having traveled extensively and tried several hundred mattresses on those trips, this was definitely the best. This night owl has been in bed before midnight most nights since we’ve had him, and that rest makes me less grumpy and more excited.
2. I want to have more sex
This goes for both my husband and me. Not only do we both want to have more sex, we want to do it more in bed. Before, we felt like the sofa or the kitchen table spiced things up, and it does! But who the hell needs spice when there’s a magical wonderland of comfort right next door?
3. Its firmness is great for awkward positions
For all its firmness, it’s also just the right amount of squishy. While other mattresses lack the hardware to hold you in place or even get you into where you want to be in the first place, our new mattress is very welcoming and allows us to be more experimental. in our sexual positions. It gives the support that a floor would combine with the comfort of a pillow, if that makes sense.
4. It’s a wonderful part of foreplay
I’m pretty sure I’ve made it clear that my number one love, aside from my dog, is food. I love it. And while I’m not one to eat in bed, in general, our mattress and its firmness actually make it possible to consume food in bed without a big mess. What do you want to do after having Chinese in bed while watching Netflix? Nap and, of course, have fun. We discovered that our new mattress was an integral part of our foreplay.
5. We can’t get by
It’s true! And while some days are great, especially on the coming cold days, Mondays can be a real headache. But what it does say is that we definitely spend more time in bed, and, let’s be honest, the more time two people spend in bed, the more sex they will have. I’m sure that’s a scientific fact.
Amanda Chatel is a writer who divides her time between NYC and Paris. She is a regular contributor to Bustle and Glamour, with signings to Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Forbes, Livingly, Mic, The Bolde, Huffington Post and others.
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