How to Stay Cool at Night This Summer — Mattress Edition

Smart sleep strategies and the best mattress features to help you chill when the temperatures rise.

When the summer heat lingers long after the sun sets, getting a good night’s sleep can feel impossible. Overheating at night is a common issue, especially during warm, humid months—but the solution might be right beneath you. Your mattress plays a bigger role in temperature regulation than you might think.

Here’s how to create a cooler, more comfortable sleep environment by making smart mattress choices and adjustments.

1. Understand Why Your Mattress Might Be Trapping Heat

Certain mattress materials tend to retain body heat more than others:

• Traditional memory foam is known for absorbing and storing heat, especially dense, closed-cell foams with little airflow.
  
• Non-breathable covers like vinyl or polyester blends can act like plastic wrap under your sheets, making things worse.
  
• High-profile mattresses with multiple dense layers may insulate rather than ventilate, especially without proper airflow from the base.
  

2. Choose the Right Mattress Materials for Summer Sleep

If you’re shopping for a new mattress or considering a seasonal swap, here are the coolest options:

🌬 Latex (Natural or Synthetic)

• Naturally breathable with an open-cell structure.
  
• Doesn’t trap heat the way foam does and rebounds quickly, keeping airflow moving.
  

💨 Hybrid Mattresses

• Combine foam or latex layers with a coil support system.
  
• The spring base allows for better airflow than all-foam mattresses, helping dissipate body heat.
  

🛏 Innerspring Mattresses

• Old-school, but still effective for breathability.
  
• Great airflow between coils means less heat buildup—especially when paired with a breathable topper.
  

🧵 Cooling Covers

• Some mattresses feature covers made with breathable, moisture-wicking fabrics like bamboo, Tencel, or cotton.
  
• Even if your mattress isn’t built for cooling, swapping in a cool-touch mattress protector can make a noticeable difference.
  

3. Optimize Your Mattress Setup for Ventilation

✅ Use a Slatted Base or Foundation

Solid platforms can trap heat under your mattress. Switch to a slatted bed frame or a box spring with vents to let warm air escape.

✅ Elevate the Bed

Raising the bed slightly (even by a few inches) can improve airflow around and under the mattress. This is especially helpful in humid climates.

4. Add a Cooling Topper for a Quick Fix

If replacing your mattress isn’t in the cards, a cooling mattress topper can help:

• Gel-infused memory foam: Better than traditional foam for heat dispersal.
  
• Ventilated latex or egg-crate foam: Allows airflow between you and the mattress surface.
  
• Wool or cotton pads: Naturally temperature-regulating and moisture-wicking without synthetic heat retention.
  

5. Layer Smart with Cooling Bedding

Your mattress can only do so much if your sheets and blankets trap heat. Pair your mattress with:

• Lightweight, breathable sheets (cotton percale, linen, or bamboo).
  
• Moisture-wicking mattress protectors instead of plastic-y waterproof covers.
  
• No extra foam layers between you and the mattress (especially in mattress pads or protectors).
  

6. Flip, Rotate, or Air Out

• Rotate your mattress every few months to prevent body impressions that can hold heat.
  
• Air out the mattress by stripping it during the day and letting it breathe, especially after humid nights.
  
• If your mattress is double-sided (less common now), flipping it seasonally can help it wear evenly and stay cooler.
  

7. Bonus Tip: Chill the Sleep Environment

Even the coolest mattress won’t help much if your bedroom feels like a sauna. A few simple tricks:

• Use fans to create cross-ventilation.
  
• Keep blackout curtains closed during the day to reduce heat buildup.
  
• Try a chilled water bottle or cooling pillow insert under your neck or lower back.
  

Final Thoughts

Your mattress is more than just a place to rest—it’s a major part of your body’s thermal environment at night. By choosing breathable materials, optimizing airflow, and layering wisely, you can sleep cooler and more comfortably all summer long.

Because sweaty nights shouldn’t come with the season—and with the right mattress setup, they won’t.