It should be simple to get a good night’s sleep, but that isn’t always the case. Deep sleep can be frustratingly elusive if you have a pre-existing condition that produces night sweats, you sleep in a stuffy or warm environment, or you frequently toss and turn.
Fortunately, cooling cushions have become a viable remedy. Even while no two brands are exactly comparable in terms of design and effectiveness, their distinctive, energizing feel might offer some sweet respite, particularly if you have a tendency to get hot while you sleep.
WHAT TO THINK ABOUT
Each cooling pillow you’ll find is a little bit different, but these are the most crucial factors to take into account when selecting the finest cooling cushion for you:
Pillow Form
Your preferred sleeping position is a major determinant of the optimal cooling pillow form. Back sleepers do best with something in the middle, side sleepers need a flat, harder cushion, and stomach sleepers should choose a light, airy pillow. A cooling pillow should maintain your head and neck in perfect alignment on its own; you shouldn’t need any additional bolsters to give you the right amount of height.
Start your search for a cooling pillow that has a build that is similar to your current bed pillow if you like the way it feels and weighs.
Material for Fill
The majority of cooling pillows are either filled with memory foam or a down substitute. Although memory foam offers good support, it might be a touch heavy and heat-retentive. Many cooling pillow manufacturers use perforated foam, shredded foam, or other design elements to help expel the heated air in order to combat this.
However, down-alternative fiber does not have the same reactive feel as foam, and it has the potential to lose its puffiness with time. In contrast, down-alternative fiber tends to be lighter and airier than foam.
Cooling Component
The outside cover of the majority of these pillows houses their primary cooling component. While some cooling pillows are produced using materials that are wholly exclusive to the company, others employ cool-to-the-touch fabrics like lyocell or Outlast. A few models further include heat-wicking gel in the interior filling of the pillows.
Although a lot of this decision comes down to personal preference, it’s crucial to remember that no cooling pillow will remain ice-cold after several hours of use. Because of this, you must take the whole thing into account. The inside airflow pattern of a cooling cushion is equally as significant as its cool-to-the-touch cover.
OUR TEST METHODS
To help people with a variety of different needs have the most fulfilling sleep possible, we chose items that we have personally tested or that have received positive feedback from hundreds of reviewers. These products are featured in this list of the best cooling pillows. Our editors slept on the cooling pillows we evaluated for three weeks, during which time they were asked to comment on the pillows’ cooling covers, capacity to control body temperature as you sleep, and general degree of comfort.
Are you eager for cooler evenings and fresher mornings? Discover how these six cooling pillows fared by reading on.
Learn more about the questions we ask our testing team, the kinds of items we think are genuinely worth testing, and the time we spend testing in general.
1 Memory Foam Pillow with Shreddeds
It is suitable for all sleepers because to the adjustable filling.
Dual-sided covers provide a unique feel.
Over time, foam may lose loft.
Key Specs
Bamboo-fiber cover, gel-infused foam filling are the primary cooling components.
Memory foam shredded as fill
Queen and king sizes
We advise starting with the inexpensive and adjustable Qutool Shredded Memory Foam Pillow if you’re new to the world of cooling pillows. If you prefer the support of memory foam but also require something that feels fluffy, this huggable pillow is ideal.
This cooling pillow, which contains shredded memory foam with gel infusion, has a dual-sided bamboo-fiber cover with smooth and cooling sides so you may enjoy the best of both worlds. This pillowcase that contains the foam also zips up, allowing you to add or remove foam as necessary to achieve the desired loft.
Users adore this one because it is breathable and airy, and because the cover is plush and non-slip. This is particularly fantastic if you live in a hot area; according to one reviewer, “I am not waking up with a sweaty head or neck, even though it has been above 100 degrees here in Arizona. Excellent support for my sides when I sleep.
For an even more refreshing night’s sleep, check out The Best Cooling Sheets.
2 UltraCool Pillows
Like a down pillow, it is plush and lightweight.
in two firmnesses available
It’s a soft pillow.
Key Specs
Outlast-fiber cover: the primary cooling component
Type of Fill: Down-alternative
Standard and king sizes
Few other cooling pillows have outlast technology in their covers, as the Slumber Cloud UltraCool pillow does. This NASA-created substance has been demonstrated to absorb extra heat before releasing it to support the sleeper’s maintenance of a cozy body temperature.
Its soft, foam-free, and “fluffable” down-alternative fill is adored by customers. As one reviewer put it, “Not to add, its unique materials really assist drain away heat during the night.” “Cool, encouraging, and the perfect amount of stuffing The stiff neck is gone!”
Although there are soft/medium and medium/firm versions of this pillow, we believe the softer choice distinguishes it from the vast majority of other pillows that lean on the firm and heavy side. But having a choice is good.
3 Snow Technology Foam Pillow
Materials that wick heat and let airflow
great for side sleepers
Little give
Key Specs
Phase-changing materials and perforated foam are the primary cooling components.
Memory foam is the fill kind.
Standard and king sizes
The Foam Pillow with Snow Technology from Casper is low-loft, cooling, and supportive all at once. For side sleepers, its shoulder-hugging height feels ideal. This pillow is on the firmer side, which I’ve discovered makes it a fantastic support for both upright reading in bed and resting my head afterward.
It has an interior made of multiple layers of foam that is perforated and has air channels running through it. This improves the pillow’s exclusive cooling technology and gives it some great flexibility. Hot sleepers can remove the silky polyester/spandex cover to experience even more cooling against their skin.
4 Hybrid Cushions
Channeled padding feels light and airy.
Pillow that is very durable and long-lasting
a little heavy
Key Specs
Tencel/Frio-Nylon cover with cooling gel underneath serves as the primary cooling component.
Quilted polyester microfiber is the fill kind.
Standard and queen sizes
The Leesa Hybrid Pillow serves two purposes. Cooling gel is applied on one side, and soft quilting is used on the other, allowing air to circulate without overheating your head or neck. During my testing of this cooling pillow, I discovered that the fabric used as the cover is also temperature-regulating and feels much more energizing than cotton.
For side or stomach sleepers, this pillow is particularly pleasant because it isn’t very high yet is still sufficiently spoonable. It’s a really sturdy, long-lasting pillow that hasn’t lost any of its quality or become deformed over my testing.
5 Storm Size 1.0 Performance Pillow: Extremely cool feeling.
available in a range of heights to allow various sleep positions
Expensive
Key Specs
Main Cooling Component: Private Covered in Ver-Tex fabric
Memory foam is the fill kind.
Size: Regular
Even though the Bedgear Storm Performance Cushion is quite expensive, we promise that it is the coldest cooling pillow we have ever used. The materials and design of Bedgear are wholly exclusive to the company and were created for the best possible night’s sleep. If you’re searching for a pillow that genuinely helps you beat the heat, this is the one for you because of its cool, distinctive sensation, which puts it in a whole new tier of sleep items.
Our tester Stefan Vazharov refers to the pillow’s Ver-Tex fabric cover, which is knitted in a textured, geometric design that feels pleasantly smooth against the skin as “heat-deflecting.” He also praises the pillow’s balanced firmness and efficient cooling, which he claims lasts throughout the entire night.
The only difference between the four pillows in the Storm Series, which includes the Storm 1.0, is the height of their ventilated border gussets.
6 Slow-reactive foam in the Breeze Pro + Advanced Cooling Pillow conforms to your sleeping posture.
dependable heat-wicking abilities
Heavy \sExpensive
Key Specs
Invented SmartClimate cover and inner gel layer serve as the primary cooling components.
Memory foam is the fill kind.
Queen and king sizes
The Tempur-Pedic Breeze Pro Cooling Pillow is made of exclusive TEMPUR foam that has cooling gel placed on both sides, and it has a removable SmartClimate cover that is similarly cool to the touch.
It is available in “lo” and “hi” heights. It’s easy to tell that you’re sleeping on a nice pillow, says test subject Ashley Phillips, who praises the “lo” pillow’s flat, slow-responsive foam shape and outstanding neck support.
Although this cushion is firm and a little heavy, its design is ideal for people who shift positions while they sleep. I always wake up on my back even though I sleep on my side, she says. Because I like to put my arm beneath the pillow when I go to sleep, it was effective for me. Therefore, the fact that cooling gel is also coated on the bottom makes it feel even more comfortable.
We’ve also tested the TEMPUR-Pedic Breeze Neck Pillow in case you’re looking for a cooling neck pillow. It has the same cooling gel-layered foam interior and heat-wicking cover, but is shaped differently to better accommodate people who require more neck and back support.
