As hot sleepers seek new ways to increase their comfort and quality of rest, some bed manufacturers are responding with a range of materials and technologies designed to lower the temperature of your sleeping environment. But are these so-called cooling mattresses all they’re cracked up to be?
The expert team at Dreamwool Beds is here to tell you all about how to stay cool and well-rested, no matter the climate or season.
What is a cooling mattress?
Some modern mattresses are manufactured with fans inside or underneath them, or with a grid-like top layer of what’s known as a Phase Change Material. This material, often a gel, is added to the surface of the mattress to absorb excess heat and help maintain a stable mattress temperature.
Do cooling mattresses work?
In principle, yes, cooling mattresses can help regulate the temperature of your bed, but in most cases, the cooling mechanisms are simply responding to problems created by flaws in the original mattress design. When mattresses retain heat, this is typically because they have been made with substandard materials and synthetic foams that fail to breathe, trapping heat and promoting night sweats.
By adding fans or gels to these synthetic base materials, you’re masking the issue, rather than solving it. Unless air can move freely through the mattress – which is not possible in a closed-cell synthetic foam – you’ll never really be able to keep it cool. Simply put, cooling mattresses are more of a marketing angle than an actual improvement in comfort or functionality. And in the case of fan-powered cooling mechanisms, you are creating a noisy sleep environment which, for many sleepers, can actually worsen the quality of your rest.
Breathable Mattresses
The best cooling mattress for hot sleepers is one made from a combination of natural materials and generous, breathable comfort layers. Materials such as the all-natural latex and Merino wool used in Dreamwool’s second-to-none luxury mattresses are the product of thousands of years of evolution. They are naturally breathable, moisture-wicking, and temperature-neutral, unlike synthetic foams that lock in heat and don’t allow air to pass through. Using natural materials to absorb and disperse heat and moisture is the only way to truly maintain thermophysiological comfort.
Discover the Difference
When shopping for a temperature-regulating mattress, the most important thing to determine is exactly what it’s made of – it could be ticking the box but not actually doing the job. Don’t rely on computer-generated drawings; ask to see samples to learn exactly what’s inside and how much. These samples should clearly show you what the mattress is made of and exactly how those materials are working together to give you the best night’s sleep.
Here are the main things you should be looking for as you decide what to buy:
Natural Materials
You want locally made and sustainable natural materials including all-natural latex (not synthetic) and responsibly sourced wool. Merino wool is the best of the best as it will get warm but never hot, buffering the ambient temperature of your sleeping space even on a scorching summer night.
Quantity of Materials
Coolness comes from breathability; a big component of this is the volume of materials in your mattress. You should be looking for at least 25mm of all-natural latex as well as generous comfort layers of a natural product like Merino wool.
Best Mattress for Night Sweats
Night sweats can be a hugely disruptive and unwelcome part of your sleep routine. We find that Dreamwool customers with night sweats benefit most from a mattress system with a layer of microcoils for added breathability. Microcoils support your mattress’ comfort layers by putting a buffer between them and allowing more air to pass through the bed.
Sleep Cooler Tonight
When figuring out how to sleep cooler at night, don’t be fooled by gimmicks and add-ons designed to distract you from poorer-quality materials and construction. The coolest, most comfortable night’s sleep you’ll ever have will come from handmade craftsmanship and the best quality and volume of all-natural materials. Book a consultation at Dreamwool today and discover the difference.