When we recommend mattresses to hot sleepers, we focus on how well they regulate temperature. But what exactly is temperature regulation in a mattress, and how can it help you sleep better?
Our guide to the best cooling mattresses of the year features beds with technology that helps you beat night sweats
To gain an expert perspective, we spoke with 3Z Brands CEO John Merwin, COO Tim Dilworth, and resident foam chemist Neil Silverman at their factory in Arizona, where they create materials to enhance the temperature regulation for some of America's most popular mattresses.
Here's what Merwin, Dilworth, and Silverman want you to know about temperature regulation in mattresses — including which materials are most efficient at promoting a comfortable sleep climate and why it's so important for sleep quality. (Keep this information in mind when deciding which bed to buy in the upcoming Black Friday mattress sales. )
What is temperature regulation in a mattress?
Temperature regulation refers to how well a mattress can maintain a comfortable (neutral) sleeping climate through the night. A lot of this is influenced by a mattress's materials and how they're put together. Some smart beds feature built-in climate controls for active heating and cooling.
This is an important factor to consider because your body naturally cools down to initiate sleep. If a mattress retains too much heat, you can feel flustered and wake up in a sweaty huff. Conversely, if it draws too much heat away, you may wake up feeling cold and shivery.
Temperature regulation is often used interchangeably with cooling, but a specialist cooling mattress is designed to lower your body temperature. When we talk about temperature regulation in a mattress, we're referring to how well it keeps your core body temperature stable at night.
How do mattresses provide reliable temperature regulation?
A mattress's ability to regulate temperature will depend on its materials and overall construction, which in turn influences how well it promotes airflow, dissipates excess heat, and wicks away moisture.
From hybrid designs to specialized foams, here's how mattresses achieve market-leading temperature regulation...
1. Gel foam
3Z Brands COO Tim Dilworth explains that mattress foams can be infused with gel or metallic additives to improve temperature regulation. Each method works in slightly different ways (and with varying degrees of success) to wick away excess heat from the body and balance temperature.
Gel foam incorporates gel beads, which are small, capsule-like pellets that are integrated directly into the foam during the pouring process. 3Z Brand's resident foam chemist, Neil Silverman, says these gel beads "act like a heat sink" by absorbing and dispersing body heat through the night to improve temperature regulation.
These gel beads offer another benefit, according to Silverman: "[They] also help with pressure mapping because the beads coalesce and they prevent you from going too far into the mattress."
There's also gel swirl foam, where a liquid gel is added and then swirled into the foam mixture before solidifying. "The goal with the swirl is to give it better thermal conductivity without compromising the pressure relief people expect from a memory foam," says 3Z Brands CEO John Merwin.
Silverman describes gel swirl foam as an "economical" option. He claims it doesn't have a huge efficacy compared to gel beads, but it is a "cost-effective" way to add a cooling element to lower-end mattresses. (Merwin adds that combining gel swirl foam with other materials, like a cooling top fabric, contributes to "the best results" for temperature regulation.)
The budget-friendly Brooklyn Bedding Dreamfoam Essential Mattress uses a layer of gel swirl memory foam to prevent overheating, whereas the mid-range Bear Original Memory Foam Mattress uses a layer of cooling gel memory foam instead.
2. Heat-conductive elements
Beyond cooling gel, Silverman says graphite, copper, and titanium are also used to boost a foam's thermal conductivity and regulate the temperature of the sleeping surface.
"There are different levels of conductivity, and depending on price points, we can put in different additives that have different efficacies," Silverman says. Foams infused with graphite, copper, or titanium are more commonplace in higher-end mattresses.
Copper, graphite, and titanium are natural thermal conductors. When infused into mattress foams, these particles draw heat away from the body and dissipate it through the surface. (While they're all capable, Silverman names graphite as the "single most effective" additive for thermal conductivity.)
One of our top cooling mattresses of the year, the Brooklyn Bedding CopperFlex Pro Hybrid Mattress, uses these copper filaments in its memory foam comfort layer — which, when paired with its cooling cover, produces the cool-to-touch sensation our review panel experienced.
Moreover, Helix recently introduced graphite strips as an optional upgrade for extra temperature control. Inlaid in the foam layer, Merwin adds that they're "scientifically proven to pull 22% more heat away from the body, keeping the sleeper cool for over 12 continuous hours."
3. Cooling fabrics
Manmade cooling fabrics not only help with temperature regulation, but they also often produce a soothing sensation upon touch. When woven into a cover — your first point of contact with a mattress — it (ideally) sets the tone for a comfortable night's sleep.
GlacioTex is a synthetic fabric "made with a blend of polyester and polyethylene [plus] fibers with high thermal conductivity to draw heat away from the body quickly," says Merwin, adding that it "helps to create a cooler sleep surface" when added to a mattress cover.
GlacioTex is commonly used in several of 3Z Brands' cooling mattresses, including the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Mattress.
What about Tencel? Similar to GlacioTex, Tencel (otherwise known as lyocell) is a semi-synthetic fabric derived from responsibly-sourced wood pulp — often eucalyptus but also oak, birch, or bamboo.
These fibers draw moisture away from your skin, helping to prevent a clammy, sweaty feeling through the night. Tencel's open structure means it doesn't hold on to your body heat. Instead, it allows air to circulate freely, contributing to a cool-to-touch feel and further aiding moisture evaporation.
Tencel is used in Helix's Luxe range of mattresses. It comes as the standard cover on the Helix Midnight Luxe, which is our favorite mattress for side sleepers. (Notably, Helix offers an optional upgrade to a GlacioTex cover.)
Additionally, Dilworth says polyethylene (infused into foams or the mattress' cover) is a great addition to the top panel of a bed as it "will stay cool to the touch pretty much the whole night."
4. Natural materials
Some of the most effective mattress materials for temperature regulation come from nature. The best organic mattresses harness the innate breathability of organic cotton, wool, and latex.
Cotton is a popular choice for mattress covers because the strands are airy and naturally absorbent, promoting ventilation and wicking away moisture (aka your sweat) so your sleep surface remains dry and temperature neutral.
Wool is a warm, insulating material that also aids in moisture-wicking and breathability. Merwin explains: "Its hygroscopic properties and multi-layer cellular structure allow it to act as a natural insulator, absorbing and releasing moisture to help maintain a comfortable sleeping temperature."
Then there's all-natural latex, derived from the sap of a rubber tree, mixed with non-toxic materials, whipped until frothed, and then set into a foam. Merwin says the open-cell structure of natural latex "promotes airflow throughout the mattress and helps to dissipate heat away from the body." This helps keep the bed at a neutral temperature.
You'll find these natural materials in the Birch Luxe Natural Mattress (which we rate as the best cooling organic bed around) and the Nolah Natural 11 Mattress.
5. Phase Change Materials
Phase Change Material (PCM) is a substance that absorbs and releases heat as it changes from a solid to a liquid state, Dilworth explains: "When those beads get hot, they melt and dissipate heat, and as they get cool, they firm back up." Silverman likens PCM to "a super highway for the heat to transmit out."
PCM absorbs excess body heat when you get warm during the night as it changes from a solid to a liquid. Cleverly, it will hold this heat and then release it back towards your body when you cool down as it solidifies again. You won't feel the PCM fibers changing state, but you'll notice a temperature-neutral sleep surface when it does.
PCM is usually found in the top layers of mattresses, either blended directly into the comfort foam or sewn into the fabric of the cover to make sure it is in close contact with the body for the best temperature regulation.
Our #1 rated cooling bed of the year, the Bear Elite Hybrid Mattress, uses a PCM-infused cover (along with copper foam) for best-in-class temperature regulation.
6. Coils
Besides offering reliable support, coil layers also bolster temperature regulation in mattresses. Pocketed coils naturally encourage airflow throughout the mattress's support core, stopping hot air created by body heat from becoming trapped.
The best hybrid mattresses pair coils with infused foams plus a breathable top cover to prevent substantial heat buildup and promote temperature-neutral sleep.
Why is temperature regulation in a mattress important for sleep quality?
There is a close relationship between your body temperature and sleep quality, as temperature is a key signal in your circadian rhythm.
Your body must cool down to initiate the release of sleep-inducing hormones like melatonin. The best temperature for sleep is on the lower end of average room temperature and generally lies between 65° to 70° F (18° to 21 °C). Hence, a mattress with breathable materials can help you maintain that temperature overnight.
Temperature regulation in a mattress benefits everyone, but it is especially important for hot sleepers who spend a lot of time tossing and turning rather than sleeping at night. A mattress with breathable, heat-wicking materials can help hot sleepers cool down and manage their body temperature at night, facilitating sleep onset.
How to choose a mattress with reliable temperature regulation
Deciding which mattress is right for you will depend on several factors — your firmness preference, body type, sleep position, and budget. Handily, our certified sleep coach and managing sleep editor, Claire Davies, has summarized it all in her guide on how to choose a mattress.
If reliable temperature regulation is your top priority, look for airflow, heat dissipation, and moisture wicking.
Hybrid beds tend to be better at regulating temperature than dense all-foam models, but if memory foam is your preference, look out for infused foams and breathable covers. (Our guide to the best memory foam mattresses features models that excel at temperature regulation.)
Otherwise, natural materials like wool and cotton are great choices, alongside more specialized temperature-balancing fabrics like GlacioTex or PCM.
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