We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Here’s our process.
Regardless of why you want to increase the cool at night — whether you’re having night sweats or you’ve just always been a “hot sleeper” — the sheer number of features advertised for mattress toppers can be dizzying.
We narrowed our search down to focus on some key features that can help you find a cooling mattress topper that’s useful and comfortable while also giving you the most bang for your buck.
Here’s what we looked for:
- fair price for mattress topper features
- quality of materials
- allergy considerations (hypoallergenic)
- comfort for people who prefer firm and soft mattress toppers
- long-term use (does it last a long time?)
- ease of use (how easy is it to clean and maintain?)
- the quality of customer reviews from manufacturer websites and e-commerce sites like Amazon
- reputation of manufacturer
- endorsement by experts and people who have helped address their night sweats or overheating with a cooling mattress topper
Editor’s note
There are cooling mattress toppers that use electricity or water to keep your sleep surface cool. While these may be effective options for some people, they can add noise and have motors that may actually raise ambient temperature in the room as they run.
Instead, we opted for mattress toppers that don’t require special maintenance and additional resources to use. Plus, if you’re looking for a full replacement, we discuss two different cooling mattresses at the end of this list.
Entry-level cooling mattress toppers start around $100 or less. You can find plenty of good mattress toppers at this price. But there’s not a lot that distinguishes them from each other.
The most expensive cooling mattress toppers may cost up to $500 and beyond for the high-end in luxury, artisanship, and technology (and sometimes just brand name).
We’ll focus primarily on cooling mattresses that are $100 and up. And we include options under $100 if you’re just looking for an entry-level cooling mattress topper that gets the job done.
Pricing can also vary from seller to seller, so we’ll include this quick price guide for each mattress topper:
- $ = under $100
- $$ = $100–$200
- $$$ = $200–$300
- $$$$ = over $300
Some cooling mattress toppers may be deemed as a medical expense and can be paid by health savings accounts (HSA) or be covered by some health insurance plans.
With that said, here are our top recommended cooling mattress toppers in order of price tag.
- Price: $
- Available sizes: Twin, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
- Thickness: 1.5–2 inches
This affordable mattress topper gives you the simplest possible gel-based memory foam designed to absorb heat and allow ample airflow through tiny holes built into the foam layer.
The foam is green tea infused, which purportedly helps reduce odors and absorb moisture. This topper is also foldable so you can put it away when you’re not using it or even bring it with you while you travel.
This topper has received thousands of positive reviews for its simplicity and utility. But some customers report that the topper is too firm and retains heat that can make the bed feel hot.
- Price: $$
- Available sizes: Twin, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
- Thickness: 2.5 inches
This 2.5-inch gel-based memory foam cooling mattress topper has a specialized dual-layer foam construction that’s designed to shape to your body for comfort no matter your sleeping style.
The biggest selling point of this topper is the bamboo-based charcoal material that acts as a moisture wicking mechanism that not only cools but also reduces odor buildup over time.
Some customers have reported that the mattress foam layers start coming apart and the charcoal tips of the egg carton foam have fallen off after a few months of use.
Buy Lucid’s Duo-Foam Charcoal Memory Foam Mattress Topper.
- Price: $$$
- Available sizes: Twin, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
- Thickness: 3 inches
This memory foam mattress topper comes with a removable, washable cover and is made of 3 inches of visco-elastic foam that’s designed to absorb your body heat continuously.
The cover is a 300 thread count cotton that also helps keep consistent airflow around your skin to reduce sweating and uses a technology called “Outlast” that helps adjust your body heat throughout the night.
Some customers have reported that this mattress topper quickly absorbs heat and traps it, leaving hot areas on the cover that only goes away when you move. Because of its thickness, this topper may work best on a firm mattress.
- Price: $$$
- Available sizes: Twin, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
- Thickness: 1.25 inches
This mattress topper is made of 100 percent Merino wool. Wool is naturally moisture wicking to keep you cool at night and resist odors. Known for being a good insulator that keeps people warm, wool is also temperature regulating in general so it can keep you cooler, too.
It’s also hypoallergenic made of a natural, sustainable material rather than a synthetic foam or gel that isn’t recyclable or biodegradable.
Some customers report that the topper doesn’t effectively cool in all configurations (on top of or under sheets, for example) or that the wool isn’t soft enough to make sleeping on it comfortable.
- Price: $$$
- Available sizes: Twin, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
- Thickness: 3 inches
This mattress topper from the famed Tempur-Pedic brand has an industry-leading memory foam design that’s good for back pain and cool to the touch to help absorb heat from your body quickly after you lie down.
The hypoallergenic and removable, washable cover is also made to be resistant to dust mites and other allergens that can disturb your sleep and your health.
Some reviewers have reported allergic reactions to the topper, and others have reported receiving counterfeit versions through popular e-commerce sites.
Make sure you’re buying directly from Tempur-Pedic whether you’re on the company site or on Amazon.
Buy the TEMPUR-Adapt Cooling Topper at Tempur-Pedic or Amazon.
- Price: $$$
- Available sizes: Twin, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
- Thickness: 3 inches
Casper is familiar to anyone who’s listened to a radio in the last few years — this topper is designed with three layers of foam with different densities and full of pores that help ventilate the heat around your body.
The top is also made of an alt-latex material that’s been reported to be more comfortable than many comparable toppers that use cotton and synthetic foams. The middle layer is latex infused with graphite, a material with properties that help dissipate heat.
Some customers report that the mattress topper is too firm for side sleepers and that reaching the company’s customer support is sometimes difficult, with delays in response.
- Price: $$$$
- Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
- Thickness: 2 inches
This memory foam mattress topper uses copper-infused gel in its construction. Copper transfers heat really well so the idea is that this can help keep you cool.
The company offers a generous 120-day window in which you can try the topper and return it if it doesn’t work for you.
It comes with a removable, washable zip-off cover. The mattress topper is in the same style as Layla’s memory foam mattress, which is also worth mentioning if you’re looking for a cooling solution and a new mattress entirely.
Buy Layla’s Copper Memory Foam Mattress Topper at Layla Sleep and Amazon.
Layla Memory Foam Mattress
If you want to go the extra mile and replace your whole mattress with a highly effective cooling mattress, this may be it.
The memory foam is infused with antimicrobial copper that quickly absorbs heat. There’s also a soft side and a firm side so that you can flip your mattress to your liking.
Buy at Layla Sleep.
For mattress toppers on the market, we think the 7 discussed above can keep you cool and will fit different budgets.
For those who are still looking for serious mattress cooling, this “smart” system from Eight Sleep made it on the list.
Eight Sleep Pod Pro Smart Cooling Mattress
- Price: $$$$
- Available sizes: Full, Queen, King, Cal King
- Thickness: 12 inches
The Pod Pro is a “smart” cooling mattress with a companion app, built-in sensors, and a water-cooling system that cools the thin layer of ActiveGrid material that responds to your body heat.
This mattress also features climate control that can be programmed to activate when you come to bed and a vibration alarm in the mattress itself that gently wakes you up without abrupt disruption.
The Pod Pro is very expensive, but you can pay down the price with monthly financing. There’s also some maintenance and possible technical issues that can arise with the app and the built-in sensors.
Here are some questions to consider while shopping for a cooling topper, mattress, or pad:
- Is the topper CertiPUR-US and Greenguard Gold certified? Odors are usually the result of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that off-gas and make your mattress smell unnatural. Mattress toppers that are CertiPUR-US or Greenguard Gold-certified pillows are often reported to have less obvious odors right out of the box.
- Are the materials only “cool to the touch”? Fabrics, gels, and other materials with surfaces that help absorb heat from your skin can help for a little bit, but they don’t typically last through the night. Try to avoid cooling mattress toppers that only offer surface cooling.
- Are cooling materials built into the mattress topper? Many of the best mattress toppers use gels, phase-changing foam, or particles of minerals or metal to increase their cooling capabilities.
- Is the material itself breathable? Look for mattress toppers with ample air pockets within their materials or built-in supports to keep materials apart. These cooling designs allow maximum airflow to help body heat escape and disperse into the topper and keep the topper cool for longer.
- Does it have additional cooling technology? You can find mattress toppers that use electrical air flow or water reservoirs that you can turn on to cool down the mattress while you sleep. These take some extra work and maintenance, but they may be more effective at cooling you down all night.
- Does the manufacturer allow a trial period? Most mattress companies give you around 100 nights to try their product and return it for free if you don’t like it. This can help ease the decision process by letting you try each topper before you settle on one.
If you’ve ever bought a mattress, you can follow a lot of the same rules of thumb — a good mattress topper should:
- last a long time (an average of 8 years)
- be made of high-quality materials that won’t make you itchy or uncomfortable
- feature a design that increases air flow or decreases heat pockets
- be big enough or comfortable enough for your sleeping style
- be designed to fit you and a partner, if desired (especially if you and your partner want adjustable sides of the mattress)
- be firm or soft enough for your needs
- be supportive enough for your weight
- fit your budget — there’s no need to splurge if you just want something simple
You may want to try some of these other cooling tips if you want to get the most out of your cooling bedding.
Here are some do’s and don’ts for keeping your bedroom cool to make your cooling mattress topper even more effective (or before you make a purchase).
Do’s:
- turn on fans or open windows to help bring cool air and ventilation into the room
- try to relax and reduce stress before bed with a regular calming routine
- if you’re cold when you go to bed, put layers on so that you can take them off during the night to keep a cool body temperature
- use a fan to cool your body — don’t point it directly at your face or you may dry out your sinuses
- cool your clean sheets by putting them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator
- set your thermostat between 68–72°F (20–22°C)
- flip your pillow to different sides to keep one side from overheating
Don’ts:
- exercise close to bedtime — exercise during the day so that your body can cool and calm down in the hours before sleep
- smoke or be exposed to secondhand smoke right before bed
- wear tight clothing to bed that can make it hard for your body to regulate its temperature — opt for loose, breathable clothing made of 100% cotton
- use blankets or sheets made of dense or heavy material
- drink caffeine or alcohol right before bed, as these can raise your body temperature
A cooling mattress topper can seem like a big investment, but it’s worth its weight in cooling ability if you wake up at night sweaty or feeling too hot.
Choosing the right cooling topper is not all that different from choosing a regular mattress — find one with your desired firmness and longevity, made by a company you feel you can trust.