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Best Gel Memory Foam Mattress

Jessica Jones

Without a great mattress, you won’t get your much-needed rest and relaxation. But how is one supposed to choose? There are so many materials, types and designs on the mattress market that it can be difficult to pinpoint which is the best one for your needs. If you’re looking for a comfy, supportive mattress that doesn’t get too hot, a gel memory foam mattress is the answer.

An improved take on the traditional memory foam, gel memory foam mattress features all of the benefits of this adaptive material but without its biggest downside: trapping heat. These mattresses are cooling and can be enjoyed by hot sleepers year-round. Like regular memory foam, they’re also pressure-relieving. To decide if a gel memory foam mattress is a fit for you, take a look at some of our top picks we’ve reviewed below.

1. Sweetnight Pillow Top Hybrid Mattress – Editor's Choice

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  • Available sizes: Full, Queen, King
  • Height: 12”

2. Vibe Gel Memory Foam Mattress

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  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, California King
  • Height: 12”

3. Sleep Innovations Marley Cooling Gel Mattress

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  • Available sizes: Twin, Full, Queen, King, California King
  • Height: 8”, 10”, 12”
zinus-12inch-green-tea-memory-foam-mattress

4. Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress

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  • Available sizes: Twin, Full, Queen, Short Queen, King
  • Height: 6”, 8”, 10”, 12”

5. Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress

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  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, California King
  • Height: 12”
An improved take on the traditional memory foam, gel memory foam mattress features all of the benefits of this adaptive material but without its biggest downside: heat.

6. Modway Aveline 10″ Gel Infused Memory Foam Queen Mattress

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  • Adapts to your body shape
  • Minimizes pressure on back, hips, and shoulders
  • Reduces motion transfer
  • Available in 3 profiles
  • CertiPUR-US certified
  • 10 year warranty

Best Gel Memory Foam Mattresses

1. Sweetnight Pillow Top Hybrid Mattress – Editor's Choice

Highlights

  • Available sizes: Full, Queen, King
  • Height: 12”

Pros

  • Breathable and stays cool
  • Body-hugging memory foam
  • Supportive and pressure-relieving
  • Reduces motion transfer
  • CertiPUR-US certified

Cons

  • Takes a long to fully expand

Getting a good night’s rest can be difficult if you don’t have a comfy and supportive mattress, and this hybrid mattress manages to offer both at an affordable price. The hybrid design means that this mattress combines various types of foam (including gel-infused) with a base made from 775 individually wrapped steel coils.

The innerspring base improves breathability, minimizes motion transfer (which is perfect for couples), and ensures that the mattress is supportive, even for heavier sleepers. The layers of foam include airflow high-density foam and gel memory foam to ensure a cooling effect and contouring comfort.

With a profile of 12 inches, this hybrid gel memory foam mattress is in the “goldilocks zone”– not too high and not too low, and it’s suited to all sleeping positions. It’s medium-firm, so it should be comfy to most sleepers. Thanks to the gel memory foam layer, this mattress will be pleasant to sleep on regardless of the room temperature.

2. Vibe Gel Memory Foam Mattress

Highlights

  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, California King
  • Height: 12”

Pros

  • Memory foam adapts to your body shape
  • Stays cool
  • Minimizes motion transfer
  • High-density foam base
  • Adjustable base friendly
  • 10 year warranty

Cons

  • May be too firm for some sleepers

Memory foam, as well as gel-infused memory foam, can have that sinking feeling. For heavier sleepers, this can turn out to be an issue rather than a feeling of comfort. That’s why it’s best to go for mattresses with a higher profile, with a thicker high-density foam base that could support your weight properly. In this case, the Vibe Gel mattress boasts 7 inches of sturdy high-density foam, followed by 5 inches of gel memory foam for cooling comfort.

The multi-layered memory foam design minimizes motion transfer, so if you toss and turn at night – or your partner does – you won’t be woken up by noise or movement. Suited for all sleeping positions, this is a medium-firm mattress that will suit most sleepers. If a memory foam mattress is what you want but you’re worried about your weight being an issue, mattress is a solid choice. Supportive and cooling, it will offer both comfort and sturdiness.

3. Sleep Innovations Marley Cooling Gel Mattress

Highlights

  • Available sizes: Twin, Full, Queen, King, California King
  • Height: 8”, 10”, 12”

Pros

  • Doesn’t get hot
  • Good edge support
  • Suited for back pain and side sleepers
  • Made in the USA
  • CertiPUR-US certified
  • 10 year warranty

Cons

  • Not firm enough for some people

A versatile design can be a real advantage when it comes to gel memory foam mattresses, allowing you to choose an option that’s tailored to your preferences. This Sleep Innovations gel memory foam mattress is available in three profiles – 8 inches, 10 inches and 12 inches high – to suit anyone’s budget and needs.

The thinnest option is suited for those that are petite, or those that need a mattress for a guest room. The thickest 12-inch profile is suited for heavier sleepers, side sleepers, and those that want some extra support from their mattress, while the 10-inch gel memory foam mattress will suit most sleepers in between.

This mattress has a 3-layered design. For breathability and coolness, there’s 2 inches of gel-infused foam at the top, followed by 3 inches of ventilated foam, and a high-density foam base with a thickness that will depend on the mattress profile you choose.

4. Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress

zinus-12inch-green-tea-memory-foam-mattress

Highlights

  • Available sizes: Twin, Full, Queen, Short Queen, King
  • Height: 6”, 8”, 10”, 12”

Pros

  • Available in 4 profiles
  • Suited to side sleepers in particular
  • Minimal motion transfer
  • Supportive and comfortable
  • CertiPUR-US certified
  • 10 year warranty

Cons

  • In some cases, the corners don’t fully expand

Side sleepers need a mattress that’s not too firm to sleep comfortably, but still supportive enough to provide proper spinal alignment and relieve pressure from key points in the body.

his Zinus gel-infused memory foam mattress is a great choice for anyone that wants a mattress that’s neither too firm nor too soft, and adaptive enough to support all sleeping positions and those with a combined weight of up to 500 pounds. This mattress comes in 4 profiles ranging from 6 to 12 inches.

Designed to offer lasting coolness throughout the year, this gel-infused mattress consists of 3 layers: a high-density foam base to offer sturdiness and support, comfort foam for body-contouring and gel memory foam to improve breathability and temperature regulation.

5. Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress

Highlights

  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, California King
  • Height: 12”

Pros

  • Pillow top with a medium-firm feel
  • Cooling and breathable
  • Suited for all sleeping positions
  • Relieves pain and pressure
  • CertiPUR-US certified
  • 10 year warranty

Cons

  • Could be more durable

Waking up sore and stiff is no fun, but if you have an inadequate mattress, it will quickly become a chronic issue. Back pain sufferers need a balanced design that gives them comfort and support, relieving pressure and ensuring healthy spinal alignment.

his hybrid mattress gives you all that with the added benefit of staying cool and pleasant to sleep on throughout the year. The pillowtop is a particularly great solution for back sleepers, as it will make you feel like you’re sleeping on a cloud while the multi-layered innerspring helps to alleviate pain.

The base is made up of a layer of high-density foam that holds individually encased coils, followed by comfort foam and cool gel foam. These layers are meant to draw heat away from your body and ensure lasting coolness throughout the night. For people that suffer from back pain as a result of a bad mattress,

this pillow top hybrid design from Classic Brands will be a dream come true. Supportive and comfortable, it will aid in alleviating pain and pressure to give you some well-deserved rest.

6. Modway Aveline 10″ Gel Infused Memory Foam Queen Mattress

An improved take on the traditional memory foam, gel memory foam mattress features all of the benefits of this adaptive material but without its biggest downside: heat.

Highlights

  • Adapts to your body shape
  • Minimizes pressure on back, hips, and shoulders
  • Reduces motion transfer
  • Available in 3 profiles
  • CertiPUR-US certified
  • 10 year warranty

Pros

  • Adapts to your body shape
  • Minimizes pressure on back, hips, and shoulders
  • Reduces motion transfer
  • Available in 3 profiles
  • CertiPUR-US certified
  • 10 year warranty

Cons

  • Off-gassing initially

It’s difficult finding a mattress that perfectly suits one person, let alone one that will meet the needs of a couple and be equally supportive for both sleepers. With its adaptable and simple design.

this gel-infused memory foam mattress is meant to accommodate the needs of a wide variety of sleepers. It’s made from two layers – cooling gel-infused foam and responsive foam for the base – which helps support up to 600 pounds of combined weight. It will also minimize motion transfer, so you won’t feel your partner’s every little move if they toss and turn frequently throughout the night.

In addition to reducing bounce between the two sleepers, this gel memory foam mattress is ideal for couples as it adjusts to your unique body type. It can evenly distribute weight across the sleeping surface, all the while ensuring there’s no strain on pressure points in your body.

What is Gel Memory Foam?

When it comes to mattress materials, gel memory foam is one of the most popular ones, but not everyone knows what it is exactly. While this viscoelastic material has many benefits that make it a favored choice both for mattresses and ergonomic pillows, the fact remains that memory foam isn’t all that breathable and tends to trap heat rather than dissipate it. As a result, hot sleepers and people that are used to cooler sleeping surfaces find memory foam mattresses too hot to sleep on, particularly in the warmer months of the year.

However, the process of gel infusion opens the structure of memory foam on a microscopic level, improving air circulation and in return, making the material cooler and more pleasant to sleep on. For hot sleepers, it’s recommended to go for ventilated gel-infused memory foam. This is a type of gel memory foam that has a perforated surface to enhance the flow of air and contribute to the overall coolness, which is especially welcome during the hot months of the year.

Advantages

The defining feature of a gel memory foam mattress is in its material – gel-infused foam – but there are so many ways to utilize this foam in the design of the mattress. It can be solely made from it, layered with other types of foam and combined with an innerspring base structure. There are no limits to the ways one can make the most out of this cooling material.

– Cooling properties

It’s obvious that the biggest pro of gel memory foam is that it’s cooling and breathable, allowing you to bypass the bad properties of foam while still reaping the benefits that this viscoelastic material offers. Often perforated and infused with a gel substance that has a cooling effect, gel memory foam is suited for hot sleepers and year-round use as it won’t get overheated, cause sweating and therefore disrupt your sleep.

– Supportive and good for back pain

What makes memory foam mattresses so popular is the fact that they’re both supportive and comfortable to sleep on. More often than not, these two things don’t go hand in hand, and that’s why a gel memory foam mattress is such a good choice. Not only is it not as hot as memory foam, it will still offer all of the great properties such as spinal support and body-contouring adaptiveness. A gel memory foam mattress will relieve pressure from key stress points in the body and help you get rid of back pain.

– Motion isolation

If you share your bed with your partner, this particular feature of gel mattresses will be much appreciated. Gel foam is great at isolating motion, which means it will prevent movement “traveling” across the surface. As a result, if one sleeper moves on one side of the bed, the other person shouldn’t feel a thing. In case your spouse is a restless sleeper that tosses and turns during the night, or they simply get up much earlier than you do, you can rest assured that their movement won’t disrupt your sleep – you won’t even be aware they’ve moved at all!

Disadvantages

– Chemical off-gassing smell

On the other hand, if you’re looking for a natural solution to your sleep issues, gel memory foam mattresses may not the best choice for you. As is the case with regular foam, gel-infused foam is also a fully synthetic material, which comes with its own list of downsides. If you opt for an overly cheap mattress that’s made from unregulated materials and processed in a dubious facility, you risk exposing yourself to a host of dangerous chemicals and toxic substances. To prevent this, go for a gel memory foam mattress that has certifications (e.g. CertiPUR-US) that guarantee the safety of the materials used.

– Can be costly

With bigger benefits comes a heftier price tag. If you’re on a tight budget, a potential con for gel-infused foam mattresses might be that they usually cost more than traditional memory foam mattresses. However, compared with other cooling alternatives to memory foam such as natural latex, gel memory foam mattress may not actually be the most expensive option.

Conclusion

A gel memory foam mattress is a perfect choice for hot sleepers or anyone who finds regular memory foam too hot for comfort. Infused with a cooling gel, these mattresses are much more breathable and feel cooler to sleep on. In addition to their cooling properties, gel memory foam mattresses are also prized for their comfort and supportiveness, as well as pain and pressure relieving properties.

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