It’s the most wonderful time of the year: The Manual Awards season! For our sleep awards, we totally slept on it, all of it: Mattresses, pillows, sheets, vitamins and supplements, and sleep aids/technology. We've tried all sorts of stuff in and out of bed this year in order to help you find the best products that will help you get a better night’s sleep.
Over the course of the year, we've tested a wide variety of products: Items from major multinational brands, items from up-and-coming small businesses, items imported from various corners of the world, and items made right here in the U.S. We understand that you face all sorts of stressors in your life that can make sleeping more difficult. Hopefully, the fine sleep products featured below will help you overcome those adversities and achieve the good night’s sleep you need to feel better the next day.
The best mattress
Leesa Original Mattress
We really can’t say this enough: If you like the contouring comfort of memory foam mattresses, you will probably love Leesa’s Original Mattress. Disclaimer: The author has this mattress at home and happily sleeps on it night after night. Despite its all-foam construction, this mattress has also proven surprisingly sturdy night after night.
With its layers of premium foam — including Leesa’s exclusive top layer that’s designed to keep sleepers cool — it’s easy to feel like you’re floating on a cloud while sleeping on this mattress. At the same time, the base foam layer is expertly constructed to provide core support and durability for all body types and sleep positions.
The best pillow
Buffy Cloud Pillow
Buffy has a wide variety of great bedding products, so we’re not too surprised that they made it onto our awards list this year. In this case, we’re particularly impressed with Buffy’s Cloud Pillow. If you’re a fan of down pillows, Buffy’s signature down alternative offers softness to rival down feathers. If you’re not down with down, this pillow comes without the animal byproducts, allergens, and risk of lumpiness that you may not like about down pillows.
Not only is the Buffy Cloud Pillow cruelty-free and vegan, but it’s also made with GRS-certified recycled fiber for remarkable softness that’s also gentle on the planet. It’s also customizable: You can choose from soft, medium, and firm to secure the right feel for your bed.
The best sheets
Authenticity50 Signature Sheets
Perhaps you haven’t heard of Authenticity50 before. Let’s fix this now. They’re committed to a totally honest and traceable "seed-to-stitch®" manufacturing process that utilizes small and often family-run, U.S.-based textile businesses to guarantee the highest-quality fabrics while avoiding the kinds of global supply chain “hiccups” that regularly make headlines these days.
At first glance, Authenticity50’s Signature Sheets may look odd, but their percale sheets made from California-grown Supima® cotton are actually quite carefully and lovingly made to last. The percale weave might feel crisp at first, but it’s designed to get softer over time. This strong weave ensures that the sheets don’t rapidly disintegrate like what commonly happens to more stereotypically “buttery soft” sheets. Not only are these sheets soft yet sturdy, but they’re also designed to strike the right balance of cooling breathability and warmth, making these sheets ideal for year-round use.
The best supplements
Beam Dream Capsules
We totally get the nervousness that some of us feel when discussing the topic of “sleeping pills.” Fortunately, Beam Dream Capsules are not meant to be habit-forming. They are CBD capsules — that is, they’re made with the cannabinoid that won’t get you “high” like THC does. They’re also made with ingredients like magnesium, melatonin, and reishi that can support your body’s natural ability to fall and stay asleep.
These capsules may not taste great, but we can personally attest that they work. Expect to fall asleep within a couple hours of taking two capsules. If you insist on trying something that tastes better, Beam also offers CBD-based sleep supplements as drink powders in more delicious flavors like sea salt caramel and white chocolate peppermint.
The best sleep aid
Somnox 2
What is the Somnox 2, exactly? The best way we can describe it is as a cushioned electronic device. It provides ambient sounds and gentle vibrations that are science-proven to promote relaxation and sleep, especially if you hold the device close to you. Somnox’s patented Somnox Sense smart sensors can detect your breathing as you hold onto it, and its rhythm responds by gradually slowing its movement to a tranquil, sleep-inducing pace.
The Somnox 2 works best with its complementary smartphone/tablet app that enables you to personalize your Somnox experience. You can set your choice of breathing rhythms, connect through multiple streaming app —, such as Apple Music and YouTube — to connect your device to via Bluetooth, and try out multiple breathing and meditation programs.
Regardless of how much time you spend working out in the gym, how careful you are about watching what you eat, and how hard you work to convince everyone you have the ideal work-life balance, you’re probably not feeling your best if you’re not getting enough sleep. There may be several factors inhibiting your ability to sleep, so we’re doing our best here to highlight the products that can help fix certain factors.
Of course, when it comes to factors like work-life balance and electronic distractions in the bedroom, there are ways you can up your sleep game for free. When you need further improvement in what you put into your body and what you put your body onto, we hope you will find these products helpful in drifting off to dreamland. These bedding products have made our beds incredibly comfortable, and the wellness products have given us an extra boost when we needed some extra help falling asleep.
If you could use more help with getting more sleep, check out these merrily sleepy reading materials, our guide for finding the right pillow that works with your sleep patterns, and this expert-backed guide for falling asleep fast. Now that we’ve gotten all of this out of the way, please excuse us while we go to bed.
