As a 45-year-old woman, I love a memory foam pillow, but not how hot they make me – this cooling gel pillow just solved that

My REM-Fit 500 Cool Gel Pillow review puts this memory foam pillow through its paces to see if it can really deliver a cooler sleep, and to see how it compares to the best pillows Ideal Home has tested.

In a nutshell

We all know that temperature is the key to a good night’s sleep. Too cold, and you can’t sleep. Too hot, and you can’t sleep. I'm a 45-year-old peri-menopausal mother-of-two, and I often wake up in the night overheated, sweaty, and unable to get back to sleep. So who better to put REM-Fit's 500 Cool Gel pillow to the test to see if it lives up to its name.

My youngest son is also possibly the sweatiest sleeper I’ve ever encountered, so I was keen to find out if the REM-Fit 500 Cool Gel Pillow could help us both benefit from better temperature regulation during the night. And, we found it delivers.

The combination of cooling gel and a mesh panel design all work together to wick away heat and sweat, allow air circulation, and help with temperature regulation.

Unlike some memory-foam pillows I’ve tried before this pillow also wasn’t too rigid and ‘brick like’, meaning it didn’t feel uncomfortable on the head or neck. My head sunk into the pillow just the right amount to keep my spine in alignment and it suited both my back and side sleeping positions.

My son who usually likes a firm memory-foam pillow, and myself who prefers a medium one both liked the feel of this pillow which really did feel like it ticked all the boxes. And the fact the cover is removable and machine washable is an added bonus which means it will stay fresh and last longer.

REM-Fit 500 Cool Gel Pillow review

Specifications

• Best for: side or back sleepers who love memory foam, but don't want a hot head
• Materials: cover: 40% Lyocell from Tencel, 60% Polyester, inner: viscoelastic polyurethane foam with gel powders
• Dimensions: 64cm x 40cm x 12cm
• Care instructions: the outer cover can be washed at 40 degrees and tumble dried low. Do not bleach or iron. The inner foam core should be sponge cleaned only.
• Manufacturer sleep trial: n/a

Comfort

The REM-fit 500 Cool Gel Pillow is made from memory foam, which the brand says will aid spinal alignment whilst alleviating pressure on joints.

Some memory foam pillows that I’ve previously slept on feel too hard and rigid for my preference, such as the OTTY Deluxe Pure Pillow I recently tested, so I was interested to discover if this pillow felt more comfortable.

I’m usually a side sleeper, but I sometimes sleep on my back, and usually I prefer a medium level of firmness and a mid-height.

According to the brand, this pillow is perfect for any sleep position, and I did find it comfortable for side and back sleeping. However, I felt it would be too high for front sleeping.

When I lay on this pillow, it felt firm enough to support my head, but at the same time soft enough that my head sank into it a bit, rather than sitting on top of it like it does with the OTTY pillow.

Consequently, this felt comfortable on both my back and side, and when I slept on it on my side, I didn’t feel the neck and shoulder pain that I often experience. Something which I assume means that it adequately supported my spine and neck.

The slanted edges on this pillow also made it feel more comfortable and not dig in around the neck like some with firmer edges.

Comfort-wise I think this pillow offered the perfect combination of support and sinking.

Temperature regulation

REM-Fit says this is the 'ultimate cooling pillow', with a 'cooling gel insert that regulates excess body heat while the Re-Ax® Technology cover on the pillows wicks away moisture, regulating body temperature for maximum cooling effects'.

It also features ‘air mesh’, which I haven’t seen on a pillow before, and is literally four panels of mesh fabric around each side. This is to boost airflow for a ‘fresher sleep’.

I was keen to learn if this technology would enable the pillow to live up to its name and keep an often sweaty 45-year-old peri-menopausal woman cool! And that, reader, really is a challenge! I often wake up in the night sweating and uncomfortable, unable to regulate my temperature and get back to sleep. Often my neck and hair feel clammy and sweaty, too.

I went to bed feeling warm, but putting my head on this pillow, it felt cool, and I noticed that whereas I often get warmer as I try and get to sleep, I didn’t get any hotter. In fact, when I lay on this pillow, my body maintained a pleasantly cool temperature as I got to sleep (very quickly, I must add!)

I didn’t wake up in the night hot and sweaty like I often do. In fact, when I woke up even my neck was cool and my hair didn’t feel at all damp.

My youngest son who is nine also gets very hot in the night. He loved the fact this pillow kept him cool and he said he didn’t need to keep turning it over to find the cool side like he usually does with his existing pillow. So that's a thumbs up from two sweaty sleepers!

Ease of care

The perils of fake tan, children, and drinking tea in bed mean that my pillows often need a wash to get rid of marks and stains. So I loved the fact that the outer case of this pillow is removable and can be washed at 40 degrees and tumble dried on low.

However, the inner foam core should be sponge cleaned only.

I tried machine washing the cover as instructed and it came up as good as new and didn’t shrink or lose its shape. It was easy to put back on again afterwards too.

For me, being able to wash the outer cover is nice plus point as it means the pillow will definitely stay fresher and last for longer.

Sleep trial

Pillows can be expensive, and it can be tricky to know if the height and squish-factor it offers will really make your sleep more comfortable before you rest your head on it for a few nights. Especially if you're buying a pillow online without the option to handle it in-store.

As such, it's a shame REM-Fit doesn't offer a sleep trial on the Cool Gel Pillow. The brand offers a 200-night sleep trial on its mattresses, but unfortunately, the same doesn't apply to its pillows.

Value for money

The REM-Fit 500 Cool Gel Pillow costs £59.99. That's about average for a memory foam pillow.

In comparison, the Panda Memory Foam Pillow – which, all things considered, I still think is the best memory foam pillow we've tested – costs £44.95. The more luxurious-feeling Panda Hybrid Bamboo Pillow retails for £89.95, and both come with a 30-night sleep trial that the REM-Fit pillow does not.

The bonus of the REM-Fit Cooling Gel Pillow is that it sleeps a little cooler than these two memory foam options. So, if you love the feel of memory foam under your head, but, like me, you're a hot sleeper, this pillow could well be worth the investment.

How I tested

Rachel Tompkins

I’m Rachel, a mother of two and a freelance reviewer who helps the Ideal Home team put all manner of products through their paces to find the top recommendations for our readers. For this review, I tested the REM-Fit 500 Cool Gel Pillow.

In order to test out this pillow, I slept on it for two weeks on my own bed to assess its comfort and temperature regulation. Plus, I loaned it to my two sons and my husband to see how it suited them. I also assessed its ease of care, any sleep trials available, and how it compares to similar products on the market to see if it offered good value for money.