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I test all kinds of cooling mattress toppers, but these 3 materials actually help me sleep in the heat
If overheating disrupts your sleep, a cooling mattress topper can immediately transform your bed into a cozy retreat from night sweats and hot flashes. But what materials are actually effective at regulating temperature, and what's just marketing fluff?
As a seasoned product reviewer who's tested the best mattress toppers across all budgets, I know firsthand what works (and what doesn't) when it comes to cooler sleep. Below, I'll be sharing the five mattress topper materials that'll keep you cool and dry, plus three types you'll want to approach with caution.
Once you're ready to shop, browse our mattress topper deals hub to score cooler sleep at a discount. Plus, with the Labor Day mattress sales fast approaching, I'm expecting to see some even bigger price drops on the luxury cooling mattress toppers I loved testing.
A mattress topper is a layer of padding that alters the feel of your bed. A cooling mattress topper, in particular, can increase the breathability of your bed through specialist materials that disperse heat and wick away moisture.
Cooling bed toppers are a good choice for sleepers who deal with night sweats and hot flashes due to health reasons. They're also useful for people who live in warmer climates year-round or part of the year.
If your current mattress is prone to trapping heat but otherwise comfortable, adding a cooling topper is a relatively quick fix that will save you money versus buying a new mattress altogether.
Sometimes, even the best mattresses need a cooling boost. From my experience (and that of my fellow testers), the following five mattress topper materials effectively create a comfortable sleep microclimate.
Whether infused into foam as a fine powder or embedded as surface ribbons, graphite is used in mattresses to absorb heat from your body and transfer it to cooler parts of the surface. This natural mineral has high thermal conductivity, so heat passes right through it.
Despite its prominence in the best cooling mattresses, graphite appears less common in cooling bed toppers. One of the few such options on the market is the Saatva Graphite Memory Foam Mattress Topper, which I tested.
Memory foam is known to trap heat, but the infusion of graphite in the Saatva bed topper kept me cozy at night, as did its breathable organic cotton cover (more on that below).
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Cotton is a popular material for mattress covers because it's soft, breathable, and moisture-wicking. For added peace of mind, some brands use GOTS-certified cotton derived from sustainably-grown crops that aren't treated with toxic chemicals, heavy metals, artificial dyes, or other harmful substances.
The Saatva High Density Memory Foam Mattress Topper has an organic cotton cover. I placed it on top of a Tempur-Pedic mattress that caused me to wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat.
Despite adding foam on top of foam, the organic cotton cover of the Saatva bed topper introduced much-needed airflow to an otherwise stifling mattress.
You'll also find organic cotton covers on bed toppers from eco-forward brands such as Avocado, Naturepedic, and Birch.
Adding air holes and/or a cooling gel that absorbs and disperses heat (similar to graphite) is another way to prevent heat buildup in foam mattress toppers.
The top comfort layer of the Casper Comfy Mattress Topper is the brand's perforated foam, which Terri, one of my fellow testers, said kept her cool throughout the night.
Terri also tried the Molecule CopperWELL Mattress Topper, which features a copper-gel infusion that allowed her to sleep without overheating. (Copper is a natural heat conductor that also adds antibacterial benefits.)
Meanwhile, I slept on the budget-friendly Lucid Gel Memory Foam Mattress Topper, which is ventilated and infused with cooling gel. I found these elements worked well together to maintain a comfortable temperature.
GlacioTex is a heat-absorbing material with a 50/50 blend of polyester and polyethylene (a type of plastic). It's waterproof and hypoallergenic, and has a soothing sensation upon contact.
Helix is one brand that's known for using GlacioTex covers on its mattress toppers. My fellow tester, Emily, tried the Helix GlacioTex Premium Mattress Topper and liked how it felt "smooth and cool without being too cold."
I had a similar experience with the Helix ErgoAlign Mattress Topper with GlacioTex. My full review of that topper is to come, but I can say that it has served as an oasis during some dreadfully hot summer evenings.
Similar to GlacioTex, some brands create their own cooling materials using polyester and polyethylene, phase change materials, and even volcanic particles.
For example, I tested the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt + Cooling Mattress Topper, which is wrapped in a 50/48 mix of polyester and polyethylene. This not only gives it a cool-touch feeling, but it also helps the Tempur Material breathe.
Microcoils are becoming more prevalent in mattress toppers for supportive pressure relief, but they also add airflow, much like we've seen with the best hybrid mattresses.
A natural latex mattress topper can also add some ventilation to your current sleep surface. Not only is natural latex a porous material, but it's usually paired with a cotton or wool cover for extra breathability and moisture-wicking.
Whether it's due to marketing gimmicks or a lack of efficacy, you'll want to proceed with caution when shopping for a cooling mattress topper that includes any of the following...
As the name suggests, open-cell foam has a structure of interconnected air pockets. This type of mattress foam has a softer, 'squishier' feel compared to closed-cell foam, which is dense and rigid.
Some brands will market open-cell memory foam as a defining feature for cooler sleep, but this is somewhat misleading because all memory foam mattress toppers use this type of material — it's just one of the many marketing tricks mattress brands use.
And while it's more breathable than closed-cell foam — which is primarily used for insulation — open-cell foam alone won't be as cooling without added features such as air holes, infused cooling particles, or a specialized cover.
Tempur Material promises to adapt to your temperature, but does that translate to cooler sleep? No — your body heat merely aids in the material conforming to your shape for that signature "hug."
If anything, Tempur Material is notorious for trapping heat. That was an issue when I tested the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Mattress, and reviewer Michele found the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Topper's temperature regulation underwhelming.
That said, you don't need to cast aside this pressure-relieving material altogether. A cooling cover, like the one included with the Tempur-Adapt Cooling + Mattress Topper, can increase its breathability.
Sometimes, cooling gel is added to a foam layer in a swirl pattern. While this design looks neat, it won't be as efficient at removing heat because some areas of the surface will have a higher concentration of gel than others.
A mattress topper with an even layer of cooling gel distributed throughout the foam will deliver more consistent relief.
