Mattress manufacturers employ several techniques to help their customers sleep cool, such as using open-cell foams, installing ventilation holes into the cover material, infusing their structures with cooling gels or phase change materials.
Some individuals tend to get warmer at night, and a cooler sleeping environment can be more conducive to quality slumber. Therefore, we will explore some of the top mattress cooling technologies currently available on the market.
1. Microcoils
Mattresses featuring microcoils are often advertised as cooling mattresses for hot sleepers. Their thin, flexible coils help promote airflow to keep you cool all night long. Furthermore, micro coils have proven less likely to sag over time while providing superior support and stability at the center of the mattress.
Mattresses feature several types of coils, such as Bonnell coils, offset coils, continuous wire coils and pocketed coils. Each type offers distinct advantages; pocketed coils in particular are individually wrapped in fabric sleeves to conform to your body and resist movement transfer – ideal for individuals sharing beds as their coils respond independently to motion from either partner without disturbing your sleep.
Offset coils feature rounded top and bottom ends to offer gentler pushback under light pressure, as well as reduce motion transfer. They work especially well when coupled with thick comfort layers. You may also come across hybrid mattresses featuring micro or nano spring systems allowing thicker foam layers.
2. Ventilation
Coils and springs feature natural airflow pathways, making them naturally breathable. Air can freely pass beneath your mattress to cool the comfort layers above via evaporative cooling, thus preventing body heat buildup for a comfortable night’s restful slumber.
Foam mattresses may present more of a challenge to sleepers who experience hot beds due to the density of dense foams trapping body heat. Manufacturers can address this problem by adding ventilation holes to foams; although smaller than coils’ holes, these allow airflow through and reduce excess heat build-up in your mattress.
Chili Technology’s innovative mattress cooling system was first patented in 2007; since then they have produced multiple active bed cooling systems – such as Ooler and Dock Pro for 2022 – which actively reduce bedroom temperatures during the night, giving you a better sleep experience while saving on energy costs. While more costly than passive cooling methods, active bed cooling solutions provide superior cooling experience and can save money with lower energy bills.
3. Contour Cutting
Foam mattresses provide support and pressure relief while contouring closely to your body, but can retain more heat than other beds. To combat this problem, memory foam manufacturers often add gel material into their products to absorb any natural body warmth that accumulates on its surface and thus reducing how likely your mattress is to hold onto heat.
Memory foam and polyurethane foam manufacturers often opt for open-cell designs in their memory foam and polyurethane foam products to further mitigate its propensity to trap heat, although there will still be heat retention due to interconnecting bubbles compared with closed cells, says Marino. While open cells will still retain heat, their management should be more manageable as there won’t be as many tightly packed bubbles within.
Apart from choosing a cooling mattress, try taking a hot shower or bath in the hour or two leading up to bedtime to bring down your core temperature and support a healthier circadian rhythm. This should result in deeper and more restful restful sleep.
4. Phase Change Materials
thermoelectric coolants like copper, graphite and charcoal are often added to polyfoam comfort layers to absorb and transform body heat, maintaining coolness longer as you heat up and sweat more. This feature helps avoid sudden awakenings from dozing off in an oasis such as Sahara desert!
These materials possess an ideal combination of properties that makes them perfect for thermal management solutions: They require substantial amounts of energy to melt, but when transformed from solid to liquid they release latent heat – similar to how heating and cooling gel packs work.
Latex naturally provides natural cooling properties, but many manufacturers enhance it further with holes or perforations to improve airflow. Latex’s porous construction also allows faster heat dissipation than other foams – essential to staying cool throughout the night. Essentia uses Celsion material – similar to what Tempur-Pedic uses with PureCool+ technology which they claim keeps users up to 8 degrees cooler! – in their all-natural organic latex mattresses which they say keep users up to 8 degrees cooler!
5. Pegs
Some people sleep hot due to body heat absorbing into mattress components. A cooling gel or other temporary measures might provide temporary relief, but Ice Blue mattress cooling technology ensures your temperature remains neutral throughout the night for a more restful slumber.
Foam contains thousands of air bubbles that allow it to remain porous and allow a good airflow inside. As your weight presses on it, however, compressing these air bubbles can restrict this flow of air and cause your temperature to increase as circulation is no longer being properly circulated around you. This may make you feel hotter as well!
To solve this issue, some manufacturers use a foam core with pegs embedded within it to prevent memory foam from flattening out when you lie down on it and allow airflow. These pegs are constructed from latex for maximum breathability to allow heat escape while keeping you comfortable.
6. Egg Crate Surfaces
Mattress pads with bumps and dips may offer additional support, reduce pressure points, and help you sleep cooler than with standard foam toppers. Indentations in your body could potentially develop with standard toppers which have flat surfaces; such mattress pads may help avoid this outcome.
Egg crate foam’s bumps and dips may make it less breathable than memory foam when used as mattress toppers, which is why some brands provide memory foam toppers equipped with gel layers to increase heat distribution and provide for a restful night’s rest.
Pyramid and wedge-shaped egg carton foams may provide an acceptable NRC rating in smaller rooms while being easier to hide than panels. Unfortunately, however, egg crate foam tends to be more costly and may not offer as pleasing an appearance as other forms of acoustic foam.
Natural latex foam features vertical and lateral perforations to increase breathability, allowing airflow throughout its surface, cooling it off while you sleep cool. Certain brands, like Brooklyn Bedding, utilize these features in their mattresses to prevent you from overheating while supporting both back and neck for added comfort.
7. Keyhole-Like Cuts
Some mattresses use keyhole-cut foam surfaces to increase surface area and airflow, popular among brands such as Leesa Sleep and Loom & Leaf, to increase airflow and cool the mattress down faster. This technique works especially well when combined with egg crate surfaces for dual cooling. Latex foam comes equipped with pinholes naturally formed during its manufacturing process that help it breathe better than other mattresses; some brands add lateral or vertical perforations on their foams to further boost breathability – this method works particularly well in memory foam mattresses such as Zenhaven or Casper.
8. Breathable Covers
Selecting mattress and bedsheets that are breathable can help keep you comfortable during sleep. Lightweight materials like cotton, bamboo and Tencel are known for their ability to wick away moisture away from the body while percale or sateen fabrics tend to be more breathable than flannel fabrics for example.
Lowering core temperature signals the body to begin sleep, so many cooling mattresses feature special layers that reduce surface temp and offer you a cooler sleeping environment.
Other cooling mattresses make use of smart technology and integrated apps to regulate their temperatures, automatically heating or cooling them to maximize your sleeping experience. They can even track nightly metrics like length of sleep cycles and total amount of uninterrupted rest to help improve overall health over time. One such mattress is the Eight Sleep Pod 3 Cover which employs a system of tubes for cooling while simultaneously tracking sleep data and performance metrics.
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