Best Mattresses for Hot Sleepers

A mattress’s material and construction are key in determining how cool it sleeps. And because foam tends to retain more heat, innerspring or hybrid models are most often recommended for hot sleepers. Still, not all mattresses are created equal. The innerspring mattresses in our roundup earn high marks for support and durability and—based on our lab testing—trap less heat than nearly 80 percent of the other mattresses we rate.

As often advertised, foam layers in a mattress can offer welcome pressure relief and a pleasing plushness. What’s typically not touted? Foam can also retain heat, making you feel as if you’re sleeping on a griddle, especially if you’re an inherently hot sleeper. But not all beds with foam are the same, as Consumer Reports’ tests show. Some retain less heat than others, depending on the design of the foam itself, how thick it is, and whether it’s paired with other layers that minimize heat retention, such as natural fiber paddings and coils.

Adjustable beds are all about customization, so it’s fitting that this category of mattress has seen the most successful integration of cooling technology. The latest models allow you to adjust temperature settings, along with your firmness, but they come at an infinitely higher price (Sleep Number’s Climate 360 starts at $10K). Those in our roundup give you the benefit of sleeping cooler without spending a truly exorbitant amount of money.

To test whether a mattress traps heat, we run our assessments in a chamber cooled to 32° F. We place a copper plate warmed to 98.6° F on each mattress, simulating average body temperature. Each side of the plate is insulated except for the side in contact with the mattress. Over an 8-hour period, we measure how much energy the plate uses to maintain its temperature. If the mattress retains heat, the plate will need less energy because it won’t need to generate additional heat to keep itself warm. If the mattress doesn’t retain heat, the plate will need more energy to keep itself warm—and it’s those mattresses that end up being the best for hot sleepers.

Meanwhile, our tests show that foam mattresses touting “cooling” gel don’t always help. “A larger percentage of these foam mattresses still retain warmth,” says Chris Regan, the senior test project leader who oversees Consumer Reports’ mattress tests. Moreover, gels (or any other mattress materials, for that matter) won’t actively cool you; only fans and other mechanical devices will. You can find these devices in the pads featured in our roundup of the best cooling mattress toppers.

To pick the best mattresses for hot sleepers, we identify the mattresses that are best at keeping cool in our heat-trapping lab test, described above. We then comb through that list and pick out those with the highest Overall Score. This Overall Score takes into account how the mattress rates in all our tests, including those for back-sleeper and side-sleeper support, stability (how well it isolates motion), and durability. That score also includes how well the mattress’s brand and type do in terms of comfort and owner satisfaction, according to our member surveys on nearly 66,000 mattresses purchased by CR members between 2013 and 2023.

The two-step selection process ensures that the chosen mattresses provide support and stability without retaining heat. In our mattress ratings, you can filter for mattresses that won’t make you feel hot to see how they fare for other criteria. To learn more about how we test and rate mattresses, check our mattress buying guide.