A few years ago we saw the introduction of the gel memory foam mattress into the bedding industry. Some thought these new incarnations of the old would be the future of the industry. Though these mattresses do sometimes fair better than their gel-less counterparts in some areas, they share several faults.If you think developments in mattress technology are keeping pace with computers, mobile communication devices and other rapidly changing industries, you are absolutely right. While it is an exciting time to buy a new mattress, the vast amount of choices available can make it an overwhelming endeavor without the proper knowledge base to make good decisions.What are the advantages of a gel memory foam mattress? How is memory foam better than a spring mattress? These are the important questions that need to be asked when considering the best path to a good night’s sleep. There are many options available on the market. With the advent of latex foam, plant-based memory foam, and now the memory foam gel mattress, consumers can experience analysis paralysis.
Often when faced with staggering amounts of information, people stop processing it. That can lead to a poor decision and less satisfaction. To help you with your decision and decrease the likelihood of regretful purchase, we have done some analysis for you.It can be tempting to buy the newest version of a product on the market. People often equate newness with value, but newer technologies often have bugs to work out. Mattresses do not escape this reality. Products that have been on the market for awhile are more likely to have been tested by a large number of people and, hopefully, improved. Newer products do not have this advantage.Memory foam gel mattresses hit the market in 2011 and have quickly become a favorite among many consumers because they embody some of the best aspects of memory foam, including the highest level of comfort available. The gel-infused nature of these mattresses goes a step further by adding extra support while attempting to address one of the biggest drawbacks to standard memory foam – heat retention.
Because memory foam contours to the sleeper’s body and disperses weight across the face of the mattress a highly desirable floating-like effect is created that provides total support and comfort. But it also tends to trap heat in ways that traditional mattresses do not, and that has been a problem for some users.There are basically two types of gel memory foam mattresses. The first has gel infused throughout the top layer of foam and the second has a layer of gel near the surface. Both of these types do seem to alleviate the heat problem slightly better than traditional foam mattresses, but there are still complaints from overheated customers.While gel mattresses may feel cool when you first touch them or lay on them, many consumers find after being in contact with the material for a few moments the hot feeling returns. That is because the gel manufacturers use is conductive. It takes on the temperature of the surrounding environment. Once warm, they feel warm.Buyers should know, while gel infusion may have improved the sleep quality of standard polyurethane-based memory foam mattresses slightly, it is not necessarily the best method available for addressing body heat retention.
Without the aid of gel, other manufacturers have found ways to keep the heat off sleepers.Innovative brands like Amerisleep have been broadening the appeal of memory foam with plant-based products. In addition to being healthier and more environmentally-responsible, plant-based memory foam mattresses have been found to sleep considerably cooler than gel-infused products manufactured by leading brands.And that’s not just Amerisleep making baseless claims to drive sales. The cooler-sleeping qualities of plant-based memory foam were revealed in a two-year study conducted by Cargill – a nearly 150-year-old producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products. Cargill’s research found plant-based memory foam dissipates heat at a rate that is 25 percent faster than gel-infused products.Generally, traditional memory foam mattresses have a closed-cell structure, which means they have millions of tiny pockets of air trapped throughout the material. These pockets act as insulation, just as it does in foam coffee cups and the in the walls of some buildings.
It is a perfect material for trapping heat, but very poor at releasing it.Amerisleep’s innovative foam has a much more open structure. This allows far more airflow. As air passes through the mattress, it carries heat with it. This is how these plant-based memory foam mattresses stay so cool, without the use of gels, which are often composed of unnatural chemicals.Plant-based memory foams typically produce far fewer Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and don’t off-gas as much as most traditional and gel memory foam mattresses. This off-gassing can be more than just an offense to the olfactories, it can cause adverse health effects. Many gel and traditional memory foam mattresses need to be aired out in a well-ventilated space away from living areas prior to use.It makes sense that a material made from more natural products would contain less hazardous materials. Consumers looking to purchase from more environmentally responsible companies can receive the added benefit of a virtually smell-free, low-VOC sleep system.
Remarkably, these more natural beds cost much less, too. Consumers seeking a cooler alternative to traditional memory foam mattresses would do well to keep plant-based mattresses at the top of their list. They are more environmentally friendly, healthier and cooler than gel memory foam mattresses. At a far lower cost, these mattresses are a great value.Making a big purchase on a long-lasting item can be a difficult undertaking. Take these facts with you as you shop for a mattress. If you are seeking a memory foam mattress that is much cooler than traditional memory foam, gel can offer a slight edge, but plant-based memory foam may prove even more effective.Connect with Mattress Inquirer on Google+We receive free products to review and participate in affiliate programs, where we are compensated for items purchased through links from our site (at no cost to the buyer). See our for our list of comped products and affiliate programs. I have slept on and reviewed over 20 memory foam mattresses at this point, from the top Tempur-pedic brands to the no-name bed-in-a-box startup.
Certain brands and models offer different benefits for people with certain preferences, but I’ve learned that some mattresses are just poorly made. I don’t think there is necessarily one “best” memory foam mattress, but there are certainly a lot of BAD memory foam mattresses on the market that . I suggest you use my experience as a starting point to decide which memory foam mattress is best for you. I’ve reviewed a number of memory foam mattresses, with the four below ranking at the top for value, luxury, budget, and comfort. These mattresses rank amongst my top mattress reviews in general, as well as in specific categories like best mattress for side sleepers. Certainly these aren’t the only four quality memory foam mattresses on the market, these are just a few of my favorite across a few categories. If you’re looking at any memory foam option, you should look for a mattress that: Amerisleep is one of the oldest online-only memory foam mattress brands, and the experience shows.
Quite simply they make a mattress that I find to be the most comfortable, with a full line to accommodate sleepers with different preferences. Amerisleep is my top pick because they don’t cut any corners – I believe they deliver one of the best mattresses available. They’re not the cheapest on the market, but they do offer great value (click here for $50 off any Amerisleep). Amerisleep also offers models with cool features like foams that are better for cooling and mattresses with celliant for athletes. Learn more in my full Amerisleep review. The Loom and Leaf is the most popular and best rated memory foam mattress because it has the specs of a high-end Tempur-pedic, but at a fraction of the price. You pay for the mattress quality, not the brand name. See why it is such a good value HERE. The mattress has great specs, making it very comfortable and durable as well. It comes in three settings (soft, medium, and firm), though it runs slightly firmer than average in general at each firmness level.
The mattress is made by Saatva, which is one of the first companies to start selling (quality) mattresses online. Learn more in my Loom & Leaf review. Layla is a memory foam mattress, but has a few unique twists to make it stand out in the very crowded bed-in-a-box market. It is flippable, offering two firmness options – though I found both to be quite soft (relatively). This makes the mattress very comfortable for side sleepers, and a great option for people that prefer a more lush/soft mattress (see how Layla compares HERE). Layla also has infused copper, which helped the mattress sleep cool (infused copper is used in other types of products, but very few mattresses to date). Learn more in my full Layla mattress review. Tempurpedic is the most known brand in the memory foam market, and is certainly the longest standing memory foam manufacturer in the US. Tempur-pedic has built a strong brand name by making very high quality mattresses. They use quality materials and are leaders in memory foam mattress design.
The Tempur-pedic Countour Rhapsody Luxe is one of my personal favorite models, but many of the Tempur-pedic models will represent the Tempur-pedic brand well. Learn more in my Tempurpedic mattress reviews, and also see my article on the best Tempurpedic mattress. The previous three mattresses are some of the best memory foam mattresses that can be made – but that’s not necessarily what everyone wants. Zinus provides a good memory foam option that is comfortable, offers good support, and is relatively durable, for a very reasonable price (<$300 for a Queen). This mattress is popular and sold through many online outlets like Amazon, but I’d check out their line on their site for the best deals. Learn more about their mattress in my Zinus mattress review. When reading memory foam mattress reviews, you’ll come across density level a lot. While it can be a bit confusing, I’ll try to keep things as simple as possible, outlining general trends, but know exceptions will exist within certain brands and models.
Typically, I have found (and studies show) that the , the following is : Memory Foam and Sleeping Hot One of the most common complaintsI hear about memory foam mattresses (a complaint that I share personally as well) is that this type of mattress often sleeps hot. This means that the mattress absorbs and retains heat, making the sleeping surface hot, especially later on in the night after you’ve been sleeping for several hours. What are the ways companies try to keep memory foam sleeping cool? Using plant-based foam has been shown to be very effective, and so has laminating a layer of gel onto the foam. Some companies use “gel-infused” memory foam, but in most cases that is more marketing rather than based in reality. When it comes to gel, mattress companies really turn on the marketing. They will charge you thousands of dollars more for certain types of gels that aren’t actually more effective (though they do sound amazing). This is one of my primary complaints with Tempur-pedic and similar traditional brands, and why I recommend the Tempur-pedic Contour Rhapsody Luxe rather than one of their even more expensive models
Memory foam is made from petrochemicals. No mattress the brand, know that your memory foam mattress will possess chemicals (no matter how eco-friendly they claim to be). New memory foam mattresses typically give off a chemical smell when they are unboxed. This is called “off-gassing.” It’s not a concern for the long-term, but the smell can potentially last as long as a week, depending on the mattress brand. With some mattresses, the smell is very faint and completely goes away within 24 hours. Higher quality memory foam mattresses have a more resilient feel to them. Lots of people complain that they feel that they “get stuck” in memory foam and have a hard time moving around or getting out of bed. Memory foam typically takes a while to react to movement. This isn’t optimal for some people’s preferences, and if this is is a big concern for you, I would consider a latex mattress as an alternative. Latex has many similar properties to memory foam, but has more “spring” to it.
A new popular construction is latex over memory foam, with a lot of the new startups (like Casper or Ghost Bed) trying to get the benefits of both materials in one mattress. The best way to get a deal on a memory foam mattress is to order online. Since the mattress is all foam, it can be compressed and shipped from a factory to your door, cutting out the middle men and providing savings for the consumer. There a lot of online-only brands (like Loom & Leaf), as well as mattresses sold through large online e-commerce sites like Amazon and Walmart (like Signature Sleep Memoir 12″). If you are buying through a retail store, I suggest waiting for a sale. Labor Day and President’s Day are big days for mattress sales, where you will see up to 70% off some of the big name brands. Final note on getting a deal – higher quality mattresses will last much longer than lower quality ones. If you purchase a cheap low-quality mattress, you may save money in the short term, but you may find yourself shopping for a replacement sooner than you had hoped.