Finding one of the best mattress cooling pads could radically improve your sleep, especially if your memory foam mattress is trapping heat and leaving you sweating in the early hours. Memory foam is a major part of many of the best mattresses, but if you're unlucky you may have found that yours acts as a heat magnets and becomes unpleasantly warm as the night wear on. This shouldn't happen with the best memory foam mattresses on sale now, but older and cheaper models are likely to need some cooling assistance.
Our top picks right now for a mattress cooling pad are the Eight Sleep Pod Cover (opens in new tab) or the OOLER Sleep System (opens in new tab) (previously known as the SleepMe Dock Pro). Both use water distributed through a series of internal tubes to keep your bed cool (or warm if you prefer), but while they're effective they're also the most expensive option. For a cheaper alternative we'd suggest a gel-filled pad, such as the JML Chillmax Pillow at the top of our list, which absorbs body heat an won't cost you much at all.
Another option to consider is to instead find a topper that regulates your body heat rather than being focused on cooling. While they won't actively cool you, having one of the best mattress toppers between you and your mattress can definitely help keep temperatures down at night, and many options are made with materials designed to reduce heat retention. That said, if you're specifically after one of the best mattress cooling pads, read on to find the top options to buy now.
Best mattress cooling pad 2022
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Looking for a cheap and cheerful cooling pad? The JML Chillmax pillow is the best we've found, based on customer reviews. The design is simple: it's a pouch filled with gel that's designed to absorb excess heat from the body. It's pillow- rather than bed-sized (there is an 'Extra Large Cooling mat version, but we can't find it in stock anywhere). Those compact dimensions do add versatility though – JML suggests it can also be used as a seat cushion or even under a laptop – as well as being a great option to slot into your pillowcase or under your sheet to help keep you cool as you slumber.
This is an entirely analogue affair, so there's no charging to speak of, you don't even need to refill it, and it's wipe-clean if it does get a bit sweaty. You can (as we'd be tempted to do) whack it in the fridge before use to amp up the cooling properties. JML says it'll work for up to three hours, so this isn't necessarily an all-night solution, but it should do its job long enough to help you drop off comfortably. Reviews for this kind of product tend to be variable, but the JML version has garnered the most positive responses we've seen. Almost everyone's been impressed with it. And for such a low price, it's not a big risk to give it a go.
The Pod Pro Cover is the best mattress cooling pad around. This is for those who are serious about keeping their chill at nighttimes. The cover slots over your existing mattress like an other cover, but this one contains a network of water-filled plumbing that can be cooled or heated to your exact preferences. Don't agree with your partner on the ideal bed temperature? It's dual-zone, so you don't need to. As well as being able to adjust your own side of the bed to any temperature from 55°F to 110°F (13-43°C), the cover will also automatically adjust its temperature throughout the night, based on your sleep zones.
That's not all though! The Pod Pro Cover also has an integrated sleep tracker that'll give you data about the quality of snoozing you're doing, and there's 'GentleRise' function that can wake you up silently by gently vibrating and cooling/heating your side of the bed. Any downsides? Well, as you might suspect, all that tech doesn't come cheap (but there are sometimes Eight Sleep deals to take the price down) and you'll need to make room for a water reservoir next to your bed.
This brand also sells an all-in-one option with an included mattress, although the tech for the cover is the same in both, so if you have a decent mattress already you should just grab the cover. Our testers absolutely loved this gadget in our Eight Sleep Pod review.
The Eve mattress topper isn't specifically sold as a cooling pad, but it is a mattress topper with temperature regulation built in. The site claims this is 30 times more breathable than 'the old kind of foam', which is suspiciously vague, but in our Eve mattress topper review our tester was suitably reassured that it didn't trap body heat overnight. The Eve topper is made from two layers of foam – a 2cm open cell comfort layer, and a 3cm supportive base foam layer – which together deliver a comfortable yet supportive sleep surface that isolates movement from wriggly sleepers well. Check out our Eve vs Panda mattress topper face-off to see how it compares to a softer, cheaper memory foam mattress topper.
Note: Since October 2022, Eve Sleep has gone into administration, so mattresses and other sleep products from Eve will no longer be available in the near future. However, third party retailers like Amazon may still have Eve mattresses for sale, so it's best to look there for any Eve mattress deals.
Those who want a cooling topper that's not made from foam – it's not for everyone, after all – should pick up this Comfortably Cool Mattress Copper from Marks & Spencer. Instead of foam or gel, this one's stuffed with recycled polyester. The cover is cotton – which is known for being breathable – and M&S has doubled down on the temperature regulation front by adding its own climate control technologies that claim to draw moisture away from the body to keep you cool (despite that, we'd still probably put this in the 'stops you from overheating rather than actively cooling you down' camp). It's received some consistently great reviews and has the added bonus of being machine washable to help keep things fresh (assuming you can get it into your washing machine), as well as providing an extra-comfortable top layer for your bed.
Previously known as the Dock Pro Sleep System, the OOLER Sleep System with Chilipad Cool Mesh from sleepme and chilisleep is a similar idea to the Eight Sleep cover (in at #2). It comprises a control unit and a mattress cover, through which warm or cool water is piped to your exact temperature preferences, and again, you can pick a different temperature for each side of the bed. The cooling pad is controlled via a companion app, which allows you to set times for the Dock Pro to turn on and off, and at what temperature, as well as the ability to specify temperature adjustments through the night. We tried out a sample for our sleepme Dock Pro review, and our tester was suitably impressed with this system's cooling and heating features, although found the pad itself a little uncomfortable to lie on. Its sleep tracking and sleep zone features are also not as advanced.
Another cooling mattress pad with a fibre filling rather than gel and foam, this 4.5cm topper from Slumberdown is designed to reduce heat build-up in the night and also gives your mattress an extra level of firm support and pressure relief. Its breathable fires are designed to allow air to flow freely and keep things cool and dry, it has elasticated straps enabling you fit it easily on top of mattresses up to 35cm deep, and its soft knit Coolmax cover is cool to the touch and should help wick away moisture.
