- Value: 18/20
- Functionality: 18/20
- Ease of Setup: 18/20
- Aesthetics: 19/20
- Pain-Relief: 18/20
- TOTAL: 91/100
I went most of my adolescence sleeping in a twin bed, sandwiched in the corner of the bedroom that my sister and I shared. I was at an age where my bones were still soft like a puppy’s and I could fall asleep in almost any position or location (in front of the refrigerator and in the back seat of a car, to name a few) without waking up nearly paralyzed from a stiff back or neck.
That’s no longer the case. Although I’ve retained my ability to fall asleep at the drop of a hat (a skill that I hope to never lose), even resting on a slightly pancaked pillow makes me feel three times my age. Because of this, I’ve gone through at least five mattresses in the last three years, trying to find one that cradles my bones and limits pressure on my hips, knees and shoulders. There was a firm innerspring model from a mattress super store, followed by a custom Helix hybrid, which I tried for a few nights before returning, a Nest Bedding hybrid that was much too soft, a three-layer foam situation from Leesa, which I loved, but sadly didn’t survive an interstate move and finally, a Casper Wave Hybrid.
When Casper first launched, almost everyone I know bought the original foam mattress. It came conveniently rolled up in a box, and the branding made it especially appealing to Millennials, myself included. But when I tried my friends’ Caspers, I found I didn’t love the soft foam feeling of the Original Mattress.
Then, in 2019, Casper made a new iteration of its famed foam model. By adding pocketed microcoils, layers of targeted foam and gel-filled pods, the brand found a solution for total spine-alignment in its Wave Hybrid—something I never thought I’d geek out over. What makes Casper’s updated model so great is that it pays particular focus to spine alignment and how it’s affected in every sleep position. I’m a die-hard side and back sleeper, constantly switching between the two positions, (depending on what’s most comfortable for my dog, of course), so I personally need a mattress that’s soft enough to not cause pressure on my hips and shoulders, but firm enough to offer support under my lower back. Because this Casper model uses softer materials under the shoulders and firmer ones around the hips, waist and lower back, it aligns my spine no matter how I sleep.