If you’re liable to overheating at night, you might be looking for a quick fix when it comes to keeping cool. After all, temperature is one of the main disruptors of sleep. While you may not want to fork out for a whole new mattress, perhaps a mattress topper designed to keep you more comfortable might help?
The Ideal Home team has tested a wide range of the best mattress toppers, and the best cooling mattress toppers. These all incorporate different methods to provide a cool night’s sleep. In the case of the Dreams TheraPur ActiGel Cool Mattress Topper, the brand has made its mattress topper from ActiGel foam. This is foam that’s hypoallergenic and has an open-cell structure that allows air to circulate underneath you to keep your temperature better regulated. It’s also designed to wick away sweat.
As well as all this, this mattress topper has been designed to relieve pressure points with zoned foam, offering responsive support that contours to your body. That all sounds great, but how did it stack up during testing? As a side sleeper who is a hot sleeper, I need decent shoulder and hip support while not being overheated by sweaty foam. I put the king-size version of the TheraPur mattress topper to the test during an unseasonably hot April and May.
Dreams TheraPur ActiGel Cool Mattress Topper specifications
- RRP: £140 / £170 / £190 / £210
- Sizes: single / double / king / super-king
- Depth: 4cm
- Construction: foam
- Care instructions: removable cover machine-washable at 30°C
- Manufacturer sleep trial: no
Attaching the topper to the bed
The TheraPur ActiGel Cool mattress topper comes vacuum-packed inside a reusable case. Although I challenge you to get that topper back in the packaging after you unravel it, best of luck.
The topper unfurled quickly on the bed, but the instructions said to leave it for 24 hours to plump up to the proper size before using. This is also to allow for off-gassing, and that off-gassing odour did give me a headache, even with my windows wide open.
However, once all of that was out of the way, the TheraPur ActiGel Cool mattress topper attached to my mattress using wide elasticated straps on each corner. These were easy to hook on in a matter of minutes, and then we were good to go.
Comfort
I hold my hands up now with the disclaimer that I am foam sceptical. I have tested so many mattresses and mattress toppers over the years as a sleep-product tester, and foam has let me down so many times. So I was ready to be disappointed. But as I slid on to the TheraPur ActiGel Cool mattress topper I was surprised to find I didn’t want to get off it. It totally transformed how my mattress felt.
There’s a good level of responsiveness and give, especially for its relatively shallow 4.4cm depth. Initially I laid prone on the topper to see how I’d fare, then rolling into my favoured side position for sleep.
My lower back felt supported – which is rarely the case. But I found it a bit of effort rolling onto my side compared to when I sleep on my usual sleep surface. This is because the TheraPur ActiGel Cool mattress topper is softer than I am used to. This is really a personal preference thing though – I don’t enjoy being enveloped by my mattress/mattress topper, but for those that like that sinking memory-foam style sensation then it’s great. It might not be the best mattress topper for those with mobility issues.
However, the TheraPur ActiGel Cool mattress topper doesn’t actually mould to you like memory foam – it isn’t memory foam, after all. Which means you don’t get that odd feeling when you move, of being able to feel your old body print underneath you.
Once on my side, I found the TheraPur ActiGel Cool mattress topper comfortable. I experienced no hip pain (I do sometimes find my hips can ache) and my shoulders felt supported too. The support I felt was much more comprehensive than my usual mattress topper.
This could be the ideal mattress topper if you have mild aches and pains when you sleep, or if you want to make your sofa bed more comfortable. Beware, though, this mattress topper is only 4.4cm thick. It won’t even out dips on the mattress underneath, and in my case, I found it even exacerbated the feeling of them.
Temperature regulation
I was curious how I would find the temperature regulation on this mattress topper, as it has cool in the name so I was expecting to feel a chill once I lay down. As I mentioned, I tested this during an unseasonably hot April and into the start of May, so it was really put to the test.
As a hot sleeper, I usually sleep on the Woolroom Deluxe Wool Mattress Topper. I love the natural temperature-regulating properties of this topper. So could a foam mattress offer me the same levels of comfort?
I felt like this was a little disappointing on the TheraPur ActiGel Cool mattress topper – it’s not going to actively cool you like some other toppers on the market are (and which you might expect from the name). And I felt like the passive cooling it did offer wasn’t life-changing.
Having said that, I’ve slept on a lot of foam mattresses and toppers – some get unbearably hot. But the TheraPur ActiGel Cool mattress topper didn’t heat me so much that it woke me up or gave me night sweats. So it’s a good one if you like foam-style support but don’t want to overheat.
Care instructions
There is a machine-washable cover on the TheraPur ActiGel Cool mattress topper, which you can chuck in your washing machine at 30ºC. This is a real bonus for allergy sufferers, who might want to really blitz any dust mites and other allergens out. You’re not going to be able to tumble dry it though, so choose a sunny day to do this job.
However, I’d still always recommend deploying a mattress protector over your topper and mattress to keep things more hygienic.
Sleep trial
The TheraPur ActiGel Cool mattress topper doesn’t come with a sleep trial, which is a real shame as you can’t try before you commit.
I also did some digging and it seems incredibly hard if not impossible to test it in a shop. It cannot be returned if opened or used. In my opinion, this is a real downside to the TheraPur ActiGel Cool mattress topper as it’s a risk spending that much money on something you haven’t been able to test out first.
Verdict
Overall, I think this is a solid mattress topper in terms of comfort, especially considering it’s only 4cm or so deep. I found it gently supportive and great at easing pain points such as aching hips and knees. Side sleepers are going to really make the most of this, and I found even when sleeping on my back, it alleviated lower back pain.
However, I found that the “cool” in its name should be taken with a pinch of salt, as the TheraPur ActiGel Cool mattress topper does not actively cool. Although it didn’t cause me to overheat, unlike some foam toppers, so that’s a bonus.
For me, the main downside is that this topper doesn’t come with a sleep trial. It’s not cheap, and to my mind, that’s quite a lot of money to invest in something you can’t test out first (unless you can find it in a Dreams store).
Personally, I would opt for the more affordable memory foam Panda Mattress Topper if you want to add cushioning to a hard sleep surface, or the foam IKEA Nisseholm Mattress Topper if you prefer a firmer feel.
How I tested
Usual sleep position: side
Tension preference: medium-firm
Sleep problems: hip pain
In order to test out this mattress topper, I slept on it for two weeks in my own home on top of the fairly firm pocket-spring Hypnos Wool Origins 6 mattress. I assessed how easy it was to attach to the bed, how comfortable it was when sleeping on my back and side, and whether it offered good temperature regulation. I also took into account how easy it was to care for and any sleep trials on offer.
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