I tested this £15 cooling gel pad during a heatwave – it's a game-changer for a cooler night's sleep
If you're a hot sleeper who tends to overheat at night, you're struggling with menopausal hot flushes, or you want to prepare for the next heatwave, I think you'll want to add this cooling gel pad to your Amazon basket today
![A bedroom with a bed covered in white bedlinen and a wooden armchair to one side](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vzLeQTvWyE7nQSfQobeSUi-415-80.jpg)
As Ideal Home's Sleep Editor, and a certified hot sleeper, I've come across a *lot* products that claim they can deliver a cooler night's sleep. Sadly, on testing most tend to promise a lot more than they can deliver.
So when I read about Silentnight's Cooling Gel Pillow Pad, I treated it with a fair amount of skepticism. That is until I tested it out during a heatwave and found it really *can* deliver an icy cold sleep. And even better? It's only £15.
Silentnight Cooling Gel Pillow Pad | was £15 now £12.99 at Amazon
Designed to absorb body heat, I found this cooling gel pad helped me to stay cool at night, even in a heatwave.
The Cooling Gel Pillow Pad is a part of Silentnight's Restore collection – a range which is pitched as 'cooling sleep solutions for the menopause, designed by women, for women'.
As the NHS website says, common physical symptoms of menopause and perimenopause include hot flushes, which are described as 'sudden feelings of hot or cold in your face, neck and chest' and 'difficulty sleeping, which may be a result of night sweats and make you feel tired and irritable during the day'.
The Silentnight Cooling Gel Pillow Pad is designed to combat both of these problems, with the brand saying it's ideal for 'overheaters and those who struggle with night sweats or hot flushes'.
However, it isn't just menopause that can cause overheating at night. A bedroom that's too warm (experts recommend the ideal bedroom temperature is around 18°c) can also play a large part in causing us to wake up hot and sticky during the night, as can synthetic bedding and memory foam mattresses that lack breathability.
All in all, it's no wonder that so many of us are looking for ways to sleep cooler at night, whether that's by investing in one of the best cooling mattress toppers, swapping out a polyester duvet for a wool-filled duvet that offers better temperature regulation, or investing in a breathable mattress made from natural materials rather than synthetics.
Get the Ideal Home Newsletter
Sign up to our newsletter for style and decor inspiration, house makeovers, project advice and more.
However, when a heatwave strikes or your struggling with hot flushes, having a product that can cool you down fast is a game-changer. Which, as I discovered, is where the Silentnight Cooling Gel Pad really delivers.
Once unboxed, the 60 x 40cm Silentnight Cooling Gel Pillow Pad looks pretty unassuming, but when I lay my hand on its surface I was instantly impressed by how cool it felt.
The pad is only a few millimetres thick, but it's constructed of two chambers which both hold cooling gel within a thick PVC cover. There's no detail given on what that gel is made from, and no information on the pad as to how it can be disposed of, so unfortunately I doubt it's recyclable, but it definitely does do what Silentnight claims, which is to absorb body heat and retain its coolness.
In fact, I tested this gel pad during a heatwave when my bedroom was around 30°c and I was struggling to sleep, and I found it was almost too cold to sleep on!
Silentnight suggests you can lay the Cooling Gel Pillow Pad on top of your pillow as it is, or pop it into a pillowcase, and I chose to do the latter as a bit of a buffer between my hot skin and the cool pad whilst I got used to it.
It does add some firmness to your pillow, but it's still flexible enough that it definitely wasn't like sleeping on a rock, and in no time at all despite the surrounding temperatures soaring, my head felt actually... chilly!
Having the gel pad under my head made a huge difference to my body temperature, instantly making me feel cooler despite no change in the ambient air temperature.
In fact, before long I decided to try placing the gel pad under my bedsheet instead to see if I could cool the rest of my body. Silentnight doesn't mention this is an option, so I'm not sure if there are weight limits on how much pressure the gel should have placed on it, but, it certainly did the trick.
After a few minutes it felt like my core temperature was dropping, and as this is a key factor in slipping into sleep, it really helped me drift off whilst the mercury was soaring.
If you want even more cooling power than the gel alone offers, you can also pop the pad into the fridge for an hour or so before bed to *really* drop the temperature.
All in all, this is now my heatwave go-to for a good night's sleep even when the bedroom is super hot.
I've tried the best portable air conditioners – most of which are noisy, costly to run, and with their high energy use not good for the environment – and I've tested many of the best cooling fans – some of which, like the Duux Whisper Flex Ultimate Fan, I would definitely recommend for helping you feel cooler as you drift off.
But, this cooling gel pad has been the product that's made the most noticeable difference to my body temperature when the mercury is rising.
And for just £15? That has to be worth a try if you're struggling either with hot flushes, or, like me, you want to get heatwave-ready so you can still sleep during the next summer scorcher.
Silentnight Cooling Gel Pillow Pad | was £15 now £12.99 at Amazon
Designed to absorb body heat, I found this cooling gel pad helped me to stay cool at night, even in a heatwave.
Amy is Ideal Home’s Sleep Editor. She’s spent the last three years researching and testing all things sleep for our audiences whether that’s sorting the wheat from the chaff in our hunt for the best mattress or learning about materials to uncover the best duvet for various sleep needs. She also lends her expertise to our furniture guides, sharing her design knowledge with our readers to help them choose the right sofa for their interior or the best garden furniture for their outside space.
-
ProCook is launching an indoor pizza oven for under £200 that doubles up as an air fryer - It's the most affordable one we've seen
Take a first look ahead of the launch in September
By Rebecca Knight
-
I tried the Gtech AirRAM Platinum to see if it really makes vacuuming easier – here's why I think it's one of the best yet
Does the Gtech AirRAM Platinum live up to the hype? I put one through the paces to find out
By Jullia Joson
-
How to prune hedges - a simple step-by-step process to cut them back safely and efficiently
Pruning hedges isn’t as daunting as it seems
By Lauren Bradbury
-
Forget Prime Day, I’m a Sleep Editor and this Habitat bed frame is the only deal I’m considering shopping today
I've had ercol's Teramo bed frame on my wishlist forever – this Habitat alternative offers a similar look for over £800 less, plus, it's currently in the Argos sale
By Amy Lockwood
-
I'm a Sleep Editor and hot sleeper – these are the 6 cooling bedding buys I recommend adding to your Amazon basket
If you're looking for a cooler sleep, then Amazon is a great place for snapping up some breathable bedding
By Amy Lockwood
-
8 things bedding experts recommend investing in to stay cool in bed - whether you are a hot sleeper or struggling to sleep in the summer
If you're a hot sleeper who's prone to overheating at night, or you're looking to sleep better during the next heatwave, this is what you need to stay cool in bed
By Amy Lockwood
-
Today's biggest mattress deals – including up to 55% off at REM-Fit and up to 40% off at Emma
Don't sleep on these up to 55% off mattress deals – the biggest savings on bestselling Emma, REM-Fit, Hypnos, Brook + Wilde, and Silentnight mattresses
By Amy Lockwood
-
Today's best Simba mattress deals – save up to 25% on the brand's bestsellers
The Simba mattress deals you'll want to shop today – including discounts on Ideal Home's top-rated mattress, the Simba Hybrid Original
By Amy Lockwood