| Overstock has a Serta 2-inch 4lb density memory foam topper that is billed as a 'cool' memory foam. Does anyone know if this is any different from other MF toppers, if it's any cooler? I was all set to buy the Serta 3-inch 4lb that is *not* listed as being 'cool' but the possibility of a truly cooler foam topper has me second guessing my decision. Does anyone know if this 'cooler' topper is formulated differently, or if it's supposed to be cooler just because it has an inch less depth to it? |
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If you have read some of my other posts, I have been taking some temperature readings of the top layer of the memory foam or latex under the mattress cover of my flobed. I would have to say that there is not a signifcant difference with any thing I have tried. Celsion might be the coolest by a hair. Last night I had 3" of memory foam over 6" of XF latex. The max temperature inside the top of the m.f. hit 89.8 degrees (I cut a small hole in the m.f. to put in the thermometer sensor. I had 2" of memory foam from Costco that I purchases several years ago on top of 1" of mem-cool (4 lb.) from overstock. This was no hotter than my convoluted Talatech latex topper which gets up to about 91 degrees. Last night was colder than most, so not sure how much affect that had. By the way, this configuration was fairly comfortable for me. I like this as much, if not more than having all latex. I find that memory foam reduces the pressure points a little better than latex. Personally (and through measurement) I didn't find it any hotter than all latex. The slight downside is that m.f. forms to the body, making it a little harder to move. So, a semi-poor man's Tempurpedic might be to put 3" of decent memory foam over 5-6" of firm latex. Latex is not cheap, but should last longer and feel better than most other foams underneath. The Celsion has heated up to around 88-89, so I can't say it is significantly cooler. It might taking a little longer to hear up as well, which is a plus. Tonight I am going to fold the 1" Celsion in half to get 2" of Celsion on top. Cooler still would probably be too put 3-4" of foam over springs. My guess is that the hollow nature of the springs will allow more heat to dissipate through the bottom. With an all foam/latex base, it is harder for the heat to dissipate from below. In terms of the mattress cover, I think the ones on innersprings probably dissipate the heat better. I don't really have much evidence to back this up though. I have found that when I put a wool filled mattress pad on top of the wool filled mattress cover it does seem warmer to me. This could be wool being "warmer in winter". Not sure how it knows what time of year it is though. So, the cotton/wool filled mattress cover on the flobed might be slightly warmer (in winter at least) than whatever they use on most innersprings. At some point I will take the mattress cover off again and use 2 poly filled mattress pads to see if that is any different. Not totally what they put in the innerspring covers. I think it has some polyester. I would think polyester is warm, but I have found that the poly filled mattress pads are no warmer than others. A thick layer of cotton might be best, but I have not tried that. An all cotton mattress pad (not that thick) does not seem to make much difference. |
| Wow sandman, I really admire your diligence! At this point I am stuck with the spring mattress and the MF. Can you tell me, do you know of any significant differences between the Serta MF, the Sensus MF, or the Mem-Cool MF, aside from possible minor heat differences? I just need to pick one and order it, lol. The Sensus is the 5lb, and the other two are 4lb. All are 3 inch. I guess I am looking for something to sway me one way or the other at this point. |
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sandman wrote: It seems a few degrees cooler than regular latex (it heats up to about 87-88 degrees vs. 90-91).
thanks for sharing your data sandman. |
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Remember I am doing the temperature readings under the zippered mattress cover, under 2 mattress pads and 1 sheet. So, it might be different on top of the mattress (closer to your body). I am going to double up the Celsion tonight, and report tomorrow the temperature. It is possible I had a fluke in the data, since I have not used the Celsion that much yet. I would say that the Celsion is cooler to the touch as well. That is my perception at least. It is probably worth it vs. regular Talatech, since the price difference isn't that much. It does cost a lot more than memory foam, so I want to test a bit more to make sure it is worth it. What kind of mattress do you have? |
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2" of Celsion (1" folded in half) on top of 1" of mem-cool on top of 6" of latex heated up to 89.6 degrees last night. Virtually identical to the 3" of memory foam. Not as high as some of the all latex reading I have recorded, but the weather is colder as well. At this point, I can't really reject the hypothesis that the talatech latex, the Celsion and the memory foam that I have are all the same heat wise. Certainly the differences are quite small. The Celsion did record the lowest temperature by an insignificant amount. My perception is that it is slightly better, maybe because it takes a little longer to heat up. I can't really record a timeline, to be sure. Folding it in half may also affect its ability to dissipate the heat out of one side. It is also possible that measuring the temperature the way I am, does not capture the total aspect of heat build up. Probably more temperature readings for different (more spread out) locations and different depths would be necessary to get a more accurate picture. Alas, that is beyond my capabilities right now. However, the aspect that does seem to bother me is the feeling of having a heat pad right below the midsection of my body. I do think I am capturing that aspect pretty well, because that is the location where I am measuring. I have demonstrated that the top layers of foam heat up from about 68-70 degrees to 90 degrees after a few hours. I think I will put the Talatech layer on top again tonight to see how that compares with similiar room temperature. |
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I went back to the convoluted blended latex topper last night, and it heated up to 89.6 degrees. Exactly the same at the 2" of folded Celsion. 0.2 less than the 3" of memory foam. So, it does not seem to be much difference between the 3 types of foams at the top comfort layer. My perception was that the blended latex was slightly warmer than the Celsion, but maybe that is just in my head. Maybe their is a difference in the time to heat up and how wide spread the heat is. It is hard to measure the first, but I would not that after a couple of hours (when I have checked) the temperature was around 85-86 in most cases. I may try to measure dispersion by moving the temperature sensor to a different location. It might be interesting to put it one layer lower as well to see how much that is heating up. My conclusion seem to be that is probably much more important what is under the comort layer (air filled springs will probably disperse heat better than "solid" latex or foam). Possibly what covers the comfort level is important as well (cotton vs. wool vs. polyester vs. whatever else). However, it seems like there has not been a lot of research on this, so I am just guessing. One study I have seen says that innersprings disperse the heat better. Based on my experience that seems to be the case. However, it may have to be a firm innerspring, and it may be just the fact you are sinking in less. Right now the heat is not a huge issue for me (at least in the cooler weather), but I definitely would prefer less of it. It mainly seems to bother me when I wake up after being in bed 2-3 hours. It is possible I will wake up like that on any surface, so hard to say how much it is affecting me. Worried what summer might bring though. Anyway, I have to decide soon if I want to go back to try an innerspring. It seem like that is the only potentially cooler solution (beside a water bed which is not in the cards for me). I am leaning in that direction, but I am getting tired of having to keep dealing with this. Hardest purchase of anything I have made in my life. |
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Sandman: I know you have a FlowBeds, I'm sure you probably already know this but I will mention it just the same. FloBeds also sells waterbeds, and thus the name FlowBeds, this is how they started. With a waterbed you have a great deal of control over the temperature of the bed. If you want it cool, no problem. Just turn down the thermostat. I'm sure Dave Turner would be willing to work something out with you. |
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Thanks eagle. I cannot have a waterbed where I am living right now. I am sure that would be a great option temperature wise, but it is not in the cards for me a the moment. I am not totally sure if an innerspring will solve my problem. It is possible that the ones I have slept on the past have been cooler because they just had a thin layer of cheap low density padding. So, they are not the most comfortable. Upgrading to higher quality more dense foams might bring the heat issue right back. Trial and error may be the only way to find out. This message was modified Dec 12, 2009 by sandman
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sandman wrote: Thanks eagle. I cannot have a waterbed where I am living right now. I am sure that would be a great option temperature wise, but it is not in the cards for me a the moment. I am not totally sure if an innerspring will solve my problem. It is possible that the ones I have slept on the past have been cooler because they just had a thin layer of cheap low density padding. So, they are not the most comfortable. Upgrading to higher quality more dense foams might bring the heat issue right back. Trial and error may be the only way to find out. Sandman: One other thought. FloBeds also sells air beds, if memory serves. I think you need to take your concerns to them and let them work with you as they are pretty broad in their selection of bedding. On top of this Dave Turner is something of an inventor and really, kind of enjoys the challenge of working out problems in the area of mattresses. It's worth a shot anyway. Good luck. |
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Hi Sandman, I know you've tried lots of things for the heat issue, but I can't remember if you've tried a THICK wool topper, i.e. not a fleece pad such as snugfleece but the type that has several layers of wool fleece encased in a cotton shell, so the whole thing is 3-4". In my experience that type feels very different than the wool fleece pad. It would affect the feeling of the latex though. As you may know from my posts, I find even the fleece pad makes the latex feel firmer, so I have taken mine off, as I prefer the feel of the latex without it. I've never used the thick wool topper on my Flobed; it came with my old bed which had a very thin piece of latex and then the wool pad. But it was interesting that that bed never felt hot (but it was way too firm for me). Good luck with your decision-making. I was relieved to finally be done with it when I decided to keep my Flobed! When I was away for a week, I slept on a very firm innerspring mattress (old, flipable kind with no extra padding) on which I put my convoluted latex topper (doubled) and my wool fleece pad in order to even be able to sleep at all (bed was way to firm for me). I think it felt cooler than my Flobed but far less comfortable. It's hard to really assess temp temp-wise as it's all so subjective, and undoubtedly depends also on the weather/temp in the room/bedding, etc. I probably won't be back on this forum much, but still hope to check in now and then. And if anything changes significantly in my experience, I'll post then. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. It's a great resource, and I hope my posts have also been of benefit to some people. Linda |