Dreamform Ultimate Dreams Latex firmness level

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

A few days ago I purchased a custom firmness Ultimate Dreams latex mattress from Dreamfoam Bedding, and I’m currently trying to decide on the exact firmness level I want. I suspect that I should get a 7 or an 8, but I am uncertain which would be a better choice. I sent the information below to Chuck in an email, but the response I got was not at all helpful.

I’m exclusively a side sleeper (almost always sleep on the same side, in fact). I’m male, 5’10", and currently 161 pounds (I was 180 for many years before losing weight over the last few months, hopefully I can maintain this loss).

I’ve tried some latex mattresses in nearby stores to get an idea of what kind of firmness level I enjoy.

  • One brand I tried was labeled simply as “Organic Comfort” in the store. I think it’s from a small local producer. The best fit for me in their lineup was an 8" pure talalay latex flippable mattress. It was composed of a 1" thick layer of 22 ILD latex on either side of the mattress and a 6" layer of 27 ILD sandwiched in between. It was comfortable and gave me excellent support. While I would have preferred a slightly plusher surface for surface comfort/feel reasons, I don’t know if this would be possible without sacrificing the excellent support.

  • I also had a chance to try the well known Pure LatexBliss brand. The store I went to had five different offerings from this maker. Unfortunately the store salesman was not forthright with the names or compositions of the individual models. It appears that Pure LatexBliss currently offers five mattresses in their lineup, and while it would be sensible if the mattresses in the store correspond with their current lineup, I cannot be certain of this. While I adored the cloudy surface feel of the plushest mattress in the lineup, it definitely did not give me adequate support. The second plushest mattress in the lineup gave me excellent support and was comfortable, although much like the Organic Comfort mattress I found myself wishing for a slightly plusher surface simply for surface comfort/feel reasons.

I understand that my desire for a slightly more plushy surface on either of the models described above might not be feasible without reducing their supportive qualities. I also realize that this issue might be best addressed through experimenting with separate mattress toppers. As such, getting a firmness level near the two mattresses described above would be ideal (I certainly understand that the “feel” independent of firmness of the mattress will be different due to different materials). Hopefully the mattress composition expertise available on this forum can help me figure this out. Thanks!

2

Hi Kefit,

There is no “formula” that can help someone choose a mattress and there are really only two ways to decide on the design of a mattress that can work best for you. One is with your own careful and objective testing on a specific mattress you are purchasing and the other is a more detailed phone conversation with an online retailer or manufacturer (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

The first thing I would suggest is to make sure that your testing was similar to the testing guidelines in post #1 here and you tested the mattresses you mentioned for PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences). In many cases people confuse support and firmness with spinal alignment and the key for a supportive mattress is that you sink in evenly and your spine is in good alignment in all your sleeping positions. A soft mattress can be just as “supportive” as a firm mattress if you are in good alignment.

The next thing I would do is confirm the layers of the specific mattresses you did best with in terms of PPP. You can see the specs of the Pure Latex Bliss mattresses in post #2 here. They can be useful as a general guideline although all of these are a different design from the mattress you are considering

While the mattresses you tested are not equivalent to the Ultimate Dreams all latex mattress (assuming that’s the one you’re looking at because it’s the only one they have that is all latex which is what you’ve been testing) or even their hybrid mattresses … your testing and any other relevant information about you can can help them give you some suggestions and guidance that can help you “translate” the designs you preferred into the options they have available that may be “somewhat” or most closely comparable. This is as much an art as a science. Again though … this is something that can’t be done in an email or on a forum and needs a phone call and a more detailed and “nuanced” conversation to have the best odds of success.

I sincerely doubt that there is anyone on this or any forum that can give you better guidance about your choices than the help you would have available with a phone call. They have more experience in helping their customers make the best possible choices based on their body type, sleeping style, preferences, and any local testing they have done than anyone.

Phoenix