Sleeping hot is an issue that affects a lot of people, and it can really disrupt your normal sleep schedule. Waking up sweaty is an uncomfortable feeling, and trying to fall asleep when you’re too hot can feel impossible. It’s actually proven that body temperature and room temperature can throw off your circadian rhythm if they’re too high.
Finding a mattress that can keep you cool will not only be more comfortable, but it can also help give you a restful night’s sleep. There is a great deal to consider when it comes to the temperature regulation of your mattress. Your body type affects mattress choice, and certain materials are more likely to keep you cool than others. This mattress comparison will give you an in-depth look at the best cooling mattresses.
The Best Mattresses for Hot Sleepers: Our Top Picks
Best Overall: Saatva
Saatva
The Saatva is a versatile mattress that has a double-coil design to keep you cool. FLT readers get $75 off!
Why We Picked It
Innerspring mattresses sleep cooler than all-foam beds, and the Saatva mattress takes it one step further. The Saatva uses a coil-on-coil design for added support and maximized airflow. The base layer of this mattress uses 884 steel springs for strong support and on top sit 416 wrapped coils that contour to your body.
For extra comfort, the Saavta uses Euro pillowtop design with quality fabric and foam—back sleepers will especially appreciate the memory foam lumbar pad incorporated into the top layer. The Saatva comes in three firmness levels: very soft (or “Plush Soft”), medium, and firm. The company also includes free white glove delivery in the continental United States with removal of your old mattress. You can also try out the Saatva for 120 days before committing.
Keep in Mind
Although it’s a great mattress for hot sleepers, the Saatva might not be the right fit for you. This is a thick and heavy mattress, which can make it difficult to move around.
In a Nutshell
- Coil-on-coil design
- Three available firmness options
- Free white glove delivery
Best Value: Allswell Luxe
Allswell
The Allswell Luxe mattress offers a premium hybrid feel at a low cost.
Why We Picked It
The Allswell Luxe mattress is a hybrid option that also manages to be very affordable. Hybrids tend to be more expensive because of their combination of multiple different materials, but the Allswell manages to break that trend. The bed has a strong pocketed coil support layer that allows airflow to keep you cool at night.
A stand out feature for the Allswell Luxe is its top layer. This comfort layer uses a specially ventilated Airflow polyfoam to allow for cooling throughout the night. The Allswell Luxe is a firm bed that includes a memory foam quilted top, which makes this a perfect model for back sleepers and some stomach sleepers. This bed ships free in the contiguous United States and has white-glove delivery available for an extra fee.
Keep in Mind
Hot sleepers who are looking for a medium or soft mattress might find the Allswell too firm—especially side sleepers who need extra pressure point relief.
In a Nutshell
- Ventilated Airflow polyfoam top layer
- Low price point, especially for a hybrid
- Free shipping and 100-night trial
Best Luxury: Brooklyn Aurora
Brooklyn Aurora
The Brooklyn Aurora uses specially designed foam to keep you cool at night.
Why We Picked It
Brooklyn Bedding uses specially designed foam in the Aurora mattress to provide a cool sleep surface. The outer layer is treated with TitanCool, a phase-changing material that absorbs and diffuses body heat. This first layer is a patented CopperFlex foam the neutralizes excess heat and also provides targeted pressure point relief. The second layer of foam, called TitanFlex, uses a gel-infused memory foam design. A third layer of memory foam provides deep compression support.
The Aurora also offers support through its innerspring base composed of 1,189 wrapped coils—the Quantum Coils have a reinforced perimeter for edge support, too. The bed comes in your choice of firm, medium, or soft firmness levels. The Aurora is backed by Brooklyn’s 10-year warranty.
Keep in Mind
While the Aurora comes with a long 120-night trial, you are required to test the mattress for at least 30 days before you can return it.
In a Nutshell
- Phase-changing TitanCool surface
- Gel-infused memory foam
- Three different firmness options
Best Organic: Avocado Mattress
Avocado
This GREENGUARD Gold Certified mattress uses all-natural and organic materials.
Why We Picked It
The Avocado mattress is a latex hybrid bed. The standard Green mattress is firm on its own, while opting for the latex pillow-top gives it more of a medium-firm feel. The top layers are constructed of 100% GOTS organic wool and renewably sourced Dunlop latex. The thick pocketed coils used for the Avocado Green mattress’s base gives excellent support and a reinforced edge.
The all-natural materials used for the Avocado bed have proven to be long-lasting. Using natural materials allows the bed to have added breathability and the innerspring coils give you a good amount of airflow. Avocado offers in-home delivery and set up with all their mattresses, but it comes free with King and California King sizes due to the mattress weight.
Keep in Mind
The Avocado is a great all-natural mattress, but it isn’t perfect for everyone. The Avocado is a heavy bed, which can make it difficult to move and unpack.
In a Nutshell
- Made from certified organic and all-natural materials
- Above average edge support
- Free shipping and 100-night sleep trial
How We Chose
Picking the best mattress for hot sleepers means finding one that allows airflow throughout the bed, uses breathable materials, and will still be comfortable enough surface for your sleeping style. We look at the following in all of our mattress reviews. For more details on how we pick our products, you can read about it here.
- Material Quality
- Durability
- Conforming
- Edge Support
- Temperature Neutrality
- Off-gassing
- Motion Isolation
Special Considerations for Hot Sleepers
Depending on the materials used, the mattress type, and even the sleeper’s physical attributes—certain beds are not the best choice for hot sleepers. To help give you a better understanding of these features, we’ve outlined some important details below.
Temperature Neutrality
Certain types of mattresses are more likely to trap heat than others. Traditional innerspring beds allow air to travel through the inside of the mattress, which helps to cool the sleeping surface. On the other end of the spectrum, all-foam mattresses—especially those with memory foam—have virtually no airflow and are known to trap body heat. Hybrid beds attempt to find the middle point between the two and are a popular option among hot sleepers. There are foam beds that can manage to be temperature neutral thanks to specially designed materials, like gel memory foam.
Cover Material
The outer layer of your bed is one of the most important features because you have direct contact with these materials while you sleep. Thinner covers tend to sleep cool, especially compared to thicker quilted covers. Thicker materials will interfere with air circulation. Quilted covers also tend to use thin foams for added comfort, but (depending on the material) this can make the surface more likely to trap heat. Specially designed materials like Celliant fibers and phase-changing covers are made to regulate body temperature and keep you cool throughout the night.
Specialty Foams
Many mattress types have some type of foam beneath their covers, which—depending on the type used—can lead to heat retention. Some bedding companies will use a gel-infused foam because the gel absorbs heat without radiating heat back toward the sleeper. Other types of cooler foams are open-cell memory foam, copper-infused, and graphite infused.
Firmness
Today, beds come in a wide range of different firmness options, usually landing between very soft and very firm. Mattresses that are medium to very firm tend to sleep cooler than soft mattresses. The reason for this is that you sleep on top of the mattress instead of sinking in. The softer a mattress is, the more likely a sleeper is to be cradled by the bedding material, which will trap more body heat.
Body Weight
Directly related to the firmness of a mattress is the sleeper’s body weight. A lightweight sleeper can lay on a soft mattress without sinking too far in, and therefore won’t trap as much body heat. Heavier sleepers will sink deeper into mattresses and overheat easier. Heavier individuals will typically find that medium-firm and firm mattresses will sleep the coolest.
Couples
Couples will generally benefit from a cooler mattress because there is twice the amount of body heat. However, if one partner sleeps hot and the other sleeps cool, they may not agree on how temperature neutral they want their mattress. In some instances, climate control systems could work as these special beds and bases can control the climate on each side separately.
The Best Mattress Types for Hot Sleepers
| Type of Mattress | How it Sleeps |
|---|---|
| Coils | Coils are used for the support layer in innerspring and hybrid mattresses. Using a coil support core allows plenty of room for air circulation inside the bed, and airflow is crucial to temperature regulation. |
| Latex | All-natural latex foam is a great material for hot sleepers. On top of the benefits of being organic and naturally hypoallergenic, latex is naturally breathable—the foam and its perforated design allows for maximized airflow. Synthetic latex is also used in some mattresses, but it may not have the same natural breathability. |
| Gel Memory Foam | Gel is a cooling element, so infusing it into foam helps keep the material temperature neutral. The gel absorbs body heat without feeling warm to the touch, and the more gel used inside the foam, the cooler it will sleep. |
| Specialty Memory Foam | Regular memory foam traps heat, but is also very comfortable. To get the same comfort without the heat-trapping properties, manufacturers have developed specialty memory foams. Infusing materials like copper and graphite help whisk heat away from the sleeper. |
| Advanced Polyfoam | Similar to specialty memory foam, advanced polyfoam is specially designed by manufacturers to include the comfort of regular polyfoam without the heat retaining properties. Unfortunately, because of the material type, these still tend to sleep hotter than most materials. |
| Open-Cell Memory Foam | An alternate way manufacturers have tried to improve upon memory foam is with an open-cell design. This type of memory foam sleeps cooler because it allows more airflow, but still traps a noticeable amount of heat. |
| Regular Polyfoam | Polyfoam has a low-density structure and open-cell structure which helps make it cooler than memory foam. The material does not perform as well as other natural materials or specially designed materials, and high-density polyfoams (often found used for a base layer) have less airflow. |
| Regular Memory Foam | Memory foam is notorious for trapping heat. The material contours to the sleeper by responding to body heat and applied pressure. This design, combined with the conforming properties, makes it a relatively hot sleeping surface. |
Other Tips for Hot Sleepers
While your mattress plays a significant role in temperature regulation, other sleeping accessories can play a factor as well.
- Mattress Toppers: Mattress toppers are often used to give extra comfort to your bed. The extra inch or two of the pad can negatively affect airflow (depending on the material). Memory foam sleeps the hottest, so a memory foam mattress topper will retain the most heat. Wool and feather toppers are the coolest materials.
- Sheets: Bedsheets are important because different fabrics can change how you respond to the cool-to-the-touch materials featured in some mattresses. Natural fibers like cotton, linen, and silk are naturally breathable. Wool responds to the temperature of your room, which makes it suitable during all seasons. Synthetic fibers like polyester and rayon tend to sleep warmer.
- Pillows: You lose a lot of heat from your head, so the pillow you use has an impact on your sleep temperature. Memory foam pillows and synthetic materials like polyester will trap heat and can negatively impact your sleep if you already sleep hot. Natural fibers have more breathability and are some of the most popular pillow material options. Materials like buckwheat, down, and latex are the most temperature neutral pillow materials.
- Climate Control System: Some premium beds include a climate control system that can be used to regulate mattress temperature. These are particularly helpful for couples with different sleeping preferences. Climate control systems typically use air tubes to cool down each side of the bed, either through a unique mattress or via the base.
- Environment: There are always environmental changes you can do to keep yourself cooler at night. Fans can be used to improve airflow, and some sleepers might find the background noise helps them sleep. For the best night’s sleep, it is suggested you keep your room between 60-67 °F. The clothing you wear to bed can further insulate you or restrict airflow, so consider breathable materials. Having your bed on a bed frame is a great way to improve airflow, plus it’s better for the longevity of your mattress.
Temperature and Sleep
You probably know that the human body temperature is 98 degrees, but you might not know that our temperature fluctuates throughout the day. Your body temperature actually cools down overnight, eventually getting to its lowest point at 96.4 degrees. Over the course of the morning, it rises, and you start to feel more awake—conversely, when it lowers, you begin to feel tired.
The reason this is important is that your room temperature and the heat retention of your bed can have an impact on your sleep. If you sleep too hot, that affects your body’s ability to go through its natural cycle, and you won’t wake up feeling rested. The best temperature for your room to be while you’re sleeping is around 65 degrees. More than anything, it’s essential to have a bed that doesn’t allow you to sleep too hot overnight.
Related Resources
To learn about other types of mattresses, check out some of our mattress comparisons below.
