5 Best Products to Stay Cool While Sleeping

A cooling sleep product should do more than feel cool for the first few minutes. Look for materials and construction that promote airflow, move heat away from the body, and manage moisture throughout the night. Breathable covers, open-cell foams, latex, coils, and temperature-regulating textiles can all contribute, but room temperature and bedding choices also affect how hot or cool you sleep.

I’ve never been quite as lucky as those unicorn individuals who fall asleep within five minutes of hitting the pillow. 

In fact, prepping for sleep is a whole production for me. It includes turning off my phone an hour before bed (well, more like 30 minutes before bed), carefully matching the number of blankets I use to the temperature outside or to the indoor thermostat, and putting way too much thought into what I’ll wear to bed. 

Why all the fuss? Because I run hot—which means I sleep hot—which means if everything’s not perfect, I’ll almost certainly wake up more than once in the middle of the night.

The ideal bedroom temperature for optimal sleep is between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit. But I’ve learned that even if your thermostat is set within that range, your bedding, clothing, and other factors can make you warmer than you need to be. 

That’s why I tried out these five cooling products to see if they could help me sleep through the night. 

Cool-to-touch vs. sustained heat management

When shopping for cooling sleep products, it is vital to distinguish between an initial cool-to-touch feel and sustained heat management:

• Cool-to-touch Feel: This is an immediate sensation of chill when you first lie down. Materials like high-molecular-weight polyethylene yarns, jade-infused fabrics, or certain phase-change materials (PCMs) feel cold instantly because they rapidly conduct heat away from your skin’s surface. However, this is often a temporary surface effect; if the material lacks a way to dissipate that heat elsewhere, it will eventually warm up to body temperature and stop feeling cool.
• Sustained heat management: This refers to a mattress or bedding’s ability to maintain a neutral temperature over an 8-hour sleep cycle. It relies on continuous airflow, deep thermal dissipation, and moisture regulation so that heat doesn’t build up inside the core of the mattress over time.

Three Pillars of Sleep Temperature

To cut through marketing claims, it helps to understand the three fundamental mechanisms that keep you comfortable at night:

• Airflow: Simply put, this is how easily air circulates through and out of the mattress. Good airflow acts like a breeze, carrying away the warm air and humidity your body naturally generates while you sleep.
• Thermal conductivity: This measures how efficiently a material absorbs heat from your body and transfers it away, rather than acting as a blanket that traps it. High thermal conductivity means heat moves rapidly through the material instead of pooling beneath you.
• Moisture management: Humidity is just as important as temperature. Moisture management refers to a material’s ability to wick sweat away from your skin and let it evaporate, preventing a sticky, humid microclimate from forming under your sheets.

Cooling Mechanism	Primary Function	Best For	Trade-offs / Limitations
Open-Coil / Hybrid Construction	Airflow & Ventilation	Sustained heat management throughout the night	Higher motion transfer compared to pure foam beds
Phase-Change Materials (PCM)	Thermal Conductivity & Phase Shift	Initial temperature regulation when falling asleep	Cooling effect diminishes once PCM fully changes state
Graphite / Copper Infusions	Thermal Conductivity	Pulling deep heat away from foam comfort layers	Relies on airflow to dissipate heat once pulled away
Natural Latex & Open-Cell Foams	Airflow & Breathability	Sleepers wanting a foam feel without heat entrapment	More buoyant feel; lacks classic “hug” of memory foam
Organic Cotton Covers	Moisture Wicking & Airflow	Preventing surface humidity and sweat accumulation	Does not actively lower core mattress temperature
Active Cooling Devices (Water/Air)	Active Thermal Regulation	Extreme hot sleepers, night sweats, or menopause	High cost, potential fan noise, and requires power

The best cooling sleep products

Here’s what happened when I made every aspect of my nighttime routine cool-friendly, from sheets to pillows to pajamas. 

Saatva Percale Sheets

These sheets made me feel like I was sleeping in a fluffy hotel room bed in my very own home. They’re made entirely from cotton, which means they’re highly breathable. Plus, the 200 thread count ensures the sheets stay cool to the touch throughout the night.

I’m a convert after spending a lifetime putting little thought into my bedsheets. I noticed an immediate difference with these sheets designed specifically for people like me who run hot throughout the night.

$185 (queen set), nystquexulva.site

Saatva Latex Pillow

You know the expression, “It’s as cool as the other side of the pillow?” Well, this pillowdefies that previous logic by staying consistently cool on both sides all the time, even when you’re resting on it.

Because the pillow cover is made entirely from cotton and the pillow is filled with natural shredded latex, it stays cool all night long. The only reason I found myself needing to flip it was because I stayed asleep too long and started to drool.

$165 (queen pillow), nystquexulva.site

Ebb CoolDrift Versa Sleep System

This contraption is not for the weary. Because both falling and staying asleep are a problem for me, this headband didn’t totally vibe with my nighttime routine. I was too concerned with the way it felt on my head as I was trying to fall asleep that it distracted me from letting go and being able to float into dreamland.

However, it really does do the job of cooling you down. If you fall asleep easily, you should give this a try because the near-silent fan that hits your forehead is super-soothing, adjustable, and instantly makes you feel cooler. If you can’t sleep with it all night, try wearing it just 30 minutes before falling asleep—you’ll still feel a difference.

$174.30, amazon.com

Dagsmejan Stay Cool Pajamas

Where have these pajamas been all my life? From the second I took them out of the box, they were the softest pajamas I’d ever felt. Dagsmejan has both cooling and warming pajamas. The ones I tried, from the “Stay Cool” collection, are made from the brand’s trademarked NATTCOOL technology, which is more breathable than regular cotton and softer than silk.

The material even dries in one-third the time it takes regular cotton to dry, so it’s constantly wicking moisture away from your body throughout the night. I especially loved the fit, which was relaxed yet still form-fitting enough to make me feel more put together before I drifted to sleep.$94.90 each

Shirt: $94.90, dagsmejan.com

Shorts: $94.90, dagsmejan.com

Manta Sleep Cool Sleeping Mask

I’m all for a mask that makes me feel cooler and improves my skin as I sleep. This mask uses cold therapy to alleviate tension, swelling, pressure, and irritation around the eyes to help reduce the appearance of dark circles and even help reduce allergy symptoms by morning.

But for me, it just helped keep my face from overheating as I slid on a mask to keep the sunrise out of my slumber. I love that you can choose to freeze the mask before wearing it in the hotter months-but even when you keep it at room temperature, you’ll experience cooling effects as you sleep.

$45, amazon.com

FAQs

What is the ideal room temperature for sleeping?

According to the National Sleep Foundation, the optimal bedroom temperature for a good night’s rest is between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit (15.5 to 19.4°C). Keeping your bedroom in this range helps facilitate your body’s natural drop in core temperature during sleep.

What is the difference between cool-to-touch fabrics and long-term cooling?

Cool-to-touch fabrics (often made with conductive yarns or polyethylene) draw heat away rapidly upon initial contact, giving an immediate cold sensation. Sustained heat management relies on continuous airflow, thermal conductivity, and moisture wicking to prevent body heat from accumulating in the mattress over an entire 8-hour sleep cycle.

The bottom line: If you find yourself suffering from disrupted sleep due to overheating, there are products available that really work to put you out of your misery. Cooler sleep doesn’t just have to be a far-off dream—it can be a reality. 

Sleep cool with these Saatva sheets and pillows

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Percale Sheet Set Shop Now

Pamper yourself in deluxe comfort with our breathable percale sheets. They’re made from the world’s best long-staple cotton that gets softer and better with every wash.

Latex Pillow Shop Now

A core of shredded natural latex, wrapped in a breathable organic cotton cover. Plush and responsive for the perfect head and neck support.

For more ways to stay cool while you sleep, check out these articles:

• The Best Sheets to Keep You Cool at Night
• The Best Pillows for a Cool Comfortable Night’s Sleep
• The Best Mattresses for Cool Sleeping
• 7 Ways to Sleep Cool Without Air Conditioning