Waking up feeling hot and sweaty never feels good. Thatâs why itâs recommended hot sleepers switch to using cooling mattresses and cooling bed sheets. Humans tend to sleep better in cooler environments, after all. If you find yourself waking up with a sweaty head, neck, and face, though, itâs possible your sleeping pillow may be retaining too much heat. It might be time to consider switching to a cooling pillow.
Whatâs a cooling pillow? These are pillows that are made with lightweight and breathable materials that donât retain heat, while allowing air to circulate all night, making it easier to cool you down when you lay your head on them. Some of the best cooling pillows will also incorporate gels that not only feel cool to the touch, they also draw heat away from the body to help you cool you down.
The best cooling pillows will vary from person to person, depending on a number of factors. After all, cooling is only one aspect of the service it provides. Supportiveness is also just as important and, for the most part, will depend on whether youâre a back sleeper, a side sleeper, or a stomach sleeper. Do you like pillows that offer more structure like memory foam? Or do you prefer really soft ones like down and similar alternatives? Would you prefer one that uses shredded foam, so you can adjust the loft and firmness from night to night? Whichever the case, these are things youâll want to consider on top of the cooling properties, as theyâll need to work together to give you the most comfortable sleep.
These are the best cooling pillows to keep you from sweating during slumber.
Himoon Cooling Pillows
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Very breathable
- Excellent loft
Cons
- Not comfortable for stomach sleepers
- Doesnât actively cool
Fill: Microfiber
Cover: Cotton
This inexpensive pillow doesnât actively cool like other options in the list. However, its down-like microfiber filling allows excellent breathability, ensuring any heat it draws from your body never sticks around. Sure, itâs far from the coolest pillow youâll ever use, but if you just want an affordable pillow that breathes well enough to keep you from sweating during warm summer nights, this is definitely a great way to go. The filling can really fluff well when needed, as well, providing a high loft for excellent head and neck support. We wonât recommend it for stomach sleepers, though, for that same reason, since high loft isnât the most comfortable in that position. The pillow has both CertiPUR-US and GREENGUARD Gold, so itâs guaranteed free from a variety of hazardous chemicals and emissions.
Marlow Adjustable Memory Foam Pillow
Pros
- Great temperature regulation
- Easily adjustable firmness
- Side zippers can be opened up for added cooling
Cons
- Doesnât get as soft as some might like
Fill: Gel-infused memory foam, polyester
Cover: Sateen
This cooling pillow uses âcooling-infusedâ memory foam technology to keep you from getting hot during sleep. What exactly is cooling-infused memory foam? In this case, it uses gel-infused memory foam, which makes it better at passively regulating a personâs body temperature by absorbing heat and dispersing it, instead of simply trapping heat the way traditional memory foam does. It pairs that foam with a breathable sateen cover and ventilated zipper gussets, ensuring every part of the pillow is optimized to keep you cool throughout the night. The pillow isnât cool to the touch, by the way, but it definitely keeps you cool while laying your head on it. Our favorite part of this pillow, though, is the ability to control the pillowâs firmness by simply adjusting the zippers on either side. Close them both up for maximum firmness, unzip one side for medium support, and unzip both sides for a plush feel. You can also dial in how wide you open the zippers, which further affects the firmness level. Simply put, weâre impressed at how easy they make it to adjust the firmness, which we really appreciate, although we do wish it can get much softer than it does (itâs still pretty firm with both sides unzipped).
Slumber Cloud Ultracool Pillow
Pros
- Disperses heat incredibly well
- Feels cool on the skin
- Adjustable firmness and loft
Cons
- Can be confusing at first
Fill: Memory foam, fiberfill
Cover: Outlast cotton
While itâs hard to tell a cooling pillow from the way it looks, itâs not easy to make that same mistake when you hear the âUltracoolâ in this pillowâs name. Itâs also not hard to tell when you touch it, since the whole thing just feels cool to the touch. Seriously, the darn thing feels refreshing the moment you lay your head down on it. Weâre guessing thatâs due to the temperature-regulating Outlast fabric on both sides of the pillowcase, which proactively absorbs and releases heat in impressive fashion. Thatâs right, it regulates heat through the pillowcase, which, we have to admit, we didnât expect. It comes with two inserts that provide the cushioning, one filled with memory foam and one with fiberfill, as well as zippered side gussets similar to the Marlow above. The idea is to use both inserts with closed gussets for maximum support, open the gussets for medium, and remove one of the inserts for an overall softer feel. Itâs an overall nice adjustable design, with the removable inserts really letting you tweak it to your liking.
Sleep Number True Temp Pillow
Pros
- Very soft and plush
- Cool to the touch
- Maintains 37.5 degree temperature
Cons
- Might be too soft for back and side sleepers
Fill: Memory foam, fiberfill
Cover: Polyester blend
For those who prefer really soft and plush head cushioning, this cooling pillow combines a down-like fiber fill with a memory foam core thatâs incredibly soft, making it ideal for stomach sleepers who want a pillow they can flatten during sleep. Non-stomach sleepers found it pretty comfortable, as well, providing decent support despite the naturally soft character, albeit not a supportive as firmer cushioning. And yes, itâs available in firmer variants, as well, in case you prefer those. Not only is it plush, itâs extremely breathable with a very airy feel, while the cover feels really cool to the touch, so it cools you down the moment you lay your head on it. Even better, it maintains that cool-to-the-touch characteristic even after many months down the line. Suffice to say, this thing will help keep the sweat at bay, even during the most sweltering nights. Like other soft pillows, it does tend to lose some loft over time, although the memory foam core does make it so that it doesnât lose as much as other softer options.
Pillow Cube Ice Cube
Pros
- Uniquely supportive for side sleepers
- Aligns head, neck, and shoulders perfectly
- Cool to the touch
- Excellent breathability
Cons
- Not comfortable for back and stomach sleepers
Fill: Memory foam
Cover: Polycotton
Designed for side sleepers, this cooling pillow has a unique rectangular shape with 90-degree edges that looks weird the first time we laid eyes on it. However, lay down on your side using the pillow and you immediately understand the design â it just delivers an incredible level of neck support we never quite experienced using other pillows. For whatever reason, it aligns the head, neck, and shoulders perfectly, making it extremely comfortable for sleeping on your side. Of course, weâre all about the cooling here and this pillow uses a cooling cover that feels like it actively cools your face and neck when you rest them on it. The memory foam core seems to be infused with cooling materials, too, since it regulates heat very well., apart from being very responsive, ensuring excellent support at all times.
Coop Sleep Goods The Eden Pillow
Pros
- Temperature-regulating fill
- Adjustable fill (comes with extra half-pound bag)
- Impressively cooling
Cons
- Dealing with shredded foam can get messy
Fill: Gel-infused memory foam, fiberfill
Cover: Polyester-bamboo blend
Like a few others in the list, this cooling pillow uses gel-infused memory foam to provide effective temperature regulation the whole time you have your head resting on it. That way, thereâs no chance youâll wake up with sweaty head and neck, even on hotter summer nights. Unlike them it uses a mix of shredded memory foam and fiber fill that make it easy to adjust the amount of loft and support it delivers. Simply put, you can remove some fill or add some more (it comes with an extra half-pound bag of fill) until you dial in the right fit for your sleeping style, all while retaining the same temperature-regulating properties, so it keeps you cool, regardless of any adjustments you make. They didnât use any special cooling cover, by the way, since the gel-infused foam is really enough to keep everything cool, so much so that even the cover can feel cool, despite not having any special coating.
Luxome Layr
Pros
- Long-lasting materials
- Three inserts for customized comfort
- Excellent cooling properties
Cons
Fill: Gel-infused memory foam, fiberfill
Cover: Bamboo viscose
This cooling pillow provides effective cooling with the use of two items pretty common in the list: gel-infused memory foam and a cooling cover. Instead of a fancy coating for the cover, though, it uses bamboo viscose, which is known for its natural thermoregulating properties. Suffice to say, this thing offers excellent cooling that sticks around (since you canât wash them off like a coating). What we love about it, though, is that it comes with three separate inserts that let you adjust the height, firmness, and loft of the pillow. Thereâs a soft insert filled with down, a medium insert filled with shredded gel-infused memory foam, and a firm one with bigger two-inch slabs of the same cooling memory foam. You can use any one, two, or three of the included inserts, by the way, giving you a good range of options for dialing in the comfort, all while keeping things simple and clean, since you donât have to deal with loose memory foam shreds.
