As a recent college grad, I'd grab these Prime Day college dorm deals before the sale wraps up tonight

This article highlights 22 Wirecutter-approved deals on sleep and mattress products available during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days. The recommendations are timely given the upcoming time change and the need to maintain a good sleep routine as nights get longer. The featured products have undergone rigorous testing by Wirecutter’s sleep team and have been cross-referenced by their deals team to ensure significant discounts. The deals cover a variety of sleep essentials, starting with a high-style bed frame like the Blu Dot Nook Bed, praised for its modern aesthetic, sturdy construction of acrylic, wool fabric, wood, and steel, and an angled headboard that helps block sound and light. This bed frame is particularly recommended for side sleepers. Another unique offering is the Fuli Japanese Traditional Shiki Futon, a staff pick for its pleasant pillowy feel and ease of movement and storage, making it ideal for compact living spaces. It differs from Western futons by being a quilted sleeping pad stuffed with cotton or fiber fill, designed to sit directly on the floor or on a mat. Mattress deals include several Leesa options. The Leesa Legend Chill Hybrid Mattress is highlighted for its lofty and springy medium feel, over 3,000 pocketed coils, and a quilted top that cradles the body, making it suitable for back and side sleepers weighing over 200 pounds. The Leesa Sapira Hybrid Mattress, a long-standing top pick, combines memory foam and innerspring features with CertiPUR-US-certified memory foam and over 1,000 springs, catering to stomach, back, and side sleepers. For those preferring firmer support, the Novaform ComfortGrande Advanced 14" Gel Memory Foam Mattress offers a loose cuddly sensation without a deep memory-foam sink, ideal for back and stomach sleepers or side sleepers who prefer a firm mattress. The Leesa Original Mattress is presented as a budget-friendly memory-foam option that provides a gentle cradle without excessive sink, suitable for back and side sleepers. Sheet options are also featured, including affordable and eye-catching Pillowfort Vintage Floral Cotton Kids' Sheet Set from Target, and the Target Threshold Solid Performance 400 Thread Count Sheet Set, which offers a luxurious feel at a low price, available in many colors and suitable for kids' or guest rooms. The Threshold 400 Thread Count Printed Performance Sheet Set offers similar quality in various prints. For a smooth, light, and wrinkle-free experience, The Company Store Company Cotton Classic Cool Cotton Percale Sheet Set is recommended. Comforters are represented by The Company Store LaCrosse Down Comforter, noted for not needing a duvet cover and being available in a longer twin XL size. Other sleep aids include the DreamSky Compact Digital Alarm Clock, recognized for its large, easy-to-read display and dual USB ports, and the Amazon Echo Glow, a smart night-light with 16 different colors, suitable for creating routines via Echo devices. Sleep masks are extensively covered, with the Manta Sleep Mask featuring removable, adjustable eyecups for precise fit, though less breathable. The Mzoo Sleep Mask, a top padded and contoured pick, offers a comfortable goggle-like design that keeps space between the mask and eyes, ideal for side and back sleepers. The Nidra Deep Rest Eye Mask, another top pick, is lightweight and contoured, fitting various face shapes without pressing on eyelids. A white noise machine, the Yogasleep Dohm Nova, is featured for its real fan sounds, offering a more natural sound experience. Pillows include the Sleep Number ComfortFit Pillow Ultimate, a lofty shredded-foam pillow for side and back sleepers with customizable layers, and the Sleep Number PlushComfort Pillow Ultimate, an adjustable down-alternative option for stomach sleepers. Finally, the Zinus Wen Wood Platform Bed Frame is highlighted as an affordable, stylish, and easy-to-assemble option. The Hatch Restore 2 sunrise alarm clock is mentioned for its chic design, curated light colors, and soundscapes, with a note on its premium membership for full features. Lastly, the Levoit Classic 200 Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier is recommended as a budget-friendly, quiet, and easy-to-clean solution for dry air. #PrimeDay #SleepProducts #MattressDeals #BedFrames #SheetSets #SleepMasks #WhiteNoiseMachine #AlarmClocks #Humidifiers

Decorating a college dorm room can be challenging due to limited budgets, small spaces, and varying roommate styles. Despite these obstacles, five college students managed to create cohesive and award-winning dorm rooms at their respective universities: University of California, San Diego; Carthage College; University of Wisconsin, Madison; and Vassar College. These students share their tips, inspirations, and must-have items for creating an Insta-worthy space, with budgets ranging from $40 to $2,000 and styles from cottagecore to school-spirited. Kaitlyn, a cognitive behavioral neuroscience sophomore at the University of California, San Diego, and her roommate won for their cozy cottagecore space. Their room featured fairy lights, colorful posters, and personal trinkets like Lego flowers and a hippo ottoman. They established a shared Pinterest board to align on a similar aesthetic and a cohesive color scheme. Kaitlyn spent about $200, shopping at Target and Amazon. Her advice includes maximizing space with storage-friendly furniture, coordinating colors with roommates, adding personal touches like photos, incorporating rugs and pillows for comfort, and using alternative lighting like fairy lights. For the future, they plan to add more plants and greenery to enhance their earthy aesthetic. Stephanie, a social work senior at Carthage College, achieved a winning dorm room with her maximalist and boho aesthetic, emphasizing reuse to save money. She drew inspiration from Pinterest, focusing on elements like mushrooms, vines, plants, and fairy lights. Since she had an individual room with a shared bathroom, coordinating with a roommate was not an issue. Stephanie primarily shopped at Amazon for its reasonable prices and quick shipping. Her essentials include a mini vacuum, a small fridge, a rug, an organizer, and accent pieces. She spent around $200 on decorations and reuses them annually, planning to maintain the same aesthetic for her senior year. She advises against over-decorating dorm rooms and suggests using Command Strips for wall decor given college limitations. Catherine, a political science and French junior at Vassar College, and her roommate Gus won for effectively utilizing every bit of wall space and incorporating alternative lighting. Catherine, who prefers dark academia and cozy styles, found inspiration on Pinterest and focused on her own decor without trying to combine looks with her roommate. She spent approximately $250 on her room, including trinkets, wall decor, lights, bedding, and plants. She often thrifted decor from local Goodwills, consignment shops, and garage sales, and bought basics from Target. She stresses the importance of wall decor to avoid sterile spaces and recommends lamps or string lights for an inviting atmosphere. Catherine plans to invest in furniture she can keep after college, such as bookshelves and coffee tables. Gus, a history and medieval and renaissance studies junior at Vassar College, shared a room with Catherine, creating a space inspired by contrasting characters in TV shows. Gus’s side leaned towards red with multicolored posters, influenced by a quilt she sewed, while Catherine’s side featured greens and plants. They aimed for a complementary yet distinct color palette, similar to Wednesday and Enid’s room in "Wednesday." Gus describes her aesthetic as an abandoned video store turned into a quilt. She sourced decor from Spirit Halloween and JoAnn, including candy corn fairy lights, which she considers essential low lighting. She spent around $40-$60, advising that decorating walls with carefully cluttered art makes small dorm rooms feel larger by avoiding blank spaces. For her next, larger room, she intends to create wall hangings and add more multicolored posters while sticking to her core red theme. Ava, a journalism sophomore at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and her roommate won for their detailed and cohesive pink and red color scheme. Ava’s aesthetic is girly, preppy, and whimsical, incorporating pink, while the red represented the university’s badger mascot. A BaubleBar blanket, a graduation gift, served as the central inspiration. She found custom prints and wall art on Etsy and looked to TikTok and Pinterest for dorm room essentials. Ava styled her room herself, emphasizing the value of items like a desk hutch for elevation and blackout curtains for natural light management. A headboard, she notes, makes a dorm bed feel more like a real bed, with some even offering charging cords. Maintaining cleanliness with a personal vacuum and cleaning supplies is also crucial. Ava spent under $2,000 on her freshman year dorm, highlighting that these purchases are long-term investments. #DormRoomDecor #CollegeLife #HomeDecor #StudentLiving #RoomDesign #BudgetDecor #DormEssentials #Cottagecore #MaximalistStyle