The 8 best cooling mattresses for hot sleepers of 2024

A cooling mattress can help hot sleepers stay comfortable all night long. We tested 96 beds to find the best for heat dissipation and breathability.

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

When you're a hot sleeper, the struggle to stay cool in bed is real, no matter the season. Even the best mattress may not always provide the cooling effect you need. Fortunately, when used with the best cooling products for better sleep, the best cooling mattress can keep you comfy throughout the night and facilitate restful sleep.

I have tested mattresses professionally for five years and have talked to countless sleep experts to find the best cooling mattresses for hot sleepers, prioritizing factors like breathability and heat dissipation. The Nest Bedding Finch Latex Mattress is our top pick because it performed the best in our cooling tests, has a comfy feel, and comes with a 365-night home trial and lifetime warranty. Our budget pick, the Lucid 10 Inch Memory Foam Plush Mattress, is more than $1,400 cheaper and also has impressive cooling properties, but it isn't nearly as comfortable.

Find out more about how Business Insider Reviews tests and reviews home products.

Our picks of the best cooling mattresses

Best overall: Nest Bedding Finch Latex Mattress - See at Nest Bedding 

Best budget: Lucid 10 Inch Memory Foam Plush Mattress - See at Lucid

Best hybrid: Avocado Green Mattress - See at Avocado

Best memory foam: Tempur-Pedic Cloud Mattress - See at Tempur-Pedic

Best for back pain: Bear Star Hybrid Mattress - See at Bear

Best for side sleepers: Leesa Legend Mattress - See at Leesa

Best for back and stomach sleepers: Casper Dream Hybrid Mattress - See at Casper

Best organic: PlushBeds Botanical Bliss Organic Latex Mattress- See at PlushBeds

---

Best overall

When I first got up from the Nest Bedding Finch Latex Mattress, it registered some of the coolest temperatures. It showed a significant drop in temperature when I measured two minutes later, suggesting outstanding heat dissipation. But that's just one of the reasons it's the best cooling mattress in our guide. It also comes with a 365-night risk-free home trial, and if you decide to keep your Finch, it's covered by a lifetime warranty. 

The mattress's just-right firmness will appeal to the broadest range of sleepers. The Finch comes in Medium and Firm feels; if you get a king or California king, you can choose to have Medium on one half and Firm on the other. Nest Bedding also offers a unique program called the Lifetime Renewal Exchange, which lets you exchange the comfort layer if you want to swap between Medium or Firm and effectively prolong your mattress's lifespan. 

I tested the Medium-feel mattress and felt comfortable on my side, back, and stomach. During the test period, I slept well almost every night, including my first night on the bed, a rarity. One night, I got too cool and had to add an extra blanket.

It is great for couples, with its impressive support extending to the bed's edges. While it failed our motion transfer tests, couples might appreciate the responsive feel and bounce of the latex during sex.

The Nest Bedding Finch consists of three layers. The top cover combines organic cotton, wool, and CertiPUR-US-certified foam, giving the mattress airflow and a little bounce. The next two layers are both OEKO-TEX-certified latex. The top latex layer provides firmness, while the bottom offers support, structure, and durability. While the Nest Bedding Finch features many organic components, the mattress is not organic because it contains memory foam.

The Nest Bedding Finch's setup process was standard. However, the mattress is very heavy and flops around, making it hard to move, thanks to its predominantly latex construction. It has handles on the sides, but they were only marginally helpful. There was no initial odor.

---

Best budget

For our best cheap mattress guide, I tested 13 mattresses that cost under $500 for the queen size. The Lucid 10-inch Memory Foam Plush Mattress was the best budget cooling mattress, dissipating heat well and staying cool.

The $350 Lucid Plush mattress is designed to provide a cool, comfortable sleeping experience thanks to a top layer of gel-infused memory foam, one of my favorite cooling materials. Below this is a transition foam layer and a bamboo charcoal-infused base foam, adding durability and comfort. The foams are certified by CertiPUR-US, ensuring their safety and quality.

Lucid offers three firmness options: plush, medium, and firm. I picked plush because softer mattresses align my spine better when I sleep on my side. Yet, a firmer bed may be more comfortable if you like to sleep on your back or stomach.

The Lucid mattress performed well in my bowling ball test, which tells me it has great motion isolation. However, the edge support was among the worst I've seen. The mattress's edge sank significantly, making lying or sitting near the edge unstable and uncomfortable. 

The setup was straightforward, but after unboxing the mattress, I noticed a strong odor that stuck around for a few days.

While you may be more comfortable shopping on Amazon, you may want to buy the Lucid Memory Foam Mattress directly from Lucid. Lucid offers a 100-night home trial, while Amazon offers only 30 nights.

Check out our best cheap mattress guide.

---

Best hybrid

Hybrids are made of steel coils and latex or memory foam. They're popular among hot sleepers because the coils help promote airflow to keep you cool. They also make the bed more durable and supportive. Based on our testing, Avocado Green Mattress checks all of these boxes. 

It was a little better than average at staying cool, but where it shined was dissipating heat. Within two minutes of getting up from the Avocado, the temperature dipped 15.3 degrees Fahrenheit, putting it in the top three of all the mattresses I've tested and making it the best cooling hybrid mattress.

The Avocado Green Mattress is GOTS-certified organic. The cover is made of organic cotton for breathability and features a layer of anti-microbial organic wool for moisture-wicking, fire resistance, and cool sleeping. Below that is GOLS-certified organic Dunlop latex rubber foam, which contours to your body to relieve pressure. The base is individually wrapped pocket springs divided into seven ergonomic zones to keep your spine aligned and add more pressure point relief.

The Green Mattress has three firmness options: Firm, Medium, and Plush. The Medium and Plush have additional Dunlop latex layers, thus adding to the cost. I tested the Medium, which was perfect for side sleeping. I loved how the latex formed to my body when I laid on it. 

As with most latex mattresses, the Avocado has incredible bounce. This usually translates to poor motion isolation, which wasn't the case with the Green, though it was average. The edge support was also so-so.

---

Best memory form

The Tempur-Pedic Cloud Mattress is the top overall pick in our best memory foam mattress guide, and it's the best cooling memory foam mattress. I tested this mattress before taking temperature readings, so it's the best foam cooling mattress based on my subjective experience, and my experience was outstanding.

For instance, once I started measuring temperature, the Bear Original Mattress performed the best among all foam mattresses in our cooling tests. Subjectively, the Bear felt like it almost dissipated heat like the Cloud. However, while lying on it, the Bear felt much hotter. The Cloud's subjective cooling was similar to our top pick, the Nest Bedding Finch.

The Cloud has a cool-to-the-touch, moisture-wicking cover that promotes airflow. While testing, I stayed cool all night long, and it dissipated heat well. This is particularly impressive, considering all-foam mattresses tend to trap heat.

The top two layers of the Tempur-Pedic Cloud are made of the company's proprietary foam, which adjusts to the body's contours to cradle the body no matter what position you're in. It offered cushioning in all the right places, making it easy for me to drift off and stay asleep each night of testing. The bottom layer is made of durable, supportive foam. All the foam is CertiPUR-US-certified.

The motion-dampening abilities of the Tempur-Cloud are impressive. It passed the bowling ball test, and I was surprised how little I felt it when my kid jumped on the bed. However, the edge support left a lot to be desired. The edge sank significantly when I sat on it, and when lying on the edge, I felt like I could fall off.

Another negative is the return policy. During the 90-night trial, if you decide you don't want your Tempur-Pedic Cloud, the cost of shipping is deducted from your refund.

The mattress is incredibly light, making setup a breeze. The initial odor dissipated by bedtime.

Read our full Tempur-Pedic Cloud Mattress review and guide to the best foam mattresses.

---

Best for back pain

The Bear Star Hybrid was among the best mattresses for staying cool. This may be due in part to the cover made of Celliant fibers. The manufacturer claims Celliant helps with temperature regulation, yet no independent scientific research shows one way or the other. My testing seems to support this. I've tested Celliant sheets, mattress toppers, and a few mattresses, and they all ran cooler than non-Celliant products.

As a side sleeper, I found the Bear Star Hybrid's average firmness comfortable. I tested the mattress while recovering from lower back pain, which waned after the testing period. My back felt up to its regular strength, and I didn't experience any subsequent pain episodes, suggesting this is the best cooling mattress for back pain.

The mattress has GREENGUARD Gold and CertiPUR-US certified foams and pocket coils. The top layer is gel-infused foam, followed by comfort foam and a pressure-relieving transition foam. The durable pocket coils are below that, and the base is supportive foam. 

The Bear Star Hybrid was average in our edge support and motion isolation tests. While lying on the bed, I could feel movement but not too strongly. However, it failed my bowling ball test.

When I sat on the edge of the bed, I sank significantly, but when lying, I could roll quite far before falling. By these metrics, the Bear Star Hybrid is good for couples but not outstanding.

The Bear Star Hybrid was surprisingly easy to move, considering the many heavy layers it's made of. Fortunately, it doesn't flop about.

For more options, read our guide on the best mattresses for back pain.

---

Best for side sleepers

As a side sleeper, I found the Leesa Legend's average firmness perfect for my needs. Thanks to decades of contact sports, I wake up sore on many beds. With the Leesa Legend, that wasn't a problem. It offered optimal spinal alignment and pressure relief to soothe my aches.

More importantly, the Legend is the best cooling mattress for side sleepers because it stays cool and dissipates heat well, dropping 14.7 degrees within two minutes of getting out of bed. Plus, I slept cool despite my tendency to overheat on other beds.

The Legend's construction facilitates cooling. First, the cover is made of organic cotton and Merino wool, which is naturally moisture-wicking, breathable, and resistant to mildew, mold, and bacteria. These materials are blended with eco-friendly polyester made from recycled water bottles. The top foam layer is ventilated foam which promotes airflow to keep you cool.

The next layer down is pressure-relieving memory foam. Next, a micro-spring and foam combination gives the bed targeted pressure relief and zoned support, and the larger springs in the base provide support, durability, and motion dampening. The foams are CertiPUR-US certified, and the springs are recycled steel.

While the pleasant bounce is ideal for sexually active couples, the edge support is poor, and the motion isolation is just average.

Check out our full Leesa Legend Mattress review and guide to the best mattresses for side sleepers.

---

Best for back and stomach sleepers

Casper reintroduced its line of mattresses this year with the Dream. It's marketed as a "medium feel" bed, which wouldn't typically be ideal for back and stomach sleepers. Yet, based on my testing, it's closer to a medium-firm, and I felt most comfortable when I shifted to my back or stomach. 

Best of all, it was one of the coolest mattresses I've tested. When I got up, the temperature was 87.8 degrees, almost two degrees less than the average of all mattresses I've tested. In the following two minutes, the temperature dropped 12 degrees, a little better than average. 

The Dream's soft, breathable cover is a knit blend of OEKO-TEX-certified spandex, polyethylene, and polyester. The foam layers are all CertiPUR-US-certified, beginning with a responsive polyurethane top layer. Zoned memory foam is below that, offering pressure relief and comforting support where needed most. The base is a durable, breathable layer of individually wrapped pocket coils surrounded by high-density polyurethane foam for edge support.

Unfortunately, the Dream's edge support was subpar. Yet, the motion isolation was great, suggesting this could be a decent choice for couples.

I also tested the Casper The Snow, which features graphite "heat delete" bands and phase change material to keep you cool. It had similar cooling properties to the Dream, but it's softer feel makes it better suited for side sleepers. I recommend the Dream here because its firmness makes it the best cooling mattress for back and stomach sleepers, and it's about $440 cheaper.

Read our full Casper Dream Mattress review.

---

Best organic

Organic mattresses are made of non-toxic, sustainably sourced materials, making them ideal for allergy sufferers and folks who care about the environment. The PlushBeds Botanical Bliss Organic Latex Mattress is one of my favorite organic mattresses, featuring an array of organic certifications, including Greenguard Gold.

The top three layers are made of GOTS-certified organic materials. The circular-knit cotton cover aids with pressure relief. A wool layer below that offers moisture-wicking and fire resistance, and a cotton panel beneath it keeps the wool in place.

The mattress' comfort and support layers are latex.  The top latex layer is eco-Institut-certified and offers pressure relief and support. Below that, the base of GOLS-certified Dunlop latex adds more support, pressure relief, and durability. 

The Botanical Bliss mattress I tested was 10 inches thick in medium, though it also comes in 9-inch and 12-inch thicknesses and your choice of Medium or Medium-Firm firmness options. Queen and larger mattresses are available with split firmnesses, so if you're sharing a bed, one person can have Medium, and the other can go with Medium-Firm.

My  Medium felt more like a medium-firm bed. I gravitated toward my preferred side position, yet I often shifted to my stomach, where I felt more comfortable. Stomach sleepers tend to prefer firmer beds.

While the Botanical Bliss did an OK job of dissipating heat, it's the best organic cooling mattress because it was among the best at staying cool. When a mattress stays cool, it doesn't have as much heat to dissipate. 

When I sat on the edge, the PlushBeds Botanical Bliss sank significantly, though I felt supported when I lay on the edge. The bounce was great, and the motion isolation was decent. The mattress registered good vibrometer readings but failed our bowling ball test.

Check out our guide to the best organic mattresses.

---

What to look for when choosing a cooling mattress

For general buying advice, including what size and firmness to buy, check out our article on how to choose a mattress.

Here, I'll highlight what hot sleepers should look for based on interviews with experts and my six years of experience testing mattresses. Cooling materials are the main thing you should look for when picking a cooling mattress. Unfortunately, even the hottest, most-heat-trapping mattresses have marketing copy that references how cool they stay. 

To get the facts, I talked to Emiel DenHartog, a professor in the textile engineering, chemistry, and science department at North Carolina State University. He recommended looking for beds made with phase-change materials or fibers. 

DenHartog also mentioned the importance of airflow, which has more to do with your sleeping environment. Certain materials are more conducive to airflow. For instance, hybrid mattresses with pocket springs at the edges can allow more air to pass through, and some perforated foams, like those found in the Leesa Legend, facilitate airflow.

Based on my experience, mattresses that use cotton or wool in their cover or top layers also tend to breathe better and, therefore, sleep cooler. Celliant is another cover material that helped me stay cool.

---

How we test cooling mattresses

I've tested a new mattress every two to four weeks for over six years. I personally tested every mattress in this guide. I tested each mattress's queen size, the most popular size.

I put every mattress through a series of objective tests. Of the 96 mattresses I've tested, only 22 stayed cool and dissipated heat well. Based on the key factors I consider, including comfort level, support, and motion isolation, we chose the eight best cooling mattresses.

Here are some of the test results for the main attributes we tested:

Attribute	Nest Bedding Finch	Lucid Plush	Avocado Green (Medium)	Tempur-Cloud	Bear Star Hybrid	Leesa Legend	Casper Dream	PlushBeds Botanical Bliss
Heat dissipation (1 traps heat to 10 stays cool)	10	9	9	9	9	9	9	9
Temperature right out of bed	87.4 degrees Fahrenheit	89.3	90.4	n/a	87.9	88.8	87.8	85.1
Temperature 2 minutes later (change)	73.3 degrees (-14.1 degrees)	75.2 degrees (-14.1 degrees)	75.1 degrees (-15.3 degrees)	n/a	74.9 degrees (-13 degrees)	74.1 degrees (-14.7 degrees)	75.7 degrees (-12.1 degrees)	76 degrees (-9.1 degrees)
Firmness (1 softest to 10 firmest)	5.5	4	5	6	5	5	6	6
Motion isolation (1 awful to 10 best)	4	8	5	7	4	5	8	6
Edge support (1 awful to 10 best)	9	1	5	3	5	3	4	5
Trial period	365 nights	100 nights	1 year	90 nights	120 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights
Warranty	Lifetime	10 years	25 years	10 years	Lifetime	10 years	10 years	Lifetime

Here are the main attributes we look for and how we test them:

Coolness: I use an infrared laser thermometer to measure the mattress's temperature immediately after waking in the morning. I do this every morning, then calculate an average of the readings and compare them to see which mattresses are the best at staying cool.

Heat dissipation: Two minutes after the coolness measurement, I take a second temperature reading. Then, I subtract this reading from the coolness reading to determine how much heat dissipates in those two minutes. I averaged the dissipation across several mornings, and only the mattresses that were among the best at both dissipating heat and staying cool were included in this guide. 

Comfort: I base comfort on a mattress's supportiveness, pressure point relief, spinal alignment, and which sleeping positions feel best. After years of testing dozens of mattresses, I've developed a feel for soft, medium, and firm mattresses and have developed a firmness scale. I also use a Garmin Forerunner 945 smartwatch to track my sleep stats to assess how much REM, deep, and overall sleep I get each night.

Edge support: I slowly roll off the edge of the mattress to evaluate edge support. A mattress with good edge support lets me roll significantly before falling. Beds with bad edge support will dump me on the floor before my body can attain a 45-degree angle to the bed. Additionally, I assess edge sinkage as I sit on the side and put on socks and shoes. 

Motion isolation: Motion isolation is necessary if you share a bed with someone who adjusts at night. A bed with good motion isolation will keep you from being jostled. I test this feature by placing a 12-ounce soda can on the mattress and dropping a 15-pound bowling ball so it lands about 12 inches from the can. If the can falls over, the motion isolation is poor. If the can stays upright, the motion isolation is excellent. I also take vibrometer measurements 4 feet from the drop point and make subjective observations.

 

Setup: I set up each bed on my own, noting any process peculiarities and timing how long it takes. I set the bed up in the morning and assess if the mattress has fully expanded and lost its initial odor by the time I go to bed about 10 hours later. I look at the availability and cost of in-home setup, also called white-glove delivery.

Portability: I consider how easy a mattress is to move, but I don't weigh this factor heavily since most people won't move it often. During testing, I move each bed many times and note if it flops around, has handles, is heavy, or is otherwise harder or easier to move than your average mattress.

Trial and warranty: I examine the fine print of home trials, return policies, and warranties of each bed. Are there loopholes that will cost you to return your mattress? Or is the home trial truly risk-free? Since the only way to truly know if a mattress is right for you is to sleep on it, I look closely at the return policy. I also note if the bed is available to try in showrooms.

For more details, check out our article on how we test mattresses.

---

Cooling mattress FAQs

What kind of mattresses keep you cool?

Hybrids tend to be best for cooling because the coils facilitate airflow. Three of our guide's six best cooling mattresses are hybrids constructed of foam and pocket coils.

DenHartog recommends looking for mattresses that use phase-changing material (PCM.) "They are able to absorb heat for some time," he said. "They melt, and they maintain a lower temperature for slightly longer than if you would not have them."

PCMs are not commonly found in mattresses, but the Nest Bedding Quail, Casper The Snow, and Cocoon Chill by Sealy are popular models that feature PCMs.

---

Can a mattress keep you cool?

A mattress can keep you cooler to a degree, but you can help it out by using fans to promote airflow through your mattress. DenHartog pointed out that when air stands still, it acts as insulation and traps the heat in the mattress.

---

How can I keep my bed cool?

In addition to the best electric fans, a good way to keep your bed cool is to keep your environment cool. This may mean turning up the AC right before bed and using fewer layers of materials on your bed.

Also, the fewer heat-trapping layers you have on your mattress, the cooler you will stay.

"The more fabric or clothing layers we have between us and the environment, the more we are insulated," said DenHartog.

Here are the best cooling products for better sleep.

---

What is the ideal sleep temperature?

It's about 65 degrees, said Alon Y. Avidan, MD, MPH, director of the UCLA Sleep Disorders Center. "We find that when it's greater than 70 degrees, people have more disrupted and interrupted sleep. Between 60 to 65 degrees seems to be ideal," he said.

---

Are cooling mattresses worth it?

Maybe. If you would buy a new mattress anyway, buying a cooling mattress to help with overheating is a good idea. If your mattress still has some years left, consider one of the best cooling mattress toppers instead.

---

How do cooling mattresses work?

There are a few ways in which a mattress can cool you. In my experience, the best cooling mattresses absorb and dissipate your body heat. PCMs, wool, and cotton can help with absorbing your heat. The more breathable a mattress is, the better it is to dissipate your body heat. Perforated foams and pocket coils can help with airflow. Foams infused with gel or copper are also believed to help with cooling, though, according to DenHartog, no independent research backs this up.