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I jumped on the all-foam, bed-in-a-box mattress bandwagon around six years ago, and while my sleep has been fine since then, my mattress never quite got me excited to hop into bed at night. For one, I often felt like the memory foam trapped heat—I found myself sweaty and annoyed some nights, especially before my period. And I could also never decide if I actually liked the feeling of sinking into my mattress. Sure, it was nice to be “hugged” in that way, but I missed the support and ease of movement I felt with my previous innerspring mattress.

When I started seeing more and more hybrid models on the market a few years later, I was intrigued, to say the least. The combination of squishy foam and responsive coil springs, along with the promise of better breathability compared to all-foam models, was calling my name. But I felt guilty at the thought of ditching my all-foam model, since it was only a few years old—the average lifespan of a mattress is around eight to ten years, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

My mom, however, did need a new mattress, and since I moved in with her in March 2020 for pandemic reasons, I realized I could give her my foam model (which she loved) if I ever wanted to try out a hybrid. So when I got the opportunity to test the DreamCloud Premier hybrid mattress for SELF last May, I hopped on it—literally. Cooler, springier nights, here I come!

I’ve been sleeping on the DreamCloud Premier for three months now, and I’m so glad I made the switch—I didn’t realize how much I missed coil springs, but I really, really did. To make sure my testing was thorough, I used SELF’s mattress buying guide to inform my review, which is based on criteria recommended by sleep experts. Read on for my full DreamCloud Premier Mattress review and thoughts.

Let me first say that it took me a while to warm up to the bed-in-a-box concept. Sleep is so personal, and it freaked me out that I couldn’t test out a mattress before having a huge, hefty box delivered to my doorstep. And while I’ve since come around to the idea (mostly because I liked my first mail-order foam mattress well enough, and the return policies for bed-in-a-box companies are typically very generous—more on that soon), the size and weight issue is still a pain.

Hybrid mattresses—which, again, have some combination of spring coils and foam layers—are typically heavier than all-foam types for obvious reasons, and the Premier was no exception. It arrived in a long, rectangular box with no handles that weighed nearly 100 pounds. I still can’t believe I got it up one flight of stairs to our apartment by myself. And I probably shouldn’t have—I was worried I would fall multiple times as I slowly rolled it up the stairs, so I highly recommend having two relatively strong people (ie. not my 70-year-old mom) maneuver it.

DreamCloud Premier Mattress (Queen Size)

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Getting it on my bed frame was also a bit of a struggle. Once you cut off the plastic it's wrapped in, the mattress starts immediately expanding to its full shape, and since the Premier has six layers, including a plush pillow top, that shape was big and unwieldy (and did I mention heavy?). DreamCloud also warns you that there might be an “off-gassing” chemical smell for up to a week or so, and while I did notice it initially, it went away in a few days.

I’ve been sleeping so well on my DreamCloud! I’m excited to hop on it at night, and I’ve noticed that I sleep through the night more often and usually wake up feeling rested—no mattress can counteract night anxiety or PMS insomnia, sadly.

I immediately noticed the responsive feel of the innerspring that I’d been missing with my foam mattress. The slight springiness made it easy to shift positions—I sleep on my side, but I often switch sides—and didn’t make me feel too sunk in. The mattress also doesn’t feel too firm, which can be uncomfortable for us side sleepers—DreamCloud rates it at a 6.5/10 on its firmness scale, and I’d say that’s accurate.

One thing to note is that, compared to my previous all-foam model, there is definitely a bit more motion transfer with the Premier. It’s not dramatic, but if you’re regularly sleeping with someone else (I wish), that’s something worth considering.

I find the Premier incredibly comfortable. The plush pillow top really does feel (and look) “luxurious,” as the description claims, and the 14-inch height of the mattress adds to that next-level feeling—basically, I feel like a queen when I’m on it. Or maybe like Goldielocks, because the plush-but-firm feel offers a just-right balance of support and comfort.

I also find myself shifting around less when I use my bed for lounging or (more often) working on my laptop—basically, neither my butt nor my back hurt when I sit or lie down on the Premier for long stretches of time.

This might be my favorite thing about my DreamCloud: I’ve been so much cooler at night. Even when I would set my thermostat to the recommended 67 degrees, I still sometimes woke up in the middle of the night feeling steamy on my all-foam mattress. But since I’ve started sleeping on the Premier, I’ve noticed way fewer sweaty nights—including during the record-breaking heatwave we recently had in the northeast (feeling cranky just thinking about it).

I’m really impressed with the construction of this mattress—it looks and feels much more expensive than it is. The outmost layer of the pillow top (which DreamCloud calls a “Euro Top”) is made of a cashmere blend so, yeah, super soft. The mattress also just overall feels solid and supportive—not at all flimsy—which I assume is due to the six-layer design. Whatever’s going on in there, the Premier is much more cooling than my old foam mattress—Dream Cloud credits “8.5 inches of individually wrapped coils” for the airflow and breathability.

DreamCloud’s extremely generous 365-night trial means you can send it back within a year (!) if you don’t like it. Returns are free, and each mattress comes with a lifetime (!!) warranty. If that’s not risk-free, I don’t know what is.

If you want the responsive, supportive feel of an innerspring mattress and the comfort and convenience of a foam model, I highly recommend DreamCloud Premier. It’s kept me cool, comfortable, and well-rested for three months now, and I kinda can’t remember life without it. In my experience, its only drawback is that its thickness—again, 14 inches high—means I can barely get my fitted sheet around it, so I may need to invest in a deep-pocket set. But that’s a small price to pay to feel like a queen and, I’m gonna say it, sleep like a dream.

DreamCloud Premier Mattress (Queen Size)

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