This high-tech mattress cover is the smart solution to sweaty nights and cold mornings — and there's $600 off today

The Orion Sleep System mattress cover on a mattress in the Tom's Guide Sleep Studio, with the control tower next to the bed. In the bottom right corner is a Tom's Guide Savings Squad deals graphic — (Image credit: Future)

If you've tried breathable bed sheets, oscillating fans and frozen pillows but you still wake up sweaty, I've found the solution. The Orion Sleep System, now with $600 off in Orion's Black Friday sale, is a smart cooling system that helps defeat night sweats by actively adjusting the temperature as you sleep.

One of the best smart beds you can buy online, this clever mattress cover is fitted with a series of (imperceptible) water tubes that cool or heat throughout the night. That means a sudden flush of cold if night sweats are coming on, or a gentle warming if things get too chilly.

This is just a cover, so you might need to buy a new bed to go with it — I recommend our best mattress guide for our top rated suggestions. But with $600 off in the Black Friday mattress sales, there has never been a better time to shop the Orion.

What is active temperature regulation?

When we review any mattress, temperature regulation is a key concern. It refers to how well a mattress can kick out excess heat so you don't wake up at 3 a.m. feeling uncomfortably sweaty.

Most of the best mattresses in a box achieve this through cooling materials. That is, copper-infused foams or phase change material (PCM).

The Orion takes a different approach. This smart mattress cover is fitted with a series of water tubes, which connect back to a control hub. During the night, the water flowing through those pipes either cools down or warms up, so you stay at just the right temperature.

A close up of the Orion Sleep System Control Tower next to the Orion mattress cover on a bed in our reviewer's room — (Image credit: Future)

And this sci-fi-esque sleep system is impressively effective. I purposely warmed myself up to see if the cooling kicked in (the only time you'll ever catch me doing nighttime jumping jacks) and was greeted by a flush of coolness. For hot flashes and night sweats, this is a dream.

Most of the time, however, the Orion delivers the kind of comfort you hardly notice. It's climbing into a bed that feels just right, sleeping through the night, and waking up feeling snug all the way down to your toes.

While the temperature regulation impressed me, I was less enthused by the Orion's sleep tracking. At $250 extra for a year's subscription, I think you can get better results for less with the Fitbit Air or Withings Sleep Analyzer. Or, for cooling and tracking, there's another solution...

Want a smart mattress with next-level sleep tracking? Try this...

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Ruth is an experienced Senior Staff writer at Tom’s Guide, covering all things sleep and mattresses. She writes to help people sleep better, from how-tos to the latest deals to mattress reviews, and has interviewed an array of experts who share her passion. She is also our specialist on memory foam — she’s flown around the world to see memory foam being made — and leads our hotel mattress content. She has a deep interest in the link between sleep and health, and has tried enough mattresses, from Helix to Nectar to Simba, to know the right bed really can make a difference to your wellbeing. Before joining the team at Tom’s Guide, Ruth worked as a sleep and mattress writer for our sister website, TechRadar.