Gel memory foam is one of three types of memory foam mattresses. Memory foam beds have two core components: polyurethane memory foam layer and a polyurethane foam core layer.
The nature of memory foam materials allows it to resist deformation over long periods of time while still providing comfort and cushioning.
Gel memory foam mattresses are one of the most popular products on the market. There are a number of reasons why a gel memory foam mattress is probably a good choice for you.
This article will address the five great benefits of a gel memory foam mattress:
- Pressure Relief
- Motion Transfer Resistance
- Unique Comfort
- Temperature-Control
- Support Allergy-Friendly.
Gel memory foam mattresses are a variation on the traditional memory foam. The mattress contains memory foam, but it also contains gel beads or liquid that are especially designed to wick heat away from your body as you sleep through the night, thus providing a cooler surface on which to sleep than traditional memory foam.
Memory foam was first created in the 1970s by NASA and was used as padding for seats for helmets due to its absorbency and softness. The material had the unique ability to conform to the shape of whatever was applying pressure to it. Research continued and improvements were steadily being made on the material. Charles Yost, the creator of the original memory foam, developed the gel-infused foam in 2006.
Traditional and Latex Foam are the other two types of memory foam mattresses.
Gel-infused mattresses are popular because of their comfort and breathability. By contrast, many people complain that plain memory foam mattresses are too hot, or that they create a stuck feeling because of the way they shape around you. Here are five of the most popular benefits of a gel memory foam mattress:
1. Pressure Relief
Gel memory foam gently responds to your body’s weight and relieves pressure points. Most of us are side sleepers, and it’s likely we experience backaches and pains that are not easy to get rid of.
The support of gel memory foam helps to keep your spine properly aligned while you sleep, and this reduces backaches and pain. By relieving pressure on the body, memory foam often aids breathing, reduces pain, and can make sleeping more comfortable for people with certain ailments.
2. Motion Transfer Resistance
One of the unique benefits of a gel memory foam mattress is its resistance to motion transfer. Motion transfer is that uncomfortable feeling of disturbance when one person in the bed gets in and out. Gel memory foam makes it possible for the significant other to move accordingly without causing that disturbance. So, if your partner tosses and turns during the night, you’ll still be able to sleep soundly without being disturbed.
3. Unique Comfort
The nature of memory foam materials allows it to resist deformation over long periods of time while still providing comfort and cushioning. This gives it a plush feel. The mattress molds to your body to provide custom support where you need it most, and it keeps you from sinking too far into your mattress. With comfort comes good sleep, and with good sleep comes a great day ahead!
4. Temperature-Control Support
While the gel memory foam is similar to the traditional memory foam, the gel that is infused into the memory foam acts like a cooler that helps to keep the body temperature low.
In other words, the gel is a coolant that regulates the body temperature, and can in turn allow a person to enjoy a healthy and rejuvenating sleep. This can help people with conditions that increase their body temperature, which might lead to night sweats. Conditions and medications that can cause night sweats include:
- Menopause
- Stress and anxiety
- Certain medications, such as antidepressants, steroids, or painkillers
- Low-blood sugar
- Infections
- Hyperhidrosis (a condition that causes excessive sweating)
People who sleep in hotter climates may also find a gel memory foam mattress more cooling. This might include warmer countries or locations in the building, such as the top floor of a building.
5. Allergy-Friendly
Unlike down or feather beds, sleeping on a gel memory foam avoids triggering certain allergies. Although they are not completely hypoallergenic, this still makes them a good choice for anyone suffering from allergies.
Traditional Memory Foam Vs. Gel Memory Foam?
Traditional memory foam and gel foam both offer the same benefits, but when the gel is infused with the memory foam, the benefits are doubled.
With gel the bed becomes firmer, more comfortable. The dispensing feature of the bed makes it able to relieve the body from heat. Since memory foam doesn’t sink, it can hold the weight and align the posture of the person on it.
Types of Gel Memory Foam
A gel memory foam mattress is one that contains a cooling gel. When memory foam began being used for mattresses, one thing that stood out is that it slept hotter than traditional mattresses.
The natural properties of foam made it less breathable than other materials. So manufacturers started developing the gel memory foam mattress, and this solved the issue. Today, most memory foam and hybrid mattresses will be gel memory foam mattresses.
Gel-Infused Spikes
To prevent heat retention, a gel memory foam mattress may be infused with tiny spikes of gel throughout the foam. This is the more common method of incorporating gel into a memory foam mattress.
Gel-Infused Mixed Gel
A gel memory foam mattress can also be made by adding the gel before molding the memory foam.
Mixing the gel in before the mold is set means the final product has multiple microbeads of gel within it. This process helps to ensure the cooling attribute is evenly distributed throughout the entire mattress.
Gel Coating
Another way to make a gel memory foam mattress is the technique of spraying a layer of gel to the top of memory foam. Beneath it, there is traditionally a transition foam layer and either a poly base or springs supporting.
More About Gels
Gel is a recent newcomer to the mattress scene, and is known as a “third-generation foam.” Gel-foam is another take on making the traditional memory foam bed sleep cooler.
Before gel was infused with memory foam, foam mattress options were only a traditional mattress, which is a synthetic mattress, or plant-based mattresses. Gel-foam is traditional memory foam with microbeads of gel mixed in.
These create space for air to flow through the mattress, cooling it down. It’s being used as both a stand-alone layer and an infusion into the foam. Because of gel’s heat diffusing properties, it’s generally found in the top layer of the mattress under the cover.
However, it can also be poured into foam molds creating beads, which has a better way of keeping the body temperature regular, by distributing the heat in the body.
How It’s Made
Each gel is a different proprietary blend of chemicals. Similar to foam, there are chemical reactions, blending, and heating of the plastics followed by cooling and molding.
For gel-infused memory foam, the gel layer is added to the memory foam prior to cooling so that all the benefits of the gel are absorbed into the memory foam. It’s used in combination with foam to provide a cooler and more responsive sleeping surface.
Other Uses For Gel
Gel is now being incorporated into other materials such as memory foam technology. Gel-foam technology is the same that has been used in pillows and mattress pads.
Conclusion
A gel memory foam mattress is a mattress that has a combination of both gel and memory foam, which gives its users a better sleeping posture, comfort, heat reduction, and other great benefits.
