No one disputes that heat rises. And while sleeping on the ground floor during a heatwave might seem like extra work, it can help ensure cool, breathable air for an uninterrupted restful night’s rest.
Lower core body temperatures correlate to deeper restful sleep. To address this challenge, mattress makers employ various strategies to combat body heat.
1. Infused Memory Foam
Memory foam mattresses tend to feel hot due to body heat accumulation, but many manufacturers employ cooling techniques to dissipate this heat before it accumulates. One popular approach is infusing memory foam with cooling gels – which make the mattress bouncier while speeding up recovery from compression sets and deformation. Plant-based alternatives offer eco-friendly alternatives by replacing some traditional petrochemical ingredients with Castor oil for increased breathability while still dispersing heat effectively.
Graphite is another effective material to help keep you cool during sleep, whether incorporated directly into a mattress, pillow or mattress pad to aid your rest. Graphite absorbs and dissipates heat away from the body in order to avoid heat accumulating around neck and head areas which could otherwise reduce production of melatonin necessary for restful slumber.
2. Polyfoam
A hot mattress can cause serious sleep disruptions that deprive you of valuable REM sleep and alter your circadian rhythm, leaving you groggy and cranky even after 8 hours of restful rest.
Many mattress manufacturers employ materials like gel, copper, graphite or convoluted designs to promote airflow and prevent foam from trapping heat. Furthermore, cooling fabrics or thinner foam layers may be added or reduced as further efforts to keep you comfortable.
When shopping for an all-foam mattress, look for open-celled polyfoam certified by CertiPUR-US as free from chemicals such as formaldehyde and Tris flame retardants. Open-cell foam provides more surface contact between your body and mattress for increased cooling effects.
An alternative approach would be to look for hybrid mattresses with coil or pocketed spring technologies that help dissipate heat more effectively throughout the night than memory foam mattresses. You may also find all-foam mattresses equipped with cooling layers of gel memory foam or latex which contain temperature-regulating gel beads for additional comfort when sleeping cool and comfortably.
3. Microcoils
Microcoils (also called micro-pocket coils or nanocoils) differ from continuous coils by employing multiple tightly interlaced wires which form rows of tightly wound helical coils, providing even pressure relief and support while helping prevent motion transfer. They are made up of individual springs wrapped in non-woven fabric wrapped tightly by stitching, glueing or welding them together in layers to conform perfectly to your body shape – this forms a layer of microcoils that perfectly conform to each person’s unique form, providing balanced pressure relief/support while aiding in motion transfer prevention.
Reducing heat retention with smaller coils is another effective strategy to keep mattresses cool at night, similar to foam. Coils allow airflow freely through them, keeping you cooler during sleep. Some mattress makers add copper or graphite microcoils for added cooling effect.
These smaller coils may be used instead of foam layers, or more commonly added over a poly or latex core to improve breathability and increase breathability. When combined with foam layers and microcoils can also be beneficial to those suffering from allergies to latex or synthetic materials; Leesa utilizes microcoils over its latex and polyfoam mattresses in this manner in order to avoid allergic reactions while simultaneously improving ventilation.
4. Ventilation Grids
Bedsheets play an important role in creating an uninterrupted sleep experience by either trapping heat or allowing it to escape. Breathable cotton, silk or linen materials tend to offer better cooling qualities for optimal restful slumber.
Polyurethane and latex foam mattresses feature open-celled designs with plenty of airflow channels, helping prevent body heat absorption while still offering adequate support and pressure relief.
Numerous mattresses utilize this feature, such as Casper, Purple and Nectar mattresses. Ventilation grids woven into their mattress covers align with perforations in their foam base to help regulate sleep temperatures by drawing in cool air from outside.
Traditional innerspring mattresses with wrapped coils remain popular choices in the US due to their superior heat distribution, high conformability, and pressure relief capabilities. Unfortunately, however, these options don’t offer as much cooling potential.
5. Contour Cutting
Most cooling mattresses employ various technologies to keep sleepers comfortable. One common technique involves increasing airflow through the mattress so heat doesn’t remain trapped underneath its covers; foam manufacturers employ various designs in this regard.
Most foam mattresses incorporate some form of advanced polyfoam to increase their cooling properties, improving on basic memory foam by being more breathable and heat-releasing. Many brands also include gel beads or swivels within this material to further promote cooling.
Some foams employ pinholes or other lateral perforations on their surfaces to improve airflow, such as latex foam which naturally features pinholes due to its open-cell structure. This helps the bed breathe freely while disseminating body heat evenly, keeping sleepers cool and comfortable throughout their night’s rest.
Of course, none of these cooling techniques should replace maintaining a comfortable room temperature. Adjusting the thermostat and opening windows can help bring fresh, cool air into your bedroom and lower its temperature accordingly. In addition, opting for loose fitting sleepwear that allows airflow may also help prevent overheating during sleep.
6. Phase Change Materials
Foams play an increasingly vital role in modern mattresses, from supporting cores to pressure-relieving comfort layers. Unfortunately, foam’s propensity for trapping heat has led to widespread consumer complaints about “sleeping hot.” In response, mattress component makers are responding by adding cooling materials into their products.
Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are synthetic substances designed to absorb and store energy as they melt or freeze. By keeping this energy stored as they return back into solid form, PCMs provide cooling beds by dissipating excess body heat.
Latex mattresses naturally stay cool, and mattress companies like Talalay Global and Ameena add further cooling with Celsion layers infused with PCM to enhance that cooling effect. Furthermore, perforation holes on their foam help improve air flow for enhanced cooling results.
Brooklyn Bedding and Loom & Leaf both use PCMs in their quilt panels to “wick away” heat from sleepers, thanks to reticulated foams with open cell structures that facilitate ventilation.
7. Mineral Infusions
Mattress manufacturers frequently employ special materials to increase airflow and create a cooler sleeping surface, such as reticulated foams with large air cells and fast response time for movement. This enables more rapid return to their original position after movement occurs – quickly cooling your sleeping environment and helping you relax more effectively.
Cooling gel layers can also help regulate sleep temperature by dissipating heat away from your body and helping regulate it more effectively. Furthermore, many mattresses contain natural minerals like copper (found in Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe hybrid mattress) or Phase Change Material (PCM), which store energy through melting and solidifying at specific temperatures to offer consistent support and ensure sleep coolness.
Breathable fabrics are another way to increase airflow and keep your bed cooler. Switching out polyester sheets for cotton ones will help to reduce trapped heat, while allowing the mattress to breathe, leading to improved sleeping temperature. A thin sheet of ice placed over pulse points on your body (wrists, necks, elbows, ankles and knees) will quickly lower core temperature.
8. Cooling Covers
Cooling covers help sleepers to regulate temperature and manage moisture throughout the night, keeping them feeling at their most comfortable. Some designs feature breathable fabrics like cotton or Tencel (an eco-friendly textile derived from eucalyptus trees) with moisture wicking capabilities while other have special ventilation grids weaved into fabric to increase airflow through perforations in foam beneath it.
Material selection plays an essential role in temperature-regulating mattress pads and toppers. Lalitha Bhowani-McSorley of Brentwood Physiotherapy Calgary in Alberta Canada notes, “Cotton, silk, wool, gel and foam all provide unique cooling powers that provide relaxation.”
Slumber Cloud’s Performance Mattress Pad combines Outlast, an engineered phase change material designed for optimal temperature regulation, with Tencel Lyocell outer layers to increase moisture-wicking capability and PCM microcapsules that protect from allergens while increasing cooling effectiveness of this cooling mattress topper. Users often report sleeping cooler than ever with this highly effective cooling mattress topper!
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