Why our sleep experts loved it
When Dreams refreshed its TheraPur line it did not start this one from scratch. The ActiGel® Polar 1000 is the successor to the Polar 800, one of the brand's steadiest sellers, with a higher spring count and the same core idea: gel foam comfort over pocket springs at a price that undercuts most brand-name gel mattresses. TheraPur is Dreams' own in-house brand, which is why you will struggle to find it in most comparison charts.
The recipe
A thousand pocket springs handle the support, with a layer of ActiGel® foam above them and I-Fibre® and Platinum 3D® fillings in between. The whole thing wears a knitted ActiCool® cover that feels cool when you first touch it. The fillings carry an antibacterial and hypoallergenic finish, a practical touch if allergies are part of your shopping brief.
Gel foam is the reason to pick this over a standard pocket sprung bed. It moulds the way memory foam does but recovers faster; if you have tried memory foam and hated the trapped feeling, this is the halfway house.
About those cooling claims
Cooling is the whole sales pitch, so it needs pinning down. The cover is cool on contact and the gel layer holds less heat than classic memory foam. That is the full extent of it. One owner who bought it specifically for night sweats reported sleeping warmer than on her old mattress, and a mattress cannot fix a warm bedroom. Cooler than memory foam, yes. Cooling in the air-conditioning sense, no.
Living with it
Two practical notes surface in the owner reviews. It is a deep mattress, deep enough that a couple of owners had to buy new fitted sheets, so measure before delivery day. And it is single-sided: rotate it end to end regularly and leave it at that. One diligent owner reported turning it weekly for two months while waiting for the surface to soften. It does, slowly. The medium tension suits back and side sleepers of average build; front sleepers who like a hard, flat surface should look at the firmer end of the TheraPur range.
The verdict from 1,100 bedrooms
Owners rate it 4.7 on average across more than 1,100 reviews, with 94% at four stars or better. The in-store sleep analysis machine apparently recommends it often, judging by how many reviewers mention arriving at it that way, and several describe it beating pricier shortlist rivals on feel alone. The step up to the Polar 2000 buys a higher specification, but at a noticeably higher price. For most people the 1000 is the sensible middle of the range: the gel benefits, the pocket spring support, and a price that keeps the comfort guarantee as a safety net you probably will not need.
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Published: 10 May 2025 · Updated: 2 August 2026
Written by
Becky Reeve , Editorial Director, Mattress Expert
Peer reviewed by
Mike Knowden , Health Reviewer and Sleep Expert