The Rise Of Gel Memory Foam

Posted by Thomas Nguyen on
Oct 11, 2022

Across industries and applications, memory foam has long been hailed as the go-to choice for consumers when it comes to prioritizing their comfort and support. Just take a look at some of the most popular bathmaths, pillows, shoes, and especially mattresses. There’s no question that this material has carved out a prominent reputation for itself.

Memory Foam Has Diversified

As it’s climbed to the top of the mountain, how we define memory foam products has also grown just as fast. Nowadays, the variety and effectiveness of these materials goes above and beyond what used to be just one option: good old memory foam.

The best case study for that trend is undoubtedly that of gel memory foam — let’s explore what kind of value this line of material has to offer, and how it’s able to achieve it.

Where Did Gel-Based Foam Come From?

At its core, gel memory foam was nothing more than a slight upgrade to the design of memory foam, one that didn’t alter much of anything else about the material . While standard foam had widely been praised for its ability to offer stability and support, the initial design for the material was drafted back in 1962… by a NASA contractor. It’s fair to say that the needs of sleepers have evolved since that time, right? And it’s only right that our beds evolve with us.

Although it saw a handful of tweaks and improvements along the way, the design of memory foam remained essentially untouched until 2006. That’s when a ChemTech team unveiled their cutting-edge design for a slightly-modified version of what was the market-leading material at the time. Thus entered gel memory foam.

Why It’s Also A Memory Foam

Fundamentally, gel memory foam is nothing more than a derivative of its predecessor. Both of them fall under the same umbrella of materials that are referred to as viscoelastic. That word just means that something is highly viscous ( sort of like water), but also highly elastic. That’s how memory-style mattresses — including gel-based ones —are able to conform to your individual body’s contour and then quickly regain their natural shape once you leave the bed.

This means that most, if not all the benefits you typically associate with the words ‘memory foam’ translate just as well to this gel-based material. That includes:

An unmatched level of support for your spine, neck and back
The relaxing feeling as you sink into it, like the bed’s absorbing you
The pressure and pain-relief it brings to your life

And most everything else.

How It’s Different

While gel memory foam shares a lot of properties with standard foam, the key difference is the infusion of unique cooling particles inside the gel-based material. Without that one change, there’s virtually no difference between the two.

Since the upper layer of these products is essentially lined with some form of gel (usually via beads), the material has an open-celled structure. That’s a central distinction between this variant and the conventional memory foam formula, and also why it’s even better.

The Value of Gel

These beads offer a powerful benefit to your sleep: constant temperature regulation. They’re actually able to change phases depending on the temperature they’re exposed to. When your body (and thus your bed) starts to get hot during the night, the gel will simply react to the environment and absorb the excess heat.

That’s the primary differentiator: not only do gel-based products let you enjoy all the benefits of a regular memory foam mattress, but also keep you refreshingly cool while doing it. This can be a game-changer, especially if you’re someone who loves the cold feeling of a bed and dreads a hot night and sweaty comforter.

Where’s The Catch?

At this point, you must be wondering what the caveat is. If these mattresses are just like memory foam — yet somehow better — then they must be absurdly expensive, right? In a way, you are right. A lot of gel-based products have been priced far beyond reason, and that barrier has kept too many sleepers away from experiencing the power of gel.

Our team at Dynasty Mattress sought to change that, and that’s why our collection of gel memory foam mattresses offers a model that’s perfect for everyone. Not only do we commit to delivering value at the highest standards of quality, but we think you don’t need to buy a five or six grand mattress to have the best sleep of your life.

Check out our line of gel-based products here!