A mattress topper is essentially a piece of changeable bedding that is placed on top of a mattress. Mattress toppers were made to give additional support, and decrease the pressure coming from the weight of the human body on the springs of the mattress.
It is also intended to extend the life of your mattress thereby preserving it for use over a longer time. It helps to make your mattress more comfortable, prevents sagging of the mattress, and serves as a protector for your mattress.
This article is written as a guide to help you know exactly what gel mattress toppers are, how they work, the various types available, how to choose a suitable product, and basic differences between the types.
A Guide to This Article
- How Does A Gel Mattress Topper Work?
- Types Of Gel Mattress Topper
- How To Choose A Gel Mattress Topper?
- What Is The Best Gel Mattress Topper?
- What Else Can You Do to Stay Cool at Night?
- FAQs
How Does A Gel Mattress Topper Work?
A gel mattress topper is simply a form of a thin mattress or an extra layer made with gel fillings, often 5–10 centimeters thick that you can put on top of your mattress for additional ease.
It helps to hone and enhance your sleep by offering you more luxury by virtue of its cushioning effect, adjusts the firmness of your mattress making it feel softer, as well as the temperature and height of your bed.
It can also make you feel cooler with airflow by dissipating heat due to the added layer of pure gel material attached to the upper or lower surface of the topper. The basic way it works is that the gel implanted into the gel mattress topper makes use of open-cell technology which guarantees ventilation and airflow.
This in turn regulates or controls your body temperature, limits sweat, and ensures you stay cool all through the night. The good thing is that by using a gel mattress topper you don’t have to replace your mattress too often.
This makes it a great cost-effective alternative that gives savings especially when you take an entire family into consideration. Most mattresses generally as a rule retard, inhibit, or limit airflow or ventilation.
This causes the mattress to retain or trap your body heat which makes you sweat, feel hot and cause you to feel uncomfortable. The gel mattress topper which is actually a type of cooling mattress topper, counters this by increasing ventilation as well as controlling or adjusting the heat from your body while you sleep.
Types Of Gel Mattress Topper
A Gel-infused mattress topper is a thin layer of covering with gel fillings that can be placed on top of a regular mattress. A gel foam mattress topper on the other hand is a mattress topper that has gel-infused memory foam.
The way and manner in which gel is integrated into each mattress topper type also varies. Gel-infused mattress toppers have compartments or cells of gel pellets or beads dispersed throughout the foam in the mattress topper. A gel foam mattress topper on the other hand has either an upper or lower layer of a wide strip of gel stretched out over the entire surface.
A major difference between a gel-infused mattress topper and a gel foam mattress topper is the temperature control. Gel-infused topper feels cooler than a gel foam topper.
Gel foam mattress toppers which were launched in 2011 are relatively new entrants into the mattress topper industry compared to other mattress topper products. This mattress topper type is made with a material called viscoelastic.
Viscoelastic is a low resilience polyurethane foam that was developed by the American National Aeronautic Space Administration (NASA) over fifty years ago for astronauts who used space shuttles for manned missions.
Gel-infused mattress toppers also feel softer than the gel foam mattress toppers while the latter is firmer and more resilient.
How To Choose A Gel Mattress Topper
How do you go about choosing a gel mattress topper? What do you need to do and what do you need to know? These simple hints, tips and basic knowledge will go a long way in helping you select a gel mattress topper that is suitable for you.
1. Choose the right thickness
Next if what you need is something firm to support your back select a gel mattress topper with a thickness that is greater than two inches.
If on the other hand, you want something smooth, soothing with ease and luxury then the thickness of the gel mattress topper you choose must be less than two inches.
2. Consider your sleeping position
There are other aspects you should also consider such as your sleeping position, features that fit your preferences, and the degree of the quality of the gel mattress topper material. The position you often adopt when sleeping will help you decide on which gel mattress topper to buy.
If you sleep on your side, you should opt for a gel mattress topper that is moderately soft.
This is because the softer top section helps to ease the pressure from your hips and shoulders while ensuring that your head, neck, and spinal column remain in proper alignment.
If you happen to be a back sleeper, then you should go for a gel mattress topper that undergirds or props up your body in a balanced way without sagging or caving in under your weight.
Mattresses that cave in often result in the person suffering back pain or aches which is why your choice of gel mattress topper must be one that can support your lower, middle and upper back in such a way and manner that it curves to accommodate your spine.
This means your best selections should be balanced, moderately firm, and thicker options that come with a built-in contouring memory foam. It shouldn’t be too soft so that your back has a solid even surface to rest on.
The sturdiest gel mattress toppers are reserved for people who sleep on their stomachs. This is because stomach sleepers put pressure on their lower back if the surface or mattress they are lying on is not firm enough as support.
3. Invest the high-density foam
The gel mattress topper chosen must be made of high-density foam and must have good heat dispersion qualities, especially at night because the neck and face will compress or bear down on the mattress.
4. Check the cooling features
You also need to take into consideration aspects of the gel mattress topper that align with what you like or your inclinations. These include things like cooling features and the kind of material you like.
Cooling features are quite important because it is easier to have sound and recuperative sleep when you are not sweating. This is why a mattress topper that disperses or dissipates heat will most likely be in higher demand since it will make you feel cooler at night.
5. Others
The quality of the mattress topper you choose to buy also matters a lot. Therefore, you should opt for gel mattress toppers that enhance airflow, and are resistant to dust mites as well as mildew or mold.
It should also be robust, resilient, and hard-wearing as well as hypoallergenic. You want to go for a gel mattress topper or good product that will serve you for a relatively long period of time so you can have cost savings and enjoy good quality sleep at night.
What Is The Best Gel Mattress Topper?
What is the best gel mattress topper? How can you make the right decision in this regard? A good way to do this would be to look at some industry leader types that come highly recommended such as the Maxzzz gel mattress toppers.
Best Overall — Gel & Copper Dual Side Foam Topper
This variant of a gel-infused mattress topper has soft memory foam, is breathable, and comes highly recommended for all sleeping positions, particularly side and back sleepers. This is because of the firmness of the mattress topper which is inbuilt.
The Maxzzz 3 Inch Gel & Copper Dual Side Memory Foam Mattress Topper is designed to allow for even weight distribution by all the layers which take the pressure off certain parts of your body and gives much-needed support to your spinal column.
This is the resultant effect of the high-density memory foam that conforms to your body. The gel-infused memory foam disseminates excess heat while the layer of copper eliminates bad odors, and repels bacteria and dust mites.
This greatly enhances safety and health because the copper memory foam produces an antibacterial and antiviral environment that is entirely natural. The mattress top is dual side and cushions movements made by the other occupant of the bed which augments sound recuperative sleep.
This makes the Gel & Copper Dual Side Foam Topper suitable for couples. This mattress topper has a cooling gel foam that is extremely breathable with a design that enhances ventilation thus leading to increased airflow and lower temperatures at night.
Best for Back Pain — 7 Zone Gel Mattress Topper
This is another variant of the Maxzzz range of products of high quality gel infused mattress toppers available in the market. It’s unique cooling design which utilizes open cell technology and gel particles infused in the mattress topper guarantees adequate ventilation, dissipates heat leading to an all-round cooling effect.
The Maxzzz 3 Inch 7-Zone Gel Infused Mattress Topper’s high density memory foam adapts to your peculiar body shape, decreases pressure on parts of your body based on its decompression design which results in more comfort.
It is made of high quality rayon fabric and has a hypoallergenic cover which enhances air circulation making it breathable, smooth to touch while also allowing for sweat absorption. This helps to keep you cool and comfortable all through the night.
Four anti-slip straps made of elastic makes it flexible enough to fit or cover mattress heights ranging from two to twenty-one inches. The 7-Zone Gel Infused Mattress Topper’s removable cover makes for easy maintenance and cleaning which is an added plus.
Best Value — Cooling Gel Infused Topper
This type of gel mattress topper has hypoallergenic and cooling qualities due to the embedded gel infusions and open cell technology which enhances air flow. It gives relief to parts of your body such as your curves and areas where you are most likely to feel pain.
What is even more interesting is that the hypoallergenic cover can be easily unzipped and washed using your washing machine, which makes it washable, removable and thus reusable over a period of time which is exactly what you likely want in a gel mattress topper.
Your health and safety are key considerations which is why this gel mattress topper is CertiPUR-US certified. This is to reassure you that the gel mattress topper was made to the highest standards of quality by ensuring heavy metals and harmful chemicals inimical to human health were not used.
The Maxzzz 2 Inch Gel Infused Memory Foam Mattress Topper is a memory foam mattress topper that was designed to ensure adequate circulation of air. This disperses the heat widely over the surface and controls your body temperature in order to ensure recuperative sleep.
The foam of this cooling Gel Infused Mattress Topper which is slow rebound fits or conforms to the curvature of your body.
What Else Can You Do to Stay Cool at Night?
There are a number of steps you can take to ensure you stay cool at night such as opening the windows, controlling the ambient temperature, and avoiding strenuous exercise at night.
Opening the windows of your room at night allows for cross ventilation and movement of air which is good for the skin and has a cooling effect on your body. You can also stay cool at night by controlling the temperature of your immediate surroundings.
You can easily do this by installing an air conditioner which will cool down your room substantially and drastically. An air conditioner controls the air temperature in your room which is beneficial.
You should definitely avoid engaging in strenuous activity at night or just before going to bed. This is because anything vigorous or arduous will cause your body to heat up and create a spike in your energy levels. This will ultimately not help you stay cool at night.
FAQs
Are Gel Toppers Good?
Undoubtedly yes because the technology infused into gel mattress toppers definitely gives several advantages. These range from desired cooling effects via dispersal of body heat, pressure relief, and anti-sagging features to body contouring. These are just a few of the many benefits that accrue from using a gel mattress topper.
Do Gel Foam Mattress Toppers Work?
They work outstandingly well. A few of the frequent challenges you are likely to face with conventional mattresses are the sagging effect and lack of softness which are definitely undesirable in terms of the negative effect it has on your back.
What a gel foam mattress topper does is to bring about a balance or strike an equilibrium such that the sagging effect is countered and the surface you sleep on is softened.
This changes the way your mattress feels, makes you more comfortable, induces deeper restorative sleep while also extending the lifespan of your mattress.
What Is The Difference Between Foam And Gel Mattress Topper?
A major difference between a gel mattress topper and a foam mattress topper is that the foam mattress topper has a greater tendency to retain heat or warmth while the gel mattress topper has greater heat dissipation properties thus guaranteeing a cooler sleeping environment and much more sound sleep.
