I’m in the midst of working with Chuck to decide on firmness level (1-10) of the Ultimate Dreams mattress.
One challenge is that my partner and I are of vastly different heights and weights:
I am 5’5 and 158 pounds; primarily sleep on my side and sometimes my back.
My partner is 6’5 and 235 pounds; sleeps primarily on side and sometimes his stomach.
We are returning a Bed in a Box memory foam(3lbs density) mattress (it’s too mushy for me, causing lower back pain; partner ddn’t love it, but thought it was okay). In showrooms we both liked the Contour Select from Tempurpedic and liked the iComfort Genius but have decided to try a more affordable latex option.
We’ve lain on a few latex mattresses locally. We both liked the stability of the Sultan Elsfjord at Ikea, but felt it does not conform to body enough, and we don’t like the materials used- Products - IKEA
Back to our Ultimate Dreams mattress, we’d like to choose a firmness level that supports our weight and also conforms/cradles the body somewhat since we both favor side sleeping.
The one thing that seems clear from your preferences on other mattresses … even though they are somewhat apples to oranges in terms of materials (memory foam is very different from latex) … is that you like firmer than average layers for typical side sleepers.
I can certainly understand the Bed in a Box being too “mushy” for you because it has quite low density memory foam (it’s actually about 3.5 lbs density and I normally don’t suggest less than 4 lbs, especially for weights over 200 lbs where 5 lbs would tend to be more appropriate unless the layers were thinner although they do use high quality base foam).
The contour select is a firmer memory foam mattress and the Genius uses soft memory foam but the polyfoam layer under it is very firm and it would “come through” the gel memory foam layer. It wouldn’t stay firm for long though because the polyfoam layer is also very low density and will soften fairly quickly (see post #2 here). The Elsfjord is also very firm and because it is synthetic latex (has less elasticity than natural latex) and also very thin it wouldn’t conform nearly as well as better quality latex in thicker layers. I don’t think it would be suitable for you but it does confirm that you are OK with firmer than average mattresses.
Given your preferences for side sleeping and firmer mattresses … you would probably do best with a comfort layer in the 28 - 32 ILD range (whatever their number is for this) and he may be better with the firmer and you may be better with the softer. they also have an option where they can make the quilting tighter which creates an “in between” firmness level and this may be an option (the softer 28 with the firmer quilting). The biggest “risk” would be with your partners stomach sleeping and he may need a pillow under his hips with a layer of latex that is this thick to prevent sleeping in a swayback position (stomach side sleeping is the most difficult and “risky” sleeping position combination and the thinnest/firmest possible comfort layer that is “just enough” for pressure relief on the side is usually best for alignment on the stomach.
With all of this … I would also defer to any suggestions that Chuck makes because he has a customer base that he can use as a reference point and is also more knowledgeable about all the finer details of their mattresses than I am so use this as a reference and take his suggestions as having more weight.
You don’t say what size mattress you’re getting, but if it’s a King you might both be able to get your way. My wife and I also have a good size weight difference and when I was talking with Chuck I inquired about the possibility of splitting the comfort layer. He said that since we were ordering the King he’d be happy to do that for us (since it just amounts to 2 XL Twins). So we ended up ordering a King Eurotop with 2 different firmnesses (4 and 6). We’ve only had it for a week so we’re still getting used to it, but it’s MUCH better than the 10-year old Original Mattress Factory mattress that it replaced. No more hip pain in the morning, yay!
Hi Phoenix. Thanks for the recommendation. My partner is actually trying to wean himself from stomach sleeping and your points are well taken!
We are leaning towards the firmer 32 ILD (#4) with a softer than usual quilted cotton/polyester/foam top covering.
Chuck recommended this when I wondered if with our combined weight (393lbs) we may sink too much and feel the polyfoam underneath with the softer 28 ILD (#6). (This is something we don’t like about our Bed in Box memory foam mattress.)
I thought it would be good to opt for this 32 ILD, firmer option and if it feels too firm and we want a softer feel we can add a mattress topper such as the Seven Comforts mattress pad you and others have reviewed and still feel well supported.
Also: just purchased the flexible Ikea Sultan Laxeby slats to use as the foundation with my Ikea bed Products - IKEA
I’m hoping that we may have the option to adjust the support level of mattress to some extent because these slats have some adjustability in the hips and shoulder zones. Not sure if we’ll be able to feel these adjustments through a 10’ mattress though. What do you think?
I appreciate your thoughts and the wealth of information on this great website!
Thanks for that recommendation. But, alas, we’re getting a queen. Someday we will have room for a king in our small apartment, but today is not that day! It sounds like a smart option though, and I’m glad to hear that you all are enjoying your new mattress.
It always amazes me how they are willing to make “fine tuning” adjustments in the quilting in between their latex firmness options. While latex and low density memory foam would be very different in terms of how much they would isolate you from the support layers underneath them (you would “go through” the memory foam much more easily even than softer latex) … what Chuck is suggesting seems like a good option “in between” the 28 and 32.
You are right that the thicker the mattress (and the less flexible and elastic the materials in the mattress are) the less you would notice the tension adjustments. I haven’t used the Ikea bases specifically so I don’t know the range of adjustments possible from personal experience … but I would think that at 10" you would still be able to notice a difference yes.
I found this forum when I am searching for reviews of dreamfoam bedding.
I am learning a lot！Thanks for all the information!
After reading the posts I have decided to order one of their mattresses.
I do have two questions that i haven’t found the answers yet. I hope you could kindly give me some hint.
Would you recommend a box or platform bed for the mattress？ Would there be some good options online? (I live in Atlanta, and I am looking for a queen size.)
I saw they also offer a “natural latex” version for 800 dollars queen size. (Amazon.com) Does any member have experience with that? Would there be much difference in the feel and support?
Thanks a lot in advance!
And Savasana,
Thanks for starting the post! Hope you enjoy your new mattress!
Yes. Dunlop latex is a denser material and has a different feel from talalay. It is denser, less “springy”, and has a higher compression modulus (gets firmer faster) than Talalay in an equivalent ILD (softness/firmness level). There is more information in this article about the differences between them. They are both high quality and comparable value materials … just different in feel and performance. The other difference in the mattress is that it has a more expensive and higher quality bamboo/wool quilted cover which would have better temperature regulation and humidity control.
Thank you for asking about the firmness levels for the dreamfoam mattress. My husband and I just placed our order for our queen sized mattress and we are very unsure about the level we should choose. Although, we are currently sleeping on our camping mattress, so anything would be better, right?
Thanks everyone for the info on firmness… I’m just getting ready to purchase this mattress (thanks to all the good info on this site:) ), but was really unsure about firmness to order. I’ll check back in after i talk to Chuck and get the mattress!
We too are trying to decide on the firmness level. We went to the Original Mattress Factory and liked the Latex Supreme which had a 32 ILD 6" core and a layer of 16 ILD glued to the core.
Given the mattress we like, what firmness level should we choose?
Data point, I am 6’6" and 240# , my wife is 5’11" and 135#.
We are both side sleepers.
The best and most accurate suggestions will always come from the manufacturer themselves. Every layer of a sleeping system interacts and affects every other layer and they know the specifics of every layer of their mattress and their customer database also gives them much more accurate reference points about how their mattress interacts with different body types and sleeping positions than any general guidelines I could provide.
They would also be in a better position to “translate” the many differences between the OMF latex supreme and their mattress. As you mentioned, the OMF Supreme uses a 6" layer of 32 ILD Talalay latex for the base (and different base layers will affect the performance and feel of the comfort layers). It also has a comfort layer of 1.5" of latex in the range of 19 ILD (perhaps very slightly firmer) and since layer thickness and layer firmness work together to create softness, there is a big difference here between the thickness of the latex comfort layer in the OMF and the Ultimate Dreams (which uses 3" of latex). The thickness of the quilting layers are also different (the OMF has 1" of quilting foam over the latex and the Ultimate Dreams has 1.5") and the OMF is also on an active boxspring which will make it feel softer than if it was supported by a firm foundation … especially for heavier weights.
All of these many differences would affect the comparative feel and performance of each mattress. Having said all that though … the OMF is fairly soft (the combination of the “medium” support core and the ILD of the comfort layer and the polyfoam quilting and the active innerspring) and while this may work well for your wife who is tall and slim and much lighter weight … it could easily be too soft for best alignment for you and Chuck would probably suggest a comfort layer much firmer than the OMF to accommodate your higher weight and also to “translate” the differences between the mattresses.
If you are ordering a King Size … then you could also choose a different firmness level on each side of the mattress which may be a good option (if possible) instead of a “compromise” between two weights and body shapes that are so different.
So I would “report” your experiences and preferences with OMF (and any other mattresses) to Chuck when you talk with him and use your experience and the guidelines that Chuck suggests that would also take your higher weight and weight differential into account as the basis for your choice.
