My wife, Samantha, and dog, Tibbers
Greetings! My name is Derek Hales, founder, author, and editor-in-chief of Sleepopolis. I live in Phoenix, Arizona with my wife Samantha and poodle, Tibbers.
I started Sleepopolis inj September, 2014 after several months of searching for a new mattress. My wife and I were married in May of the same year. After getting married we were sleeping on my 10 year old innerspring mattress Full sized mattress. Needless to say, we were looking to get a new mattress pretty quickly.
We did what we thought was the norm, we headed off to the local mattress store. Our first day we spent several hours lying on different mattresses, trying to understand the differences in feel and what we were actually paying for. The price points on these various mattresses didn’t seem to really make since. Any mattress that seemed even remotely good was just absurdly priced.
My wife and I and frugal people and we wrestled with the choice of purchasing a $5,000 mattress. It truly was a great feel, but the price point was just too much. We were about ready to pull the trigger and bite the bullet on the expensive in-store mattress when a friend and co-worker of mine mentioned a new online mattress company selling a $600 memory foam mattress with a 30 night trial period.
That mattress was one of the first iterations of the Tuft & Needle mattress. Tuft and Needle proved to be too firm for both my wife and I, but it made me aware of new companies selling mattresses online. My wife and I tried the Casper mattress, next and shortly there-after Sleepopolis was born.
In the beginning Sleepopolis was simply a fun weekend project for me. I love writing and thought a little blog with mattress reviews on these two new online mattresses might be helpful to others. My Casper mattress review was one of the first reviews I wrote to receive lots of interest and it continues to be one of my most read pieces.
I tried then, and continue to try, to create the type of reviews, photographs, and videos that I would want to see myself; reviews that can truly help to provide thoughtful, helpful, and unbiased insights.
Samantha and I at my sister’s wedding
Over the course of the next several months Sleepopolis grew quickly and I added new mattresses including Leesa, Yogabed, Loom & Leaf, Saatva, Nest Bedding, and others.
Since launching, Sleepopolis has grown up quite a bit; the design, forma, photographs, videos, and content have all matured and gradually improved. I’ve done my best to create more sophisticated and intricate guides for specific situations and how-tos, like my best mattress 2016 round up, how to choose a mattress in 6 steps tutorial, and best mattress for back pain guide.
However, the Sleepopolis mission remains the same. I want to help my readers find the mattress that’s best suited to their needs, preferences, and budget. You shouldn’t have to spend a fortune to get a quality mattress and Sleepopolis is here to make sure our readers find a great night’s sleep at a fair price.
The future of Sleepopolis is an exciting one and I promise to do my best to continue to deliver the absolute best quality, depth, and succinct reviews that I can. Sleepopolis will continue to serve my readers through our mattress reviews, scholarship program, and sleep education center (featuring a guide to sleep disorders, treating snoring, anxiety sleep prevention, sleep disorders in children, sleep apnea resources, and more).
I am always available to help you find a mattress perfect for you. Please don’t hesitate to email me directly via my contact form.
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