This Mattress Is The Next Best Thing To Sleeping On A Cloud

Up until recently, Tempur-Pedic used to bring to mind old people with bad backs and orthopedics in early-2000s commercials. But, that was before I actually slept on one. After hearing about the Tempur-Cloud through a glowing review in our roundup of the best mattress brands, my interest was piqued. As a side sleeper who's undergone surgery for scoliosis, posture support and proper spine alignment are a priority — so, I was drawn to the Tempur-Cloud's claim of offering "40% more pressure-relieving power than the next closest competitor". This along with its dreamy name, more accessible price point for a premium mattress, 90-night sleep trial plus 10-year warranty, and bed-in-a-box style with free shipping and easy doorstep delivery all helped to get me on board with test-snoozing this thing IRL. Read on to discover if swapping my two-year-old pillow-top hybrid for Tempur-Pedic's popular compressed-foam mattress was a snooze-worthy success — and, if it actually felt like sleeping on a cloud.

The Tempur-Cloud is a compressed-foam mattress that consists of four different layers: a 360° stretch cover that's moisture-wicking and breathable; a comfort layer designed to adapt to and cushion your body like a pillowtop; a support layer offering pressure-relieving support; a premium foam base layer that provides durable support like a tabletop. The foam used in the Tempur-Cloud is made with the brand's patent pressure-relieving material that was initially developed by NASA in order to "absorb the g-force of astronauts traveling to space".

I've ordered mattresses online before, and they usually come in a Me-sized cardboard box, shrink-wrapped to the extreme. (I will never understand how something as bulky as a mattress can be made so compact with the powers of vacuum sealing.) The Tempur-Cloud, however, shook this up in a very cool way; in lieu of a box, the mattress arrived in a giant zippered bag made of sturdy black canvas. (Think duffel bag, but bigger.) In addition to not being made of paper (environment: 1, ye old ways: 0), this bag is totally reusable; I can already envision using it to store things like a winter comforter or spare blankets. Another major benefit: It was way easier for the FedEx guy to hand-deliver it to my doorstep, thanks to the bag's handles.

I will say, there was a bit of a plastic-y, vaguely chemical smell that lingered after opening it, but it went away within a few hours.

Again, by some amazing feat of science, my mattress began to expand immediately upon releasing it from its shrinkwrap prison. Within 15 minutes, it went from sad pancake to buoyant foam — about 10 inches thick. Compared to my old mattress, this one was ever-so-slightly thinner. That sort of thing will throw my spatial awareness off a bit. (I stacked it on top of my original mattress, for reference below.) It was surprisingly light and easy to load onto my metal bed frame. My 10-pound Pomchi immediately hopped on and made himself comfortable.

I'm a pretty sound sleeper and don't take anything to help ease my Z's, except for the rare melatonin gummy or Nue Co. drops if I'm jetlagged — but, there's nothing like the feeling of sleeping on a new mattress to shake things up. My first impressions of the mattress were that it was ultra-cushiony and plush — definitely cloud-like — but, I still tossed and turned quite a bit during my first night's sleep. Which I expected because, according to Tempur-Pedic's site, "When you first lie down, your TEMPUR-Cloud will feel a little firm." In my limited experience with memory foam mattresses, even the softest ones can paradoxically feel a bit rigid when you're actually laying down on them. However, by night four, I could sort of feel the mattress material start to loosen up (not literally — it's just the best way I can describe it) and conform to me. Again, something the site forewarned me of: "As you settle in, our proprietary TEMPUR Material starts working, precisely adapting to your weight, shape, and temperature for a truly personalized, supportive sleep."

By the end of the week, I was sleeping through the night. Granted, one week is still very nascent stages in the life of a new mattress; but if I'm already sleeping like a baby, then I think it'll only get better from here on out. I'm loving the feeling of how my body sinks into the mattress, giving my body level 10 support. I'm still getting used to the feel of a memory foam mattress, but I have to say, I'm already loving the breathable, cooling comfort it brings to my sleeps. (Don't worry — I'll be sure to give a status update a month from now.)

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with my Tempur-Cloud experience so far. I'm looking forward to seeing if my quality of sleep continues to improve, especially as we get into the hotter months. (I'm a notoriously warm sleeper.) While I was lucky enough to try the mattress for free, I'd totally recommend it to people who are in the market for a memory foam mattress that won't break the bank. Since the regular Tempur mattresses start at $2,199.00 for a queen, the Tempur-Cloud is a comparatively affordable entry-point to the brand's range of mattresses. The Tempur-Cloud is currently on sale for $1,399.30 through today, but you can also get 30% off the Tempur-Cloud mattress with promo code REFINERY30 at checkout after the sale ends.

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