Can the 'Staycool™' gel layer in this Sleepeezee mattress really deliver a cooler sleep? We put it to the test

This Sleepeezee Jessica 1800 Pocket Gel Mattress review puts the brand's hybrid mattress to the test to see if it can deliver a cool, comfortable, and supported sleep. 

The Jessica mattress is constructed from a mix of springs, memory foam, and a layer of what the brand dubs 'Staycool™ Gel' that's designed to regulate body temperature. 

It's also endorsed by Olympic track and field champion Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, and whilst this mattress won't give you any special athletic ability – at least that didn't happen for me – as we all know, a good night's sleep helps with your health both physically and mentally.

What's more, Sleepeezee is a British mattress manufacturer that has been around since 1924. All Sleepeezee mattresses are made in their UK factory based in Kent, and if the brand's longevity alone isn’t testament to its quality, Sleepeezee has also been given a Royal Warrant which is a mark of recognition issued to those who have supplied goods to the monarchy within the last five years. 

The Royal Warrant is also a symbol of high standards of excellence, quality and service, so I was eager to see how the Sleepeezee Jessica 1800 Pocket Gel would perform compared to some of the best mattresses that Ideal Home has tested, and if I would be tempted to part with my beloved Simba Hybrid Pro mattress that's so far remained my favourite sleep surface, despite my testing plenty of its competition.

One thing I will say right now, is that if you’re looking for a hybrid mattress at a mid-range price point, the Jessica should be on your radar.

Sleepeezee Jessica 1800 Pocket Gel Mattress Specifications

• Type: Hybrid
• Construction materials: Gel foam, Memory Foam, Pocket Springs, Knitted Cover
• Springs: 1800 pocket springs
• Memory foam: Yes
• Sizes: Single, Small Double, Double, King, Superking, Superking, Zip and Link
• Comfort level: Medium (7 out of 10)
• Height: 27cm
• Side handles: Yes
• Flip or rotate?: Rotate
• Manufacturer sleep trial: Depends on retailer, none as standard

How I tested

Rachael Penn

I’m Rachael, a freelance reviewer who helps the Ideal Home team put products through their paces to find the top recommendations for our readers. For this review, I slept on a king-size Sleepeezee Jessica 1800 Pocket Gel Mattress on a traditional slatted bed base for a couple of weeks to test out its performance. I assessed comfort, temperature regulation, motion transfer, and edge support, as well as ease of delivery. You can find out more about the Ideal Home testing process in our guide to how we test mattresses.

My sleep stats: I'm a combination sleeper, so this mattress's comfort levels have been put through their paces in various different sleep positions, and – much to my partner's annoyance – I tend to move around a lot at night, so I was able to test out the mattress' motion isolation as well. As a hot sleeper I was also well placed to assess breathability to see if it delivered a cool night's sleep.

• Sleep position: combination sleeper, but mainly side
• Tension preference: medium firm
• Sleep problems: hot sleeper, lower back and neck pain

Construction

As Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill herself says, 'as an athlete, sleep and rest are an integral part of any training regime, but at the heart of a good night's sleep is a well-made mattress'. So first up, I wanted to find out how this mattress is constructed.

From what I was able to find out, this mattress has five main layers. Beneath the knitted cover – which aims to aid airflow and breathability with its weave – there's a 'white fibre support layer', which I assume is made from polyester. This gives the mattress a soft cushioned surface. 

Below that, there's a 3cm memory foam layer designed to mould to your body for additional cushioning, and then a 3cm layer of the 'Staycool™ Gel'. Sleepeezee says 'the Staycool™ Gel allows air and moisture to pass through the surface, helping to remove heat from the body to prevent overheating and resulting in a more comfortable night’s sleep'.

Below these comfort layers there are then two layers of springs. Firstly a layer of what the brand calls SoftTech™ pocketed springs, and then a layer of 'traditional individually pocketed springs'. In the king-size mattress I tested, that means 1000 SoftTech™ springs and 800 classic springs in all.

Overall, that makes the Sleepeezee Jessica 1800 Pocket Gel Mattress a 27” deep mattress with a medium-firm tension.

Delivery

Mattress-in-a-box mattresses are very prevalent right now, in fact, it’s almost difficult to remember a time when a mattress didn’t come vacuum-packed and squeezed into a box a quarter of its size. From the affordable Emma Original mattress to the high end Brook + Wilde Ultima mattress, a whole host of mattresses are now delivered rolled tightly to make delivery easier.

Which is why it might come as a surprise that the Sleepeezee Jessica 1800 Pocket Gel Mattress is delivered flat and ready to place on your bed as soon as you manage to get it up the stairs and remove the thick protective plastic. As long as you can get it up the stairs that is, as the benefit of a rolled mattress is that it's a lot easier to manouevre. 

Sleepeezee doesn't sell all of its mattress range direct to consumers from its own website, so the delivery service you receive may depend on the retailer you buy the Sleepeezee Jessica 1800 Pocket Gel Mattress from. In my case, the delivery company didn’t offer free white glove delivery (white glove delivery meaning that they deliver the mattress to the room of your choice), instead it was doorstep delivery. Although, they did offer free mattress removal meaning you can get rid of your old mattress with ease.

These details are well worth checking to avoid any mattress buying mistakes, especially if you know that you'll struggle to get your old mattress down the stairs and your new mattress upstairs by yourself. 

As this mattress contains memory foam, I knew it would likely be heavy, and once it arrived my guess was proved accurate. I tested out the king-size Sleepeezee Jessica 1800 Pocket Gel Mattress which weighs 42kg (or, if you’re like me and prefer pounds, that’s 92.59lbs). Even the single mattress weighs 25kg (55.12lbs).

I live in a Victorian terraced house, and it was a struggle getting to get this mattress up our steep, narrow staircase, but the big issue came when trying to get it under the bannister part of the stairs because this mattress doesn’t bend easily. However, with a bit of pushing and shoving, we finally got it through.

One other thing to note is that although I was given a date for delivery, I didn't receive a time slot, so it was a case of having to wait around at home all day. This is another factor that it's worth checking before you make your purchase, especially if it's going to mean taking a whole day off work on delivery day.

Comfort

Mattresses can sometimes take a little time to get used to, that’s why many mattress companies offer sleep trials that allow you to test out a mattress for anywhere between 30-365 nights before you commit.

However, I found the Sleepeezee Jessica 1800 Pocket Gel mattress super comfortable from the very first night. It perhaps helped that I'm used to sleeping on a hybrid mattress, the Simba Hybrid Pro mattress I usually sleep on is similar to this Sleepeeze model in that it combines memory foam with pocket spring support, and I'd previously just tested out the hybrid Emma NextGen Premium mattress. So the transition probably wasn't as noticeable as if I had been swapping from an all-foam mattress or non-memory foam mattress to this one.

Sleepeezee states that the Jessica 1800 Pocket Gel mattress is a medium firm mattress and I’d definitely agree with that rating. As soon as I laid down the cushioned top felt soft, yet I could also feel the firmness below. Sleepeezee call this a mattress for those 'who love to sink into their mattress but still require support', and I felt that was a good summation.

Underneath the fabric cover, the top polyester comfort layer delivers a little of that sink-in factor, and that 3cm of memory foam does enough to cradle the body, but this is by no means a soft bed. The pocketed springs provide plenty of support that will keep you on top of the bed rather than sinking right in like you might with an all-foam mattress.

I, along with a lot of other people, suffer from back pain if my mattress isn’t 'just right'. This mattress kept my spine well aligned meaning I woke up morning after morning with no aches or pains at all. 

Overall, I think this mattress is a good choice for both side sleepers and back sleepers. A softer upper layer is something every side sleeper should look for when buying a mattress, as it gives enough depth for shoulders and hips to sink into the surface for better cushioning. Back sleepers need a bit more support, which this mattress still offers. If you're a front sleeper who prefers a softer sleep surface you may still like it, although generally memory foam can be a little too soft for front sleepers as it's liable to let your hips dip too low.

Because you don’t sink right the way into this mattress – instead remaining on top of the surface – it’s also a good choice for heavier sleepers, or those – like me – who tend to change position during the night. I found the medium-firm support meant this mattress was easy to move around on, with the springs meaning it’s responsive but not so bouncy that you’ll wake yourself up in the night if you switch positions.

Temperature regulation

As temperature regulation is a key factor in a deep and restful sleep, I was interested to see how that 'Staycool™ Gel' would help this mattress perform.

The Jessica 1800 Pocket Gel mattress has a top layer of 'white fibres' – which I assume means polyester – and then a layer of memory foam. Both of these materials are synthetics that are forms of plastic. Plastic polymers lack breathability (think how hot and sweaty you might feel with a plastic bag next to your skin) and can tend to reflect the heat and humidity that all of our bodies release overnight back towards the sleeper. This can lead to overheating and a disturbed night's sleep.

Synthetic mattress manufacturers employ a range of technologies to try and add breathability in other ways, and in the Jessica mattress the 'Staycool™ Gel' is a key part of that puzzle.

I naturally sleep hot. Whether it’s the height of summer or there is frost on the ground, one thing you can guarantee is that my legs will be out of the covers within a couple of hours of me being asleep. And I tend to find this problem is made worse when I'm sleeping on a memory foam mattress such as the Emma Original mattress or the Tempur Sensation mattress.

However, I found the Jessica 1800 Pocket Gel mattress did a fantastic job at keeping my keeping my temperature down whilst I slept. 

Not once during the whole time I tested this mattress did I wake up feeling too hot. I felt a huge difference in the mornings when sleeping on this mattress, because I slept a lot better with no waking up in the night overheating. 

Sleepeezee doesn't really give a lot of detail on how the Staycool™ Gel works, beyond saying that it 'allows air and moisture to pass through the surface, helping to remove heat from the body to prevent overheating'. It also doesn't give a lot of detail on the type of memory foam used in the upper layer – many mattress manufacturers now use open cell memory foam that has better breathabililty than 'old school' varieties, but it isn't clear whether that's the case in the Jessica – but, it seemed to do the trick for me. 

The springs will no doubt also help deliver more airflow – especially compared to an all-foam mattress – as they help air to circulate which can draw heat away from the body.

That said, I still found that my Simba Hybrid Pro mattress slept cooler. Unlike the Jessica's first polyester layer, the Simba Hybrid Pro uses a layer of wool just under the fabric cover, which is a naturally breathable material that does a brilliant job of wicking away humidity to create a drier environment and prevent overheating. I think its likely that the Simba Hybrid Pro having this breathable layer closer to the surface of the mattress (and therefore closer to the body) makes for a cooler sleep.

In this respect I found the Sleepeezee Jessica on a par with the Simba Hybrid Original mattress which also lacks that wool layer, or the Emma Luxe Cooling mattress. In the case of both of these mattresses breathability is increased with the use of open cell memory foam, so they sleep cooler than many hybrid mattresses, but, in my opionion, not quite as cool as the Simba Hybrid Pro.

If you don't mind sacrificing that memory foam cushioning for breathability (and paying more for a cooler sleep), then the Hypnos Pillow Top Select mattress with its natural fill is still one of the coolest mattresses we've tested so far.

Motion isolation

Motion isolation is another important factor for a good night's sleep, especially if you sleep with a partner. A mattress with good motion isolation is one that will absorb the movement of a partner tossing and turning at night, whereas bad motion isolation means you might even wake yourself up when you're alone in the bed as when you turn over reverbations and excess bounce could break you out of your slumber.

I fidget a lot at night. I'm predominantly a side sleeper, but I change positions constantly during the night, and then there’s the fact that I have two dogs who like the comfort of lying on my bed rather than their own, so motion isolation is very important to me. 

Despite this being a responsive feeling mattress, which means I didn't sink in so much that I struggled to change position during the night, I found it also offered outstanding motion isolation. In fact, this is possibly one of the best hybrid mattresses I’ve tested in terms of motion isolation.

The top comfort layers do a good job of absorbing and dampening motion, but the pocket springs likely also play a huge part. Unlike a coil spring that is one large connected unit that can tend to transfer movement from one side of the bed to the other, the pocketed springs are individually housed in... pockets... which means pressure on one spring won’t affect the surrounding springs. This then minimises the ripple effect, so if you move around it won’t disturb your partner. 

Despite my fidgeting, my husband slept really well, he didn’t complain about me waking him up moving about, and I slept a lot better. There’s a faint feeling when there’s moving around, but nothing that will disturb you if you’re asleep. I certainly didn’t feel when my husband got up to visit the toilet in the night and I didn’t disturb him in the mornings when I returned back to bed with a cheeky cuppa, so it gets extra points from me for saving me from making him a coffee!

As you can see, my two dogs were also very impressed by the mattress's movement dampening powers.

Edge support

If you tend to sleep towards the edge of a mattress, then good edge support is what stops you from feeling like you might roll off the side in the night. It's also important for anyone with reduced mobility, as it gives you a firmer mattress edge to sit on and push against when you come to get out of bed.

I like to sleep right on the edge of a mattress, so edge support is very important to me as I hate the dipping feeling you can get without adequate support. But this mattress is just amazing. As soon as I sat on the edge of the mattress to test it out I could feel how well supported the edge was. 

This is down to the whole mattress being fully encapsulated in foam, so the edges don’t move or dip when pressure is applied.

Additional features

This is a non-flip mattress but you will need to rotate it on a regular basis so that it wears evenly without any dips. 

Sleepeezee has made rotation easier by providing two handles on either side of the bed. These handles are very robust, which makes it easier to shift the mattress around.

Unlike some, this mattress doesn’t have a removable cover, so it's advisable to buy one of the best mattress protectors to help protect it from any spills, accidents and just general wear and tear. 

Third-party reviews

This mattress doesn’t have a lot of reviews online, which is not that surprising as many of the retailers it's sold through are bricks and mortar stores. But, the reviews that are online are fantastic.

As of writing, it scores 4.6 out of 5 on MattressOnline, with owners saying that this mattress is comfortable and some mentioning that it's helped with their back problems. Some comments mention how people thought this mattress would be too firm for them but instead they found it soft and supportive. There are also comments reflecting on what a good price this mattress is, and I’d have to agree because for the quality of the mattress it's available at a reasonable price point. 

The few negative reviews mention this mattress's weight and difficulty turning it because of this, which is certainly a factor. Another review from a side sleeper mentions him finding it too firm and the mattress not allowing enough depth for his shoulders to sink in. If you're used to sleeping on an all-foam mattress then this may be a factor for you too, as a hybrid mattress will sleep firmer than a pure foam option (you can find out more about the differences in our guide to hybrid mattressed vs memory foam). Layering one of the best mattress toppers we've tested on top of the mattress could be a good way to increase sink-in comfort if you want to benefit from hybrid support but still have more cushioning.

This mattress also scores 4.9 out of 5 on MyNextMattress where customers also praise how well made this mattress is, and how comfortable it is.

Verdict

The Sleepeeze Jessica 1800 Pocket Gel mattress is one of those mattresses that will remind you of the very best hotel rooms you’ve stayed in. You know the ones, where you crawl into bed at night and have the best night’s sleep, and not because you’ve had too many Pinot Grigio’s at dinner. 

Comfort-wise, for a combination side sleeper like me, it was the perfect blend of softness with firm support, and its quilted top gives it a plush, expensive feel from the first lay down. Whilst sleeping on this mattress I didn’t feel any pain in my back, hips or shoulders, which are the points where I usually get aches and pains if a mattress is too firm or too soft. Instead, I woke up each morning of this testing period feeling relaxed, rested and most importantly, pain free. However, if you're a front sleeper then potentially you may prefer a firmer mattress.

Combination sleepers who move around a lot at night will also love how responsive this mattress is, meaning changing positions is unlikely to wake you and you won't get 'stuck' like you can with a deeper memory foam layer. 

For a synthetic mattress, I also thought it did a decent job of regulating my temperature and keeping me cool and fresh overnight. Whilst I didn't think it did quite such a good job as the Simba Hybrid Pro mattress with its synthetic fill that's mixed with a breathable wool layer, and it can't compare to the Hypnos Pillow Top Select mattress which is packed full of natural materials that aid breathability, I never felt hot, sweaty or uncomfortable on this mattress. My husband, who is usually complaining that he feels cold, also said that he felt the perfect temperature. 

I was also blown away by this mattress's edge support. This is great news for those (like me) who like to sleep right on the edge. And when it came to motion isolation, my husband and I have absolutely no complaints.

The only real downsides are its weight, and the fact that it's delivered flat, which may make it awkward for anyone negotiating awkward access. Although, the super king size mattress does come with a clever zip and lock feature that means it can be delivered in two halves. 

That, and the fact that synthetic materials are non-biodegradable and can contribute to environmental pollution and waste. Sleepeezee doesn't mention that any of the synthetics used in this mattress come from recycled sources, which is a shame. Although the brand does state that if you opt to have your old mattress removed when this mattress is delivered then no parts of the old mattress will end up in landfill. The brand is also signed up to Planet Mark, a commitment to a 5% reduction of organisational carbon emissions per annum.

Overall, if you’re looking for a mattress that will offer exceptional comfort every night, as well as offering good levels of support, then I don't think you can go wrong with the Sleepeezee Jessica 1800 Pocket Gel mattress. 

It offers decent value for money for its quality, and although discounts don't seem to be quite as frequent – or as large –as those we see regularly on the Simba Hybrid Original mattress (which is partly why it remains our top mattress recommendation overall), I think this is a comparable mattress that's worth considering as an alternative, especially if when you come to shop the Simba Hybrid Original mattress Simba deals are nowhere to be seen and the mattress is still full price.