When you buy through our links, Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
Erin Brains/Insider
Between the longer daylight hours and higher temperatures, summer is a season of sleepless nights as we toss and turn. This is compounded when you live in a hot house or apartment where you can't easily adjust the room temp. Fortunately, when used in conjunction with other cooling products, a good cooling mattress can keep you comfy throughout the night and facilitate restful sleep.
I have tested mattresses professionally for four years and have talked to countless sleep experts. For this guide, I interviewed Alon Y. Avidan, MD, MPH, director of UCLA Sleep Disorders Center, and Emiel DenHartog, professor in the department of textile engineering, chemistry, and science at North Carolina State University.
In addition to sleeping on each mattress for at least 14 nights, I put them through objective tests, including taking surface temperature readings after lying on them. Of the 66 mattresses I've tested, only 13 did a good enough job cooling to be considered for this guide. Of those, I've identified the best mattresses for hot sleepers based on different sleeping styles and budgets. You will find details about how I test mattresses below and get answers to mattress FAQs.
The best cooling mattresses in 2022
Best cooling mattress overall: Nest Bedding Finch Latex Mattress, available at Nest, $1,879.20
The Nest Bedding Finch Latex Mattress both stayed cool and dissipated heat quickly, and its medium firmness will appeal to most sleepers.
Best budget cooling mattress: Nest Bedding Robin Flippable Hybrid Mattress, available at Nest, $1,199.20
With its outstanding edge support, impressive heat dissipation, and long trial period and warranty, the Nest Bedding Robin Flippable Hybrid Mattress is the best cooling mattress on a budget.
Best cooling memory foam mattress: Tempur-Pedic Cloud Mattress, available at Tempur-Pedic, $2,199
The Tempur-Pedic Cloud Mattress offers outstanding pressure relief, heat dissipation, and body-contouring comfort, making it ideal for side sleepers of all body types while also appealing to other sleeping styles.
Best cooling mattress for back pain: Bear Hybrid Mattress, available at Bear, $1,213
If you tend to overheat at night, consider the Bear Hybrid Mattress with its cooling cover.
Best cooling mattress for side sleepers: Tuft & Needle Hybrid Mattress, available at Tuft & Needle, $1,995
The unique dual coil layers allow for airflow to make the Tuft & Needle Hybrid Mattress one of the best cooling mattresses we tested, and it provides the soft support most side sleepers will enjoy.
Find out more about how Insider Reviews tests and reviews home products.
James Brains/Insider
The Nest Bedding Finch Latex Mattress both stayed cool and dissipated heat quickly, and its medium firmness will appeal to most sleepers.
Overview of the Nest Bedding Finch Latex Mattress
| Category | Product Information |
| Best for | All sleeping styles, hot sleepers |
| Available sizes | Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, Cal king |
| Construction | Top layer of cotton, wool, and foam and two layers of latex |
| Heat dissipation (1 traps heat to 10 stays cool) | 10 |
| Temperature when first up | 87.4 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Temp after 2 minutes and temp change | 73.3 degrees (-14.1 degrees) |
| Firmness (1 softest to 10 firmest) | 5.5 |
| Motion isolation (1 awful to 10 best) | 4 |
| Edge support (1 awful to 10 best) | 9 |
| Trial period/warranty | 365 nights; lifetime |
| Weight/thickness | 120 pounds; 10.5 inches |
| Shipping and returns | Free shipping and free returns |
| White-glove delivery and old mattress removal | Yes, order by phone to get rates |
| Showroom availability | Yes, nationwide |
Our review of the Nest Bedding Finch Latex Mattress
Pros: Stayed cool and dissipated heat well in our tests, excellent edge support, medium feel is ideal for all sleeping styles, made of materials certified by several independent standards organizations, long trial period, lifetime warranty
Cons: Hard to move, poor motion isolation
The Nest Bedding Finch Latex Mattress registered some of the coolest temperatures when I first got up from it and showed a significant drop in temp when I measured two minutes later, suggesting outstanding heat dissipation. But that's just one of the reasons why it's the top cooling mattress in our guide. It also comes with a 365-night risk-free home trial, and if you decide to keep your Finch, it's covered by a lifetime warranty.
The mattress's just-right firmness will appeal to the broadest range of sleepers. The Finch comes in medium and firm feels, or if you get a king or California king, you can choose to have medium on one half and firm on the other.
I tested the medium-feel mattress and felt comfortable on my side, back, and stomach. During the test period, I slept well almost every night, including my first night on the bed, a rarity. One night, I got a little too cool and had to add an extra blanket.
It is great for couples with its impressive support that extends to the very edges of the bed. While it failed our motion transfer tests, couples might appreciate the responsive feel and bounce of the latex during sex.
The Nest Bedding Finch consists of three layers. The top cover combines organic cotton, wool, and CertiPUR-US certified foam, giving the mattress airflow and a little bounce. The next two layers are both Oeko-Tex certified latex. The top latex layer is where the firmness comes from, while the bottom layer offers support, structure, and durability.
The setup process for the Nest Bedding Finch was standard. However, the mattress is very heavy and flops around, making it hard to move. It has handles on the sides, but they were only marginally helpful. There was no initial odor.
Nest Bedding
With its outstanding edge support, impressive heat dissipation, and long trial period and warranty, the Nest Bedding Robin Flippable Hybrid Mattress is the best cooling mattress on a budget.
Overview of the Nest Bedding Robin Flippable Hybrid
| Category | Product Information |
| Best for | All sleeping styles, hot sleepers |
| Available sizes | Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, Cal king |
| Construction | Two foam layers and pocket coils |
| Heat dissipation (1 traps heat to 10 stays cool) | 8 (on both sides) |
| Temperature when first up | 89.5 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Temp after 2 minutes and temp change | 75.5 degrees (-14 degrees) |
| Firmness (1 softest to 10 firmest) | 5 on one side and 9 on the other |
| Motion isolation (1 awful to 10 best) | 3 (on both sides) |
| Edge support (1 awful to 10 best) | 8 (on both sides) |
| Trial period/warranty | 365 nights; lifetime |
| Weight/thickness | 95 pounds; 10 inches |
| Shipping and returns | Free shipping and free returns |
| White-glove delivery and old mattress removal | Yes, order by phone to get rates |
| Showroom availability | Yes, nationwide |
Our review of the Nest Bedding Robin Flippable Hybrid
Pros: Excellent heat dissipation, good job of staying cool, two firmness levels to suit most sleep styles, lifetime warranty, long trial period, great edge support, affordable
Cons: Poor motion isolation, heavy
Our budget pick is also a Nest Bedding mattress: the Robin Flippable Hybrid. It offers many of the same benefits as the Finch: 365-night risk-free home trial, lifetime warranty, free shipping and returns, easy setup, excellent edge support, and CertiPUR-US certified foams.
The Nest Bedding Robin comes in two firmness options. One side is medium-firm; the other is firm. You just flip it based on your preference. I preferred the medium side and named it the best budget mattress in our guide to the best mattresses for side sleepers.
Among the mattresses that were the best at staying cool and dissipating heat, the Robin was the most affordable. I tested the cooling abilities of each side of the mattress and both sides did a good job.
The firm side features high-density base foam while the medium-firm side has a top layer of gel-infused support foam. Between these layers are individually wrapped pocket coils for durability, support, and airflow.
Setup took five minutes and was pretty standard, but due to the Robin's heft, I needed help moving it. Fortunately, it doesn't flop around much.
As with the Finch, the Robin has poor motion isolation but good bounce.
James Brains/Insider
The Tempur-Pedic Cloud Mattress offers outstanding pressure relief, heat dissipation, and body-contouring comfort, making it ideal for side sleepers of all body types while also appealing to other sleeping styles.
Overview of the Tempur-Pedic Cloud Mattress
| Category | Product Information |
| Best for | All sleeping styles, hot sleepers |
| Available sizes | Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, Cal king |
| Construction | Three layers of foam |
| Heat dissipation (1 traps heat to 10 stays cool) | 9 |
| Firmness (1 softest to 10 firmest) | 6 |
| Motion isolation (1 awful to 10 best) | 7 |
| Edge support (1 awful to 10 best) | 3 |
| Trial period/warranty | 90 nights; 10 years |
| Weight/thickness | 58 pounds; 10 inches |
| Shipping and returns | Free shipping, $175 return fee |
| White-glove delivery and old mattress removal | No |
| Showroom availability | Yes, nationwide |
Our review of the Tempur-Pedic Cloud Mattress
Pros: Great motion isolation, all-foam construction provides comfort and support for all sleeping styles, lightweight, impressive heat dissipation, stays incredibly cool
Cons: No in-home setup available, shipping fee is deducted from your refund if you return it, poor edge support
The Tempur-Pedic Cloud Mattress is the top overall pick in our best memory foam mattresses guide, and it has excellent heat dissipation. I tested this mattress before I started taking temperature readings, so its cooling abilities are based on my subjective experience, and my experience was outstanding.
The Cloud has a cool-to-the-touch, moisture-wicking cover that promotes airflow. While testing it, I stayed cool all night long, and it dissipated heat well. This is particularly impressive considering all-foam mattresses tend to trap heat.
In our cooling tests, the Bear Original Mattress performed the best among all-foam mattresses. Subjectively, the Bear felt like it dissipated heat almost as well as the Cloud. However, while lying on it, the Bear felt much hotter. The Cloud's cooling was more similar to our top pick, the Nest Bedding Finch.
The top two layers of the Tempur-Pedic Cloud are made of the company's proprietary foam, which adjusts to the body's contours to cradle the body no matter what position you're in. I found the cushioning in all the right places made it easy for me to drift off to sleep and stay asleep each night of testing. The bottom layer is made of durable, supportive foam. All the foam is CertiPUR-US certified.
The motion-dampening abilities of the Tempur-Cloud are impressive. It passed the bowling ball test, and I was surprised how little I felt it when my kid jumped on the bed. However, the edge support left a lot to be desired. The edge sank significantly when I sat on it, and when lying on the edge, I felt like I could fall off.
Another negative is the return policy. During the 90-night trial, if you decide you don't want your Tempur-Pedic Cloud, the cost of shipping is deducted from your refund.
The mattress is incredibly light, making setup a breeze. The initial odor dissipated by bedtime.
James Brains/Insider
If you tend to overheat at night, consider the Bear Hybrid Mattress with its cooling Celliant cover.
Overview of the Bear Hybrid Mattress
| Category | Product Information |
| Best for | Side sleepers and hot sleepers |
| Available sizes | Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, Cal king |
| Construction | Three foam layers and pocket coils |
| Heat dissipation (1 traps heat to 10 stays cool) | 9 |
| Temperature when first up | 87.9 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Temp after 2 minutes and temp change | 74.9 degrees (-13 degrees) |
| Firmness (1 softest to 10 firmest) | 5 |
| Motion isolation (1 awful to 10 best) | 4 |
| Edge support (1 awful to 10 best) | 5 |
| Trial period/warranty | 120 nights; lifetime |
| Weight/thickness | 110 pounds; 14 inches |
| Shipping and returns | Free shipping and free returns |
| White-glove delivery and old mattress removal | Yes, $100 for white-glove plus $50 for mattress removal |
| Showroom availability | 10 locations |
Our review of the Bear Hybrid Mattress
Pros: Made of Greenguard Gold certified materials, stays cool, easy to move, great for side sleepers, good heat dissipation
Cons: Below-average motion isolation; may be too soft for heavy individuals, back sleepers, or stomach sleepers
In our guide to the best mattresses for back, the Bear Hybrid Mattress is the best bed for hot sleepers. Depending on which mattress manufacturer is having the bigger sale at any given time, it may also give the Nest Bedding Robin a run at the best budget cooling mattress.
The Bear Hybrid was among the best at staying cool. This may be due in part to the cover made of Celliant fibers. The manufacturer claims Celliant helps with temperature regulation, yet there isn't any independent scientific research showing one way or the other. My testing seems to support this. I've tested Celliant sheets, mattress toppers, and a few mattresses, and they all ran cooler than non-Celliant products.
As a side sleeper, I found the average firmness of the Bear Hybrid was comfortable. I tested the mattress while recovering from lower back pain, and during that time, my pain waned. After the testing period, my back felt like it was up to its regular strength, and I didn't experience any subsequent pain episodes.
The mattress is made of Greenguard Gold and CertiPUR-US certified foams and pocket coils. The top layer is gel-infused foam. Next is comfort foam and a pressure-relieving transition foam. The durable pocket coils are below that, and the base is made of supportive foam.
In our edge support and motion isolation tests, the Bear Hybrid was just average. While lying on the bed, I could feel movement but not too strongly. However, it failed my bowling ball test.
When I sat on the edge of the bed, I sank significantly, but when lying, I could roll quite far before falling. By these metrics, the Bear Hybrid is good for couples but not outstanding.
The Bear Hybrid was surprisingly easy to move considering the many heavy layers it's made of. Fortunately, it doesn't flop around.
James Brains/Insider
The unique dual coil layers allow for airflow to make the Tuft & Needle Hybrid Mattress one of the best cooling mattresses we tested, and it provides the soft support most side sleepers will enjoy.
Overview of the Tuft & Needle Hybrid Mattress
| Category | Product Information |
| Best for | Side sleepers, hot sleepers |
| Available sizes | Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, Cal king |
| Construction | 2 pocket coil layers and 3 foam layers |
| Heat dissipation (1 traps heat to 10 stays cool) | 10 |
| Temperature when first up | 88.5 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Temp after 2 minutes and temp change | 73.6 degrees (-14.9 degrees) |
| Firmness (1 softest to 10 firmest) | 5 |
| Motion isolation (1 awful to 10 best) | 7 |
| Edge support (1 awful to 10 best) | 6 |
| Trial period/warranty | 100 nights; 10 years |
| Weight/thickness | 112 pounds; 12 inches |
| Shipping and returns | Free shipping and free returns |
| White-glove delivery and old mattress removal | Yes, $150 |
| Showroom availability | Yes, nationwide |
Our review of the Tuft & Needle Hybrid Mattress
Pros: Excellent heat dissipation, great job of staying cool, good motion isolation and edge support, soft feel is ideal for side sleepers, Greenguard Gold certified
Cons: May be too soft for stomach and back sleepers
The Tuft & Needle Hybrid Mattress was among the best at staying cool and dissipating heat in our tests, dropping by nearly 15 degrees Fahrenheit in 2 minutes. In fact, while testing the mattress, I regularly needed an extra blanket because I got too cold at night. While our other picks are good for side sleepers, this is the best.
It's an excellent choice for side sleepers because it offers slightly softer than average firmness, allowing for pressure point relief while still giving you the support you need. I gravitated toward sleeping on my side and had excellent sleep stats, meaning I had no trouble staying asleep and having more restful sleep.
The Tuft & Needle Hybrid is unique in that it has two layers of pocket coils. The top coils are 1-inch thick and are under an adaptive graphite foam layer. Both layers are designed to help with cooling.
Below the top pocket coil layers is another adaptive foam layer for added softness and pressure relief. Next is a thicker pocket coil layer for support. The firmer perimeter coils provide good edge support. The base of the bed is made of durable support foam. The bed features a breathable soft knit cover. The Tuft & Needle Hybrid is Greenguard Gold certified, and the foams are CertiPUR-US certified.
Lastly, the mattress failed the bowling ball test, yet I could feel the motion dampening properties. When I measured the vibrations from the bowling ball using a vibrometer, the readings were among the lowest I've seen.
Setup was straightforward and took less than five minutes. The initial bed odor dissipated by nighttime. Though the mattress is heavy, it doesn't flop around and is easier to move.
James Brains/Insider
I've tested 66 mattresses over the years, but only 13 of them offered enough cooling and heat dissipation to warrant consideration for this guide. Here are the ones we recommend but that didn't make the cut.
What else we recommend and why:
Cooling mattresses under $2,000
DreamCloud Premier Hybrid Mattress: This is the top overall pick in our main mattress guide. In our tests, it did a good job of dissipating heat once I got up from it, but it tended to get hotter than most mattresses while I was lying on it. The other beds in this guide did a better job of dissipating heat and staying cool.
Puffy Lux Hybrid Mattress: The Puffy Lux did an excellent job of staying cool and dissipating heat well. I also found it comfortable when sleeping on my side and appreciate that it comes with a lifetime warranty. However, the "new bed smell" took several days to go away, and it has poor edge support.
Helix Midnight Luxe Mattress: The Midnight Luxe was one of the best at dissipating heat and did a good job of staying cool. The problem was I just didn't find its soft feel comfortable. Plus, it has poor motion isolation and edge support.
Cooling mattresses under $2,500
Leesa Legend Hybrid Mattress: I really enjoyed sleeping on the Leesa Legend with its good combination of comfort and support for side sleepers. Its heat dissipating properties are outstanding, and it stays cool. The bed also balances bounce and motion isolation. However, the edge support left a lot to be desired, and the mattress probably isn't supportive enough for stomach sleepers. Read my full review of the Lessa Legend Hybrid Mattress.
Avocado Green Mattress: The Avocado Green has just about every eco-friendly certification you can get. It's made of latex, wool, and cotton — all certified organic — and features pocket coils for support and durability. It does an incredible job of dissipating heat. Yet, it was closer to the middle of the pack at staying cool. The edge support is so-so, and it's heavy and flops around, making it hard to move.
Cooling mattresses over $2,500
Purple Hybrid Premier 3 Mattress: This was previously the best mattress for hot sleepers in our main mattress guide, but after crunching the numbers, we think the Nest Bedding Finch is better. The Hybrid Premier 3 does an outstanding job of staying cool, but it doesn't dissipate heat well. The Finch is more than $1,000 cheaper and has a longer trial period and warranty.
Serta Arctic Mattress: If you want a mattress that dissipates heat well and stays cool and you are a back or stomach sleeper with a big budget, the Serta Arctic (medium hybrid) is a good choice. I liked that it came with an in-home setup and had great motion isolation. However, it didn't fit into any of our categories. The mattresses that did make the cut cost less and did a better job of cooling. For instance, the Tempur-Pedic Cloud is more affordable, does a better job of cooling, and has a similar firmness that would serve back and stomach sleepers well.
Intellibed Matrix Grand: This bed has been in my living room since 2020. We lounge on it while projecting shows on a big screen. It was among the best at staying cool and dissipating heat in my tests. So, why isn't it one of our picks? For one, it costs $7.500, making it too expensive for most. I also don't find it that comfortable for sleeping, and it has poor motion isolation. Plus, there are loopholes in the return policy that make it a risky home trial.
For a full list of mattresses I've tested, check out our main mattress guide.
James Brains/Insider
For more than 4 years, I've tested a new mattress every 2 to 4 weeks. I personally tested every mattress in this guide. I tested the queen size, the most popular size, of each mattress.
I put every mattress through a series of objective tests, in addition to spending at least 14 nights on each model. Of the 66 mattresses I've tested, only 13 were worthy of consideration for this guide. When testing cooling mattresses, the key factors I consider are how cool it stays, how well it dissipates heat, comfort level, and support.
Here are some of the test results for the main attributes we tested:
| Attribute | Nest Bedding Finch | Nest Bedding Robin | Tempur-Cloud | Bear Hybrid | Tuft & Needle Hybrid |
| Heat dissipation (1 traps heat to 10 stays cool) | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| Temperature right out of bed | 87.4 degrees Fahrenheit | 89.5 degrees Fahrenheit | n/a | 87.9 degrees Fahrenheit | 88.5 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Temperature 2 minutes later (change) | 73.3 degrees (-14.1 degrees) | 75.5 degrees (-14 degrees) | n/a | 74.9 degrees (-13 degrees) | 73.6 degrees (-14.9 degrees) |
| Firmness (1 softest to 10 firmest) | 5.5 | 5 on one side, 9 on the other | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Motion isolation (1 awful to 10 best) | 4 | 3 (on both sides) | 7 | 4 | 7 |
| Edge support (1 awful to 10 best) | 9 | 8 (on both sides) | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| Trial period | 365 nights | 365 nights | 90 nights | 120 nights | 100 nights |
| Warranty | Lifetime | Lifetime | 10 years | Lifetime | 10 years |
Here are the main attributes we look for and how we test them:
Coolness: I use an infrared laser thermometer to measure the temperature of the mattress immediately after I get up from it in the morning. I do this every morning, then calculate an average of the readings and compare them to see which mattresses are the best at staying cool.
Heat dissipation: Two minutes after taking the coolness measurement, I take a second temperature reading. Then I subtract this reading from the coolness reading to determine how much heat dissipates in that two minutes. I average the dissipation across several mornings, and only the mattresses that were among the best at both dissipating heat and staying cool were included in this guide.
Comfort: I base comfort on a mattress's supportiveness, pressure point relief, and which sleeping positions feel best. After years of testing dozens of mattresses, I've developed a feel for soft, medium, and firm mattresses and have developed a firmness scale. I also use a Garmin Forerunner 945 smartwatch to track my sleep stats to assess how much REM, deep, and overall sleep I get each night.
Edge support: I slowly roll off the edge of the mattress to evaluate edge support. A mattress with good edge support lets me roll a significant amount before I actually fall. Beds with bad edge support will dump me on the floor before my body can attain a 45-degree angle to the bed. Additionally, I assess edge sinkage as I sit on the side and put on socks and shoes.
Motion isolation: Motion isolation is a must if you share a bed with someone who adjusts in the night. A bed with good motion isolation will keep you from being jostled. I test this feature by placing a 12-ounce soda can on the mattress and dropping a 15-pound bowling ball so it lands about 12 inches from the can. If the can falls over, the motion isolation is poor. If the can stays upright, the motion isolation is excellent. I also take vibrometer measurements from 4 feet away from the drop point and make subjective observations.
Setup: I set up each bed on my own, noting any peculiarities of the process and timing how long it takes. I set the bed up in the morning and assess if the mattress has fully expanded and lost its initial odor by the time I go to bed about 10 hours later. I look at the availability and cost of in-home setup, also called white-glove delivery.
Portability: I consider how easy a mattress is to move, but since most people won't move it often, I don't weigh this factor heavily. During testing, I move each bed many times and note if it flops around, has handles, is heavy, or is otherwise harder or easier to move than your average mattress.
Trial and warranty: I examine the fine print of home trials, return policies, and warranties of each bed. Are there loopholes that will cost you to return your mattress? Or is the home trial truly risk-free? Since the only way to truly know if a mattress is right for you is to sleep on it, I look closely at the return policy. I also note if the bed is available to try in showrooms.
James Brains/Insider
What kind of mattresses keep you cool?
In our tests, six of the top seven cooling and heat dissipating mattresses were hybrids, constructed of memory foam and pocket coils. Hybrids tend to be best for cooling because the coils facilitate airflow.
Emiel DenHartog, professor in the department of textile engineering, chemistry, and science at North Carolina State University, recommends looking for mattresses that use phase-changing material (PCM.) "They are able to absorb heat for some time," he said. "They melt, and they maintain a lower temperature for slightly longer than if you would not have them."
PCMs are not commonly found in mattresses, and we have not tested any yet, but the Nest Bedding Quail and Cocoon by Sealy are two popular mattresses featuring PCMs.
Can a mattress really keep you cool?
A mattress can keep you cooler to a degree, but you can help it out by using fans to promote airflow through your mattress. DenHartog pointed out that when air stands still it acts as insulation and traps the heat in the mattress.
How can I keep my bed cool?
In addition to an airflow-promoting fan, the best way to keep your bed cool is to keep your environment cool. This may mean turning up the AC right before bed and using fewer layers of materials on your bed.
Also, the fewer heat-trapping layers you have on your mattress, the cooler you will stay.
"The more fabric or clothing layers we have between us and the environment, the more we are insulated," said DenHartog.
Here are several products I recommend for keeping cool for better sleep.
What is the ideal sleep temperature?
"It's about 65 degrees," said Alon Y. Avidan, MD, MPH, director of the UCLA Sleep Disorders Center. "We find that when it's greater than 70 degrees, people have more disrupted and interrupted sleep. Between 60 to 65 degrees seems to be ideal."
Are cooling mattresses worth it?
Maybe. If you were going to buy a new mattress anyway, then buying a cooling mattress to help with overheating is a good idea. If your mattress still has some years left in it, consider a cooling mattress topper instead.
James Brains/Insider
The 5 best cooling mattresses for hot sleepers, based on our testing of 66 mattresses
Source: Kalayaan News
0 comments :
Post a Comment