Latest news with #college students
Forbes
4 days ago
- Health
- Forbes
The Best Mattress Toppers For Dorm Beds That Help Students Rest Better
Dorm rooms aren't known for offering the most comfortable mattresses, which is why it pays to invest in a mattress topper that could help college students rest easier. The best dorm mattress toppers are affordable enough to suit student budgets, while still offering high-quality materials that transform the feel of an old, dingy mattress. Our top pick for the best mattress topper for dorm beds is the Puffy Deluxe Mattress Topper, which offers multiple firmness options for different style sleepers, plus an easy installation process that keeps the topper in place without shifting. The best mattress toppers for dorms are easy to install and offer more support on low-quality dorm ... More mattresses. ILLUSTRATION: FORBES / PHOTO: RETAILER 'Dorm mattresses are often standardized, heavily used and not designed to accommodate the individual support and comfort needs of each student,' explains physical therapist Dr. Jimmy Pajuheshfar. 'Proper spinal alignment and pressure distribution are essential for young adults whose bodies are still developing. A supportive mattress topper helps promote healthy posture during sleep while relieving tension in high-impact areas like the hips and shoulders.' Read on for our expert-backed picks of the best mattress toppers for dorm beds. Our Top Recommendations Type: Memory foam | Firmness: Firm, soft | Delivery: Free shipping | Trial: 101 nights | Warranty: Lifetime Pros: Multiple features to keep it securely in place Hypoallergenic cover Two firmness options for different sleeping positions and body types Cons: May still be too soft for some This Puffy mattress topper offers cloud-like comfort and reliable pressure relief in two different firmness levels to transform uncomfortable mattresses and suit most sleepers. It's made with responsive memory foam that contours around body curves and relieves pressure points. It's designed to also reduce heat buildup, thanks to a polyester and bamboo rayon cover that promotes breathability. This topper features elastic sides that are 15 inches deep and wrap around the entire mattress, ensuring easy installation and stability over time. There's also an anti-slip base to minimize shifting even further. Plus, the topper is wrapped in a hypoallergenic cover that's easy on skin and makes it easy to wash regularly. Although there is a firm option for this topper, keep in mind that its full-foam build may still be too soft for some sleepers, especially those who have a heavier build. Amazon ViscoSoft Select High Density Memory Foam Mattress Topper (Twin XL) Type: Memory foam | Firmness: Medium, medium-firm | Delivery: Free shipping | Trial: 90 nights | Warranty: 5 years Pros: Affordable Three thickness options CertiPUR-US-certified materials Cons: Sticking to a student's budget doesn't have to mean compromising on comfort. This budget-friendly mattress topper is made from high-density memory foam to add a plush level of comfort to any bed (including twin XL and full XL sizes). It's available in 2-inch, 3-inch and 4-inch sizes to best suit the softness level you're looking for. Although memory foam is known for trapping heat, this topper's designed to help keep you cool through gel infusions that draw heat away from your body as you sleep. It also comes with adjustable elastic straps and a slip-resistant bottom to ensure the topper stays in place without shifting as you move. Just keep in mind that the high-density foam is hefty, and this topper may be difficult to unbox and install on your own. Type: Organic latex | Firmness: Plush | Delivery: Free shipping | Trial: 100 nights | Warranty: 10 years Pros: GreenGuard Gold and GOLS-certified Naturally cooling Medium firmness to suit most sleeping styles Cons: Prone to shifting around on the mattress For dorm dwellers who love the benefits of organic mattresses, an organic topper is a great pick. Made from materials like organic latex and cotton, this topper offers peace of mind for cleaner sleeping. It's been certified by GreenGuard Gold and GOLS to meet strict standards for high-quality materials that are gentle on humans and the environment. With a plush feel and pressure-relieving comfort, this topper contours around the body to support it in most sleeping positions. It also offers naturally cooling properties, thanks to the latex and cotton materials that promote airflow and breathability. One downside is that this topper doesn't come with any securing mechanisms—neither straps nor an anti-slip bottom—so sleepers may have to deal with it shifting around on the mattress over time. Type: Memory foam | Firmness: Medium | Delivery: Free shipping | Trial: 120 nights | Warranty: 3 years Pros: Multiple cooling properties to dissipate heat Two thickness options Removable cover Cons: Whether you're a hot sleeper year-round or worried about traveling to a warmer climate for college, investing in a cooling mattress topper may help you sleep more soundly without breaking a sweat. Although this Brooklyn Bedding topper is made from memory foam, it features different materials to help regulate temperature. The GlacioTex cooling cover is cool to the touch and designed to pull excess heat from the body as you sleep, while the foam's open-cell technology allows for airflow. The cover can also be easily removed for regular washing as needed. This topper is available in a 2- and 3-inch thickness, and both offer a medium firmness to suit most sleeping styles and body types. However, neither comes with straps to attach to the mattress, which could lead to shifting over time. This also may not be the best choice for stomach sleepers, or anyone who requires firm support as they sleep. Material: AirFoam | Firmness: Plush, luxury firm | Delivery: Free shipping | Trial period: 30 nights | Warranty: 10 years Pros: High-density foam for extra support GreenGuard Gold and CertiPUR-US certified Corner straps included Cons: Cotton cover not removable May be prone to shifting For sleepers who prefer a firmer surface to support stomach sleeping or back pain, the luxury firm Nolah mattress topper is a great pick. It's made with the brand's signature AirFoam that delivers extra density for both durable support and body-contouring pressure relief. The foam material also delivers reliable motion isolation, so you don't have to worry about tipping over a cup of coffee when sitting on the other side of the bed. And if the firm feel isn't for you, this topper also comes in a plush version. Both models have an organic cotton cover that promotes breathability, but it's not removable for machine washing; you'd have to treat stains by spot cleaning. It also comes with corner straps to attach to mattresses, but some owners have still reported minor shifting. Amazon Layla Memory Foam Topper (Twin XL) Type: Memory foam | Firmness: Plush | Delivery: Free shipping | Trial: 30 nights | Warranty: 5 years Pros: Antimicrobial properties Designed to dissipate heat buildup CertiPUR-US certified Cons: Side sleepers and other soft mattress fans may enjoy the doughy feel of the Layla mattress topper. The high-resilience memory foam has a soft, plush texture, and it's wrapped in a hexagon fabric cover that's smooth, soft and removable for easy upkeep. The memory foam is infused with copper-gel microbeads that promote cooling by pulling and dissipating heat from the body as you sleep. They're also designed to provide optimal pressure relief and inhibit the growth of bacteria, viruses and mold—all especially essential for dorm dwellers. This topper comes with corner straps for securing it in place, but it doesn't feature an anti-slip material on the bottom. As a result, some owners have reported issues with shifting. The sleep and mattress team at Forbes Vetted has tested and evaluated hundreds of products—from hotel pillows to guest room mattresses—with the goal of improving sleep for all readers, regardless of where they lay their heads. Monica Petrucci is the author of this article and a commerce writer at Forbes Vetted. She has tested several mattresses and evaluated countless sleep products, from the best mattress toppers to Tempur-Pedic mattress alternatives. Bridget Chapman is the senior mattress and sleep editor at Forbes Vetted. She is a certified sleep science coach and has tested hundreds of sleep products throughout her years in the industry. She approved every product on this list and reviewed the article. We interviewed Dr. Jimmy Pajuheshfar, physical therapist and clinical director of FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers, as well as Dr. Yash Mehta, interventional spine and sports medicine doctor of osteopathic medicine, who provided expert insight on the importance of choosing the right mattress topper for your sleeping habits. We prioritize keeping all of our content relevant and up to date, performing regular updates for the most helpful information for our readers. This article was last refreshed in July 2025. We considered several factors when deciding on the best mattress toppers for dorm beds, including variety, price and sizing. All of the mattress toppers on this list are available in twin XL sizing, since that is the most common mattress size found in dorm rooms. We made sure to include mattress toppers with mid-range pricing, including some options for shoppers who prefer to splurge or save, in order to provide recommendations for all college student budgets. We collected insight from our own in-house experts, as well as from Dr. Pajuheshfar and Dr. Mehta, who offered expert knowledge about how mattress toppers can impact spinal alignment and sleep health. We dug through consumer reviews on each mattress topper, making sure to only include products with a rating of 4 stars or higher, and noting any common issues reported by owners. When shopping for the right mattress topper for dorm beds, it's important to consider sleeping habits and preferences, as well as price and sizing. Materials There are a few different mattress topper materials to consider when making your decision. Memory foam is a popular option because it offers soft, contouring support for pressure relief, which is especially welcomed on old and stiff dorm mattresses. If you sleep hot and would prefer to avoid memory foam, another great mattress topper material is latex, which has a breathable, perforated design. Dr. Mehta describes latex as 'durable and bouncy with natural cooling and hypoallergenic properties.' These toppers are available in organic varieties, but they're often also heavier and may require more effort to install. Firmness Just like when choosing a mattress, firmness levels are deeply important when shopping for a mattress topper. It's important to consider your own sleeping habits, as well as the texture of the existing dorm mattress, ahead of making the decision. For example, a soft mattress topper would be a great match for a too-firm dorm mattress, as well as for anyone who's a side sleeper and requires cushioning around their pressure points. A firm mattress topper, on the other hand, might be a better fit for stomach sleepers or anyone sleeping on a dorm mattress that's flimsy and requires extra support. Thickness Mattress toppers range anywhere from one to five inches thick. According to Dr. Mehta, each thickness type serves its own purpose. A thin mattress topper is great for offering mild cushioning and slight adjustments to the existing mattress. When shopping for a dorm bed, though, you may want to go a little thicker in order to feel the best results. A topper that's two to three inches is likely the sweet spot, as it offers balanced comfort and support without extending the height of the mattress too much. However, Dr. Mehta adds that if the existing mattress is in extra rough shape, a thicker topper can help mask those imperfections more effectively. Price College students may want to maintain a low budget when shopping for the right mattress topper, but they shouldn't compromise on quality. 'Toppers come in a wide range of price points, but investing in quality materials—particularly if you have specific comfort or health—can make a meaningful difference in sleep quality and overall well-being,' Dr. Pajuheshfar says. Most of the mattress toppers on this list range around $200 for a twin XL, while our budget pick, the ViscoSoft Memory Foam Mattress Topper, is $160, and our upgrade pick, the Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper, is $289. Size Twin XL is the most common dorm bed size, which is why we've only included brands that offer it in their mattress toppers. However, you may want to contact your school to confirm that the dorm bed sizes are twin XL before investing in a topper. How Do I Make My Dorm Bed More Comfortable? Dorm beds are notoriously uncomfortable, since most are low-cost mattresses that have already been slept on by previous students. A great way to make them more comfortable is by adding a mattress topper, which can transform its feel and help students sleep more soundly. How Thick Should A Dorm Mattress Topper Be? This is dependent on personal preferences. 'Thicker toppers generally offer more cushioning and are ideal for modifying an overly firm or aging mattress,' says Dr. Pajuheshfar. 'However, keep in mind that some may require deep-pocket sheets to accommodate the added height.' Consider your top priorities, as well as the quality of the existing mattress, ahead of your decision. What Size Sheets For Dorm Bed With Mattress Topper? Since most dorm beds are twin XL sized, that's the size you need to look for when shopping for sheets. Using smaller twin-sized sheet sets will not be deep enough to cover the whole mattress, especially when considering the added layer of the mattress topper.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Imaginary athletes: Creating make-believe teammates, competitors and coaches during play
The coach, the specialized equipment, the carefully tailored exercise regimen – they're all key to athletic performance. But imagination might be an unexpected asset when it comes to playing sports. The idea that athletic achievement depends on the mind isn't new. Sport psychologists have known for years that working with an athlete on their mental game – visualizing the skill, kinesthetically feeling the swing – has a positive impact on actual performance. But these mental simulations draw only upon mental imagery – seeing and feeling the physical goals in the mind's eye. Imagination offers a much wider range of possibilities. What if your game could be helped by an imaginary friend? In a recent retrospective study of college students, we discovered that imagination comes in handy in athletics in ways that are surprisingly social. The creation of what we termed imaginary athletes – a person or being that a child imagined in the context of athletics – enabled and motivated athletic play, especially for children between the ages of about 6 and 12. Imaginary athletes also provided companionship during athletic play. Remembering childhood imaginary athletes The most basic form of an imaginary athlete might be a wall, fence or even tree that makes a good opponent in a pinch. For a child or adolescent practicing a sport alone, a surface that provides a ball return or a steady target for a throw gives opportunities for practice usually requiring other players. Is it any wonder, then, if the branches of the tree start to resemble a wide receiver's arms, or an invisible goalie emerges in front of the fence? Solitary play might be a lot more fun if a make-believe teammate could provide an assist, or an invisible coach could appear and shout instructions during practice. The college students in our study reported that such support, even if imaginary, made them play a little longer or try a little harder as kids. About 41% of our sample of 225 college students reported creating at least one imaginary athlete at some point in middle childhood or early adolescence. Most, but not all, of these beings fell into three categories based on their characteristics. The first we called placeholders, such as ghost runners. They are typically generic, amorphous, imaginary teammates created by groups of children when not enough real players are available. The second type functioned as what we named athletic tools. They helped kids focus on their performance and improve their skills, usually by providing a worthy competitor, sometimes based on an admired professional athlete. The skills of athletic tools were often just above those of the child, drawing out the desire to be better, stronger, faster. Social relationships, our name for the third kind of imaginary athlete, primarily served emotional functions, relieving loneliness and providing the child or adolescent with a sense of belonging, safety or companionship as they engaged in their sport. Students who remembered imaginary athletes differed from their peers in two ways. First, more men than women reported creating these imaginary beings, possibly owing to the greater investment in and importance of athletics among boys versus girls. Second, people with imaginary athletes scored higher than those without on a current-day measure of predilection for imagination, but they were not more likely to report having created a make-believe friend or animal as a child. Imagination is a valuable power Creating an imaginary other might seem like a quirky, perhaps even childish, addition to sports practice. But actually, this behavior is entirely logical. After all, imagination is the core of human thought. Without it, we couldn't conceptualize anything outside of the present moment that wasn't already stored in memory. No thinking about the future, no consideration of multiple outcomes to a decision, no counterfactuals, daydreams, fantasies or plans. Why wouldn't people apply such a fundamental tool of day-to-day thought in athletic contexts? Participation in sports is common, especially among school-age kids, and many college students in our study described drawing upon their imaginations frequently when playing sports, especially when doing so in their free time. The creation of imaginary athletes is also unsurprising because it's one of myriad ways that imagination enhances people's social worlds throughout their lives. Above all else, social relationships are what matter most to people, and using imagination in thinking about them is common. For instance, people imagine conversations with others, particularly those close to them, sometimes practicing the delivery of bad news or envisioning the response to a proposal of marriage. In early childhood, kids create imaginary companions who help them learn about friendship and other's perspectives. And in adolescence, when people focus on developing their autonomy and their own identities, they create parasocial relationships that let them identify with favorite celebrities, characters and media figures. Even in older age, some widows and widowers imagine continued relationships with their deceased spouses. These 'continuing bonds' are efforts to cope with loss through imaginary narratives that are fed by and extrapolate upon years of interactions. At each point in their developmental trajectory, people might recruit imagination to help them understand, manage, regulate and enjoy the social aspects of life. Imaginary athletes are merely one manifestation of this habit. Because so many children and adolescents spend a lot of time engaged in sports, athletics can be a major environment for working on the developmental tasks of growing up. As children learn about functioning as part of a group, forming, maintaining and losing friendships, and mastering a range of skills and abilities, imaginary athletes provide teammates, coaches and competitors tailored to the needs of the moment. Of course, an imaginary athlete is but one tool that children and adolescents might use to address developmental tasks such as mastering skills or negotiating peer relationships. Children who aren't fantasy-prone might create complex training regimens to practice their skills, and they might manage their friendships by talking through problems with others. But some report that turning inward generated real athletic and social benefits. 'I got confidence out of my [imaginary athletes],' reported one participant. 'If I could imagine beating someone, and [winning], then I felt like I could do anything.' This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Tracy Gleason, Wellesley College and Stephanie Madsen, McDaniel College Read more: Exercise could ease symptoms for people with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) – new study Why make-believe play is an important part of childhood development Collaboratively imagining the future can bring people closer together in the present The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
