Do cooling mattresses really work? Give me your anecdata!

April 26, 2022 1:15 PM

I'm currently sleeping on a 20+ year old regular pillow top mattress with a thick (4 year old) Costco memory foam topper. And I'm comfy but soooo hot. I'm researching what replacement mattress to invest in. Special "cooling mattress" versus just getting a squishy pillow top and ditching the memory foam. Have you been through this?

One issue I see is that a lot of the highly rated cooling mattresses are only available online? I'd really rather lay on it in a showroom first.

posted by bluesky78987 to Home & Garden (5 answers total)

Best answer: I bought a snugglepedic that is supposedly "cool" type of foam and I've always found it quite pleasant - they don't market it exclusively as a cool mattress but it is in their branding and the top surface of the mattress is perforated to allow better airflow (or not, but that's what they claim). It's a hybrid between a standard foam and a memory foam - not sure how to describe it other than it seems to be a happy middle ground between the two. FWIW, I do know that the breathability and coolness of a mattress depends as much or more on the bedding you use as it does the mattress itself - it feels completely different in summer linen/cotton sheets vs. flannels.
posted by _DB_ at 1:25 PM on April 26, 2022

Best answer: Ditch the memory foam, it's hellishly hot.
posted by DarlingBri at 1:25 PM on April 26, 2022 [4 favorites]

Best answer: The problem with memory foam is it increases contact with your body, thus contributing to the "hotness" feel. Not to mention foam is generally considered an insulator, and to feel cool you need heat conducted AWAY from you.

Cooling gel topper basically changes the foam composition so it conducts heat better. usually by introducing heat conducting "beads" into the foam as well as increase the bubbles but also the firmness of the whole thing so encourage air flow.

The ULTIMATE solution is a fan powered cooling pad. Bedjet was the original, and they're on V3 already, and quite expensive. There are copies and clones that are a bit cheaper.
posted by kschang at 1:59 PM on April 26, 2022

Best answer: For cooling (also does heat, which I almost never nead), I have a Chilipad, which is water run through a pad that acts as a matttress pad. Also not cheap, but has completely changed my life in terms of sleeping (very) hot. There are three different current models: I've used the two cheaper ones (the two earlier models, the Cube and my current Ooler. I do find the timer setting with the Ooler handy.)

They run fairly regular sales: if you're considering it, signing up for their newsletter is really helpful. (My next bet would be Memorial Day, but there might be one before that.)
posted by jenettsilver at 6:07 PM on April 26, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I've been a hot sleeper all my life and only one type of mattresses has actually allowed me to sleep comfortably: latex foam. It has little to no heat retention, good airflow and fantastic movement isolation/pressure relief. But 100% latex is quite firm, and it seems like you're in the market for a squishier sleep? So I'd suggest a pocket spring mattress with a latex comfort layer topped with a 3" low density/soft latex topper.

Downside: not available in a physical store. You could create a close approximation with the IKEA HAUGESUND and TISTEDAL if there's one located near you.
posted by givennamesurname at 6:24 PM on April 26, 2022 [4 favorites]