It turns out that the greatest feature of memory foam is also its weakness. When compressed, memory foam can get warm and sweaty. Superman, meet Kryptonite. Here’s the good news, it doesn’t have to be that way.
Yes, some memory foam mattresses are hot, but others are designed to be quite cool. Ultimately, the types of materials that your mattress is made out of will affect its ability to retain heat. That being said, there are many ways to make your memory foam mattress cooler. In this article, we’ll discuss why some memory foam mattresses are hot and what you can do about it. Let’s get started.
- Are Memory Foam Mattresses Hot?
- How to Create a Cooler Memory Foam Mattress
- Additional Tips to Sleep Cooler at Night
- Sleep Cool with Layla Sleep
Are Memory Foam Mattresses Hot?
Nothing cradles the body quite like memory foam. Its unique bubbly matrix structure cradles and supports while providing incredible comfort. As those shapes conform to the contours of your body, the small air pockets collapse and trap airflow. When this happens, the areas that compress and mold to your shape become the areas that trap temperature and fail to breathe. This may be fantastic in the winter, but if you sleep warm, this can be very frustrating.
If you want the benefits of memory foam, but you don’t love the idea of hot memory foam, don’t lose hope. There are a few things you want to look for. Specifically, you want a bed that addresses both airflow and insulation/conductivity.
How to Create a Cooler Memory Foam Mattress
Memory foam mattresses can get hot, especially depending on the type of material infused with the foam. For example, some types of memory foam mattresses are designed to be cooling while others are designed to be warm. If you’re a hot sleeper, you may find that a memory foam mattress isn’t enough to keep you cool while you sleep. So, here are some tips for how to make memory foam cooler.
1. Find a memory foam mattress with conductive properties
Look for materials incorporated into your bed that will help draw heat away from your body. Since Memory Foam is such an effective insulator, you need to balance it with a temperature conductor. We’ve added copper-infused microbeads into our memory foam. If you open the cover, you can see the minute particles. When the memory foam compresses, these particles form a thermal superhighway and draw heat away from the body. A lot has been said about the healing properties of copper, and we think its conductivity is its coolest feature.
If your memory foam doesn’t have cool materials embedded in it. Try adding a breathable mattress cover made of linen or natural wool. Our copper-infused gel memory foam is highly conductive to wick moisture away and keep you cool on hot nights.
2. Ensure adequate airflow
Airflow is one of the most important features in keeping your memory foam cool. By itself, memory foam doesn’t breathe very well, so look for a bed that provides some of that breathing for you. Airflow allows for two things. First, the mattress can cool while you sleep. Second, airflow allows for evaporative cooling. If your natural perspiration evaporates, you feel cooler. If it doesn’t get a chance to escape, you end up in a soupy broth of your own making. Mastering airflow will keep you sleeping nice and cool. Our Layla Mattresses are built with a convoluted layer INSIDE the bed to allow air to pass through the foam layers.
3. Invest in a quality foundation
Setting your hot memory foam bed on a cool plank of wood may not be that cool. The best bet for a memory foam bed is a structural platform that allows air to pass under and through your bed. Letting your bed breathe with a good foundation will keep the flow going and allow you both to breathe easily. Our pine mattress foundation is built with structural ventilation to allow air to pass through. Add a bed frame to get your bed off of the ground and allow a little more airflow under the foundation and through your bed.
4. Add a mattress topper
It might sound counterintuitive to add a memory foam mattress topper to a memory foam bed that retains your body heat. However, many mattress toppers are designed to wick away moisture and keep you cool. For example, the Layla memory foam topper is designed with the same cooling support as our mattresses, offering a 2-inch copper-gel infused topper that can keep you cool at night, even if you’re not already using a Layla memory foam mattress.
5. Sleep on cooling sheets
If your mattress feels warm after you spend a few hours on it, you may need more breathable bedding. Cooling sheets are made out of cooling materials like cotton or bamboo because they’re breathable and don’t retain heat. Layla’s bamboo sheets are designed to keep you cool at night by using bamboo’s natural cooling properties that wick away moisture and let more air flow through the covers, meaning your body heat will be released instead of retained at night.
6. Use cooling pillows
Cooling pillows are designed to keep your face and head cool, which may help the rest of your body regulate heat. The Layla Memory Foam Pillow is cool and breathable, allowing for airflow throughout the pillow while you sleep. Meanwhile, the Layla Kapok pillow is created from airy Kapok fibers and memory foam in a breathable cover for optimal breathability and comfort.
7. Consider a new mattress
If you’ve tried all of the above tips and still wake up in the middle of the night because you’re hot, consider getting a new mattress. Not all memory foam mattresses are created equal, so you might just need one with the right materials to draw heat away from you at night to keep you cool and comfortable. Layla’s memory foam mattresses use copper gel particles to whisk body heat away from you, allowing you to stay cool.
Additional Tips to Sleep Cooler at Night
Your mattress may only be part of the equation. If you’re just too hot to fall asleep and stay asleep at night, consider these additional tips to beat the heat:
- Run a fan: Running a fan will improve airflow to keep your memory foam mattress cooler at night.
- Lower the AC: You don’t want to be too warm when trying to fall asleep. In the warmer months, consider lowering the temperature in your bedroom by a few degrees and experimenting with different temperatures to find the right one for you.
- Open windows to create a cross breeze: If you want to learn how to keep your room cool and save a few bucks by leaving the AC off at night during the summer, open the windows to create a cross breeze and allow air to circulate your home. You can also use a window fan to speed up the process.
- Pick the right cooling mattress: Not all memory foam mattresses are cooling, and some will be warmer than spring mattresses because memory foam is a dense material. However, there are many mattresses available that are made of memory foam and other temperature-regulating materials.
- Opt for breathable sheets: Sheets can also make you too hot at night. Hot sleepers should opt for breathable materials, including cotton and bamboo. You can also use a down comforter for hot sleepers, a down alternative comforter that offers better airflow, or a thin quilt in place of a comforter.
Want to stay extra cool? Check out these summer bedding ideas.
Sleep Cool with Layla Sleep
Being too warm in bed means not getting the quality sleep you need. Some mattresses can trap heat and make you warm, even causing you to sweat in your sleep. Layla’s sleep hot solution is the use of tiny particles of copper used in the form to draw heat away from the body. Layla’s memory foam and hybrid mattresses can help you sleep cool by regulating your body temperature and allowing you to sleep better.
