The Best Cooling Mattresses

Most of us know from experience that temperature is incredibly important to sleep. Sleep conditions that are too hot could lead to tossing, turning, and waking in the night feeling unbearably warm or worse, drenched in sweat.

Sleeping hot is particularly harmful because it can interrupt the all-important REM stage of sleep when dreaming occurs. When your body fails to reach this stage, you miss out on many of the restful and restorative benefits sleeping has to offer.

Some of the many reasons sleepers may overheat at night include aging, hormonal fluctuations, seasonal climate changes, and of course, sleeping on a bad mattress. Mattresses that trap heat and moisture keep sleepers from maintaining an ideal sleeping temperature, leading to poor quality sleep. That’s why it’s so important to make sure you have a cooling mattress that dissipates heat and wicks away moisture.

This article will provide all the details you need to choose a mattress that will keep you cool and comfortable all night long in any season. We’ll also share a few of our favorite cooling mattresses for your consideration.

Cooling Mattress Materials

Studies show that the mild drop in body temperature that occurs when you first hop into a cool bed is key to inducing sleep. A sleep environment that is too warm makes it difficult for this to happen and can cause trouble falling asleep. Not to mention, it also increases your chances of waking throughout the night.

For many, overheating and night sweats are impossible to avoid. Still, such troubles don’t have to keep you from sleeping soundly throughout the night. One way to combat heat-related sleep trouble is to maintain an ideal sleeping temperature in the bedroom, about 60°F to 67°F. Another option is to choose a cooling mattress that efficiently regulates heat.

Below are the mattress materials that are most effective at regulating heat. Look for them when shopping for a cooling mattress.

Cooling Gel

A cool gel mattress is a mattress made of foam infused with gel or gel beads. It may also be a mattress with a gel comfort layer on top of a foam layer. Since traditional foam mattresses present the highest risk of trapping heat, cool gel mattresses have become increasingly popular. By incorporating gel that dissipates heat, you can experience the comfort of a foam mattress without the risk of overheating.

Latex

Latex is a type of body-contouring foam that responds to your shape, weight, and body heat to offer tailored support. The reason that latex is so good at regulating body temperature is because it has an open-cell structure that allows for increased airflow. As an added benefit, it is an entirely natural, plant-based material, so it is naturally hypoallergenic.

Coils

Hybrid mattresses, which combine foam and coil layers, are great for hot sleepers. Their coil layers provide a space for air to flow through and out the sides of the mattress. This circulation prevents the mattress from trapping heat so that it stays fresh and breathable all night long.

Cotton

Cotton is one of the most breathable and cooling mattress materials. It doesn’t trap heat so that you can stay comfortable as you sleep. Look for a mattress that has a cotton mattress cover, which will wick away the heat from your body, sending it through and out of the mattress. Alternatively, you might consider getting a cotton mattress pad.

Wool

Wool may be best known for its ability to warm you up in cool temperatures. Did you know, however, that it can also keep you cool in warm temperatures? Wool is a natural heat regulator, making it a great cooling mattress material. It is naturally-sourced, breathable, and good at absorbing moisture. Look for a mattress with either a wool comfort layer or a wool knit mattress cover.

Watch Out for Memory Foam

Memory foam, also called viscoelastic foam, is beloved for its body-conforming comfort and high level of support. Unfortunately, traditional memory foam mattresses are also notorious for trapping heat and moisture, creating a sauna-like sensation in bed. That’s because memory foam is a high-density foam that doesn’t allow for proper airflow. Rather than push hot air away from the body, it traps it and concentrates it around the body.

However, cooling memory foam mattresses do exist. Many modern memory foam mattresses have been engineered to avoid trapping heat, either using strategic porous design or by infusing foam with cooling agents. Average sleepers shouldn’t have much of a problem sleeping on these cooling memory foam mattresses. Those who tend to sleep hot, on the other hand, might want to consider other options first.

Recommended Cooling Mattresses

• Cocoon – Cocoon’s signature Chill mattress is a cooling memory foam mattress perfect for hot sleepers who prefer the feel of a memory foam mattress. Its stretch-knit cover features a unique phase change material (PCM) that absorbs and eliminates heat, so the sleep surface remains breathable and refreshing throughout the night.

• Nectar – For a low-cost cooling memory foam mattress, the Nectar mattress is a good option. It includes a quilted gel-infused memory foam layer and a patented semi-open gel foam transition layer. Each of these layers moves heat away from the sleep surface, which is reinforced with a breathable Tencel cooling cover.

• Saatva – The Saatva hybrid mattress is a budget-friendly luxury mattress equipped with plenty of temperature-regulating features. Its hybrid design includes two layers of aerating coils: one layer of supportive pocket coils and a durable coil base layer. All coils are made of tempered steel, which is good at diffusing heat. The Saatva mattress also has a plush Euro pillow top with a breathable organic cotton cover.

• PlushBeds – PlushBeds is a luxury mattress brand that offers many mattresses suited to hot sleepers, including the Luxury Bliss Hybrid Mattress. The PlushBeds Luxury Bliss Hybrid mattress is one of the best cooling mattresses by far. It includes everything a hot sleeper could ask for, including porous, natural latex, premium encased coils, an organic wool comfort layer, and an organic cotton cover.

Conclusion

Keeping the sleep environment at a cool temperature is indispensable to a good night of sleep. So, it’s important to choose a mattress that adequately regulates heat. When shopping for a cooling mattress, look for materials like gel foam, coils, latex, cotton, and wool that are good at keeping the sleep surface dry and breathable.

Start your hunt for a cooling mattress by considering our recommendations for the best cooling mattresses. Then, explore the rest of our detailed mattress reviews to discover even more mattresses that will keep you cool and comfy all night long!