I tested this startup's mattress and it helped me with one of my biggest sleeping problems

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Bear Mattress

There is no shortage of new, out of the box foam mattress companies these days, which is great for customers because of the variety of options. It makes it tough for these companies to differentiate themselves from each other, but there are differences in each one.

I read our January 2017 story about Bear Mattress and decided to put it to the test myself. Their unique claim is that they're ideal for active lifestyles. I'm pretty active, I bike to work and exercise regularly, but that's not what appealed to me about Bear.

The key reason I went with Bear was because of the Graphite Gel Foam portion of the mattress, which claims to help keep your body cool while you sleep. I am a very hot sleeper, and especially in the summer I'd often wake up and have to throw the covers off to stop sweating, and I wanted to see if I was able to at least reduce this consistent problem. The end result is that after a couple months on this mattress, I'm absolutely much cooler while asleep, and I wake up less frequently.

I spent $850 for the mattress and a few days later a 70 lb box showed up at my apartment. While ultimately the important thing is sleeping, it was super fun to unfold and open the mattress as it instantly comes to life once you let air into the plastic seal. I wanted a mattress that wasn't completely made of memory foam, so I was glad that it is able to push back a little rather than letting you sink into in completely.

The foam mattress also has the benefit of reducing motion transfer so you if you have a partner their movements won't disturb you in the same ways that a traditional spring mattress transfers energy. The result is that we're both sleeping with less disturbances and better support. I don't wake up sore anymore, and I feel more well rested than I did on my old mattress.

Bear also claims their technology helps stimulate cell performance and regeneration, which will supposedly help injuries heal quicker and increase endurance. I am not a scientist, so I cannot comment on the mattress's ability to do any of this. My recommendation of this mattress as a great option for people is because of the increase in my quality of sleep and especially its ability to help control temperature during the night. I like sleeping with some kind of blanket on, and I'm able to do that comfortably without getting overheated.

The company sent me one of their pillows a few months ago and as you can read in my review of that product here, it really did help me sort out some neck problems I was having with traditional pillows. Many of these new mattress companies are making pillows too, which I think is a great way to try out the technology and get comfortable with the idea of taking the big plunge, which is what I did with Bear Mattress. If you'd like to try the Bear Pillow first, you can get one here for $95.

As for Bear's mattresses, they are available in the following sizes: twin ($500), twin XL ($650), full ($750), queen ($840), king and California king ($950). Click here for more purchasing information.