What is Gel Memory Foam?
Before we go any further, let’s first clearly define exactly what gel-infused memory foam mattresses are. This material was largely introduced to consumers in 2011. It was designed specifically to help keep the body temperature down to encourage entrance into the more rejuvenating sleep stages.
A good way to visualize how this works is to consider a gel ice pack. In much the same way as the gel inside the pack keeps your food cold, the gel-infused into the mattress helps keep your body cool.
Types of Gel Memory Foam
As with most types of products on the market, different companies have put their spin on manufacturing gel memory foam products. For example, some mattresses incorporate a gel pad layer either on top or beneath other product layers. It can also be poured into the foam mold as it sets or even placed within the layers in bead form. It’s worth mentioning that a gel-infused product can offer higher cooling properties as beads often warm up to body temperature and then cease to offer the same degree of temperature regulation. This is more often the case when the gel beads are located in the upper comfort layer.
Gel Memory Foam vs. Regular Memory Foam
Gel and traditional memory foams offer many of the same benefits. For starters, they can both be a good solution for sleep partners as memory foam, in general, is known for its ability to reduce motion transfer successfully. Many of us saw the old commercials when memory foam was still a relatively new idea. A glass of red wine was placed on the mattress while someone jumped up and down next to it.
The contents of the glass didn’t even move. This was not a sales gimmick. I later purchased a Tempurpedic traditional memory foam mattress, and I was very impressed with the motion isolation it was capable of providing. I was equally impressed with its ability to conform to my body and help reduce pressure points. However, there were those two notorious areas that prevailed: sleeping hot and feeling stuck.
Is Gel Memory Foam Better?
Things have come a long way since the introduction of traditional memory foam, and, in my experience, cool memory foam mattresses utilizing gel properties helped me stay significantly cooler. They also typically incorporate a combination of additional layers to help prevent you from
Will Gel-Infused Memory Foam Affect Durability?
The purchase of a new mattress is typically a sizable investment, and you naturally want to ensure you’re buying a product that will stand the test of time. Because gel memory foam has only been on the market since around 2011, it’s a little early to make determinations about gel-infused memory foam durability in general. Still, there is a better way to make gauge memory foam mattress durability. The key lies in the density of the product you may be considering. Simultaneously, good durability in materials like polyfoam would be represented by a high density of between 1.5 to 1.8 pounds per cubic foot.