Phoenix, thanks much for the info on this forum! I am in Houston, and using some of your posts I found an AngelBeds Sky Deluxe which I decided to purchase after trying it out. It consists of a 3" 4lb “ES” layer, 2" 7lb layer, and 8" hd base foam layer. This week I noticed they have released a no-cost “CoolGel” option which can be selected for the bed, which changes the layer formulation to 2" CoolGel, 1" 4lb ES layer, 1" 7lb layer, and 9" base foam. Do you anything about this “CoolGel” layer? I am wondering if I should select it or not.
Hi sleeperhouston,
This would be a type of gel foam which is quite a popular option (and is heavily advertised which is a big part of why it is so popular) in the current market. There are different types and qualities of gel foam though and some of them are in post #26 here. If I was to choose a gel foam, I would be looking for a gel foam that doesn’t have “particles” in it and where the gel is poured and mixed together with the memory foam itself.
Gel memory foams can be one of the factors that can help a mattress sleep cooler but there is a lot of hype about them as well as fact and some of the “regular” memory foams have an open celled structure which can be just as “cool” as some of the gel memory foams although they use a different method of cooling. The three main "technologies that are used to sleep cool are at the end of post #4 here. There is also more about the different methods that are used to help memory foam mattresses sleep cooler in post #6 here.
So if the gel foam better meets your needs and preferences (more about that in post #2 here) in combination with all the other materials in the mattress, it could be a good choice and could be one extra piece of the puzzle that leads to good temperature regulation. I would want to know the details of the gel foam though also ask myself how much I am being influenced by the current marketing buzz about gel and how much of what is being claimed is factual.
In other words … if temperature regulation is a priority … and you want the extra degree of “coolness” that some types of gel foams and constructions can provide and you are OK with any tradeoffs that may be involved (such as durability) and you believe that it is a better quality/durability and value choice than the “regular” memory foam … then I would add it to the mattress.
Phoenix
Thanks so much Phoenix. As the “regular” mattress foam is open-celled and it also has a bamboo covering, I’m leaning toward not opting for the “CoolGel,” hoping the temperature regulation offered by those two features is enough. Also, the regular one is the only one that I have tried and am happy with; I know the “CoolGel” would change the feel somewhat. Thanks again.