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Research suggests that the ideal temperature for sleeping is around 65 degrees Fahrenheit. While there are many factors that contribute to the temperature of your sleep environment, the importance of your mattress shouldn’t be underestimated. Mattresses that don’t allow room for airflow can trap body heat and lead to an uncomfortably warm night.
If you believe that your mattress could be the culprit for your sleepless nights but you’re not prepared to invest in a new one, a cooling mattress topper may be the best solution. Cooling mattress toppers can be made of latex, wool, gel memory foam, or other materials that draw heat away from the sleeper. They are usually 2 to 4 inches thick and designed to lie on top of your mattress, providing a cooler surface for your body to interact with.
We’ll cover everything you need to know about selecting the best cooling mattress topper, including our top picks and recommendations on choosing a mattress topper based on material, body type, preferred sleep position, and more.
Best Overall
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Made with 3 inches of memory foam, the Viscosoft Select Memory Foam Mattress Topper cradles the body and offers superior pressure point relief. The memory foam has a density of 3.5 pounds per cubic foot. This is considered low density, meaning it allows for a greater degree of airflow and has a quicker response to pressure.
The memory foam is open-cell and has gel infusions designed to whisk body heat away from the sleeper. Couples will appreciate the fact that the memory foam absorbs motion transfer, cutting down on nighttime disruptions from your sleeping partner.
In addition to standard toppers, ViscoSoft offers two specialized models. One version is infused with active charcoal, a material with antimicrobial properties to keep harmful bacteria out of your mattress that also sleeps cool. The other specialized topper is infused with a lavender scent to help you relax in bed.
The topper is thoughtfully designed with a breathable, no-slip mesh bottom and straps to hold it in place. The bamboo-rayon cover is machine washable for hassle-free care. ViscoSoft offers a 60-night sleep trial and 3-year warranty against manufacturing defects.
Best Value
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Affordable, breathable, and pressure-relieving, the Tuft & Needle Mattress Topper provides great performance for the money.
The budget-friendly 2-inch thick topper uses open cell polyfoam. This cell structure is more breathable than most memory foam, so hot air can escape and cool air can permeate the surface to help limit heat buildup. Polyfoam also tends to be more responsive than memory foam, so sleepers shouldn’t feel trapped in their own body impression. While it doesn’t have the close hug of memory foam, the Tuft & Needle Mattress Topper does not skimp on its pressure-relieving properties or motion-isolating capabilities.
A polyester-blend cover encases the polyfoam for added protection. This fabric is soft to the touch and can be spot cleaned. A non-skid bottom with silicone beading helps hold the topper in place and prevent shifting during the night.
With a medium soft (4) feel, this topper should be comfortable for sleepers who weigh under 230 pounds and want their bed to feel plusher.
The Tuft & Needle Mattress Topper holds CertiPUR-US certification for material safety standards. It comes in the six standard mattress sizes. A 100-night trial period lets customers try the topper at home to decide if it’s right for them, and a 3-year limited warranty protects the purchase.
Best Memory Foam
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The Layla Memory Foam Mattress Topper uses a copper-gel infusion to balance contouring and cooling.
While memory foam hugs the sleeper’s body to relieve pressure buildup, it can also trap heat against them. The Layla Memory Foam Mattress Topper combats this with an infusion of copper-gel that conducts heat away and adds antimicrobial properties for a cleaner sleep surface. The cover of the topper uses the same hexagonal quilted fabric as its mattress covers.
This topper measures 2 inches thick and it has a soft (3) feel, so it may be best suited for sleepers under 230 pounds who want to soften the surface of their bed a bit while still enjoying their mattress’s support. The topper should also enhance the pressure relief for most sleepers while reducing motion transfer across the surface of the bed. However, its soft feel and close conforming may not be as responsive as many couples would like for sex, but it can add traction.
Each of the six standard mattress sizes is available. You can try the Layla Memory Foam Mattress Topper at home during its 120-night trial period. A 5-year warranty protects against cracking or splitting foam and defects in the cover.
Best Pressure Relief
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The Molecule AirTEC mattress topper is a multi-layer topper that uses some of the same foams found in the Molecule mattresses.
The topper features a cooling fiber cover designed to draw heat away from the sleeper. Under this is a 1-inch layer of MolecularFlo foam, which is meant to have more airflow than traditional memory foam. This is followed by an inch of open-cell AirTEC foam, a synthetic foam made to mimic the buoyant and breathable properties of latex. Finally, an inch of RecoveryFlo foam adds some support.
The contouring foams in the Molecule AirTEC mattress topper help prevent motion from travelling across the bed, making this a good choice for people who sleep with a partner.
The foams are produced using a variable pressure foaming process that minimizes emissions and waste. Molecule backs the mattress topper with a 30-day sleep trial and 5-year limited warranty.
Best Natural Latex
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The Plushbeds Latex Mattress Topper is a natural Talalay latex mattress topper that comes in two thickness options, 2 inches or 3 inches. Although not necessary if using fitted sheets, customers can add an organic cotton cover for an extra charge.
Talalay latex is naturally hypoallergenic, durable, and breathable. The pincore design in this mattress topper allows extra room for airflow to keep the mattress cool.
Because of the way it’s manufactured, Talalay latex has a light, springy feel that provides pressure relief without restricting ease of movement. The mattress topper comes in four firmness options: soft, medium, medium firm, and extra firm, so you should be able to find a topper that suits you no matter your body type or preferred sleeping position.
The Plushbeds latex topper is made in the U.S. and Greenguard Gold certified to be low in volatile organic compounds. The company does not offer a sleep trial, but if you order the wrong size topper you may exchange it provided it has not been opened.
Best Premium
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The Eight Sleep Pod Pro Cover is an attachable mattress top that allows you to make use of Eight Sleep’s advanced temperature control and sleep tracking technology on your current mattress. The cover is designed to wrap around a 10- to 16-inch mattress and secure the liquid-cooling pad top with a zipper. Adjustable, tightening straps secure the cover to the mattress.
The topper is controlled entirely via the Eight Sleep smartphone app. Through the app, you can manually adjust the temperature of the pad as needed, as well as set automatic periods of heating and cooling through the night. The Pod Pro Cover has a learning function that allows it to make automatic adjustments to the temperature based on your personal sleeping patterns.
Water flows through the cooling pad to an external hub device that regulates its temperature according to your desired settings throughout the night. Available temperatures range from 55 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. While the Pod Pro Cover attaches to the top of an existing mattress, it is thin enough to not significantly alter the feel of the bed.
The mattress top has a dual-zone setup, meaning that each side of the bed tracks sleep data individually and can be customized to meet each sleeper’s personalized heating and cooling settings.
The Pod Pro Cover ships free to the contiguous U.S., and comes backed by a 30-night trial as well as a 2-year warranty.
There are a lot of choices to sort through when buying a cooling mattress topper. From price to material, cooling properties to sleeping position, here are some of the most important factors you should keep in mind while you search.
Most toppers on the market today are made of memory foam, polyfoam, or latex, each of which offers its own advantages. You may also see mattress toppers stuffed with wool, which wicks moisture away from the body to keep you cool when it’s hot and warm when it’s cold.
While they may help a memory foam topper sleep somewhat cooler at first, cooling gel mattress toppers don’t always manage to keep a neutral temperature all night long. The gel may also lose potency over the years.There are two principal ways by which gel is used to help memory foam sleep cooler. Thermal gels are cool to the touch, whereas phase-change gels regulate heat by absorbing and redistributing it to maintain a constant temperature.
While these techniques can stave off heat retention for a while, many sleepers find that the mattress eventually warms up anyway. However, a cool gel memory foam mattress topper may help keep the temperature low long enough to help you drift off to sleep.
In a nutshell, if you sleep hot but have your heart set on memory foam, then a gel memory foam topper might be the way to go. But for people who sleep very hot, it’s usually better to avoid memory foam altogether.
Cooling mattress toppers have varying degrees of success depending on the type. Materials like latex, wool, and open-cell or aerated foams can help disperse heat, but they won’t actively cool the mattress.
Phase-change material goes an extra step by using a chemical reaction to keep the surface cool to the touch. For people who are very sensitive to temperature changes, the best solution might be a mattress topper that actively works to control the temperature via water or air channels.
Mattress pads are relatively thin and are primarily meant to protect against spills and stains, whereas mattress toppers are usually several inches thick and are designed to change the feel of a mattress.Mattress pads often contain some kind of padding like wool, cotton, fiberfill, or down. While this can add some plushness to a mattress, this is not their main purpose.
Mattress toppers usually come in the same materials you would expect from a mattress comfort layer, such as memory foam, polyfoam, latex, wool, or down. A mattress topper can’t fix an old, sagging mattress, but it can change the feel of a mattress that’s too firm or too plush. This is a cost-effective way to obtain a different firmness level without investing in a whole new mattress.
The sheets you use definitely play a role in maintaining temperature neutrality. Linen, cotton, and bamboo are all naturally breathable and will help fight heat retention. In terms of weave, stay away from flannel sheets and choose sheets with a breathable percale weave. Some synthetic fabrics also use technology such as phase-change material to keep you cool.
It’s important to remember that the temperature of your sleeping environment is a product of many factors including your mattress and/or topper, sheets, ambient temperature, your pillow, and your own personal body heat.