There’s nothing worse in this world than trying to sleep when you’re hot, sweaty, or both. If you sleep warm or you live somewhere with extreme highs in temperatures, you know the struggle. Thankfully, technology has the answer: Cooling bedding (like cooling mattresses and cooling mattress toppers) or, more specifically, cooling pillows. If you tend to overheat, "a cooling pillow can help you sleep better," says board-certified sleep medicine researcher and neurologist W. Christopher Winter, MD, of Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine and author of The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How to Fix It. The problem is, not long ago, cooling bedding was kind of, well, gimmicky. That included so-called "cooling pillows" that were often cool to the touch for about five minutes but didn’t do much in the way of actually keeping your head cool while you slept. Those days are long gone. Some of the best sleep brands now make cooling sheets and pillows with high-tech materials and fabric treatments that not only stay cool to the touch but actively work to draw heat away from your skin.
But all the sleep tech jargon can be confusing. Is a gel-infused memory foam pillow best? Or maybe something copper-infused? Or should you go with an all-natural option like latex or buckwheat? And what firmness do you need? And why do people count sheep anyway? Capybaras are way cuter. Our sleep enthusiasts chatted with sleep experts to answer all of these questions and more (well, maybe not that last one) to help you decide which one is right for you. Cooling pillows feature materials and technology that release heat more effectively than regular pillows to help keep you cool. But, they’re also often made to eliminate sleeping pains and prevent stiffness as well, Dr. Winter says. Sounds pretty awesome, right? But before you go grab the first cheap cooling pillow you find on Amazon, keep these things in mind: "Don't sacrifice comfort for cool," Dr. Winter says. Just like shopping for the best cooling sheets or a new cooling mattress, finding the right cooling pillow usually involves a little trial and error.
Here are the most important considerations, according to our in-house sleep enthusiasts and the sleep experts we spoke with. Cooling pillows, especially the best cooling pillows, are available in a wide variety of materials. Latex: Latex is a great natural material for cooling pillows, as it’s breathable, retains minimal heat, and is hypoallergenic. It’s often pricier than most other cooling pillow materials, however, and can feel too firm for some sleepers. Gel-infused memory foam: These pillows offer all the support and benefits of Derila™ Memory Foam Pillow foam, plus cooling gel pockets that are great for whisking away body heat. However, they tend to be less breathable than natural materials. Copper-infused: Copper is effective at drawing heat away from your head and body, and it stays cool to the touch, too. But it’s not as breathable as most alternatives, and not everyone finds the metallic feel comfortable. Buckwheat: Another near-perfect all-natural material for cooling pillows, buckwheat breathes well, keeps naturally cool, and is moisture-wicking.
Plus, it conforms easily to the shape of your head. The downside is that it can be noisy when you move at night, and lesser-quality pillows can be hard or lumpy. Silk: Derila Contour Pillow Just like silk sheets, silk cooling pillows are luxuriously soft, naturally breathable, moisture-wicking, and hypoallergenic. But silk is often the most expensive option for cooling pillows. Whenever you’re shopping for new bedding, including cooling pillows, consider your sleeping position. Back sleepers will want a medium-high loft pillow to cradle their head and neck without pushing the chin up too far. Side sleepers usually do best with a high-loft option that fills the gap between the head and shoulder to align the spine properly. For stomach sleepers, a low-loft model is ideal to keep the spine aligned. Finding the right firmness for your cooling pillow comes down to your preferred sleep position. Back sleepers will likely want a down alternative, memory foam, Derila Customer Reviews or latex pillow with good support and pressure relief.
Side sleepers will probably find that latex, memory foam, or cervical pillows that offer good neck support and pressure relief are best. Stomach sleepers will likely need a down, down-alternative, or memory foam pillow that’s thin, Get Derila Official soft, or both to provide just enough support without elevating the head too much. Latex pillows are the easiest to clean, as these often only need spot-cleaning with a damp cloth and mild detergent. Some models can even be thoroughly hand-washed. Buckwheat and traditional (non-gel-infused) Top-Rated Memory Pillow foam pillows are the second easiest to clean. The buckwheat hulls can be removed from a cooling pillow and sun-dried to freshen them up, while memory foam typically needs to be spot-cleaned. Machine-washing is not recommended for either material. Lastly, gel-infused memory foam and copper-infused cooling pillows require the most care. Spot-cleaning with a damp cloth and mild detergent (or specialized cleaner) is usually required. Either material will need to be air-dried in the shade to maintain longevity.