How to Cool Down a Memory Foam Mattress

To cool down a memory foam mattress, use cooling sheets, try a slatted bed frame, and place your bed near a vent or window. If all else fails, replace your mattress with a cooling memory foam model.

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If you’re in love with the soft, cozy embrace of your memory foam mattress — but you’re over the night sweats and heat retention of foam mattresses without proper circulation technology — you need some tips to help you unlock cool, comfortable sleep.

In this guide, we’re exploring how to cool down a memory foam mattress. We’ll explain why some memory foam mattresses get toasty and offer seven tips for unlocking cooler sleep.

Are Memory Foam Mattresses Hot?

While it’s one of the more comfortable, plush mattress materials on the market, memory foam can absorb heat while you sleep. Why?¹

• Traditional memory foams are filled with tiny air pockets — this is what creates its classic, pillowy effect.

• When they bear weight, these pockets compress. In some designs, this compression restricts airflow.

• Without proper airflow, your memory foam mattress can’t breathe (i.e., exchange warm air with cool air), and it might absorb even more body heat.

But this isn’t true for all memory foam mattresses. At Casper, we use cover-to-core Snow Technology to create some of the best cooling beds on the market.

Tips for Cooling Down a Memory Foam Mattress

Before replacing your traditional memory foam mattress with a cooling model, you might be able to leverage some DIY tactics to unlock cooler sleep and chill out on your memory foam mattress.

Use Cooling Sheets and Pillows

Cooling bed sheets and pillows can be a game-changer for hot sleepers who are wondering how to stay cool at night. As you shop for bed pillows and accessories, keep an eye out for features like:

• Natural fibers – Cotton and bamboo, for instance, can help wick away moisture and support airflow.¹

• Cooling technologies – Phase Change Materials (like the ones used in Casper Snow Technology) can help absorb heat and stabilize temperatures while you sleep.²

Switching out stuffy fabrics and pillows for breathable, airy textiles can make all the difference for sweaty sleepers, especially during warmer months.

Use a Cooling Mattress Topper

To add a breathable, cozy layer between your body and your memory foam mattress, consider installing a cooling mattress topper to your bed.

Mattress toppers are designed to:

• Boost comfort – With structured foams and fabrics, mattress toppers can adjust the firmness of your sleep surface — which is especially important for people trying to soften or firm up their mattresses on a budget.

• Manage temperatures – Some mattress toppers (like the Casper Comfy Mattress Topper, complete with AirScape technology) can improve breathability to keep you warm, cool you down, or both.

If you’re a hot sleeper, a mattress topper could help you harness airflow for maximum comfort and better sleep.

Use a Slatted Bed Frame

If you’re sleeping hot, take a look under the hood: lift up your mattress to examine the base of your bed.

Depending on your design, you might be working with one of the following bases:

• A box spring – An enclosed, uncushioned box of springs that helps distribute weight and absorb movement. But do you need a box spring for a memory foam mattress? Generally, box springs are not recommended for memory foam mattresses.

• Flat slats – A series of wood strips designed to distribute weight evenly and help your bed frame support your mattress

• Slats with springs – A slat system fitted with springs for maximum plushness and movement absorption

• A flat surface – A piece of plywood or lumber that supports your mattress with no air gaps

If you’ve paired your memory foam mattress with a box spring or it lays on a flat surface, consider swapping these out for a more airflow-friendly system: slats are the go-to.

Lower Your Bedroom Temperature

Of course, you can also try a somewhat obvious solution: make your bedroom colder if you’re sweating while sleeping. But you don’t have to crank down the A/C (and crank up your energy bill) to keep temperatures cool in your sleep space:

• Run fans – Box and ceiling fans can help circulate air and provide soothing white noise.

• Open windows – If you live in a cool climate, consider sleeping with the windows open for improved airflow and a cooler sleep environment.

• Switch to LEDs – If you’re still rocking old-school incandescent or CFL light bulbs (which release between 80-90% of their energy as heat), consider switching to LEDs.³

Move Your Bed Near Vents or Windows

Speaking of sleeping in the open air, consider moving your bed closer to the window to harness as much natural airflow as possible — especially during cooler seasons.

If you’re in a warmer climate (with the A/C running almost every night), you can use the same principle: consider moving your mattress closer to an air vent.

Wear Breathable Sleep Attire

In addition to keeping your bedroom cooler and using more breathable bedding, consider donning more airy sleepwear: pajamas made from natural fibers (like cotton and bamboo), short-sleeved shirts and shorts, or looser-fitting garments.

If you’re at the end of your rope, don’t forget about the expert mode approach: sleeping in your skivvies.

Switch to A Cooling Mattress

You’ve tried everything: sleeping in your birthday suit, ditching your flannel sheets for bamboo, and running the A/C at downright polar temperatures. If you’re still struggling to sleep without sweating, it might be the perfect time to switch to a cooling mattress.

If you’re in search of the perfect antidote to sweaty sleep, Casper answers the call. Our Snow Technology system was designed just for you:

• Our fabrics and foams are cool to the touch — start the night with a snow-cold mattress.

• Built-in Phase Change Materials draw heat away from your body immediately.

• Heat Delete Bands (a Casper exclusive design) absorb and move away warm air for 12+ hours of cool comfort.

If you love the undeniably cozy plushness of memory foam but can’t deal with the heat retention, you don’t have to compromise: you just have to experience better sleep quality with a Casper mattress.

Stay Cool as Snow with Casper

At Casper, we work hard to design mattresses that work for every sleeper. Our technologies improve quality of life, no matter your sleep temperature, position, or firmness preferences.

And if you’re a sweaty sleeper, you’re in luck — we have an entire line of cooling mattresses and accessories designed to kick overheating for good. Check out our entire Cooling Collection and kick night sweats goodbye.

Sources:

1. Sleep Junkie. How to Sleep Cool on a Memory Foam Mattress. https://www.sleepjunkie.com/sleep-cool-on-a-memory-foam-mattress/
2. Good Housekeeping. 9 Best Cooling Pillows of 2024, Tested by Sleep Experts. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home-products/pillow-reviews/a25576293/best-cooling-pillow/
3. US Department of Energy. LED Lighting. https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/led-lighting