I’m a Hot Sleeper—Here’s Why I Sleep Better on the Dreamcloud Mattress
Updated: Mar. 15, 2024
Having an underactive thyroid makes it harder to regulate my body temperature, but this mattress's cooling technology is a game changer.
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My fiancé is wearing flannel pajamas, snuggled under an electric blanket because he’s apparently on the verge of freezing to death in our bed. I, on the other hand, am absolutely roasting, as a thin cotton sheet clings to my sweaty body. He tries to snuggle closer, murmuring that I’m like a “cozy furnace.” I am inching away, debating moving my cooling pillow to the cold porcelain tile floor. This is how most nights go in our household, no matter the season or how I’ve adjusted the thermostat—until I tried the DreamCloud mattress.
Being a hot sleeper is just one of several annoying symptoms I endure thanks to my hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)—the thyroid gland regulates body temperature, among other things, and despite my endocrinologist confirming I’m on the right dosage of medication, I can’t seem to shake this hot sleeping nightmare.
Thankfully, those temperature extremes diminished when we ditched our eight-year-old mattress and upgraded to one of the best mattresses with cooling technology: the DreamCloud Premier Rest mattress. One year later, I’m happy to report that this hybrid memory foam mattress has made a noticeable difference in my ability to get a comfortable night’s sleep—especially as a hot sleeper.
Black Friday is one of the best times to buy a mattress, so take advantage of upgrading your own mattress with a Black Friday mattress deal or Amazon Black Friday special this year—DreamCloud is offering 25% off, plus including $599 worth of accessories (two pillows, a cooling mattress protector and a sheet set).
What is the DreamCloud Mattress?
The DreamCloud is a premium bed-in-a-box hybrid mattress. The brand offers three options: the best-selling seven-layer DreamCloud Mattress with a 14-inch profile, the upgraded seven-layer DreamCloud Premier with 14-inch profile and a little more support, and the premium-level eight-layer DreamCloud Premier Rest with a 16-inch profile.
The seven layers of luxury hybrid comfort include a breathable cashmere blend cover, contouring and supportive soft foam, press-relieving memory foam, a dynamic transition layer, individually wrapped coils with reinforced edge support, a stability base layer and a shift-resistant cover with handles. The Premier Rest’s extra eighth layer is a comfort foam layer.
Compare other popular brands by reading these reviews of the Zinus mattress, Nectar mattress, Helix mattress and Avocado mattress.
DreamCloud product features
The DreamCloud Mattress has seven luxurious layers to its hybrid mattress design, including memory foam, individually wrapped innerspring coils, a pressure-relief comfort layer that conforms to your body and a plush cashmere Euro top. Most importantly for me, the gel memory foam and coil system work together to help reduce heat retention, disperse body heat and promote air flow.
DreamCloud Mattress first impressions
It’s hard to imagine how a king-size mattress could fit in such a small box, but once I opened it up, the DreamCloud magically unfolded into an impressively thick (16 inches) and shockingly heavy (138 pounds!) plush mattress. I wasn’t able to maneuver it, so I enlisted the help of a strong friend to join my fiancé in lifting it onto our bed frame.
I was a bit worried about off-gassing, an unpleasant experience I remember from purchasing our previous mattress—that one had taken a full week to air out to the point where I no long had headaches from the fumes. Thankfully, that was not the case with the DreamCloud mattress, as the slight chemical odor dissipated within 24 hours. (Psst, if an organic mattress is your main criteria, read our Avocado Green mattress review.)
How we tested the DreamCloud Mattress
For one year, I rated the quality of sleep I got on the DreamCloud mattress according to four categories:
- Comfort: I’m a side (and sometimes stomach) sleeper, and my fiancé is mostly a back sleeper, so between the two of us, we had every sleeping position covered.
- Support and pain relief: Now that we’re in our mid-40s, we’re noticing a few aches and pains in the mornings. Would this DreamCloud mattress support our bodies more comfortably, or would the “luxury firm” categorization end up creating unwelcome pressure points?
- Heat retention: How well did the cooling technology work? Would I finally sleep comfortably, but my fiancé end up even colder?
- Motion transfer: I tend to toss and turn a lot, whereas my fiancé seems to lay perfectly still for eight hours each night. Would he still feel my movement?
DreamCloud Mattress review
Alright, let’s see how DreamCloud stacked up during my 365-day test period:
Comfort
The firmness is listed as a 6.5 on a scale from one to 10, placing this mattress in the “luxury firm” category. For the first few days, we were acutely aware of how much firmer the DreamCloud felt than our previous mattress. But by week two, we were fully on board with how supportive it was. A year later, it still feels dreamy and cloud-like, contouring to the shape of our bodies.
Support and pain relief
We didn’t even realize how unsupportive our previous mattress had been (one of the signs it’s time for a new mattress) until we started waking up with fewer “oofs” and “ouches” thanks to the DreamCloud. The 2.5 inches of memory foam in the pressure-relief comfort layer had the exact balance between hugging us and flexing as needed. (If you suffer from back pain, check out our Helix mattress review.)
Heat retention
Each night when I got into bed, I noticed how much cooler the sheets felt against my skin and absolutely loved the sensation. And even though I still ended up feeling warm some nights, I no longer woke up overheated and drenched in sweat. My fiancé didn’t notice any difference in temperature on his end, so it hasn’t made him uncomfortably cool. Next, I’m going to try adding a cooling mattress pad or topper to see if it helps even more.
Motion transfer
Either the motion-transfer support layer was really doing its job or I was simply moving less because I wasn’t as hot and uncomfortable—I’m guessing it was a combination of the two. When I did have a restless night, my fiancé always seemed surprised come morning because my movement didn’t wake him up.
DreamCloud Mattress pros
There’s a lot to love about the DreamCloud Premier Rest:
- Gel memory foam and coil system reduces heat retention
- Premium seven-layer design
- Luxurious cashmere-blend cover
- Named “Best Value” for heavy people by The Sleep Foundation, which noted that it works well for sleepers over 230 pounds
- 365-night home trial and lifetime warranty
- Free shipping (additional $150 charge for Alaska and Hawaii) and free returns
DreamCloud Mattress cons
While these may not be cons for everyone, they’re important to note:
- For larger mattress sizes, at least two strong people are needed for set-up
- 24-hour inflation time (and up to 72 hours to fully expand)
- Lacks edge support; I almost tipped over while perching on the edge to put on socks
- Not flippable, but you can rotate it
- Extreme thickness means you’ll have to invest in deeper sheets if you want to tuck things in
DreamCloud Mattress back pain and sleep results
DreamCloud strives to be the “perfect” firmness, which allows couples to compromise—it’s rated at a 6.5 (read: luxury firm) on a scale of 1 to 10. According to a randomized survey of DreamCloud mattress product owners in August 2021, four in five back pain sufferers said their DreamCloud helped some or a lot. And 84% of customers surveyed reported that their DreamCloud is soft, supportive and luxurious. Finally, four in five respondents said they fall asleep more easily on their DreamCloud than their old mattress.
What a sleep doctor had to say about DreamCloud Mattress
Sleeping hot is a common complaint among those with thyroid conditions—and the American Thyroid Association estimates that 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease (and up to 60 percent are unaware of their condition).
“Thyroid hormones affect temperature regulation, [which] directly impacts our body’s metabolism and how much our blood vessels dilate,” says Lulu Guo, MD, who is certified by the American Board of Sleep Medicine and serves as a sleep consultant for Valley Sleep Center.
Her recommendations for patients with this complaint include choosing a mattress that will help regulate body temperature. “I recommend mattresses that have heat dispersing technology, such as coils and well-designed density levels,” says Dr. Guo. “Mattresses that have temperature regulating surfaces and materials to boost breathability also help. Traditional memory foam can cradle the body and trap heat, however a gel memory foam can help cool the body.”
What other reviewers had to say about the DreamCloud Mattress
Overall, DreamCloud has a 4.7 rating out of 5 stars, with more than 10,000 reviews under its belt.
Mary B. says, “I have back and hip issues, and this is like sleeping on a cloud! Best night’s sleep ever. Definitely worth the money, and we just purchased the low-end model.”
Jeanette C. found an unexpected perk to her DreamCloud mattress: “I highly recommend this mattress, best sleep I’ve had in a long time! As soon as I hit the bed, I’m out! Even my husband sleeps better, deeper with less snoring!”
And Reid N. says, “Had my reserv[ation]s about purchasing this mattress due to price, but it has been the best investment for sleep I’ve made. Had back pain from other mattresses, especially foam-based ones. Read many reviews about this mattress and decided to go ahead with purchase. I’ve been getting the best rest in my life in the last 30 days. Definitely a great buy.”
How the DreamCloud Mattress stacks up against other mattresses
The DreamCloud blows the competition out of the water in several areas, including trial period, warranty and extra perks:
- Sleep trial: 365 nights (competitors: 100-180 nights)
- Warranty: Lifetime (competitors: 10-15 years)
- Sleep bundle with 2 pillows, sheet set and mattress protector: included (competitors: extra cost)
DreamCloud Mattress return policy
It can be hard to figure out how to buy the best mattress for you, especially when shopping online. If only every major purchase came with DreamCloud’s impressive 365-night trial, everyone would enjoy complete peace of mind as they drift off to sleep. If you decide the mattress is not a keeper within this timeframe, the brand will arrange to have it donated or disposed of through organizations within your local community.
The generous lifetime warranty will also have you sleeping easy. For instance, if the mattress ever compresses or forms impressions larger than 1.5 inches, DreamCloud will replace it for free. In fact, if you experience any damage from normal use anytime during your ownership (even in 20 years!), it’ll be replaced or repaired at no charge.
Is DreamCloud a good mattress?
Yes, the DreamCloud is a high-quality mattress that’s built to last thanks to quality craftsmanship. It’s even won numerous awards, including the Best Sleep 2022 from Architectural Digest, Best Overall 2022 from the Sleep Foundation, Editor’s Pick 2022 from Health and Best Mattress for Heavy People 2022 from US News & World Report.
How the DreamCloud Mattress held up after one year
A year later, our mattress shows no signs of wear or tear and has only gotten more comfortable—without losing any of its supportive qualities. The cooling technology still works just as well, leaving me more comfortable, temperature-wise.
Our biggest complaint is that it’s hard to find a set of sheets that are deep/wide enough for the 16-inch-deep DreamCloud Premier Rest (perhaps the Premier Hybrid would have been a better choice, even if you lose the pillow top feature). I travel regularly, and I’m always excited to get back to my own mattress to “reset” my body after enduring less comfortable hotel mattresses that make me hot.
Where to buy a DreamCloud Mattress
You can purchase a DreamCloud mattress on Amazon or directly on the brand’s website. If you’re more of a try-it-before-you-buy-it shopper, know that DreamCloud partners with leading retailers and sleep specialty stores, which means you can try a DreamCloud in person at one of more than 4,000 stores across the country.
Sources:
- Dr. Lulu Guo, M.D., certified by the American Board of Sleep Medicine and sleep consultant for Valley Sleep Center
- American Thyroid Association
Originally Published: February 25, 2022
