My only complaint about my 8 year old memory foam mattress is that I’m often very hot, sometimes dripping with sweat-- only somewhat due to hormones, since my husband is fine. Are there more modern materials that sre equally comfortable but “sleep cooler?” Are cool gels really cool?
I’ll help to address part of your question.
Yes, you would think, according to the advertising that’s out there, that memory foams containing gels are active heat sinks. But it’s far from the truth. As in many industries, the marketing takes a bit of truth and runs with it (they do want you to buy their products, after all).
Adding a gel (scrap particle or liquid polymer) to the memory foam can assist a bit with conduction of heat. Initially the foam can have bit of a cooler feel, but this is the sensation of coolness and not the actual temperature of the product (it is room temperature). The theory is that this initial cooler sensation can help you “feel” cooler initially for the first few minutes while you are in bed and hopefully assist you in falling asleep a bit sooner.
Scrap gel particles, and there are many different varieties, can “load up” a bit with your body heat. Then there are phase changing gel particles that can load up with heat and transfer it in a better fashion than regular gel particles, Of course, they have to be in contact with other phase changing gel particles to effectively accomplish this. So they density of these particles can determine the effectiveness of the “cooling sensation.” The problem is that you’ll usually end up loading up the capacity of the gel phase change capacity within ten minutes or so. This is a general statement, but it’s a good rule of thumb. And once the product is “loaded,” it’s a slow process to absorb and release heat. Using a liquid gel polymer mixed in with the foam can result in the gel being more evenly distributed within the memory foam, but again the effectiveness of the “heat transfer” will come from the type and amount of gel.
Additionally, the density of the memory foam will effect temperature regulation, with the more dense generally sleeping “warmer” than the less dense. And with the addition of the gel particles, the density numbers can be misleading. A five pound density memory foam with gel particles will have a lower polymer density (less actual foam) than a five pound memory foam without gel particles, and will usually be less durable. And the claims of the gel particles adding extra support are also a bit exaggerated, as this tends to happen at the very end of the range of compression of the foam when the gel particles are squeezed together. So the addition of gel can have pros and cons.
It really is fascinating to read about all of the various differences in composition out there in memory foam and trying to separate the actual research from the advertising claims. I’ll always tell my clients to expect any memory foam product, even some of the newer versions that breathe better than previous generations, to sleep warmer than a comparable innerspring or latex mattress. And I’ll also tell them to take a look at the mattress pad that they’re using and make sure that it doesn’t contain any layers using PVC/plastic/vinyl (which will definitely sleep warm).
My answer is probably more detailed than you desired, and if you do a basic search on this forum you’ll find much more information about this topic. And I’m sure Phoenix will reply soon with a link to some other posts regarding your exact question.
I hope this was helpful.
Hi PatKauf,
I think that Jeff has covered most of the pertinent points in reply to your question but I’ll add a couple of comments as well.
Gel memory foams (and other types of gel foams) include a very wide range of different materials with different formulations so they aren’t just a single material with the same temperature regulating properties but there is more information about gel foams in general in post #2 here and the posts it links to. In very general terms … gel and/or other thermal conductive or phase change materials can have “some effect” on on the sleeping temperature of a particular material but how much of an effect they will have and how long the effect will last will depend on the specific formulation of the material and on the “combined effect” of all the other materials and components of the sleeping system including your sheets, mattress protector, and bedding. Gel materials tend to have a more temporary effect when you first go to sleep at night or over the first part of the night than they will over the entire course of the night.
While it’s not possible to quantify the sleeping temperature of a mattress for any particular person with any real accuracy because there are so many variables involved including the type of mattress protector and the sheets and bedding that you use (which in many cases can have just as significant an effect on temperature as the type of foam in a mattress) and on where you are in the “oven to iceberg” range and because there is no standardized testing for temperature regulation with different combinations of materials … there is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress or sleeping system in post #2 here that can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.
Phoenix