honorable mentions
There are a number of mattresses and related products on the market that claim to have cooling benefits. Here are a few others we tested and liked, but not as much as the above options.
Courtesy of Sealy
Sealy Cocoon Chill Memory Foam Mattress for $919: Its surface is quite cool to the touch due to the special phase change material, which works wonders in drawing and storing body heat. This all-foam mattress flexes firmly, making it suitable for back and stomach sleepers. If you’re a side sleeper and looking for more body contouring, I suggest you look elsewhere. If you are a fan of sleeping on your stomach and are looking for a firm mattress that is also cool, this will work for you. There was almost no motion transfer in my testing, allowing my husband and I to wake up at different times without disturbing each other. -Nicole Kinning
Casper Snow Hybrid for $2,595: When you see a mattress with a name that includes “ice”, your expectations for the cooling effect are naturally high – and this mattress really lives up to that expectation. Structurally, this hybrid bed combines poly foam, memory foam, and pocketed coils, and offers targeted support at the hips, waist, and lower back to reduce pressure, making it ideal for back and stomach sleepers. I noticed that it came out of the box slightly deformed from its packaging and emitting a slight plasticky smell. After about two days, the mattress was ready to use, the smell was gone and it settled into its desired neat rectangular shape. -Nicole Kinning
Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid for $2,049: The Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid is marketed as firm, and that’s exactly what you should expect. Crafted from the patented AirCradle memory foam, the mattress features concentrated cushioning in the center, strategically placed to support your lower back. Since I’m only 5’2,” the middle-back cushioning didn’t reach where it was intended. Despite its firmness, I didn’t find this mattress to be particularly exceptional, especially with its cooling properties. Despite the inclusion of a triple-phase LuxCool system and cooling gel-infused memory foam, the cooling effect was not great. -Nicole Kinning
Courtesy of Wayfair
Wayfair Sleep 12-Inch Medium Cooling Gel Memory Foam Mattress for $500: This bed features four layers of hypoallergenic gel memory foam with green tea, using cooling technology and a breathable design to ensure you’re getting a super-cool sleep. This medium-plush bed has two top layers of gel-infused memory and comfortable foam to help with breathability and cooling, and the top material is a breathable knit cover to aid air flow circulation. This mattress had the perfect balance of soft cooling with memory foam, and the breathable knit cover also helps with airflow. However, most importantly, I always slept comfortably on this sleeper hit (pun intended).
Wayfair 10.5-inch Plush Cooling Gel Mattress at $536 (King): This cooling gel hybrid mattress includes five layers of different memory foams. The memory foam pillow top is intended to relieve pressure points and help reduce motion transfer, and features a breathable knit cover to aid in the cooling effect. The mattress is compatible with an adjustable base and has a 100-night trial and a 10-year warranty. Although its cooling effect isn’t as noticeable as some of the other mattresses on this list, this is a true plush mattress that utilizes cooling gel technology at an affordable price.
Wayfair Sleep 8-Inch Medium Cooling Gel Memory Foam for $400: This super-affordable medium-firm cooling mattress has a total of eight inches of memory foam – a top layer of cooling gel, charcoal and green tea-infused memory foam (to aid in freshness and odor absorption), followed by soft comfort foam on a durable high-density foam base. The top layer features a breathable, knitted jacquard design that helps keep the sleeper cool and reduces motion transfer. Layers of ultra-cooling gel and green tea-infused memory foam help with the cooling effect and keep any odors at bay. This super-cheap mattress delivers far beyond expectations, but there are also better cooling options on our list.
Wayfair Sleep 14-Inch Plush Cooling Gel Hybrid Mattress for $326 (Full): This plush cooling gel mattress features a top plush layer of gel memory foam to relieve pressure and help with airflow, plus the quilted Euro-top knit cover and sides promote constant airflow around the mattress to keep the sleeper cool. The bed also has the classic pocket coils underneath for structure and support, with layers of memory foam surrounding the coils (this also helps with low motion transfer). The mattress is also compatible with an adjustable bed base, has solid edge support, offers a 100-night trial, and has a 10-year warranty. I like a plush mattress, but it may be too plush for someone with a larger body, as the first super-soft memory foam layer sits on top of the coil system.
Wayfair Sleep 13.5-Inch Medium Cooling Gel Memory Foam Mattress for $550: This 13.5-inch cooling gel memory foam mattress is listed as medium, but I would definitely consider it super-plush. The top layer has 2 inches of gel-infused memory foam and 4.5 inches of comfort foam, and the bottom layer is 7 inches of high-density base support foam. Like other cooling Wayfair mattresses, the top has a breathable jacquard pattern and contains a green tea blend to provide freshness and coolness. The upper layers of memory foam are designed to mold to your body and help provide relief from aches and joint pain. This in-a-box bed also has low-motion transfer, a 100-night trial, and a limited 10-year warranty. If you’re someone who wants a super-plush bed that helps wick away moisture, I would recommend this stalwart.
Compare the Best Cooling Mattresses
How does wired cooling test mattresses?
Mattresses are tested for at least a week, but in many cases longer. I slept on most of these mattresses for half a month or more to really get a feel for the product. I tested them at different times of the season and with different types of sheets and bedding. I sat on the edge, jumped and performed some to test the edge support Other Methods of testing mattress bounce and motion transfer. Perhaps most important for this guide, I was my usual, always hot (and sweaty) self, and gauged more intangible things like my overall comfort at night, and how well I felt air flowed through the mattress, or how much heat was trapped.
What should you look for in a cooling mattress?
When shopping for a cooling mattress, here are some things to consider:
- composition: Select mattress materials designed to promote airflow, which will help prevent heat build-up. Many mattresses are gel or copper infused, designed to dissipate heat and keep you cool. A hybrid mattress combines the best of both worlds by using a coil support system beneath a foam, latex, or polyfoam comfort top. Hybrid mattresses retain less heat than all-foam mattresses because they have one or two layers of springs to help dissipate heat.
- Cover Fabric: Consider mattresses with covers made from moisture-wicking fabrics and phase-change fibers to wick away body sweat. Breathable fabrics include bamboo, Tencel Lyocell, and synthetic fabrics, which are engineered to help regulate body temperature. Perforated cooling covers further increase airflow between your body and clothes. We also find quilted tops helpful, as they have peaks and valleys that allow air to escape.
- Air Flow: With proper airflow, the heat you generate throughout the night is conducted properly through the mattress. Hybrid mattresses with individual coils help with this, but many mattresses marketed for their cooling benefits have other tricks up their sleeves.
- Perseverance: While the debate of soft vs. hard mattresses is a personal preference, your choice can play a significant role in the way it traps heat in your body. Soft mattresses envelop your body, increasing heat retention as your body sinks into the surface. In contrast, firmer mattresses provide better support and allow more air circulation around your body.
How does WIRED select the models for review?
We’ve tested over 100 mattresses across all of our guides, like the best organic mattresses, best mattresses for back pain, and the best mattresses you can buy online, as well as personal reviews. We talk to each other, discussing which brands of mattresses we are generally fans of and which we are not. Some mattresses are provided by manufacturers as review samples, with the understanding that we do not guarantee coverage or the type of coverage – we are not paid for glowing reviews on products we consider just mediocre. We buy and spend on models that we can’t even sample.
We try to test a range of mattress types, firms and brands to make sure we know what’s available on the market, so we can give you our honest, unbiased opinion on which mattress you should spend your money (and a third of your life sleeping on).
What does one do with wired mattresses after testing?
We put the top picks to long-term durability testing in our own homes and the homes of other employees, friends and family members, while other models are donated locally.
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