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There are plenty of factors that go into getting a good night’s rest, including temperature regulation. If you’ve ever woken up feeling hot and sweaty, no matter how thin your sheets are, your mattress may be the issue. Luckily, there are plenty of mattresses on the market that offer cooling effects, but it can be hard to tell which ones are worth investing in and which ones will match your other sleep preferences. To help you out, we’ve rounded up the best cooling mattresses you can buy online, as tested by Strategist editors and writers.
All our reviews are based on at least a week’s worth of sleep by different types of sleepers, so if you have a preference on firmness, look for the Strategist editor who matches that. If you don’t see something you like here, don’t worry: We’ve reviewed nearly 40 mattresses here, and we’ve got roundups of all-foam options and firm mattresses, too. (Note that for ease of comparison, the prices given below are for queen-size mattresses, but all are available in different sizes.)
What we’re looking for
Construction
It’s important to consider how a mattress is constructed because the materials inside and how they’re layered can affect how warm or cool you feel while lying on it. Certain mattresses are constructed in a way that increases airflow; for example, a mattress with springs will typically have better ventilation — “this could be a memory-foam hybrid or any other style of hybrid or innerspring mattress,” says our sleep writer Amelia Jerden. Latex foam is considered more breathable than memory foam, which naturally traps heat. The construction of your mattress will also determine how much support the bed provides and how comfortable you feel when you lie down at night.
Cooling features
Many of the mattresses on this list have some sort of cooling or temperature-regulating feature. As mentioned above, memory-foam tends to trap body heat; however, cooling components, such as infusions of gel, copper, or graphite, can counteract that and help keep you cool. If you’re looking for other ways to prevent overheating, consider a mattress that has a cover woven with cooling fibers, such as breathable cotton, moisture-wicking Tencel, or Celliant, a synthetic fiber that directs body heat back into the muscles as restorative infrared heat. (In our guide to the best mattresses to buy online, our senior editor Jen Trolio noted that there are some clinical studies with promising initial results, including one conducted at the University of California, Irvine, Medical Center showing that Celliant-infused socks helped relieve chronic foot pain.)
Firmness and support
Often, manufacturers rate their mattresses on a firmness scale from 1 to 10, but we’ve seen that the way you sleep will have an impact on the type of mattress you find most comfortable and how you experience its firmness. Side sleepers, for example, need pressure relief on their hips and shoulders along with a mattress that supports the alignment of the spine, shoulders, and pelvis. Back sleepers will do better with a firmer mattress, which helps support the spine, and stomach sleepers often prefer softer mattresses that cradle their body but are not so soft that they sink in.
Best cooling mattress overall
This premium Tuft & Needle mattress features two additional layers of Adaptive Foam compared with the Original’s one. Its two-inch middle layer of Adaptive Foam is infused with a purportedly cooling ceramic gel, and its three-inch top layer of Adaptive Foam is infused with graphite that the brand claims will “pull body heat away.” When testing it out, Strategist writer Arielle Avila and her boyfriend found it truly cooling: “There were a couple of nights I forgot to turn our fan on and we didn’t wake up drenched.” As for its firmness, the Mint accommodated both of their preferences — Avila likes something more plush, while her boyfriend prefers a firm mattress. The Mint was more supportive than their old Zinus mattress, which was great for her boyfriend, who claimed he woke up more refreshed than ever. Avila said she was hesitant about the firmness, but the Mint never felt too firm on her hips or shoulders whenever she rolled to her side. Instead, she described the feeling as being cradled, something she also felt when sleeping on her stomach. Avila still has her Tuft & Needle and says it has provided her with very comfortable sleep through two summers, especially as a hot sleeper, and she never experiences back pain.
Best (less expensive) cooling mattress
If you don’t want to spend a lot of money, this hybrid mattress is a good bet for many types of sleepers searching for a temperature-neutral option. The Ultra Cooling Green Tea Hybrid is 12 inches tall with two inches of cooling gel-infused memory foam, a half-inch of memory foam, and a layer of individually wrapped coils that Zinus says are sorted into seven distinct zones, which means there’s lots of room for airflow. Our sleep writer Amelia Jerden, a back-and-side sleeper, calls this mattress a “true medium” — a little softer and cushier than the mattress-industry standard of medium-firm. “As someone who likes a lot of padding and pressure relief, this slightly soft feel was really comfortable for me,” Jerden says.
Best all-foam cooling mattress
The Nectar Memory-Foam Mattress is an all-foam bed with a quilted cover on top of layers of “gel-infused” cooling memory foam, support memory foam, and high-density poly foam. In our guide to the best mattresses, former Strategist senior editor Casey Lewis said the firm mattress “has just the right amount of give, in that it’s comfortable for me to move around on, but I don’t feel anyone (or anything) else moving around.” As for its cooling properties, which Lewis said “sounded a little dubious to me,” they really do work: “My worries about the memory foam overheating me never came to fruition … While I still woke up with stress dreams, I never once woke up with sweat-soaked sheets,” she said. When we asked Lewis for an update two years later, she said she still likes that she doesn’t overheat while sleeping. And though she’s now in the market for a bigger bed, she’s going to stick with the Nectar in king size because it has been so comfortable.
Best hybrid cooling mattress
Folks who aren’t sure where to start might try a hybrid mattress, meaning a combination of foam and springs, like Brooklyn Bedding’s best-selling Aurora Luxe. New York deputy editor Alexis Swerdloff says this mattress, which has three layers of foam topping an eight-inch steel-coil core, feels “luxurious” and “very substantial.” According to the brand, the top layer is constructed with cooling fibers that work with Brooklyn Bedding’s GlacioTex cover to promote airflow and absorb excess heat from the body. Swerdloff says she and her husband both run hot and the mattress’s materials help them sleep cooler than usual. When we asked her for an update after a year, Swerdloff told us she’s still not having any night sweats. Note: The Aurora Luxe comes in three firmness levels; Swerdloff recommends going in a firmer direction than you normally might, as she says it “errs on the softer side” (she has a medium-firm).
Best innerspring cooling mattress
Saatva’s Classic innerspring mattress has topped our extensive best-mattress roundup for many years. Its spring-heavy design (one level of individually wrapped coils above another layer of recycled-steel coils) allows for better airflow and makes it a solid option for hot sleepers. The Saatva Classic also works well for all sorts of sleeping positions because it’s constructed with a mix of inner springs, memory foam, and a quilted Euro top that’s available in three different firmness levels. Our senior editor Simone Kitchens, a side sleeper who “moves around at night,” says the firmest option gave her a supported feeling and “kept my lower back from collapsing in.”
Best latex cooling mattress
If you want a truly cushioning bed, consider the Natural Bliss Vegan latex mattress. It contains two layers of Arpico latex (a natural latex made from tapping rubber trees) plus an “Eco Fire Barrier” layer (made of a chemical-free fire-retardant material). PlushBeds offers three thicknesses — eight, ten, or 12 inches — with the thicker mattresses made of heftier latex layers. Our senior editor Hilary Reid, who’s a side and stomach sleeper, tested the ten-inch Natural Bliss mattress with the softest firmness level available and was immediately taken by how plush it felt. She says it had a “pleasingly old-fashioned feel to it” and added that “it felt like the sort of mattress you’d find in a spare room at your grandmother’s house — something well made that she held onto for that reason.” Reid adds that it makes sense when you consider the company’s use of old-world-style manufacturing techniques: PlushBeds makes all of its mattresses in a California factory using naturally derived sustainable materials. While Reid doesn’t have any allergies or chemical sensitivities, she says the latex mattress makes a lot of sense for someone who does. It also has a hand-stitched organic cotton cover to further help keep you cool and dry at night.
Best mattress with cooling gel
If you’re not a fan of all-foam mattresses, consider the Purple Mattress. It’s made with a combination of different materials, including several inches of Purple’s proprietary polymer material, a strong but moldable gel-like material that’s been used in medical beds, Dr. Scholl’s soles, and toy balls. Former Strategist deputy editor Jason Chen, a side sleeper who prefers a firmer mattress, said in our best mattresses shopping guide that “it was like being cradled rather than smothered, the way I felt on my old foam mattress. With a truly unique construction and anomalous materials, Purple’s mattress is well suited to those who sleep hot and hate foam — and who are game to try something very different.”
Best cooling mattress for athletes
If you’re always moving day and night, Bear’s original, all-foam mattress is made for athletes and active sleepers, with foam layers designed to relieve pressure, keep you cool, and restore strength. All those benefits are thanks to a mattress cover made of Celliant, a synthetic fiber that’s “designed to direct body heat back into the muscles as restorative infrared heat,” according to some studies. Former senior writer (and devoted runner) Karen Iorio Adelson tested this mattress with her husband. “It may be totally psychological — my legs did feel fresher and less fatigued than they normally would on days after doing sprints and thigh-punishing barre workouts,” she says in our guide to the best mattresses. If you’re an athlete or on a rigorous gym schedule, the Bear mattress may be worth the try — but if nothing else, it’s a nice option for stomach or back sleepers who want a touch more support from an all-foam mattress. (And Bear’s 120-night trial allows for hassle-free returns.)
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