EDITOR’S NOTE: Idle Sleep is no longer producing mattresses. Please check out our best mattress list for other great options.
A Great Alternative to the Idle Sleep Gel Foam Mattress
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress. I dreaded paying for a new mattress but my old one was 15 years old…buying a Nectar was the best choice I could have made! It is so comfortable and didn’t cost an arm and a leg. I would absolutely recommend this mattress to anyone!
The original Nectar mattress is a pressure-relieving, yet supportive, bed. It’s made with a thick layer of therapeutic memory foam, which offers sleepers plenty of support and decent body contouring.
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress. I dreaded paying for a new mattress but my old one was 15 years old…buying a Nectar was the best choice I could have made! It is so comfortable and didn’t cost an arm and a leg. I would absolutely recommend this mattress to anyone!
The original Nectar mattress is a pressure-relieving, yet supportive, bed. It’s made with a thick layer of therapeutic memory foam, which offers sleepers plenty of support and decent body contouring.
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress. I dreaded paying for a new mattress but my old one was 15 years old…buying a Nectar was the best choice I could have made! It is so comfortable and didn’t cost an arm and a leg. I would absolutely recommend this mattress to anyone!
Nectar Mattress
Material
Foam
Trial Period
365 nights
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Firmness
Medium-firm: 6.5/10
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
Price Range
$$$$$
Couples
This bed has great motion isolation so you will not feel your partner tossing and turning at night.
Back Pain
This bed is perfect for anyone suffering from back pain.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Side Sleeping
Ideal for heavyweight side sleepers.
Stomach Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight stomach sleepers.
Financing Options
Nectar Mattress
Material
Foam
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
Firmness
Medium-firm: 6.5/10
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Trial Period
365 nights
Price Range
$$$$$
Couples
This bed has great motion isolation so you will not feel your partner tossing and turning at night.
Back Pain
This bed is perfect for anyone suffering from back pain.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Side Sleeping
Ideal for heavyweight side sleepers.
Stomach Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight stomach sleepers.
Financing Options
Nectar Mattress
Material
Foam
Firmness
Medium-firm: 6.5/10
Trial Period
365 nights
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Price Range
$$$$$
Couples
This bed has great motion isolation so you will not feel your partner tossing and turning at night.
Back Pain
This bed is perfect for anyone suffering from back pain.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Side Sleeping
Ideal for heavyweight side sleepers.
Stomach Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight stomach sleepers.
Financing Options
Are you looking for a mattress that provides soothing pressure relief while keeping you cool all night long? If so, consider the Idle Gel Foam mattress! Its soft foam comfort layer is infused with a cooling gel to keep you from overheating, so it offers just the right balance of softness and breathability.
But does this mattress live up to the hype? To find out, I’m going to put it through a series of tests and see how it performs on things like pressure relief, motion transfer, and edge support. I’ll also check out its firmness level, construction, and how it may perform for couples.
Ready to dive in? Keep reading my full Idle Gel Foam mattress review below! If you’re short on time, you can head down to my review summary.
Is the Idle Gel Foam a Good Mattress for You?
Let’s get started with some of the basics about the Idle Gel Foam mattress and who it might be good for. Depending on your body weight, height, and preferred sleeping position, the bed may or may not work for you. While I can’t make that decision for you, you can look at some of my recommendations below to get there on your own.
Who I recommend the Idle Gel Foam mattress for
- I highly recommend hot sleepers, or those concerned with temperature regulation, consider the Idle Gel Foam mattress. Due to its gel cooling properties, this bed should keep even the hottest of sleepers comfortable all night long.
- I think back sleepers and side sleepers are especially going to enjoy this mattress. It has a slow response to pressure that offers tons of tension-relieving body contouring.
Who I don’t recommend the Idle Gel Foam mattress for
- I don’t think this mattress is great for combination sleepers. There is not much bounce with this bed, leaving sleepers stuck in the mattress when swapping positions.
- Most stomach sleepers are going to want something firmer than this bed for support.
How Firm is the Idle Gel Foam Mattress?
It’s important to understand that firmness isn’t a one-size-fits-all scenario — your size, weight, shape, and other factors all determine your ideal level of firmness. So your preferences might not be the same as mine. For reference, I’m 5’10”, weigh 190 lbs., and prefer to sleep on my stomach.
After lying on the mattress, I ranked the bed at a 6.5 out of 10 on the firmness scale, with 1 being the softest and 10 being the firmest. Considering 6.5 is the industry standard for a medium-firm mattress, the Idle Gel Foam is right around that mark.
Idle Gel Foam Mattress Performance
Aside from a mattress’s firmness, there are a few more factors to consider when searching for a new mattress. To really determine whether a bed is a good fit for you, it’s important to consider how it performs in different sleeping positions, how it relieves pain and pressure, and how it might feel to couples sharing the bed. So let’s get to testing!
Testing the Idle Gel Foam Mattress in Different Sleeping Positions
Different sleeping positions and weights require different amounts of support. Generally, light sleepers don’t require the same amount of support as heavy sleepers. Read on below to see how the Idle Gel Foam mattress performs for sleepers of different weights.
Is the Idle Gel Foam a Good Mattress for Light Sleepers (Under 130 lb)?
- Light Back Sleepers – I think this bed would be a great option for these folks. Light back sleepers should feel plenty of comfort and pressure relief, with lots of support around their lumbar region.
- Light Side Sleepers – While this bed may feel a bit firmer than some side sleepers prefer, the Idle Gel Foam is actually a great option for lighter folks. They won’t sink past its soft top foam layer which is great for cushioning any painful joints.
- Light Stomach Sleepers – This bed is not going to be a good option for light stomach sleepers. These sleepers will feel the mattress as quite firm due to their lighter body weight.
Is the Idle Gel Foam a Good Mattress for Average Weight Sleepers (130 – 250 lb)?
- Average Weight Back Sleepers – I think average weight back sleepers will really benefit from this bed. Its medium-firm build will evenly distribute their weight and help them maintain a proper spinal alignment.
- Average Weight Side Sleepers – Average weight side sleepers should experience a blend of support and pressure relief on this bed, making it a great choice for them. This bed has just enough sinkage to allow for the plush comfort they desire.
- Average Weight Stomach Sleepers – I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this mattress to stomach sleepers, who need a firmer mattress to prevent sinkage at the hips.
Is the Idle Gel Foam a Good Mattress for Heavy Sleepers (over 250 lb)?
- Heavy Back Sleepers – Heavy sleepers might want to look into a firmer option with less foam — like one of our best innerspring mattresses. Typically an all foam mattress is not going to have enough support for heavier weights, and the Idle Gel Foam is no exception.
- Heavy Side Sleepers – See above.
- Heavy Stomach Sleepers – See above.
Idle Gel Foam Pain Relief Performance
A mattress with good pressure relief can help alleviate pain at the shoulders, hips, and lower back. To get an idea of how well the Idle Gel Foam relieves pressure, I used my handy pressure map.
Putting the pressure map on top of the mattress and laying on top, let me see where pressure was relieved and where it wasn’t. For reference, blue and green indicate areas of low pressure, while yellow and red indicate areas of high pressure.
Back Pain – In general, I think this is a great mattress for back sleepers, especially those with back pain. My weight was evenly distributed when I was on my back, so I felt a relaxing mix of comfort and support at my lumbar region. The same can not be said for stomach sleepers with back pain. The bed does not have enough support to keep their hips lifted in line with their shoulders, which can lead to even more back pain.
Shoulder Pain – When I rolled to my side, I felt some nice pressure relief at my shoulders and hips. As the pressure map shows, there was a slight amount of pressure on my shoulders, but it wasn’t enough to cause me discomfort. Overall, I think sleepers with shoulder pain will be really happy with this mattress.
Hip Pain – While I wouldn’t recommend this mattress to stomach sleepers with hip issues, I would steer back sleepers with hip pain towards the Idle Gel Foam mattress. Whereas your hips may sink when lying on your stomach, your hips will actually be quite supported when lying on your back! Side sleepers with hip pain might also like this bed.
Idle Gel Foam Performance for Couples
When sharing the bed with a partner, you’ll want to keep a few more things in mind while shopping for a new mattress. Features you’ll want to consider include motion transfer, performance during sex, cooling, and edge support.
Motion Transfer
Motion transfer refers to the amount of noticeable disturbance from one end of the mattress to the other. How well a mattress does with motion transfer can be really important for couples, especially if your bedmate is a restless sleeper.
To test out the Idle Gel Foam’s motion transfer, I dropped a 10 lb steel ball onto the mattress from three different heights. The 4 inch drop simulated tossing and turning in the bed, the 8 inch drop simulated getting out of bed, and the 12 inch drop simulated how it would feel if a bedmate, or pet, were to make a quick movement/jump. For reference, the bigger the lines, the bigger the disturbance.
I think the Idle Gel Foam isolated motion pretty well. While there were some initial high spikes of disturbance for each drop, the soft foams helped to absorb it quickly. This might be an issue if you’re a light sleeper, but for people who aren’t as sensitive to movement, this shouldn’t be a problem.
Sex
While the Idle Gel Foam has great motion transfer, it does not have much bounce or responsiveness. This is not uncommon for a mattress with multiple layers of foam, but does make this a poor bed for sex. That is not to say that activity in the bedroom would be impossible, it just may come with an extra challenge when trying to move around.
Cooling
The Idle Gel Foam mattress gets a gold medal for its cooling capabilities. If you are a hot sleeper, you will really notice this mattress is cool to the touch — which is unusual for a foam mattress! You can thank Idle’s Cooling Buoyancy Foam for this, as it is designed for regulating your body temperature to keep you comfy and cool!
Edge Support
I tested the Idle Gel Foam’s edge support to determine if it’s likely to hold up when you sleep toward the sides of the bed. Also, if you ever sit on the end of your bed, you’ll probably want to consider a mattress with strong edge support.
I’m pleased to report that the Idle’s edge support was sturdy enough to keep the mattress from caving in. Since it offers decent edge support, the Idle Gel Foam lets you use all of the available space, making it feel that much bigger. Couples and heavier folks alike should be pleased with this mattress’s good edge support as it will prevent them from feeling right on top of their partner, or eliminate the feeling that they might roll off the bed!
What is the Idle Gel Foam Mattress Made Of?
The Idle Gel Foam mattress is built with what they refer to as “Cooling Buoyancy Foam,” a material that — much like memory foam — offers a pressure-relieving, contouring feeling. And thanks to the transition and foundation layers, you’ll feel some support while you sleep.
What intrigued me about the Idle Gel Foam is that it uses three layers of foam, all with varying degrees of firmness. Combined together, they create a plush, yet durable mattress surface. Not to mention that this bed uses a cover and comfort layer with cooling properties to help prevent you from getting too warm at night.
To give you a closer look at these materials, let’s check out each layer!
Cover – To kick us off, we have a thin, breathable cover that helps you stay cool. And since it’s machine washable, keeping it clean should be a synch.
Comfort Layer – Next up is a 3 inch layer of Idle Cooling Buoyancy Foam. Infused with cooling gel, it has a slow response to pressure, just like memory foam. This helps alleviate tension as you sink into it. But since there’s not much bounce to this material, you may feel a little stuck as it contours to your body.
Transition Layer – After this, we come to a 2 inch transition layer of firmer polyurethane foam. Since this foam has a quick response to pressure, you won’t sink into it much. This layer is meant to ease you into the firmer foundation layer below.
Foundation Layer – Finally, we have a 7 inch layer of sturdy high-density polyfoam. This is a really firm material that a lot of the best bed-in-a-box mattresses use for support.
Idle Gel Foam Unboxing and Off-Gassing
The Idle Gel Foam is a bed-in-a-box mattress, which means it will arrive compressed and will have to be unboxed at home. As with all bed-in-a-box mattresses, you’ll need to wait at least 24 hours for this bed to fully decompress.
As with many new mattresses, the Idle Gel Foam will likely emit a smell when it is first unboxed — this is known as off-gassing. Although this smell is not harmful, it does come with a chemical, “new mattress” smell. If you experience off-gassing, I recommend leaving the mattress in a well ventilated room and within a few hours the smell should be completely gone!
My Final Thoughts about the Idle Gel Foam Mattress
After learning about everything from construction to firmness, it’s now time to answer the all-important question: Is the Idle Gel Foam the best mattress for you? To help you decide, check out my final thoughts!
My favorite things about the Idle Gel Foam mattress
I think this mattress is likely going to help even the hottest of sleepers sleep through the night without breaking a sweat, thanks to its breathable cover and cooling gel-infused comfort layer. Back sleepers are really going to dig the pressure relieving capabilities of this mattress, and the firmer bottom layers will likely give them the support they want. I also think this is a fantastic choice for side sleepers with shoulder pain! Since it alleviates tension well, it will likely help them avoid shoulder and/or hip pain.
My Idle Gel Foam mattress complaints
I don’t think stomach sleepers are going to like this bed’s level of support. Stomach sleepers generally need a firm build to keep their hips propped up — on the Idle Gel Foam these sleepers are likely to feel their hips and spine sink uncomfortably deep. Since there’s not much bounce to this mattress, combination sleepers might feel a little stuck trying to change positions throughout the night.
How Much Does the Idle Gel Foam Cost?
This bed may appeal to shoppers on a budget, as it is on the low side of all-foam mattress prices. Check out the full pricing of the Idle Gel Foam below, and don’t forget to check out our Idle Sleep coupon page for the latest discount!
Prices listed below will be before discount or offer for each size.
| Size | Dimensions | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Twin | 38″ x 75″ x 12″ | $910 |
| Twin XL | 38″ x 80″ x 12″ | $990 |
| Full | 54″ x 75″ x 12″ | $1,190 |
| Queen | 60″ x 80″ x 12″ | $1,390 |
| King | 76″ x 80″ x 12″ | $1,710 |
| California King | 72″ x 80″ x 12″ | $1,710 |
Idle Gel Foam Mattress Policies and FAQs
Does the Idle Gel Foam mattress come with a mattress warranty?
The Idle Gel Foam mattress comes with a lifetime warranty, letting you know that the brand stands behind this mattress.
Does the Idle Gel Foam come with a sleep trial?
Yes, you can try out this bed in your home for 18 months.
Where are Idle mattresses made?
All Idle mattresses are proudly made in the USA.
Do you need a box spring with the Idle Gel Foam bed?
You do not need a box spring with this mattress, but you can use one if you want. This mattress will work well with most types of foundations.
Can you flip the Idle Gel Foam mattress?
You should not flip this mattress. Idle Sleep has made it with the comfort layer at the top and the supportive layers at the bottom. So flipping it would probably be quite uncomfortable.
Idle Gel Foam Mattress Vs
It’s always a good idea to compare a bed to some of its competition. Let’s put the Idle in the ring against other mattresses built specifically for cooling and pressure relief. Take a look below to see how the Idle Gel Foam holds up against its competition: the Tuft & Needle Mint and the Layla.
Idle Gel Foam vs Tuft & Needle Mint
- Like the Idle Gel Foam, the Tuft & Needle Mint is an all-foam bed-in-a-box.
- Both mattresses fall around the same firmness level, with the Tuft & Needle Mint feeling just a bit softer than the Idle. But both beds are medium-firm.
- In general, I’d recommend the Tuft & Needle Mint mattress for back and side sleepers.
- The Tuft & Needle is pricier, making the Idle Gel Foam a much more affordable option with similar properties.
- To learn more, check out my full Tuft & Needle Mint mattress review.
Idle Gel Foam vs Layla
- The Layla is an all-foam mattress that is flippable with a soft and firm side, making it appealing to a larger audience.
- The Layla is built with copper-infused memory foam, allowing it to have solid cooling power.
- The Layla mattress is a bit more expensive than the Idle, but not enough to completely weigh a decision based on cost.
- Interested? Check out my full Layla mattress review.
Other Models from Idle
Wondering what else Idle has to offer? Below, I’ll share the three other mattresses from Idle. Let’s see how the Idle Gel Foam compares to the Idle Gel Plush, the Idle Hybrid, and the Idle Latex Hybrid!
Idle Gel Foam vs Idle Gel Plush
- I’d say this mattress is a bit softer than the Idle Gel Foam, thanks to its thicker layers of memory foam that let you sink in more.
- While the Idle Gel Foam does a swell job with pressure relief, I think the Idle Gel Plush performs better in this area.
- To learn more, read my full Idle Gel Plush mattress review.
Idle Gel Foam vs Idle Hybrid
- Unlike the Idle Gel Foam, the Idle Hybrid uses a layer of pocketed coils for support along with foam layers for softness — this is what makes it a hybrid mattress.
- I think the bounce of this medium-firm mattress makes it much better than the Idle Gel Foam for combination sleepers, since it allows for greater mobility when changing positions.
- Interested in learning more? Check out my full Idle Hybrid mattress review!
Idle Gel Foam vs Idle Latex Hybrid
- I think the Idle Latex Hybrid’s coiled layer makes it a bit firmer than the Idle Gel Foam, which means you won’t get as much pressure relief from it.
- Unlike the Idle Gel Foam, the Idle Latex Hybrid has some bounce to it. This gives it an “on-top-of-the-mattress” feeling, which is good news for combination sleepers who switch positions at night.
- If you want more info on this model, head over to my full Idle Latex Hybrid mattress review!
Our Review Process
Our Sleepopolis reviewers personally test each mattress. We start by unboxing the mattress to figure out how difficult (or easy) it is to get the mattress from the box to the bed. Then, we spend time laying on the bed in different positions, taking time to assess it on our backs, stomachs, and sides. Next, we perform our Sleepopolis tests, using specialized tools to measure qualities like motion transfer, bounce, and pressure relief. Our last step is to open up the mattress and take a look at each layer. These steps allow us to give our final verdict on the mattress. Jump back to our mattress picks.
Take a look at how the Idle Gel Foam performed on my star rating chart below!
Idle Gel Foam Mattress
I think the Idle Gel Foam mattress is likely going to help even the hottest of sleepers get through the night without breaking a sweat, thanks to its breathable cover and cooling gel-infused comfort layer.
Product In-Stock: InStock
4.3
