Many sleepers find they wake up sweaty. Luckily, there are various cooling mattress solutions available that can help provide you with a refreshing night’s rest.
coils & springs, perforated mattresses and gel-infused foam are popular methods for cooling mattresses. Some even feature materials like copper or graphite which help combat the heat.
1. Airflow
Attaining the ideal room temperature while sleeping is crucial to restful slumber. A humidifier may help, as can lowering your thermostat to about 65 degrees. But mattress heat could be the main contributor.
Mattress manufacturers employ various techniques to make their mattresses more breathable and cooler, including cutting or contouring the foam surfaces to create air channels. Mattress in a box brand Casper employs AirScape cooling technology with thousands of perforations that draw body heat away from sleepers.
Another popular method of cooling down mattresses is with gel-infused foam. Many brands, like memory foam brands Casper and Loom & Leaf, incorporate layers of this substance that draw body heat away during the night while providing comforting support. Some even feature copper infusions to boost blood circulation and aid temperature regulation.
Cotton or bamboo bedsheet sets offer natural cooling properties by being lightweight and breathable materials that allow air to circulate between sheets, keeping your mattress from accumulating too much heat.
2. Phase Change Material
Phase change material (PCM) first made its debut in mattress manufacturing a few years ago. Based on thermodynamic principles such as latent energy (the minimum energy required for changing from solid to liquid or gas state), PCM mattresses help you find optimal sleeping temperatures by drawing heat away from your body and redistributing it throughout the night based on fluctuating body temperatures – keeping you at an ideal sleeping temperature and helping ensure proper restful rest.
PCM can be added to mattresses through a topical coating or through the incorporation of comfort materials like memory foams. Mattress brands such as Tempur-Pedic’s PURECOOL+ and Talalay Global’s Celsion feature PCM latex foam while other companies incorporate PCM into mattress covers and performance fabrics.
NASA developed technology encasing PCM (Polarized Crystalline Mold) in a gel-like structure to prevent it from melting or freezing during sleep. When in contact with skin, PCM captures and stores heat energy before gradually releasing that stored energy when you change temperatures – creating the optimal sleeping temperature.
3. Microcoils
Microcoils are often included in hybrid mattresses to provide both contouring support and cooling benefits. Foam often traps body heat due to its dense structure; microcoils help dissipate it as users move around during sleep.
While innerspring coil styles are generally defined by coil gauge and count, some spring suppliers have recently turned to smaller core sizes. Anthony reports seeing manufacturers employing microcoils, nanocoils, or minicoils in some hybrid beds’ comfort layer or transitional support layer as alternative coil options.
Small coils respond more rapidly to pressure than their larger counterparts, creating a deeper cradle for balanced support and pressure relief. Furthermore, these smaller coils allow more airflow under the sleep surface for reduced motion isolation.
These small coils feature quilted covers to cover them so you won’t feel the individual springs beneath. This option makes an excellent choice for sleepers who enjoy cushioned comfort but would prefer responsiveness during movements.
4. Perforations
Many mattress makers include perforated foam in their mattresses to improve airflow, helping move hot body heat away from the mattress and into the room with cooler air while simultaneously increasing durability and comfort. This feature is especially popular among memory foam mattresses like Casper.
Many brands utilize contour cutting to form air channels in their foams, further improving cooling and support. Casper employs this technology in their Wave Hybrid Snow mattress while Tempur-Pedic utilizes similar methods in their ProBreeze line.
Latex foam naturally features a network of pinholes on its surface, and manufacturers like Leesa Sleep have made enhancements by adding horizontal and vertical holes for maximum breathability. According to fiber scientists at the GH Institute, cooling mattress toppers and pads often come equipped with covers made from materials like tencel/lyocell or polyester that wick away moisture for added cooling power during sleep.
Be mindful that even the best cooling mattress may still retain body heat if its cover doesn’t allow adequate ventilation. We suggest sleeping on your mattress under a fitted sheet in a cool and dark room to ensure maximum cooling effectiveness.
5. Ventilation Grids
While traditional innerspring mattresses provide excellent pressure-relief and contouring capabilities, they may become too hot for some sleepers. To combat this issue, mattress makers have developed innovative cooling technologies to keep you cool throughout your sleep time.
One of these cooling methods involves the use of breathable fabric blends that move moisture and heat away from your mattress in order to keep you feeling comfortable and dry. These fabrics are often integrated into mattress covers with perforations aligning with perforations in their core foam layers, helping keep moisture at bay and you feeling dry and comfortable.
Copper and activated charcoal are among the many cooling technologies. Both materials are known for their natural coolness and antibacterial properties that promote a cleaner sleep environment, as well as being effective at lowering core body temperatures to induce sleep – something Brooklyn Bedding and Zinus both use these materials in their mattresses.
6. Fabrics
Mattress fabrics that provide a comfortable sleeping environment include several options designed to regulate temperature while you slumber. TENCEL uses fabric that’s designed to wick away moisture while Brooklyn Bedding uses phase change material that transitions from warm state when taking in heat, to cold state when discharging its stored heat.
Some memory foam mattresses feature gel beads to absorb heat while you sleep and dissipate it away through ventilation channels. Although this method can work effectively, the gel requires sufficient airflow in order to remain effective – perforations or convolutes in its foam can promote airflow to keep your mattress cool and keep you sleeping comfortably.
Many foam mattresses also incorporate microcoils for additional cooling benefits, often wrapped with breathable non-woven fabric and punctured with holes or slits for enhanced ventilation – something innerspring mattresses such as Beautyrest, Saatva and Winkbed do well at doing.
7. Gel-Infused Foam
Comparable to traditional memory foam, gel is much more responsive and offers heat dissipating properties, making it more durable and eco-friendly than synthetic chemicals found in other foam types.
Some manufacturers utilize gel memory foam layers in their mattresses to enhance airflow and keep you cool during sleep. The specifics of the gel may differ between models but typically includes thermal or phase changing gel beads that reduce body heat accumulation by providing cooling from within out.
Although gel mattresses provide a cooler sleeping surface than traditional memory foam, they aren’t the most efficient way to keep you cool at night. Like an ice pack, their cooling properties only last briefly before they warm back up again – that’s why we suggest pairing a gel mattress with either a breathable cover or cooling topper for optimal cooling results.
8. Fans
Your mattress is the primary factor influencing your sleeping temperature, and many mattress makers incorporate fans into their cooling beds as an energy-saving measure. Fans provide an efficient yet low-cost method of cooling a room; when used alongside slatted bed frames which prevent heat retention while permitting airflow, this combination can be particularly effective.
While fans may seem distracting when trying to sleep, their steady flow of breathable air may help regulate your body temperature and provide comfort during restful slumber. Furthermore, they can reduce congestion or respiratory problems associated with extreme heat exposure.
Many manufacturers employ various materials to increase the breathability of mattresses and pillows, including cotton, TENCEL(tm), bamboo viscose and Lyocell fabrics, which naturally wick away moisture from your skin. Phase Change Material can also be found in pillowcases and mattress protectors to collect heat from your body when sleeping becomes uncomfortable, then release stored heat when too warm; you can find this cooling technology in Casper and Tempur-Pedic mattresses too.
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