One of the best mattress cooling pads could be just what your bed needs, particularly if you have a memory foam mattress that acts as a heat magnet and leaves you sweltering in the night. Memory foam is a popular component of many of today's best mattresses, but if you choose poorly you could end up with one that traps body heat, leaving you sweating under the covers every night. Today's best memory foam mattresses shouldn't do this, but older or cheaper memory foam is notorious for this.
If you're specifically after a mattress cooling pad that'll definitely bring the temperature down in your bed, we'd recommend the Eight Sleep Pod Cover (opens in new tab) or the SleepMe Dock Pro (opens in new tab). With both of these you can keep your bed cool (or indeed warm), thanks to water distributed through a series of internal tubes. They're effective, but they don't come cheap. For a less expensive option, go for a gel-filled pad designed to absorb body heat; this can be harder than you might think as there are lots out there from no-name brands with varying reviews, but some (particularly the JML option) appear to do the job.
An alternative option is to instead find a topper focused more on regulating your body heat. While you shouldn't expect miracles from these, a well-made topper between you and your mattress can be just the thing to reduce your bed's temperature at night. A lot of the best mattress toppers are include materials designed to reduce heat retention; however if you're set on one of the best mattress cooling pads, read on to discover the best options available 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.
The Dock Pro Sleep System from sleepme and chilisleep is a similar idea to the Eight Sleep cover (in at #2). It comprises a dock 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.
