Best cooling mattress topper for hot sleepers

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Getting a good night's sleep is difficult for hot sleepers who have a heat-trapping mattress. Fortunately, a cooling mattress topper is an affordable way to make your bed cooler and to better suit your sleep style.

In addition to making your mattress more comfortable, toppers are great in RVs and campers, under a sleeping bag while camping, or on a college dorm room bed.

For the last four years, I have tested sleep products professionally and interviewed several sleep experts. For this guide, I slept on 15 mattress toppers and developed a variety of subjective and objective tests to evaluate which cooling mattress toppers are best-suited for certain needs. Visit our methodology section for more details on how I test mattress toppers.

Learn more about how Insider Reviews tests and researches home products.

The best cooling mattress toppers in 2022

Best cooling mattress topper overall: Bear Pro Mattress Topper, $276 on Bear
The Bear Pro Mattress Topper is your best bet if you're looking for a plush topper that will offer you support; pressure relief; and a cool, comfortable night's sleep.

Best budget cooling mattress topper: Lucid Bamboo Charcoal Memory Foam Mattress Topper, $107.99 on Amazon
If you're looking for a cheap way to make your mattress cooler and softer, consider the Lucid Bamboo Charcoal Memory Foam Mattress Topper.

Best cooling mattress topper for back pain: Tempur-Pedic Topper Supreme Mattress Topper, $239.40 on Amazon
If you suffer from lower back pain, you'll appreciate the body-contouring foam of the Tempur-Pedic Topper Supreme Mattress Topper.

Best cooling mattress topper overall

$242.00 from Bear

Originally $345.00Save 30%

The Bear Pro Mattress Topper is your best bet if you're looking for a plush topper that will offer you support; pressure relief; and a cool, comfortable night's sleep.

• Best for: All sleeping styles, hot sleepers
• Available sizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king
• Primary material: CertiPUR-US certified memory foam
• Firmness: Soft
• Motion isolation: Great
• Trial period: 100 nights
• Warranty: 3 years
• Weight: 20 pounds
• Thickness: 2 inches
• Shipping and returns: Free shipping and returns

Pros: Impressive cooling, excellent pressure relief and support, great motion isolation, 100-night sleep trial, made in the US with CertiPUR-US certified memory foam

Cons: Doesn't attach to your mattress, initial odor lasted for several days

In our cooling tests, the Bear Pro Mattress Topper had the best overall performance. On average, the surface of the topper registered less than 85 degrees Fahrenheit when I got up from it — lower than almost every model we tested.

The Bear Pro was also the only topper that recorded a higher initial temperature than the final reading, two minutes after I got up from it. I didn't trust the reading the first time so I performed the test again and got similar results. This means the topper has unparalleled heat dissipation.

These results could be attributed to the copper-infused memory foam and Celliant cover. The manufacturer claims that both of these materials help with heat dissipation and staying cool. I didn't find any scientific studies to support this, but my subjective experience seems to suggest the materials help with cooling.

In addition to its great cooling properties, the extra plush feel of the Bear Pro Topper was comfortable to sleep on no matter what position I was in. I slept great on the topper and woke up each morning feeling refreshed and free from aches and pains.

The Bear topper also does an outstanding job of dampening motion transfer. It had the lowest vibration readings in our motion isolation test, which suggests it's a good option for couples.

The Bear Pro is also made in the US, and you can try the topper for up to 100 nights risk-free, the longest trial period of the models we tested for this guide.

Setting up the Bear Pro topper took less than five minutes, and though it doesn't attach to your mattress, we observed minimal shifting after sleeping on it. The biggest negative, though, was that the topper had a strong "new bed smell" out of the box that took several days to dissipate.

Best budget cooling mattress topper

$99.99 from Amazon

$143.99 from Walmart

If you're looking for a cheap way to make your mattress cooler and softer, consider the Lucid Bamboo Charcoal Memory Foam Mattress Topper.

• Best for: Hot sleepers, side and back sleepers
• Available sizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king
• Primary material: CertiPUR-US certified memory foam
• Firmness: Soft
• Motion isolation: Great
• Trial period: 30 days
• Warranty: 3 years
• Weight: 17.2 pounds
• Thickness: 3 inches
• Shipping and returns: Free shipping and returns

Pros: Impressive heat dissipation, strong motion isolation, made of CertiPUR-US certified foam, stays put without shifting, easy setup

Cons: May be too soft for some sleeping styles, limits movement

Even if the Lucid Bamboo Charcoal Memory Foam Mattress Topper didn't cost around $100, it would be one of our top picks. It performed well in all of our tests, especially for a budget pick.

In our cooling tests, the surface temperature of the topper never got very hot. Within two minutes of getting up from it, the topper's temperature came close to its initial reading, which means the heat dissipation is outstanding.

The Lucid topper is essentially a slab of charcoal-infused, bamboo memory foam with several holes in it to help with airflow and cooling. I did find the topper was a little too soft for my comfort, and I like it soft. I did not wake up with soreness or pain after sleeping on it. 

The foam sinks significantly as you lay on it, which makes it hard to change sleeping positions at night and could be a problem if you have specific pressure points you need support for. On the plus side, the foam did a great job of isolating motion in my tests, so when your partner moves, you're less likely to feel it. 

The topper is available in 2-, 3-, and 4-inch thicknesses. I would be interested in trying the 2-inch version since it can't sink as much and thus may be able to provide a more supportive and manageable softness.

The unboxing was intuitive, though there was a fabric wrapping that didn't seem to be part of the topper. I wasn't sure what to do with it, so I threw it away. The topper had a strong odor that went away by bedtime by which time it also fully expanded. I liked that it stayed in place despite not attaching to the mattress.

Best cooling mattress topper for back pain

$399.00 $239.99 from Amazon

$419.00 $251.40 from Tempur-Pedic

$419.99 $316.99 from Wayfair

If you suffer from lower back pain, you'll appreciate the body-contouring foam of the Tempur-Pedic Topper Supreme Mattress Topper.

• Best for: All sleeping styles
• Available sizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king
• Primary material: CertiPUR-US-certified memory foam
• Firmness: Average
• Motion isolation: Average
• Trial period: None
• Warranty: 10 years
• Weight: 31 pounds
• Thickness: 3 inches
• Shipping and returns: Free shipping, no returns

Pros: Made in the US of CertiPUR-US certified body-contouring foam, good heat dissipation, machine-washable cover, 10-year warranty

Cons: No trial period, putting the cover back on is a pain, shifts on the mattress

The Tempur-Pedic Topper Supreme Mattress Topper features a proprietary CertiPUR-US certified foam that does an outstanding job of contouring to my body, keeping my spine aligned, and protecting my lower-back pain from acting up. 

Unlike most memory foam, Tempur-Pedic's US-made foam doesn't instantly sink down once you put weight on it. In fact, if you pat it, it makes a hollow sound as if it were much firmer than it is. But when you lay on it, your weight and body heat cause the material to slowly adjust to the curves of your body providing the pressure relief and support ideal for back-pain sufferers.

While testing the Tempur-Topper Supreme, I was just getting back into running and lifting after a foot injury. These activities usually aggravate my chronic back pain, but I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to put in more miles.

The Tempur-Pedic Topper was also one of the best at dissipating heat in our tests. Two minutes after getting up from the topper, the surface temperature was almost back to what I measured before I lay down.

It comes with a removable cover that's machine washable, but I'd recommend investing in a mattress protector to cover it and your mattress. The cover was easy to take off and clean, but it took me about 10 minutes to get it back on. 

There were a few negatives with this pad. First, there's no trial period. If you find the Tempur-Topper isn't right for you, you can't return it. However, if there are manufacturing defects, it's covered by a 10-year warranty and you can get a replacement or repair.

Another negative is it doesn't attach to your mattress, and I found it shifted while sleeping on it. Also, the motion isolation of this topper was just average.

What else we tested

For our mattress-topper guides, we tested 15 different models. These are the ones that missed the cut.

What else we recommend and why:

Saatva Graphite: This is the only topper that did a great job of cooling that didn't make it into our guide. It didn't get too hot while sleeping on it and dissipated the heat well. It also felt comfortable and supportive and is made in the US of CertiPUR-US certified foam. The main negatives were its poor motion isolation and the fact that it shifted on the mattress, despite attaching to it. Still, this is a good option if our top picks aren't available.

What we don't recommend and why:

Eight Sleep Pod Pro Cover with PerfectFit: This was our pick as the best luxury cooling mattress topper, until it sprung a leak early on in our long-term testing. The leak destroyed our reviewer's bed. The cover does an amazing job of using water to keep you cool, but the potential damage doesn't make it worth the risk.

Avocado Organic Latex: In our main mattress-topper guide, this is our best latex pick. However, we can't recommend it here because it seemed to get hot when I slept on it, and the heat dissipation was only average. Other than that, it was comfortable to sleep on, is made in the US of eco-friendly materials and comes with a one-year sleep trial and 10-year warranty.

Nest Bedding Cooling: Unfortunately, this topper doesn't live up to its name. Though the surface temperature right after you get out of the bed is average, it didn't dissipate heat well in our tests. It also has poor motion isolation.

Allswell 4-Inch Memory Foam: The cooling performance of this topper wasn't bad, but it also wasn't good enough to recommend. In fact, it was in the middle of the pack in a lot of categories. It's a decent topper for its price, but we think you'd be better off with our budget pick.

Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt + Cooling: This model shares a product page with our best cooling topper for back pain and costs significantly more. Despite claiming to help with cooling, it didn't perform as well as the cheaper model. It was just average at cooling and heat dissipation. Go with the Tempur-Topper Supreme instead.

Birch by Helix Plush Organic: Like the Avocado topper, this is made of natural latex, a material I really like because of how eco-friendly, bouncy, and supportive it is. However, it is not good at cooling. The Birch was one of the worst at staying cool and dissipating heat.

Airweave: Whereas most toppers make your mattress feel softer, the Airweave makes it firmer. This benefit made it worthy of inclusion in my main guide, but it was one of the hottest toppers and among the worst at heat dissipation.

PlushBeds Natural Wool: When you first lie on this one, it feels so soft and pillowy, but sleep on it for a night, and you'll see it lacks support. It also had an awful odor that didn't dissipate. Plus, it was one of the worst at heat dissipation.

Lucid Gel Memory Foam: This was the cheapest topper we tested, and it was also the softest. When you lie on it, you sink in, and it's hard to get out. Its cooling properties were just average.

Sleep Number DualTemp Individual Layer: This topper isn't the size of a full mattress. If you want to cover a full queen, you'll need to buy two for $1,800. Even when I cranked the fan to blow cool air through the topper, it was still one of the hottest models I tested.

Our cooling mattress topper testing methodology

For this guide, I tested 15 mattress toppers and also spoke with Rebecca Robbins, PhD, associate scientist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, for insight on topper materials and features.

In addition to sleeping on each topper for at least two nights, I put each through several objective tests. When testing a cooling mattress topper, the most important factors to consider are cooling, comfort, and fit.

Here are the main attributes we look for and how we test them:

Cooling: Using an infrared thermometer, I measure the surface temperature before lying down, right after I get up, and two minutes after I get up. I compare the readings to get a good idea of how cool the mattress topper stays and how well it dissipates heat.

Comfort: Each morning after sleeping on the toppers, I noted how comfortable it felt, if I was sore, and how well I slept as measured by the Garmin Forerunner 945 smartwatch. I also paid attention to what sleeping positions I was most comfortable in.

Fit: Having to constantly readjust your mattress topper can be a real pain. I looked at how much each topper shifted after I slept on it. I also noted if there were straps to keep it attached to the bed.

Setup: I set up each cooling mattress topper and observed how long it took me, if it was intuitive, and if there were any initial odors. I did this in the morning so the topper would have plenty of time (at least 10 hours) to air out and expand. At bedtime, I noted if the topper had fully expanded and if it still had an odor.

Motion Isolation: When your partner is tossing and turning at night, you don't want it to interrupt your sleep. This makes motion isolation important. I tested this by setting my phone on the topper 12 inches from the right edge of the bed. Then, I dropped a 15-pound bowling ball from four feet above the topper so that it landed 12 inches from the left edge of the bed (and 36 inches from the phone). I measured the motion transfer using a vibration meter app and took the median reading after five repetitions of the test.

Trial and warranty: No matter how great a topper looks on paper, you never know if it's right for you until you actually sleep on it for an extended period. This is why risk-free trials are so important. We looked at trial periods and if there were any loopholes, such as charges for returning the pad. We also examined the warranty for each model. Most manufacturers offer a trial of at least 30 days and a warranty of at least two years.

Cooling mattress topper FAQs

How do you know if you need a mattress topper?

Toppers as a cost-effective way to update a mattress that isn't very old but is causing you pain or to overheat. 

Adding a topper allows you to extend the life of your mattress in a cost-effective way.

What is the best cooling material?

Though foam is generally believed to trap heat, all of the picks in our guide are made of some sort of foam. However, they each have some added material to help with cooling.

The Bear Pro has copper-infused memory foam. The Lucid topper has bamboo charcoal-infused memory foam. The Tempur-Pedic topper has a proprietary foam that I've found is generally cool in all of the company's products I've tested.

There's a lot of variability in the materials that work well for cooling. However, in our testing, we noticed that natural latex and polyethylene don't do a very good job. 

When shopping for a cooling mattress topper, Rebecca Robbins, PhD, associate scientist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, suggests not going overboard with a thick topper. "We sometimes have a tendency to think more is better," said Robbins. "But I would say that if you're sleeping on a very thick foam mattress topper, then it could have a tendency to build heat, which you don't want at night."

How do you clean a mattress topper?

Most mattress toppers are not machine washable. Instead, you'll want to spot clean any messes immediately with a mild soap and damp towel. Then allow it to dry completely before putting it back on your bed. 

However, before you try to clean your mattress topper, check out your topper's user manual or tag, or visit the manufacturer's website for the most accurate cleaning directions.

Some mattress toppers come with a removable cover that's machine washable. I've found these covers are a pain to put back on after you wash them. I recommend protecting your mattress and topper with a mattress protector. These are usually waterproof, machine washable, and cost as little as $20 each. Check out our guide to mattress protectors.

Check out our other great sleep guides

• The best mattress toppers
• The best mattresses
• The best pillows
• The best sheets
• The best mattress protectors

James Brains

Home & Kitchen Reporter, Insider Reviews

James is a Home & Kitchen Reporter for Insider Reviews, where he specializes in sleep, HVAC, and kitchen appliances.  He has tested more than 30 mattresses from startups like Casper and legacy brands like Tempur-Pedic, using his background in experimental psychology to develop objective tests and evaluate comfort, support, motion transfer, and more. He authors our guide to the best mattresses.  In addition to being Insider Reviews' mattress expert, James has extensively covered robot vacuums, air conditioners, air purifiers, and more within the HVAC space. He's tested more than 20 robot vacs from brands like iRobot and Roborock over the years and is no stranger to keeping his house at a chilly 60 degrees Fahrenheit for weeks on end all in the name of testing air conditioners. He's a multifaceted writer who has covered everything from health and fitness to consumer technology. His mission is to help people get the most value for their money by guiding them in making informed buying decisions. James is currently based in Lansing, Michigan, where he lives in "The Barn Mansion," a three-story Dutch colonial home, with his wife, two sons, two cats, and a rambunctious rat terrier.  When James isn't testing products and writing for Insider, he's helping to run a popular local Facebook group, Lansing Foodies. See below for some of his work: The best mattress for every type of sleeper in 2021, according to our rigorous testing The 6 best robot vacuums we tested in 2021 The 6 best air conditioners we tested in 2021 The best Instant Pots and electric pressure cookers we tested in 2021 10 grilling essentials that chefs and pitmasters swear by for making the best BBQ The 5 best mattress toppers we tested in 2021 Contact info: jbrains@insider.com Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here. Learn more about how we test kitchen products.

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Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@insider.com.

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