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The best cooling mattress can be a lifesaver for those who get too hot during the night. Made with materials designed for maximum breathability, they’ll keep you comfortable throughout the warmest of summer nights. To be clear, no mattress will actively cool you down, but some will be better than others when it comes to temperature regulation.
Finding the right mattress can require considerable research, particularly as most mattress brands claim to be breathable and cool in some way, shape or form. Thankfully, we’ve reviewed more than 50 mattresses here at Expert Reviews, allowing us to give you the best mattress recommendations whatever your needs might be.
Below, you’ll find a roundup of some of our favourite tried-and-tested mattresses, picked specifically for breathability and temperature regulation. Below that, you’ll find a short buying guide on how to find the best cooling mattress for you. We’ve also taken the time to explain the process that goes into our mattress testing. If, however, you just want a quick list of recommendations, see our at-a-glance list directly below this introduction.
Best cooling mattress: At a glance
| Best cooling mattress overall | Emma Hybrid Thermonsync (From £819 double) | |
| Best cooling mattress on a budget | Origin Hybrid (From £620 double) | |
| Best luxury cooling mattress | Dreams TheraPur ActiGel Glacier 3800 (From £1699 double) | |
| Best all-natural mattress | Simba Earth Apex (From £1999 double) | |
| Best firm cooling mattress | Otty Original Hybrid (From £675 double) |
How we test mattresses
How better to test a mattress than to sleep on it? We don’t just put our feet up for eight hours, though: there are a number of key factors we take into consideration. Alongside comfort and support, we look closely at firmness and temperature control – although we also focus on edge support and motion isolation when needed.
To illustrate, when taking temperature into account, all-foam ones might feel warmer than some of its hybrid or pocket-sprung counterparts, making them a less viable option for those who may overheat at night.
Where you place your mattress – whether that be on a sprung slatted bed, durable divan base or even the floor – will have an effect on how the mattress feels beneath you. And though we are not able to test a variety of bed bases when reviewing a mattress, we will always factor it as part of our decisions.
Following our primary tests, we take into account any trial runs that might be on offer – which is a common occurrence within the bed-in-a-box market – before tackling the big question, is the mattress good value for money?
The best cooling mattresses you can buy
In the most recent update to our best cooling mattress roundup, we’ve made a few big changes. The Otty Pure Hybrid, Simba Hybrid Pro and Emma Hybrid Premium mattresses have been removed, not because they aren’t great mattresses but because we’re applying stricter standards on what the best “cooling mattress” is. As such, this roundup features mattresses that we consider to really excel when it comes to cooling, breathability and temperature regulation. We’ve also made some additions to our recommendations: the Emma Hybrid Thermosync, the Simba Earth Apex and the Dreams TheraPur ActiGel Glacier 3800 Combination mattress.
1. Emma Hybrid Thermonsync Mattress: Best cooling mattress overall
Price when reviewed: £819 (double) | Check price at Emma
Great for… edge support and motion isolation
Not so great for… shoestring budgets
Our reviewer – a hot sleeper who shares a bed with an often-restless partner – found the Emma Hybrid Thermosync a winner when it comes to temperature regulation, out-performing the likes of the Simba Hybrid Pro. On top of this, tests with a heat pad showed the mattress to drop from a temperature of 30°C to 22°C within 10 minutes.
For some context, the Hybrid Thermosync is Emma’s “cooling” answer to the Hybrid Premium, and is so similar to the latter that our reviewer initially wondered if they’d been sent the right mattress to test. The construction is similar though, with layers of foam combined with “extra-tall” 18.5cm pocket springs. The titular “ThermoSync” foam layer is infused with graphite particles and, according to Emma, helps keep you cool by “capturing” excess heat.
In addition to its cooling credentials, the Thermosync is comfortable and supportive, if a bit softer than the Emma Hybrid Premium, with great edge-to-edge support and motion isolation. At £819 in a double, it’s also quite a bit more expensive than the Hybrid Premium (£569 in a double), but that’s still reasonably affordable when compared to some of its rivals from Simba, for instance.
Read our full Emma Hybrid Thermosync review
Key features – Type: Spring and foam hybrid;Needs turning? Rotate once/month for the first six months; once every 3 months thereafter; Sizes: Single to super king, plus EU sizes; Trial period: 200 nights
2. Origin Hybrid: Best cooling mattress on a budget
Price: From £465 | Check price at Origin
Great for… sleepers on a budget
Not so great for… those who want a washable top cover
For what is a reasonably low price, the Origin Hybrid mattress offers a great deal of support and comfort. What’s more, it does a good job when it comes to temperature regulation too. While the top layer might not feel “ice cold” as Origin describes it, our reviewer found that they didn’t overheat or wake up feeling sweaty when they tested it during a London heatwave – nor do the upper foam layers soften too much, as can often happen with memory foam.
Unfortunately, like the Otty Pure Hybrid, there are no handles for turning and the cover can’t be removed and washed as with some mattresses. But these are minor qualms, and you should probably be using a mattress protector anyway.
At full price, the Origin Hybrid will cost you £629 in a king size, which is great value when you weigh it up against some of the other mattresses we’ve tested. Origin also offers a 200-night trial period.
Read our full Origin Hybrid mattress review
Key features – Type: Hybrid; Needs turning? No; SIzes: Single to super king, plus EU sizes; Trial period: 200 nights
3. Dreams TheraPur ActiGel Glacier 3800 Combination mattress: Best luxury cooling mattress
Price when reviewed: £1,699 (double) | Check price at Dreams
Great for… back and side sleepers
Not so great for… pillowtop sceptics
This pillowtop hybrid mattress comes from Dreams’ own mattress range. Its sprung foundation, combined with foam comfort layers, makes for a firm, comfortable mattress that impressed our tester with its solid edge support. This is a particularly good high-end option for side or back sleepers who like firm mattresses – particularly if they also run hot at night.
That’s because the TheraPur ActiGel Glacier 3800 is excellent at dealing with excess heat. Our tester – a cold sleeper herself – found the mattress “rather chilly” and her husband – a hot sleeper – consistently reported cool and comfortable sleep. According to our heat pad test, the temperature of the mattress surface dropped from 30°C to 21°C in an impressive ten minutes.
There are only a couple of small drawbacks to keep in mind. Like other mattresses that contain memory foam, there was a rather strong chemical smell at first. In this case, the smell lingered for around four days before dissipating, so make sure your room is well-ventilated. As it’s a pillowtop mattress, you can’t flip it, and many might be fairly sceptical about the upper layers being unevenly worn down. But many modern bed-in-a-box mattresses can’t be flipped, and you are at least able to rotate to ensure even wear.
It’s also an expensive mattress, starting at £1,200 in a single and rising to £1,999 for a super king. But this looks and feels like a premium buy, so if you’re a hot sleeper and your budget covers it, the Dreams TheraPur ActiGel Glacier 3800 Combination mattress is a great option.
Read our full Dreams TheraPur ActiGel Glacier 3800 Combination mattress review
Key features – Type: Spring and foam hybrid; Needs turning? Rotate weekly for three months; then once a month thereafter; Sizes: Single to super king, plus EU sizes; Trial period: 100 nights (exchange only)
4. Simba Earth Apex Mattress: Best all-natural mattress
Price when reviewed: £1,999 (double) | Check price at Simba
Great for… Firm support
Not so great for… Anything but the biggest budgets
A shift away from synthetic materials, such as memory foam, towards something more natural might be exactly what you need if you’re a hot sleeper. The Simba Earth Apex (part of the wider Earth range) uses layers of wool and a cover made from “plant -derived viscose”. Wool is a naturally effective insulator, keeping you cool in summer and warm in winter, and the lack of memory foam (infamous for absorbing heat) is also promising.
Our reviewer found the Apex to offer a firmer support than Simba’s “medium-firm” description, though it’s still comfortable enough for side sleepers and doesn’t require a mattress topper to act as an extra comfort layer. Edge support and motion isolation are also impressive.
Simba’s mattresses are often an investment, and the use of natural materials does mean the Earth range is quite a bit more expensive. After the Source and Escape, the Apex is the most expensive of the three: a double will cost you just short of £2,000, which simply won’t factor into a lot of budgets. However, as I said above, investing in a mattress with natural instead of synthetic materials might be a good idea if you get hot at night.
Read our full Simba Earth Apex mattress review
Key features – Type: Hybrid with springs and wool comfort layers; Needs turning? Rotate “often” for first three months; then twice a year thereafter; Sizes: Single to super king; Trial period: 200 nights
5. Otty Original Hybrid: Best firm cooling mattress
Price when reviewed: From £530 (single) | Check price at Otty
Great for… People who prefer a firmer feel
Not so great for… Corner support
If the Simba Earth Apex is too much of a strain on the budget, Otty’s Original Hybrid mattress is a good, affordable alternative. We found it to be a firm and supportive mattress, even if our reviewer did note it lacking slightly in corner support.
The Original Hybrid is constructed from several layers of foam, including an upper layer of temperature-regulating memory foam, as well as a layer of full-size pocket springs (up to 2,000 16cm springs according to Otty) and airflow side support. Our reviewer tested the Otty Original during the spring months and was impressed at how “cool and comfortable” they felt when sleeping in an 18°C room.
Despite being much cheaper, Otty still manages to match Simba’s trial period of 200 nights, which should be plenty of time for you to decide whether or not the Original Hybrid is right for you
Read our full Otty Original Hybrid review
Key features – Type: Spring and foam hybrid; Needs turning? Rotate once/month for the first 12 months; once every 3 months thereafter; Sizes: Single to super king, plus EU sizes; Trial period: 100 nights
How to choose the best cooling mattress for you
What is a cooling mattress?
In a sense, the term “cooling mattress” is a bit of a misnomer, as no mattress we’ve ever tested will actively cool you down. Ultimately, whether your mattress will help you to keep cool or not depends on the materials it’s made with, and there’s a lot of variation in this respect. Mattresses made with breathable materials will be the most effective in keeping you cool, while denser and more synthetic mattresses will be warmer.
What makes a cooling mattress cool?
Sprung mattresses: Mattresses with a sprung layer, whether they be pocket-sprung mattresses or hybrids (memory foam or latex mattresses with a spring or microspring layer), allow for improved airflow between their coils, meaning better breathability and a cooler night’s sleep.
Wool: Natural materials are often better than synthetic ones when it comes to heat regulation. Wool is particularly good for both its insulating qualities and its breathability, keeping you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Two of our top picks in this roundup, the Simba Hybrid Pro and the Harrison Spinks Velocity 4250, contain wool layers.
Latex: The open-cell design of latex foam allows for air circulation and breathability, which is why many have praised it as a cooler alternative to memory foam (which we’ll get into in more detail in the next section).
What about memory foam?
Because it retains body heat, memory foam has gained a reputation as a poor choice for hot sleepers – and not unfairly. However, you shouldn’t be too quick to completely write off memory foam.
Many modern memory foam mattresses use open-cell foam in their top comfort layers to improve breathability. Better still, many bed-in-a-box foam mattresses are hybrids, which, as we’ve touched on above, combine the benefits of foam with the breathability and airflow of a sprung layer.
