Best cooling mattress toppers and pads 2024 - Jump Menu
1. The list in brief
2. Best overall: Saatva Graphite Mattress Topper
3. Best for hot flashes: Sijo TempTune
4. Best organic: Avocado Organic Latex
5. Best memory foam: ViscoSoft Active Cooling
6. Best for side sleepers: Helix Plush Topper
7. Best for night sweats: Performance Pad
8. How we test
9. Meet the team
10. FAQs
The best cooling mattress toppers and pads could help you sleep sweat-free this summer. Designed to dissipate heat, wick moisture, and upgrade your bed while they're at it, one of these lightweight layers could totally transform your sleep for a fraction of the cost of a brand new bed.
There could be several reasons why you're too hot to sleep. Maybe your mattress is made from memory foam, which tends to trap heat, and sleeps pretty warm in the summer. Maybe you, like me, are a hot sleeper, and you suffer from night sweats and hot flashes all year round. Either way, a cooling mattress topper or pad is an easy, affordable update that could make all the difference to your thermoregulation.
As H&G's resident sleep writer, I lead a team of expert testers in our search to find the best mattress topper on the market. I've combed through our back catalog of reviews to bring you the best cooling mattress toppers and pads, tried and tested by hot sleepers. We've got options from Saatva, Sijo, Slumber Cloud, and more to keep you cool and comfortable.
Best cooling mattress toppers and pads 2024
You can trust Homes & Gardens. Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing the latest products, helping you choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
If you're keen to sleep cool, but you're buying on a budget, then I suggest you shop the mattress sales to find deep discounts on cooling mattress toppers and pads. That way, you can save a couple of hundred dollars to spend on even more cooling accessories, such as the best cooling sheets.
The quick list
If you've already got a particular cooling mattress topper or pad in mind, then you can skip straight to that section using our jump menu. If you'd rather consider your options, then you can browse the best cooling mattress toppers and pads below.
The best cooling mattress topper overall
This memory foam mattress topper is infused with cooling graphite to carry heat away from your body and out of the bed. That way, you get all the plush comfort of thick foam, and none of the heat retention.
The best cooling mattress pad for hot flashes
Filled with thermoregulating fibers and wrapped in a cooling cover, the Sijo TempTune Mattress Pad feels cool to the touch, even through a fitted sheet. It's designed to retain and release excess body heat at strategic intervals to keep you at just the right temperature, all night long.
The best organic cooling mattress topper
For thermoregulation, there's nothing like natural fibers: latex is so much more breathable than any stuffy synthetic foam. Plus, it's a much more sustainable option for eco-conscious shoppers. The Avocado Organic Latex Mattress Topper ticks almost all of my boxes, but it's quite expensive.
The best cooling memory foam mattress topper
If you're wedded to the look and feel of memory foam, then do yourself a favor and invest in the ViscoSoft Active Cooling Mattress Topper. It's infused with cooling copper to dissipate heat, wick moisture, and block odors, all the while providing plush comfort and pressure relief.
The best cooling mattress topper for side sleepers
The Helix Plush Mattress Topper has plenty of give to cushion your neck, knees, hips, and shoulders, and sufficient support to lift and lengthen your spine. This topper is made from a unique blend of polyester for stretch and bamboo viscose for breathability.
The best cooling mattress pad for night sweats
Slumber Cloud is all about proactive, rather than reactive, thermoregulation. Their Performance Mattress Pad incorporates advanced thermoregulating technology to stop you sweating in the first place. This is your best bet to keep your bed and body cool and dry.
The best cooling mattress topper overall
Our expert tester, Kaitlin, side hustles as a short-term rental host. She picked up the Saatva Graphite Mattress Topper to breathe new life into her old guest bed two years ago. Since then, she's had dozens of guests come to stay, and they all rave about this topper. One guest woke up the next morning, reached for her phone, and ordered her own Saatva Graphite Mattress Topper: it's just that good.
As a hot sleeper, Kaitlin tries to avoid memory foam: it's too thick for air to flow. She only agreed to test a memory foam mattress topper when she learned about the graphite infusion, which works to dissipate heat and wick moisture. She tested the Saatva Graphite Mattress Topper in the middle of July in a room without AC and couldn't get over how well she slept.
This memory foam mattress topper is made to mold to the shape of your body, bear your weight, and take a load off your pressure points, much like the best memory foam mattress. Kaitlin finds it cradles her neck and shoulders for soft support when she sleeps on her side.
We can't talk about the Saatva Graphite Mattress Topper without mentioning the price. A Queen-sized topper costs $445, which is pretty expensive: closer to the price of the best affordable mattress than your average topper. Still, Kaitlin thinks it's worth the money, and I'm inclined to agree.
You can find more detail in our Saatva Graphite Mattress Topper review.
The best cooling mattress pad for hot flashes
Our bodies don't react well to extremes of temperature. If you suffer from hot flashes, you don't need a cooling mattress topper so much as you need a thermoregulating pad. The Sijo TempTune Mattress Pad reads and reacts to your internal temperature overnight, cooling you down when you overheat and warming you up when you start to chill.
This mattress pad is filled with a patented blend of thermoregulating fibers and wrapped in Supima cotton for strength and softness. Like all the best mattress protectors, it won't dramatically alter the look or feel of your bed, but it will help to keep your mattress and your body cool and clean.
The Sijo TempTune Mattress Pad is also moisture-wicking, working to absorb your sweat and keep you dry. That should stop any unsightly stains from forming on your mattress or mold and mildew developing on the inside.
A few practical points: the Sijo TempTune Mattress Pad only comes in sizes Full, Queen, King, and California King. That should suit most adults, but it wouldn't fit over a kid's Twin bed or a college dorm mattress, which tends to be Twin XL. Also, you only get seven days to trial the mattress pad before you need to commit to your purchase. That's not enough time to get to grips with the pad and monitor its thermoregulation throughout the year.
The best organic cooling mattress topper
I'm a hot sleeper and an eco-conscious shopper. I'm keen to keep cool, but I'd rather not spend my money on synthetic fabrics and fills. If I could only buy one of these cooling mattress toppers and pads, I'd get the Avocado Organic Latex Mattress Topper for natural breathability.
This mattress topper is founded on organic Dunlop latex, which is dense and durable. It's topped with organic cotton and organic wool for natural thermoregulation and moisture-wicking. That's why the Avocado Organic Latex Mattress Topper is certified MADE SAFE and free from harmful chemicals and toxins, so that you can breathe cleaner, healthier air in your sleep.
The Avocado Organic Latex Mattress Topper comes in two comfort levels to suit all sorts of sleepers. If you lie on your back or stomach, I suggest you get the Firm topper to keep your spine in line. Side sleepers need a little more give, so I recommend the Plush topper, instead.
Our expert tester, Antonia, tried the Avocado Organic Latex Mattress Topper in Plush and gave it five stars. That's top marks across the board for comfort, support, and cooling. Although this is the most expensive mattress topper on this list, retailing for more than $600 for a Queen, Antonia argues that you get what you pay for.
You can find more detail in our Avocado Organic Latex Mattress Topper review.
The best cooling memory foam mattress topper
As a hot sleeper, I try to stay away from memory foam. The plush comfort and pressure relief just isn't worth the heat retention. I'll only make an exception for a gel memory foam mattress or mattress topper, which are filled with cooling infusions to dissipate heat and boost breathability throughout the bed.
This mattress topper is infused with cooling copper and wrapped in a phase-change material cover to retain and release excess body heat periodically throughout the night, so that you never get too hot or too cold. According to ViscoSoft, the Active Cooling Copper Topper is safe to use on a mattress, on the couch, on a futon, or even on the floor, so you can bring cooling comfort with you wherever you go.
Our expert tester, Lauren, is a seriously hot sleeper. She shares a bed with her partner, who doesn't tend to overheat. For the most part, they both slept comfortably on the ViscoSoft Active Cooling Copper Topper, though Lauren still woke up warm once or twice.
This mattress topper incorporates all the best bits of memory foam, from the excellent motion isolation to the near-perfect pressure relief. Unless you routinely suffer from night sweats or hot flashes, this should be enough to keep you cool for the summer.
You can find more detail in our ViscoSoft Active Cooling Copper Topper review.
The best cooling mattress topper for side sleepers
Our expert tester, Alex, lives in a hundred-year-old house in North Texas. She's always looking for the best cooling bedding to help her sleep through the heat. Out of all the toppers she's tried, the Helix Plush Mattress Topper offers the best thermoregulation.
For a self-described Plush Mattress Topper, it's pretty thin: no more than an inch or two between your fingers. That works well for Alex, who likes the look and feel of her mattress. If you're looking for a more transformative topper, I suggest you shop for something thicker, such as the Saatva Graphite Mattress Topper.
The best thing about the Helix Plush Mattress Topper is how affordable it is. When you think that some of the best cooling mattress toppers and pads cost close to $1,000, it feels like a steal to get such a great topper for just $100.
You can find more detail in our Helix Plush Mattress Topper review.
The best cooling mattress pad for night sweats
If you suffer from night sweats, then you need a cooling mattress pad to keep you and your mattress clean and dry. The Slumber Cloud Performance Mattress Pad claims to stop night sweats before they even start, thanks to their two-headed approach to thermoregulation. The Tencel Lyocell works to wick moisture, while the Outlast technology reads and reacts to your body temperature to keep you just the right side of cool and dry.
The Slumber Cloud Performance Mattress Pad comes in every size, from Twin to California King, with a Split King option to suit couples who share a bed but not a sleep style. Thanks to the ultra-stretchy elastic skirt, this mattress pad should be able to accommodate any mattress up to 20 inches deep.
The Slumber Cloud Performance Mattress Pad holds a 4-star average rating from more than 700 verified reviews. Happy customers praise the cooling comfort of the mattress pad, especially when used over a memory foam mattress. As for the fit and feel, opinion is split: some say it's too soft, too firm, too tight, too loose, but most say it's just right.
How we test mattress toppers and pads
We put a lot of thought into how we test mattress toppers and pads. Our expert testers sleep on toppers and pads for months, ideally through several seasons, to monitor their performance over time, with a special focus on thermoregulation. Since toppers and pads are mattresses in miniature, we assess them against the same criteria: comfort; support; cooling properties; motion isolation; and edge support.
Where possible, we compare our findings against verified customer reviews to bring you a range of perspectives on the same product. Finally, we bring it all back to the price of the topper or pad to help you determine value for money.
Meet the team
Emilia is our resident sleep writer. She spends her days tracking the prices on the hottest products and spends her nights testing out toppers on her own bed. She writes our mattress topper testing guidelines and edits all of our reviews.
Once the Executive Editor of Homes & Gardens, Kaitlin now runs her own freelance blog, covering all things interior design. She reviewed the Saatva Graphite Mattress Topper.
Antonia is a Senior Audience Development Manager for our parent company, Future. She reviewed the Avocado Organic Latex Mattress Topper for inclusion in this buying guide.
Alex is one of our freelance reviewers and an award-winning author in her own right. She tested the Helix Plush Mattress Topper for inclusion in this buying guide.
Best cooling mattress toppers and pads FAQs
Why does my mattress topper make me hot?
Probably because it's made from memory foam. Your average mattress topper is a thick slab of dense foam that retains and radiates body heat: the thicker the foam, the more heat it can trap.
Which is the best cooling mattress topper for back pain?
The Saatva Graphite Mattress Topper. You need something thick and medium-firm, with enough give to cushion your neck and shoulders and sufficient support to lift and lengthen your spine.
Final thoughts
If you don't like the look of these mattress toppers and pads, but you're still keen to sleep cool, consider one of the best cooling mattress protectors. These lightweight layers won't change the look or feel of your bed, but they'll help you to sleep sweat-free.
If you've tried everything, and you still can't sleep in the heat, then it might be time to buy a new bed. The best cooling mattress could dissipate heat and wick moisture to keep you cool and dry from the inside out. We've tested the best cooling beds from Tempur-Pedic, Saatva, Zinus, and more.
-
Try these summer wall decor ideas to bring some added zest to your spaces now the weather is warming upSummer is the best time of year for home decor. Here are our favorite bright and beautiful ideas
-
With bold marble and a bespoke dining space, this kitchen is a masterclass in high-end contemporary design – here's a look insideThis modern kitchen, designed by Roundhouse, is defined by daring details and a sleek, monochromatic color palette. Take the tour
-
Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress review − is it better than the basic?I tested the Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress – the look and feel is much the same as the basic model, but the edge support is a lot better
-
What's the best pillow position for the best night's sleep? Sleep experts weigh inBecause sometimes it's the small things that can have a big impact on your sleep quality
-
5 signs you are sleeping on a bad mattressDealing with restless nights and morning aches and pains? You could be sleeping on a bad mattress, here's what to look out for
-
What is a futon mattress? Your expert guideFor flexible comfort and short-term stays, there's nothing like a futon mattress − I've searched the web to bring you the best fold-out beds
-
Platform bed vs box spring – what's the difference and which is best for you?Unsure whether a platform bed or a box spring is right for your set up? We break down these two mattress foundation options
-
What is a platform bed? Everything you need to know about this stylish mattress supportLearn how this low profile bed frame can elevate the look of your bedroom
-
How long do memory foam mattresses last?Discover the lifespan you can expect from a memory foam mattress with advice from the pros
-
What is mattress off-gassing and can it be dangerous to your health?Weird smell coming from your new mattress? It's actually very normal, here's why it happens and what you can do about it
