Top cooling mattresses for hot nights

If this summer's temperatures are anything like last year's, getting a good night's sleep won't be easy. One way to beat the heat while you sleep is to invest in a mattress that is breathable and feels cool.

These are some of the best cooling mattresses we've tested. They won't leave you feeling hot under the covers and they won't burn a hole in your wallet either. The average price of all mattress types we’ve tested hits nearly £650 - most of the mattresses we listed here are cheaper than average (at the time of writing). 

If you can’t quite stretch to a new mattress at the moment, or have just bought one, don’t worry - we’ve also got top tips to help you stay cool at night.

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Five cooling mattresses we've tested

Your mattress can make all the difference to how hot you feel in bed. We test every mattress's insulation properties - this affects how warm or cool they feel when you get into bed. We also find out how breathable they are - if the surface of a mattress doesn't get damp, it should stop you from feeling sweaty.

Out of the 207 tested mattresses currently in our mattress reviews, 85 are rated 'cold' or 'very cold' to lie on.

Below we highlight five double mattresses that will feel cool when you get into bed and have, at the least, acceptable breathability. To see how durable and supportive these mattresses are, you will need to read our full test reviews.

Ikea Vadsö 204.513.36 mattress

• Type: Open coil
• Warmth: Very cold

The budget-friendly Ikea Vadsö is an open coil type mattress made from a layer of Bonnell springs covered in matting and a 1.5cm layer of foam closest to the sleeping surface. Ikea says this mattress 'provides stable and even support, giving you the feeling that you're sleeping on top of the mattress rather than in it.'  

This mattress is cool to lie on, and our independent tests confirm it'll provide a firm surface to sleep on, but will the open coil construction be too bouncy?

Read our full Ikea Vadsö mattress review to find out.

Buy this double mattress for £99 from Ikea.

Jay-Be Benchmark S3 Memory Responsive mattress

• Type: Open coil
• Warmth: Cold

The Jay-Be Benchmark S3 Memory mattress is made from a combination of springs sandwiched between layers of fibrous web and matting, which Jay-Be says is made from recycled plastic bottles that provides 'a more environmentally friendly alternative to memory foam'. It's rated 'cold' in our tests, so it shouldn't make you super hot when you head to bed. 

It's sold as a medium/firm mattress and our independent tests rated it as a four on a scale where one is very firm and 10 is very soft. But, eco credentials aside, will it give you a comfortable night’s sleep and stand the test of time?

Read the full Jay-Be Benchmark S3 mattress review and see what we uncovered.

Compare prices from major retailers:

Silentnight Studio Eco mattress

• Type: Pocket sprung
• Warmth: Very cold

The Silentnight Studio Eco pocket-sprung mattress contains ‘eco comfort fibres' which Silentnight claims make it super breathable, sustainable and recyclable. Rated 'very cold' in our tests, this would be a great choice if you tend to get hot and sweaty at night.

It's marketed as a medium-firm mattress. However, in our independent tests it's rated as 3.6 on a scale where one is very firm and 10 is very soft.  Will it be supportive no matter what your favourite sleeping position is? 

Head to our full Silentnight Studio Eco mattress review to find out if it's perfect for your sleep style.

Compare prices from major retailers:

Land of Beds Viva Supreme mattress

• Type: Hybrid
• Warmth: Cold

Like a growing number of mattresses, the Viva Supreme is made from multiple layers of springs and foams. We haven't reviewed many Land of Beds mattresses, so this own-brand is a bit of an unknown quantity when it comes to our tough support and durability tests. What we can tell you is that it's rated 'cool' to lie on, which is great news if you tend to feel hot during the night.

The manufacturer markets this as a medium-firm mattress, and our independent firmness tests confirm this. 

Will this become a soft, saggy nightmare to sleep on? Read our full Land of Beds Viva Supreme mattress review to see how durable it is.

Or buy this double mattress for £749 from Land of Beds.

Otty Pure+ Hybrid Bamboo & Charcoal Premium mattress

• Type: Hybrid
• Warmth: Cold

For those with a slightly bigger budget, the Otty Pure+ Hybrid Bamboo and Charcoal Premium mattress seems to throw everything but the kitchen sink under its cover to give you a good night's sleep.

This top-of-the-range hybrid contains bamboo and charcoal in its upper layers, designed to create a healthier sleeping environment. More interestingly, it's rated 'cold' to lie on, despite the hybrid combination of springs and foam. In our firmness tests, this mattress was ranked as 7.2 on a scale from one (very firm) to 10 (very soft), so it's towards the softer end of the scale.

Is this the perfect mattress for you, or will you sink into the foam?  Read our full Otty Pure+ Hybrid Bamboo and Charcoal Premium mattress review before you splash out.

Buy this double mattress now for £825 from Otty.

Not keen on the mattresses above? Head to our mattress reviews to see all the mattresses we've tested.

How we test mattresses for warmth and breathability

We don't just rely on the subjective opinion of our mattress testers after lying on each mattress - we go the extra mile with our tests, so you can be sure you're picking the right mattress for your body temperature. 

• To see how warm a mattress will feel to sleep on, we put them in a climatic chamber, where the temperature and humidity is always consistent. Heat is applied to each mattress and measurements are taken detailing how much it absorbs. The coolest mattresses let most of the heat pass through the mattress, while the warmest store it up.
• To test how breathable a mattress is, a specially designed humidity chamber is used to measure how much moisture can pass through the mattress layers.  Highly breathable mattresses allow lots of moisture to pass through, so even on very humid summer nights, the surface of the mattress is unlikely to become damp with sweat.

Looking for shopping advice? Read our guide for tips on buying the best mattress.

Top tips for sleeping in hot weather

• Make sure your bedding is made from breathable materials such as cotton. Need a new duvet? Find out which brands make the best duvets and see the best pillows from our recent tests.

• Keep curtains and blinds closed during the day, but open windows (if it’s safe to do so) to create a through breeze.

• Take a cool or lukewarm shower in the evening to help cool you down before bed.

• Before you go to sleep, use a fan with ice blocks positioned in front - this will help cool down the air around you. Electrical Safety First advice says you should not leave a fan on all night. Find out how to buy the best electric fan to help keep you cool.

• If you have the budget, it may be good to invest in an air conditioner.

Prices quoted are the current prices showing at the time of writing, which may be deal prices, and are correct as of 31 May 2023.