Quick Answer: To choose a mattress that stays cool, look for innerspring or hybrid mattresses with individually wrapped coils, which allow airflow through the core. Avoid dense memory foam, which absorbs and retains body heat. Breathable covers, gel-infused foams, and open-cell latex all improve temperature regulation. A hybrid with coils is the most consistently cool choice for most sleepers.
Brad, Owner since 1987: "We have been helping Brantford families sleep better since 1987. Every customer gets personal attention, honest advice, and the kind of follow-up service you just do not get from big box stores."
In This Guide
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If you wake up sweating or tossing off the covers in the middle of the night, your mattress is very likely the culprit. Choosing a mattress that stays cool is about understanding which materials trap heat and which ones let it escape, and then matching those features to how you sleep.
Why Mattresses Sleep Hot
Your body naturally lowers its core temperature during sleep as part of the circadian process. If your mattress absorbs and holds heat rather than dissipating it, your body temperature climbs back up, disrupting sleep and waking you in a sweat. Dense foam materials are the main offenders because they have little airspace and act like insulation around your body.
In our experience helping Brantford customers, the complaint we hear most from hot sleepers is that they bought a memory foam mattress online based on reviews and did not realise until after sleeping on it for a few weeks how much it retained their body heat. By then the trial period had often expired. Testing in person lets you feel the surface temperature and ask about the internal construction before you commit.
The Science of Sleep Temperature
Research published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology found that bedroom and sleep surface temperature is one of the most significant environmental factors affecting sleep quality, with cooler sleeping surfaces associated with faster sleep onset and fewer night wakings. The Canadian Sleep Society recommends a sleep environment between 15 and 19 degrees Celsius, and a breathable mattress plays a direct role in maintaining that zone at the body level.
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Which Mattress Types Sleep Coolest
Innerspring and hybrid mattresses consistently outperform all-foam options for temperature regulation. The coil system in a hybrid creates open air channels through the core of the mattress, allowing heat to move away from the body rather than pooling around it. Our Restonic ComfortCare Queen, for example, features 1,222 individually wrapped coils at $1,125 and provides excellent airflow precisely because the wrapped coils create space throughout the mattress interior.
All-latex mattresses are the second-best choice for cooling. Natural latex is an open-cell material, meaning air moves through it rather than being trapped. Latex also dissipates heat more quickly than memory foam. The trade-off is that latex mattresses tend to be heavier and pricier than comparable hybrids.
Traditional memory foam is the worst choice for hot sleepers. Even gel-infused memory foam, while better than standard memory foam, still retains significantly more heat than coil-based mattresses. If you love the feel of memory foam, a hybrid that uses a thin comfort layer of gel foam over a coil base is a reasonable compromise.
Practical Cooling Tip
Beyond the mattress itself, pair your cooling mattress with a moisture-wicking mattress protector made from bamboo or Tencel fabric rather than a plastic-backed waterproof cover, which traps heat. Natural fibre bedding, particularly linen or percale cotton, also makes a measurable difference for hot sleepers. These surface-level changes cost far less than a new mattress and can noticeably improve comfort even on a moderately warm bed.
Features to Look for in a Cooling Mattress
Beyond the core material type, specific construction features make a measurable difference for hot sleepers. Cover materials are the first contact point between you and the mattress, and covers made from Tencel, bamboo rayon, or natural cotton breathe significantly better than synthetic polyester. Tencel in particular absorbs moisture up to 50 percent more efficiently than cotton and releases it through evaporation, actively wicking sweat away from your skin rather than just allowing it to dry slowly.
Gel-infused foam comfort layers are better than standard foam for heat dissipation, though they are not equivalent to a coil core. The gel beads draw heat away from the surface faster than plain foam. Copper-infused foam, increasingly common in mid-range mattresses, offers similar heat-drawing properties with the added benefit of being naturally antimicrobial. Phase-change materials (PCMs), which are wax-like compounds embedded in covers or foam layers that absorb and release heat at specific temperatures, are effective at maintaining surface temperature near 28-32 degrees Celsius, the optimal comfort range.
Airflow channels in the foam layers, also called convoluted or egg-crate foam, increase the surface area of the foam exposed to air and help heat escape from the interior of the mattress. If a foam comfort layer must be used, a convoluted cut is significantly better for temperature regulation than a solid foam slab of the same thickness.
Brad often guides customers toward our Restonic Luxury Silk and Wool at $2,395 Queen specifically for severe hot sleepers. The natural wool comfort layer is inherently temperature-regulating: wool fibres absorb moisture vapour from the air before it condenses into liquid sweat against your skin, and release it when conditions allow. This active moisture management is something synthetic foam materials cannot replicate regardless of how many gel particles are added.
Hot Sleepers in Brantford
Brantford summers can push indoor temperatures into the high twenties, and many older homes in the area rely on fans rather than central air conditioning. Since 1987, Brad and Dorothy at Mattress Miracle have helped countless local customers find mattresses that stay comfortable through a Brantford summer without requiring the air conditioning to run all night. Our hybrid and innerspring collections are specifically chosen with breathability in mind, and we are always happy to discuss which options work best for your bedroom setup.
Shop: All Mattresses at Mattress Miracle
Find Your Perfect Mattress at Mattress Miracle
We are a family-owned mattress store in Brantford, helping our community sleep better since 1987. Come try mattresses in person and get honest, no-pressure advice.
441 1/2 West Street, Brantford, Ontario
Call 519-770-0001Frequently Asked Questions
Is memory foam always bad for hot sleepers?
Not always, but dense traditional memory foam is consistently the warmest mattress material available. Gel-infused memory foam is an improvement but still runs warmer than coil-based options. If you prefer the contouring feel of memory foam, look for a hybrid that uses a thin comfort layer of gel foam over a pocketed coil base. You get the pressure relief without the heat buildup of an all-foam mattress.
Do cooling mattress covers and toppers actually work?
Breathable covers made from Tencel, bamboo, or phase-change materials do help reduce surface temperature. They are not a complete fix for a fundamentally heat-trapping all-foam mattress, but they make a noticeable difference. A quality breathable mattress protector can drop the sleeping surface temperature by a couple of degrees, which is meaningful for borderline hot sleepers. For severe overheating, replacing the mattress with a hybrid is the more effective long-term solution.
How many coils does a mattress need to sleep cool?
Coil count matters less than coil design. Individually pocketed coils create more consistent airflow than older Bonnell or offset coil systems because each coil is wrapped separately, leaving more open space between coils for air to circulate. Our Restonic ComfortCare with 1,222 individually pocketed coils provides excellent airflow for a queen-size sleeper. Generally, any individually pocketed coil system in a hybrid will sleep cooler than an all-foam mattress.
Can a mattress topper fix a hot mattress?
A latex or wool topper can improve airflow at the surface level, which helps somewhat. However, if the core of your mattress is dense foam, adding a breathable topper does not resolve the underlying heat retention in the main body of the mattress. It is a useful short-term measure but not a permanent solution. If you are consistently overheating, a hybrid or innerspring mattress is a more reliable fix.
Sources
- Okamoto-Mizuno, K., & Mizuno, K. (2012). Effects of thermal environment on sleep and circadian rhythm. Journal of Physiological Anthropology, 31(1), 14. doi.org/10.1186/1880-6805-31-14
- Krauchi, K. (2007). The human sleep-wake cycle reconsidered from a thermoregulatory point of view. Physiology and Behaviour, 90(2-3), 236-245. doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2006.09.005
- Haskell, E.H., Palca, J.W., Walker, J.M., Berger, R.J., & Heller, H.C. (1981). The effects of high and low ambient temperatures on human sleep stages. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 51(5), 494-501. doi.org/10.1016/0013-4694(81)90226-1
- Lenzing AG. (2023). TENCEL fibre technical data: Moisture absorption vs cotton. Lenzing Fibres Technical Bulletin. lenzing.com/products/tencel
Visit Our Brantford Showroom
Mattress Miracle
441 1/2 West Street, Brantford
Phone: (519) 770-0001
Hours: Mon-Wed 10-6, Thu-Fri 10-7, Sat 10-5, Sun 12-4
Come in and feel the difference between our hybrid and foam options. Talia and Dorothy can help you find a mattress that keeps you cool through every Ontario season.
Visit Our Brantford Showroom
We are located at 441½ West Street in downtown Brantford. Free parking available. Our team does not work on commission, so you get honest advice based on your needs.
Mattress Miracle , 441½ West Street, Brantford, ON · (519) 770-0001
Hours: Monday–Wednesday 10am–6pm, Thursday–Friday 10am–7pm, Saturday 10am–5pm, Sunday 12pm–4pm.