A productive night’s sleep routine goes a long way toward preparing your brain for sleep, but functional bedding can also prepare the rest of your body. Research shows that a cooler environment (about 68 degrees) can improve sleep quality and brain function. That’s why we found the best cooling pillows to help you rest easy and avoid sweating in bed.
“Sleeping in a cool environment can help your body relax and enter deep sleep more easily,” says Raj Dasgupta, MD, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC. Dasgupta) said. “Cool bedding, such as cool pillows, can prevent you from overheating, which often disrupts sleep. A cooler bed means fewer awakenings, better REM sleep, and feeling more refreshed in the morning.”
A cooling pillow can give you the support you need (especially now that many pillows are fully adjustable to different heights and firmnesses) while maintaining cooler temperatures at night. Our test team spent weeks snoozing on the best cooling pillows that will improve your bedding and sleep quality.
Our Favorite Overall Cooling Pillow
Luxome Layer is our top choice. It’s filled with cooling memory foam, and our testers swore it actually stayed cold all night long. The adjustable design lets you achieve just the right firmness and height for pain-free mornings.
Best Cooling Pillows: Overview
We tested the best cooling pillows that let you sleep sweat-free without changing your thermostat.
How we found the best cooling pillows
When we decided to search for the best cooling pillows, we knew we had a tough task ahead of us. We’ve begun testing thousands of cooling bedding products and narrowed it down to nine pillows that radiate heat to keep you feeling fresh all night long. The team judged each pillow on its cooling capabilities, support, firmness and overall value. Learn more about our sleep lab in our testing methods guide.
The Luxome Layr Pillow stands out in every category. It feels luxuriously soft and features super cool materials that rival high-end hotel pillows. You don’t have to choose just one firmness level: the adjustable insert lets you adjust the height and support level to suit your sleeping position.
What our testers think
Think about how many pillows you have purchased and thrown away in your search for the best cooling pillow. The Luxome Layer combines the best of these with an adjustable layering design and cooling fabrics in each layer. Our tester, who slept in a 68-degree room with her partner, gave it five stars and said she especially loved how cool it felt to the touch and how shockingly soft it was. The bamboo viscose cover lets coolness flow through, while the memory foam lining is infused with gel for even more freshness. The lid also features perforations to increase airflow and breathability, ultimately eliminating heat from the inside out.
The Luxome Layr comes with three removable inserts that you can adjust to achieve your ideal firmness and height. Inserts are available in soft, medium-firm and firm, and are combined and stacked within the cover. If your preferences change, simply replace the filling to create an almost new pillow. “I love the sturdy solid foam padding, which molds to the contours of my head perfectly for optimal support and comfort,” our tester said. “This is the most comfortable pillow I’ve ever slept on.”
Back sleepers will love the Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Cooling Pillow because it’s extra cushioned for you to sink into. Gel and copper also help with its cooling.
What our testers think
When you sleep on your back, the pillow has to work harder to cool you than when you sleep on your side or stomach. (Basically, your face is easier to cool down than the back of your head.) The memory foam in the Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Cooling Pillow is infused with copper, which means it’s microbial and breathable. The gel in the foam also resists body heat so you stay cool even when you’re lying on your back.
Although this pillow comes in low-loft and high-loft versions, our testers noted that if you’re looking for firmness, the former might not be for you. The lower height won’t offer the same support as the higher height, but if you like sinking into your pillow, it might be the right choice. Anyway, bedtime gets cooler.
Saatva’s latex pillows are our most sustainable option. The latex foam interior and cotton cover add breathability so you won’t feel stuffy in the pillow.
What our testers think
If you’re an environmentally conscious sleeper, the Saatva Latex Pillow is for you. Shredded latex foam provides extra breathability and cooling while providing support for your neck and head. You might think latex is hard, but pillows are springy. Latex is also hypoallergenic and repels dust mites and mold better than synthetic foams. Our testers did say that shredded foam tends to clump together and needs a good fluff every few nights, but the pillow is wrapped in 100% cotton, which is more breathable than engineered fabrics. However, our testers also noticed that shredded latex pillows had a chemical smell for the first few days after being opened. It can be hard to justify the higher price for standard-sized pillows, but Saatva offers a discount if you buy them in pairs.
Coop’s EdenCool+ pillow is reversible so you get the cooler side of the pillow every time, and uses a proprietary adjustable foam piece so you can switch the height and firmness to your preference.
What our testers think
The Coop EdenCool+ pillow has several features that solidify its position as one of the best cooling pillows. Memory foam tends to trap heat, but EdenCool+ solves this problem with a double-sided design, foam sheets for added breathability, and a heat-absorbing lining. According to our Human Stove testers, it’s refreshing and light, even when taking a nap after marathon training.
