I pointed a thermal cam at a luxury cooling pillow to see if it actually helps you stay cool in a heatwave — here are the results, and how it compares to a cheap alternative

Sleeping on a hot, stuffy pillow in summer is a nightmare when I want to fall asleep fast. In fact, research shows that your body naturally cools as you go to sleep, so a heat-trapping pillow means you don't get the temperature drop you need to drift off.

The best pillows should avoid this problem, and we've found that luxury cooling pillows are top notch at regulating temperature. But is there a cheaper way to keep your head cool at night? Or is a fancy pillow packed with cooling tech the only way to keep you comfortable on a hot night?

To find out, I grabbed my $93 Helix Cooling Memory Foam Pillow, the $20 Beckham Hotel Collection Bed Pillow, and a trusty thermal cam. Here's how much heat each pillow absorbed and shed when our testers slept on these headrests in our lab...

Key takeaways: At a glance

• Hot temperatures make it difficult to sleep, as your body naturally cools before bed. Some pillow materials trap warm air rather than help it circulate. As a result, you get a hot head that can't cool down.
• Cooling pillows claim to use special materials that help wick away warmth, to keep you comfortable.
• However, our thermal cam tests showed for a neutral feel, a cotton cover might be enough.
• And flipping to the cool side won't always provide the relief you need — one of our pillows was actually warmer on the unused side.

How we tested a cheap vs a luxury cooling pillow

Temperature regulation testing is a key part of our rigorous mattress testing methodology. So when it came to analyzing our pillows, I turned to our tried and tested method.

In a comfortable environment, we ask a tester to lie on the pillow for 15 minutes. This is ample time for heat to transfer and cooling properties to kick in. The tester then gets up and we continue to measure the temperature of the pillow for the next 15 minutes. This allows heat to disperse (... or not).

For pillows, I also employed a flip test. After the above tests, I flipped the pillow to see how cool the other side was.

Meet the pillows:

I used two pillows for this test. One, a luxurious memory foam pillow packed with cooling tech. The other, an affordable pillow with 'down alternative' fill (that's probably fiber fill).

Luxury cooling

Helix Cooling Memory Foam Pillow: was $124 now $93 at Helix Sleep

With a cool-to-the touch GlacioTex cover (designed to wick away warmth) and a gel insert (designed to draw away heat), the Helix Cooling Memory Foam Pillow is made for hot nights. It's also dense and squishy, delivering exceptional pressure relief. At $94 in the Helix mattress sale it's a splurge but I loved it during my Helix Cooling Memory Foam Pillow review period.

Our Helix Cooling Memory Foam Pillow review: ★★★★½

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Cheap comfort

Beckham Hotel Collection Down Alternative Pillow (2-pack): was $59.99 now $41.97 at Amazon

The Beckham Hotel Collection pillows have a silky-soft finish thanks to a cotton cover. But while the down-alternative fill is initially comfortable, our Beckham Hotel Collection Pillow review team were less impressed with the durability. And apart from a breathable cover and a lightweight build, it lacks any specialist cooling tech. However with a two-pack often under $50, it's an affordable choice.

Our Beckham Hotel Collection Pillow review: ★★★½
User score: ★★★★½ (262,000+ reviews)

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Test 1: How quickly does the pillow get warm?

For part one of the test, sleep writer Frances Daniels graciously agreed to lie on each pillow for 15 minutes. We used a side sleeping position as its the most common and a breathable but not cooling mattress (the DreamCloud Classic Mattress).

Click through the gallery to see what happened:

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Minute 1

The Helix Pillow had a cooler starting point (74.2°F versus 76°F). As soon as Frances lay down, it's no surprise the temperature went up on both. By minute 1, the Helix Pillow (left) saw a slight jump in heat, while the Hotel Collection pillow rocketed up to 89°F, a leap of 13°F.

Minute 3

After three minutes, the Helix Pillow had only warmed slightly. The Hotel Collection Pillow had also dropped a few degrees (good news, after the huge initial leap.)

Minute 6

By this point, both pillows had started to even out — no massive temperature gains or losses. In other words, a neutral feel, similar to your own temperature.

Minute 9

Past the halfway point of the heat retention test and both pillows are showing some signs of warming. Overall, however, the temperature stayed steady.

Minute 12

It takes the average person around 10-20 minutes to drift off, so around this point you should be feeling sleepy. In our tests, some heat had started to pool on the Helix, which might impact your ability to drop off.

Minute 15

After 15 minutes, the Hotel Collection Pillow temperature held relatively steady, while the Helix Pillow saw a sudden leap in warmth (2.4°F from minute 12). However, it's also around this time tester Frances started to fidget on the Helix. She stayed as still as a log on the Hotel Collection, which might have impacted the results.

We marked the center of each pillow, which is where Frances rested her head. This is also where we took a temperature reading every minute.

Verdict

The Helix Cooling Memory Foam pillow is delightfully chill when you touch it. So when you first settle into that GlacioTex cover, it's going to feel great.

From there, the temperature gradually rose but never tipped over into uncomfortable. Frances noted (as did I during my testing period) that once the pillow had warmed to your body temperature, it hardly wavered.

The Beckham Hotel Collection pillow also impressed, and did so with the help of just a cotton cover. After a big initial jump in temperature (13.3°F), it slowly cooled and evened out. However, you won't get that initial 'aaah' of Helix's chilled cover.

Test 2: How quickly does the pillow cool down?

The work continues once our tester, the lovely Frances, has stepped away. For the next 15 minutes I monitored the temperature at the center of the pillow. This shows us how quickly the heat dissipates.

Click through the gallery to see what happened:

Image 1 of 6

Minute 1

After Frances hopped off, both pillow saw a significant drop in heat. The Helix Pillow lost 5.3 °F, while the Beckham Hotel Pillow dropped by 6.7 °F by the end of the first minute. So if you sit up in bed for a sip of water, your pillow will start cooling as soon as you're gone.

Minute 3

At minute 3, both pillows continued their steady cooling. If you're feeling uncomfortable on a hot night, a few minutes away from your pillow should bring some relief when you return.

Minute 6

If you've jumped out of bed for a quick trip to the bathroom, you might be returning around this point in the test. While neither pillow is back to its starting feel, both are notably cooler than during test one.

Minute 9

The Helix Pillow is warmer than the Hotel Pillow at this point, although it's cooler at the edges (check out those blue patches). So if you're hunting for a cool spot, you might consider scooting over to the sides of the Helix Pillow. On the Beckham Hotel Collection, the temperature is roughly the same across the surface.

Minute 12

By this point in the test, both pillows are much cooler than when Frances first left the bed. The Beckham Hotel Collection pillow is cooler overall (77.9 °F compared to the Helix at 78.7°F.) However, you can see the heat hasn't spread quite so far on the Helix.

Minute 15

On sleepless nights, we recommend getting out of bed and relaxing in another room. It's known as the 15 minute sleep rule and when you return, you'll be hoping a cool pillow is waiting for you. Both pillows are still warmer than our starting measurements, but both should feel neutral beneath your skin. However, the Hotel Collection pillow might feel that bit cooler.

Verdict

A good cooling pillow should drop excess heat quickly. This means when you sit up in bed or step away for a few minutes, you can return to a blissfully chilled sleep surface.

You won't get that with either of these options.

The Helix Cooling Pillow took a long time to lose just 4°F of warmth. Even after 15 minutes, it wasn't back to the icy feel we started with. However, the edges and corners of the pillow kept cool. So if you're willing to move around, you don't have to sleep on the warm patch.

The Beckham Hotel Collection Pillow dropped to a cooler temperature quicker. After this initial heat shed, it remained roughly 2°F higher than when we started — that's a neutral feel.

These results back up our hands-on testing. If you get up to use the bathroom or grab a drink during the night, you won't return to a cool pillow. However, you should get back to something with an even, neutral finish.

Test 3: What about the 'cool side'?

There are few moments quite as satisfying as the brief relief of the cool side of the pillow. But in the spirit of investigation, I wanted to see just how cool this cool side is...

Having completed our tests, I flipped the pillows to reveal the so-called 'cool side'.

First up, the Helix Cooling Pillow. While the pillow wasn't as blissfully chilled on the other side as I expected, it did drop 1.4°F.

Image 1 of 2

However, I was in for a shock with the Hotel Collection Pillow. A quick flip revealed the pillow was actually warmer on the other side. 1.8°F warmer, to be precise.

That's not a huge temperature jump. But it's not what you want when you're awake at 3 a.m.

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Should you save or splurge on a cooling pillow?

So, should you spend or save on a cooling pillow? My test results show that cooling tech might not live up to its high promises. If it's a breathable feel you're after, cotton covers and airy fill can make a big difference.

However, I'd note I tested the Helix Cooling Memory Foam Pillow at home during some brutal weather. (It's been heatwave after heatwave in my city.) Throughout it all, my pillow stayed neutral, if not cool.

And we know from testing over 130 of the best mattresses online that cooling tech can make a serious difference to your sleep comfort. The best cooling mattresses we've tested feature either specialist materials or use natural fabrics to create a chilled feel.

And luxury pillows do have their benefits, including enhanced durability. After being tossed around our Sleep Lab, the Helix Pillow looked in better shape than the Hotel Collection alternative.

My advice? You don't need to splurge to sleep cool, but investing in sleep comfort pays off in the long term.

Our favorite cooling sleep products

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