Best Cooling Pillows
Written by Becca Fair, Certified Sleep Science Coach
Keeping cool at night is about more than just turning down the thermostat. You need to consider the right mattress, blankets, comforter, and especially pillows. If your pillow isn’t properly keeping your head and neck cool, you’re bound to have a rough night’s sleep. Read on for some of our favorite options.
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Best Cooling Pillows
- Nerd’s Pick – The Lagoon Otter Pillow
- Best Memory Foam Cooling Pillow – Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-Cloud Breeze Dual Cooling
- Best Latex Cooling Pillow – Saatva Latex Pillow
- Best Cooling Gel Pillow – Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Cooling Memory Foam Pillow
- Best Silk Cooling Pillow – Cozy Earth Silk Pillow
- Best Luxury Cooling Pillow – Sleep Number True Temp Pillow
Watch Our Review
The Lagoon Otter Pillow
Nerd’s Pick
Our top pick for the best cooling pillow, the Lagoon Otter Pillow, has a lot going for it. The CertiPUR-US memory foam that comprises its filling has a gel infusion that regulates temperature, meaning instead of absorbing and trapping heat from your head and neck it draws heat away from you and then dissipates it. In addition to its cooling properties, the Otter Pillow has a nifty adjustable design that allows you to modify the loft to suit your specific preferences. And the cherry on top? The Otter’s removable cover is hypoallergenic and machine washable, making it easier to achieve sleep that is free of pesky dust.
TEMPUR-Cloud Breeze Dual Cooling
Best Memory Foam Cooling Pillow
The Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-Cloud Breeze Dual Cooling pillow is an excellent cooling pillow option for all kinds of sleepers, especially those who are fond of memory foam. This pillow is made of proprietary Tempur material, which carefully adapts to your head’s shape and temperature, ensuring you’re getting a personalized experience with just the right amount of support. The breathable pillow cover is machine-washable and made with soft-knit fabric that encourages air circulation and temperature regulation. The TEMPUR-Cloud Breeze has an extra-soft feel, and features a profile height of approximately 5 inches, making it great for all kinds of sleepers, especially people who like to sleep on their back or sides. The long-lasting shape means your head will be supported all night long.
Saatva Latex Pillow
Best Latex Cooling Pillow
The Saatva Latex Pillow is recognized for being our pick for best latex cooling pillow. This pillow features three primary components that all work together to deliver a supreme cooling sleep experience. The 100% organic cotton sateen cover is breathable, soft, and moisture-wicking, ensuring that sweat is kept away from your head and neck as you rest. The gusseted sides with contrast welting allow the pillow to maintain its shape, meaning no pillow-flattening like some other options. Next is the plush and down-like microdenier fiber fill. This fill is completely hypoallergenic so you don’t need to worry about the effect of allergens, and its breathability further promotes a cool and refreshing sleep.The final component of this latex pillow is the shredded Talalay latex core, which is recommended by both orthopedists and chiropractors for head and neck support. Talalay latex is incredibly responsive, hypoallergenic, dust-mite and mildew resistant, and far more breathable than non-natural latex alternatives.
Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Cooling Pillow
Best Cooling Gel Pillow
In your search for a new pillow you will likely encounter many that advertise cooling gel incorporated into their construction. While it may sound too good to be true, this unique technology actually can make a difference in the temperature regulating abilities of a pillow—this is certainly the case with the Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Cooling Memory Foam Pillow. In this pillow, the cooling gel is infused with the surface. This helps to draw heat away from you and then the ventilated foam easily allows the heat to escape. Then, to really drive home the cooling capabilities, this pillow has a cotton-polyester blend cover (polyester is naturally moisture-wicking). So when we say that this cooling gel pillow puts its money where its mouth is we mean it.
Cozy Earth Silk Pillow
Best Silk Cooling Pillow
Silk is often associated with luxury, and for good reason. The smooth, shiny material is delightful to the touch, and it’s also wonderful if you’re looking for something that’s naturally cooling. The Cozy Earth Silk Pillow earns a place on this list because it’s an all-around wonderful choice for those looking for a divine night of sleep free of sweat. Made with bamboo viscose and mulberry silk, this great-feeling pillow has naturally breathable properties that keep heat from becoming trapped in its materials. But hey, if you don’t want to take our word for it, maybe you’ll believe Oprah, who named the Cozy Earth products one of her favorite things.
Sleep Number True Temp Pillow
Best Luxury Cooling Pillow
An adjustable pillow is great for combination sleepers and people with fickle sleep. Made with patented technology specifically designed to keep you cool, the Sleep Number True Temp pillow is our choice for the best luxury cooling pillow. The True Temp utilizes what’s called active-particle technology that supposedly draws heat and moisture away from the source and resists humidity buildup—at Mattress Nerd we refer to this as breathability, something this pillow certainly has in spades. Available in Classic, Contour, and Ultimate, each variety of the True Temp pillow will suit a different kid of sleeper. However, if you want a pillow that can accommodate just about anyone, we recommend the customizable Ultimate version of the True Temp pillow.
What to Consider When Buying a Cooling Pillow
Picking out a pillow may seem like a mundane task, but it’s actually just as important as picking out the right mattress or comforter. You need to take into consideration various factors, or else you’ll be stuck with a pillow that won’t make your night’s sleep any better, and could in fact make it worse. Below are a few of the things to look out for when shopping for cooling pillows.
Cooling Technology
There are many ways that a pillow manages to stay cool. One way is through breathability. A pillow that isn’t breathable will keep heat trapped within the folds when you lie down, resulting in your head and neck overheating. A pillow with breathable materials allows that heat to properly vent and escape, ensuring you stay properly cooled at night.
Another way pillows stay cool at night is through advanced materials, such as gel memory foam or mesh covers. Since there isn’t a single solution for the ultimate cooling pillow, you will have to look into various pillow cooling technologies and materials to see which ones seem like the best fit for you.
Price
You may see standard pillows at the store going for 15 to 20 dollars. Meanwhile, cooling pillows are often more expensive, ranging from approximately 80 dollars, to as high as 160 dollars.
Although these prices seem steep, you need to remember that you are paying for a much finer sleep experience. These pillows are designed specifically to keep you cool and comfortable at night, which you won’t get from your average pillows at the department store.
Sleeping Position
Every sleep position has its own sleep style and preferences, and if you’re going to pick a pillow, you need to understand what your position says about you.
If you’re a side sleeper, then you’ll want a plumper or fluffier pillow to keep your head and neck aligned with your spine while you sleep. If you sleep on your back, you may want a flatter pillow that will support your head and neck.
If you’re a stomach sleeper, you need to consider that you’re sleeping with your head turned to the side, so you’ll want a pillow that’s flat but with some support so that you don’t experience any neck pain in the morning.
Adjustability
Some pillows market themselves as “adjustable.” These pillows typically allow sleepers to remove the fill, usually shredded latex or a foam insert, which decreases the overall pillow height. An adjustable pillow can be beneficial for sleepers who alternate sleeping positions each night and thus require different pillow heights.
Cooling Pillow Materials
Memory Foam
Memory foam responds to body heat and pressure, which allows it to mold and conform to the shape of your head. Some memory foam can retain heat, but open-cell foam has optimal air flow, making your sleep feel cooler. In some pillows, shredded memory foam is infused with materials like copper or cooling gel, which assist with drawing heat away from your head and neck.
Latex
Latex is known for providing great pressure relief in addition to excellent breathability, especially in comparison to foam. The latex found in pillows is aerated, allowing it to dissipate heat and promote air flow.
Gel
Gel is a highly conductive material that can pull heat away from your body and absorb it, resulting in a cool-to-the-touch feel.
Down Alternative
Down alternative is a polyester or synthetic material that imitates the feel of traditional down pillows, but is more affordable as well as less heat-retentive.
Wool
Wool is a natural fiber and a natural insulator, pulling heat and moisture away from your head and neck. However, during the wintertime, it manages to retain heat in colder areas, making this material great for year-round temperature regulation.
Pros and Cons of Cooling Pillows
As with any type of bedding, cooling pillows come with their own set of pros and cons. On the plus side, these pillows are capable of drawing heat away from your head and neck to give you a cool sleep experience. They are also made of durable materials that last a long time so you won’t have to worry about constantly replacing them.
On the negative side, cooling pillows can be quite expensive compared to standard pillows. They can also be somewhat difficult to clean as they require special maintenance and care. Finally, a cooling pillow may not be for everyone, and if you’re not a hot sleeper, then you may not have a reason to own one.
Other Ways to Stay Cool at Night
Finding the right cooling pillow can help you stay cool at night, but there are other ways to help you if you find yourself waking up covered in sweat. You can look into using a cooling mattress, cooling mattress topper, cooling mattress pad, cooling pillowcase or even a cooling comforter or cooling weighted blanket.
Other options for staying cool at night include turning down the thermostat (obvious, we know), sleeping with a fan on (also probably obvious), or using lightweight pajamas. For more helpful tips like these, check out our guide on how to not sleep hot.
