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How to make your dorm bed more comfortable

college-dorm-bed

If you’re used to sleeping like a king or queen at home, that’s going to change when you arrive to your college dorm. Dorm mattresses are notorious for being uncomfortable because colleges use cheap durable mattresses to cut costs.

Even though you’re living away at home, there’s nothing quite like sleeping on a comfortable bed, and you’ll be glad if you take the time to make your new bed as comfortable as you can.

Most dorm beds are extra long twins. So, when you buy things for your bed, bear this in mind so that it will actually fit.

How to make your bed more cozy:

  • Buy a mattress pad. Mattress pads add an initial layer of padding that not only feels better for you, but helps protect the mattress.
  • Use diced foam. Also known as egg carton foam, diced foam creates a great padding that molds to your body.
  • Make sure your sheets fit snugly. My bed sheets were very loose for a while, which meant I was constantly laying on uncomfortable wrinkles and feeling the sheets slide under my body.
  • Bring your pillow from home. Or, if you don’t want to risk it, buy a new pillow. Make sure the pillow’s size and firmness is ideal for you — using a pillow that’s too large or too flimsy is never any fun.
  • Don’t buy cheap/durable sheets. Some sheets are cheap and/or meant to be especially durable. Chances are, your bed isn’t going to go through much wear and tear in one year, so you won’t need extra durable sheets. Finding something comfortable will be worth the money.
  • Bring soft blankets. I recommend avoiding Afghan blankets or anything with polyester covering unless you especially like that — these usually aren’t too soft.
  • Bring as many blankets/pillows as you want. If you like to sleep with a zillion pillows and ten blankets, then do so! If you only like the top sheet and that’s it, then don’t bother bringing a lot.

Of course, the best way to make your bed comfortable is to tailor it to what you like. If you like a soft bed, then adding layers of padding will help. If you like to be really cool when you sleep, then thin sheets will work best. Go with what works for you.

How do you like your bed?

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18 Replies to “How to make your dorm bed more comfortable”

Comments:

1. mark from buy commercial coffee makers

July 6th, 2009 11:30 am

That picture of the bed makes me want to go to sleep! Of course, it is such a good idea to use an egg crate to make your dorm bed more comfortable, good for any kind of standard issued bed.

2. Eliza from reduce wrinkles

July 14th, 2009 8:39 am

You can order a cheap memory foam mattress pad from China. Something around $60 with shipping.
Eliza@reduce wrinkles´s last blog ..I Erased My Wrinkles In Days!! Now I Look 15 Years Younger From This Hollywood Trick! My ComLuv Profile

3. acidcloud

July 20th, 2009 6:37 pm

Good thing I came across this, because I remember my friend saying how uncomfortable her dorm bed was, so I went out to buy some diced foam (I was so happy I found one on sale)
acidcloud´s last blog ..Premium Citadel Theme My ComLuv Profile

4. Paul

July 20th, 2009 7:09 pm

@acidcloud: I know, I still need to pick some up. Last year my bed was pretty uncomfortable :)

5. Milly from Mattresses

August 24th, 2009 8:15 am

It is not just the type of bed which can determine how comfy your slumbers will be, the quality and material of the mattress can also make a huge difference.

6. kris from memory foam

August 30th, 2009 1:57 pm

I bought a cheap memory foam cover for my cheap dorm bed. It was a great investment. I think the school hadn’t purchased new bed in decades!

7. Hassan from Egg Crate Mattress Pad

October 29th, 2009 9:19 pm

Man, that is the cleanest looking dorm room bed. What I did was grab some lava lamps, dim the lighting and got extra comfy pillows.

8. Pete from Bed Reading Pillow

November 7th, 2009 8:32 am

My dorm bed actually had a really good mattress, but I still had a lot of sleepless nights due to the fact that my sheets didn’t fit at all – I kept waking up with them tangled all around me! One day I decided enough was enough and stitched an extra line of elastic into it to make it fit better. I wasn’t expecting much but it actually really helped, and meant I could sleep much better from then on.

9. Lisa

December 15th, 2009 7:52 am

My dorm bed had a lumpy rock of a mattress. I did the mattress pad and the egg carton foam thing – made a huge difference.

10. steven from mattresses

January 13th, 2010 9:32 am

These are all good tips for improving any dorm room. I know mine could use some help.

11. Ken from Modern Table Lamp

January 15th, 2010 3:56 pm

I had forgot all about lava lamps. They were great when I was in school. Do they still make them?

12. Katie Bell from Carpet

February 1st, 2010 2:38 am

I would think it is actually a decent strategy to buy a mattress to fit your dorm bed and use that – if you keep it in good condition you can use it afterwards, or try to onsell it to whoever takes over your dorm room. I find the size of the bed matters little, but the mattress feel matters immensely.

13. Emily from Driving School Bromley

February 1st, 2010 6:14 am

Ken, they do still make lava lamps. You would usually find them in the little homeware stores that sell all different household things. They are so cheap to buy now too compared to when they first came about.

14. Richard from beds

February 9th, 2010 4:03 am

Sleep is very important at college – it can be hard to find the motivation to get into lessons if you’re not getting a good night’s sleep in dorms, away from home. Great tips, you really need to make your bed your own.

15. James from Calories in an egg

March 2nd, 2010 7:28 pm

Yeah, I’ll live in any type of dorm room as long as the bed is as comfortable as the one I have at home. Your advise on not buying ‘cheap’ sheets and beddings is so true. A comfortable good night’s sleep is valueless.

16. from

June 16th, 2010 5:34 am

Nothing worse than an uncomfy dorm bed.

There are plenty of them though

17. Terry from Metal Beds

June 16th, 2010 5:36 am

Bring your pillow from home.

Essential for my uni days

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