How to Find the Best Cooling Mattress for Better Sleep

How to Find the Best Cooling Mattress for Better Sleep

A cooling mattress is designed to reduce heat retention and improve airflow, helping you stay more comfortable throughout the night by preventing overheating. The best cooling mattresses typically feature breathable materials, temperature-regulating technologies like copper-infused foam, and open-cell foam construction that promotes airflow. If you frequently wake up hot, sweat during sleep, or struggle with temperature-related sleep disruptions, a cooling mattress may be the answer to improving your sleep quality.

The time has come to re-evaluate your bedding situation. Just because you’ve always accepted that you sweat more than Pinocchio strapped to a lie detector while you sleep doesn’t mean it has to be this way. A cooling mattress will change everything.

If you thought that you were doomed to night sweating forever, you were wrong. When you sleep on a copper mattress, you’ll wake up as cool as a cucumber.

You change your bed’s sheets, brush off the pet hair, and never eat in bed – you do so much for your mattress. It’s time you stop asking what you can do for your mattress and start asking what your (cooling) mattress can do for you!

Key Takeaways

• Cooling mattresses are designed to reduce heat buildup by improving airflow and using materials that help dissipate body heat throughout the night.
• Hybrid mattresses typically offer the most airflow, while modern memory foam mattresses can also sleep cool when made with advanced cooling technologies like copper-gel microbeads.
• Frequent overheating, night sweats, and temperature-related sleep disruptions are common signs that you may benefit from a cooling mattress.
• The best cooling mattress is the one that balances temperature regulation, support, and comfort based on your sleep position, body type, and personal preferences.

What Is a Cooling Mattress?

A cooling mattress is designed to help regulate your body temperature and reduce heat buildup while you sleep by using specialized materials and construction methods to improve airflow and dissipate heat. Common features of cooling mattresses include copper-gel microbeads that conduct heat away from your body while you sleep and open-cell memory foam that increases airflow throughout the mattress, reducing heat retention in the foam layers. By promoting a more consistent sleep temperature, cooling mattresses help improve sleep quality by reducing nighttime disruptions like night sweats.

Layla Sleep’s cooling mattresses

At Layla Sleep, we offer some of the best cooling mattresses to help you get the quality sleep you deserve based on your sleeping position and personal preferences. Take a look:

• Memory Foam Mattress: The Layla Memory Foam Mattress is made of copper-gel-infused foam. Since copper is conductive, heat sticks to it like a magnet (a.k.a. inside the mattress and away from your torso). Unlike traditional mattresses, which retain your natural body heat at the surface, a cooling mattress keeps your body temperature regulated where it makes contact. If you run hot during the night, your excess body heat will be carried away and trapped in the middle of the mattress, where it can’t bother you.
• Hybrid Mattress: The Layla Hybrid Mattress features the same copper-gel-infused memory foam as our Memory Foam Mattress, with the addition of pocketed coil technology that promotes ample airflow by expelling warm air that often gets trapped in mattress layers. Plus, these coils provide excellent motion isolation, edge support, and a soft, yet supportive feel for an unmatched sleeping experience.
• Essential by Layla: The Essential by Layla Mattress is our most affordable cooling mattress that doesn’t compromise on quality. This mattress features Lux OpenCell+™ Memory Foam, which provides 3x more airflow than conventional mattress foams to keep you cool throughout the night.

Take our free mattress quiz to find a cooling mattress that matches your sleep position and preferences for your best sleep yet.

Why Do Some Mattresses Sleep Hot?

There are several reasons why your mattress may sleep hot, and understanding the reason can help you identify the features that truly make a difference. Several factors contribute to heat retention:

• Dense foam construction: Traditional memory foam is known for its ability to contour closely to the body. While this pressure-relieving feel is popular, older generations of memory foam often restrict airflow and trap heat near the sleep surface. While mattresses with lower memory foam density tend to trap less heat, higher-density foams paired with an open-cell structure and cooling technologies like copper can also promote better airflow, reduce heat retention, and regulate temperature.
• Limited airflow: Mattresses made entirely of dense foam have fewer pathways for air to circulate. Without adequate airflow, body heat can become concentrated around you, leaving you in a puddle of sweat during the night.
• Heat-retaining materials: Certain mattress materials naturally absorb and hold heat more than others. Lower-quality foams may lack the technologies, like copper, needed to disperse heat efficiently.
• Bedding and sleep environment: Even the most advanced cooling mattresses can be affected by heavy bedding, mattress protectors, room temperature, and humidity levels.

What Are the Signs It’s Time for a Cooling Mattress?

Still not sure whether you sleep hot enough to justify a new mattress? Here are a few signs it may be time to upgrade to a cooling mattress:

Your face or feet get hot

If your face gets so hot that you’re constantly looking for the cool side of the pillow, you’re definitely sleeping hotter than you need to be. And for a lot of people, their heads and feet are the epicenters of their temperature control. In other words, if your face or feet get hot, it’s game over for being comfortable.

In addition to getting a copper cooling mattress, you may want to consider getting a Layla Pillow. Made from a breathable cover and a natural filler that promotes airflow and regulates temperature, our pillows are a game-changer for hot sleepers. You won’t have to flip your pillow from side to side all night if it stays cool, no matter what. And less pillow flipping means more restful sleep.

Your sleep is frequently interrupted

Tossing and turning can be a signal that your body is overheating and trying to find a cooler, more comfortable position. If you’re waking up in the middle of the night due to constant sweating, a cooling mattress can help reduce sleep disruptions.

You constantly run the air conditioner

Sure, you found a way to stay cool all night – it’s just costing you an arm and a leg (and a metaphorical kidney). When you open your utility bill every month, the envelope whispers, “You better sit down,” just before you break the seal.

You’re cranking the AC all night just to stay cool.

If you can’t go to bed without turning up your HVAC system, you need to start asking how a cooling mattress could solve your problems. We’re not saying a copper mattress is the same as a sweet stream of treated air on your face, but it comes in a very close second when looking for ways to keep your room cool. In combination with lightweight sheets, the copper-infused memory foam of a Layla Memory Foam or Hybrid Mattress will limit your need to run the air conditioning at night.

Your partner sleeps hot

Maybe it’s not you, it’s them. Are you sleeping next to a hot potato every night? You don’t want to pass them, you just want them to stop radiating their body heat in your direction. You’re at the point where you can’t even cuddle because you’ll both overheat and end up miserable.

A cooling mattress could save your love life. Or, at least help it along. The great thing about a Layla Mattress is that not only does it have cooling capabilities, but it also makes sleeping next to another person easier in general. When you’re snoozing on a Layla Memory Foam or Hybrid Mattress, you benefit from:

• Motion transfer control. In short, this means that if you or your partner tend to do flutter kicks while dreaming, the other person won’t get seasick.
• Total body conformity. The memory foam on your side of the mattress conforms to your body, molding itself to your needs. Two people can have very different body types and be equally comfortable on the same mattress.
• Antimicrobial properties. Copper isn’t just cool; it’s also clean. If you get a little grossed out at the thought of sleeping around someone else’s germs, you can rest easier knowing your antimicrobial mattress copper-gel foam is killing the little buggers while you rest. Additionally, Layla’s mattresses are hypoallergenic and pair well with our hypoallergenic bedding.

You wake up tired

The real test of good sleep is how you feel in the morning. If you’re too hot all night, you’re going to be discombobulated in the morning. Some overheated-sleep hangovers can’t even be fixed by coffee. They can, however, be cured with a cooling mattress.

Your body knows when you’re uncomfortable, even when you’re unconscious. General malaise and tiredness in the morning are clear symptoms that something is up.

One reason for tired mornings is hot nights. Maybe your body isn’t going into total relaxation mode because it’s too busy subconsciously kicking the covers off. Maybe you’re staying half-awake in case you need to go get a glass of water. When your body is on high alert for any reason, it can’t drift into true rest mode.

A new mattress could change all that.

What Makes the Best Cooling Mattress?

What should you look for in the right cooling mattress? There are a few factors that will ensure you’re getting the right bed for a comfortable night’s sleep and a rested morning. You can start your search by seeking out a mattress that:

• Copper-infused foam: Copper has strong heat-conducting properties, and mattresses infused with copper gel microbeads help distribute heat more effectively throughout the mattress for a cooler, more comfortable sleeping experience.
• Open-cell foam technology: Traditional foam can create pockets that trap heat. Open-cell foam structures feature larger air channels that improve breathability and airflow throughout the mattress, reducing heat buildup and allowing the mattress to respond more effectively to changes in body temperature.
• Multiple layers of foam: A good cooling mattress will not only have body-conforming foam at the top, but also a layer of convoluted foam in the middle. This layer helps air circulate and keeps the bed’s overall temperature down. We say the more layers, the merrier, which is why the Layla Memory Foam Mattress has four unique foam layers with convoluted foam near the middle.
• Breathable covers: The mattress cover serves as the first point of contact between you and the mattress. Breathable fabrics can help wick away moisture and encourage airflow, creating a cooler sleep surface.
• Trial period: It can take time to adjust to your new way of sleeping. At Layla, we offer a 120-night trial period on all our mattresses. You get to sleep on your new, cooler mattress for a few months and decide if it’s offering enough temperature control. We’re confident it will.
• Is backed by evidence-based claims. Anyone could claim their mattress keeps you cool. But not everyone can say they actually use materials that are proven to be conductive and offer real cooling potential. At Layla, we know copper is tried and tested to offer a serious cool-down to even the hottest of sleepers.

What Are the Benefits of a Cooling Mattress?

Investing in a cooling mattress or even a cooling mattress topper comes with a wide range of benefits that can improve your sleep and your day-to-day life. Explore these cooling mattress benefits below:

• Reduce night sweats: The last thing you want is to wake up in a puddle of sweat in the middle of the night. In addition to being uncomfortable, sleeping hot means you’ll need to wash your bedding more often than if you were to enjoy a refreshing sleep each night.
• Lose weight: Studies have found that sleeping cool can help you lose weight, as sleeping cool increases your metabolism due to your body using energy to stay warm, therefore burning more calories.
• Disperses heat: One of the main benefits of the top cooling mattresses is their ability to disperse heat, so sleepers can sleep cool without tossing and turning due to high temperatures.

What Are Other Ways to Sleep Cooler at Night?

While cooling mattresses can help regulate your body temperature, they won’t necessarily turn your sauna of a bedroom into your own personal igloo. Cooling mattresses work by transporting body heat away from you while you sleep, but they can’t control the temperature of your room. In addition to sleeping on a cooling mattress, there are other ways you can sleep cooler and more comfortably at night, such as:

• Create a cross breeze: If you don’t have A/C, try creating a cross breeze in your home by opening windows on opposite ends of your home to allow the cool night air to pass through.
• Use a fan: Place an oscillating fan by your bedside to circulate the air in your room. You can also place the fan by an open window to bring cool air in while you sleep.
• Freeze your pillowcases: If a hot pillow is keeping you up at night, place your pillowcases in the freezer for a few hours. When it’s time for bed, slip them on your pillows, and you can enjoy the cool side all night long.
• Avoid exercising before bed: Your body naturally loses 1 to 2 degrees of heat before you sleep in order to help you stay temperature-controlled while you’re resting. Exercising before bed, such as going for a night run, could change that and keep you up longer than you anticipated.
• Rethink your sleep attire: Even clothing that you think is conducive to sleeping cool – like a short-sleeved t-shirt – could lead to restlessness depending on the material. Pajamas affect sleep, so consider choosing a moisture-wicking fabric instead of wearing cotton, for instance, or consider sleeping naked.
• Get a mattress topper: If you can’t even get comfortable enough to fall asleep, you are likely to toss and turn when you finally doze off. If you’re sleeping on a tough mattress but don’t want to invest in a new one, you may be looking for ways to soften up a firm mattress. A Layla Mattress Topper keeps you extra cool and conforms to your body for total comfort, even if you’re on a regular mattress.
• Use cooling bedding: Your mattress is only one piece of your sleep system. Consider investing in sheets for hot sleepers, like breathable bamboo sheets, and a cooling comforter, such as an all-season comforter.

These are just some tips for creating the ideal sleeping environment when the temperature starts to rise. With the help of a cooling mattress and summer bedding, you’ll stay comfortable throughout the night.

Cooling Mattress FAQs

What is the best type of cooling mattress?

If you’re looking for the best cooling mattress, it’s important to know what type of mattress to look for. Generally, hybrid mattresses offer the greatest airflow due to their coil systems, while modern memory foam mattresses with copper-gel microbeads and open-cell technologies can also provide excellent temperature regulation.

Choosing a mattress can be a challenge, especially with so many options on the market. If you want the best cooling mattress, consider these factors:

• Materials: Do the materials effectively wick moisture and help regulate body temperature?
• Cooling features: Does the mattress have cooling features, such as copper or gel, that can effectively conduct heat and keep you cool?
• Breathability: Is the mattress breathable, allowing air to pass through to remain cool and fresh?

These are just some of the features and questions you should ask yourself when looking for a cooling mattress for your bedroom.

Do cooling mattresses actually work?

While cooling mattresses can’t lower your body temperature directly, they can help reduce heat buildup and improve airflow. Many sleepers find that cooling materials and breathable construction create a more comfortable sleep environment that doesn’t leave them with beads of sweat dripping down their foreheads.

What is the best cooling mattress for night sweats and menopause?

If you’re battling menopause night sweats, you’re not alone. The best cooling mattress is one that combines breathable materials with features that help reduce heat retention, such as a hybrid mattress with coil systems that promote airflow or a memory foam mattress with cooling technologies like copper-gel microbeads.

Wrapping Up: Signs You Need a New Cooling Mattress

Consider the signs of sleeping hot discussed in this article as your wake-up call to invest in a new cooling mattress. You deserve the best. And the best doesn’t include waking up at 1 am to chug a glass of ice water and fan your face.

Layla’s copper-infused mattress, on the other hand… we’re pretty sure American treasure Tina Turner would dedicate her 1989 smash hit, “The Best,” to us. It’s time to shop for your next copper-infused cooling mattress. Your refreshed self can thank us later.