Can a mattress with temperature control help you sleep through the night?

Eight Sleep Pod 4 temperature regulating mattress cover in light room

(Image credit: Eight Sleep)

Temperature is one of the main disruptors of sleep. Be you a hot sleeper or a nighttime freezer, you'll know the struggle of knowing whether you need to keep the covers on or turn the aircon down. If you want to eliminate that hassle, you may benefit from a temperature-controlled mattress.

This year's best mattresses all feature some degree of temperature regulation, but the top cooling mattresses and smart beds take climate control a step further by offering specialist thermal regulation features to keep you comfortable all night long, no matter whether you're a shiverer or a sweater.

Here, we'll take a look at what temperature regulation in a mattress really means, how it works, and whether it can actually help you sleep through the night.

What is a mattress with temperature control?

A mattress with temperature control regulates the bed surface and your temperature throughout the night, making sure you don't get too cold or too warm. Specialized temperature-controlling features in mattresses are usually passive — think breathable materials, airy structures, and gel memory foam — but smart technology offers active cooling or warming through built-in climate settings.

These mattresses help keep you and your bed at the best temperature for sleep, which is typically between 20 and 25 °C (68 and 77 F). This helps you sleep shiver-free and sweat-free, ensuring you get the best quality, most comfortable snooze possible.

A woman with an afro sleeping on her side covered in grey duvet while she sweats in her sleep, thinking of a cooling mattress. — (Image credit: Getty Images)

How mattresses with temperature control work

Cooling technology comes in many forms in mattresses, from gel foams to latex, breathable covers, hybrid designs, and smart technology. Nectar, Bear, and Cocoon by Sealy Chill are the makers of some of the best cooling mattresses. They use phase change materials and other specialized cooling fibers, breathable organic cotton, copper-infused memory foam, and spring layers that promote airflow and absorb body heat to keep sleepers at a comfortable temperature.

Meanwhile, technology-first brands such as Eight Sleep and Sleep Number are the brands behind the best smart beds with temperature regulation. They use thermal sensors, smart water-based cooling systems, and dual-zone active cooling that responds to your changing body temperature through the night and adjusts to keep you sleeping comfortably. Plus, that means you can sleep with your heating or air conditioner off to save a few dollars.

4 ways a mattress with temperature control can help you sleep through the night

The Bear Elite Hybrid mattress on a bed frame in a clean and uncluttered bedroom — (Image credit: Bear)

1. Helps maintain an optimum sleep temperature

Regardless of the climate or season, year-round hot sleepers can struggle to get quality sleep as night sweats and hot flushes keep them awake. These are the sleepers who especially benefit from a mattress with temperature control, as it'll help keep their bed at the optimum temperature for sleep. In warmer climates, it will wick away moisture and prevent you from feeling clammy. In colder weather, it holds warm air to keep the chill out.

2. Improves sleep quality

Fluctuating temperature is a common disruptor of sleep. According to global research company Gallup, a majority of U.S. adults (57%) report at least occasionally being too hot while sleeping, compared with 37% who report being too cold.

Running hot will have you awake kicking off the covers while sleeping cold will have you up shivering pulling on the layers. A mattress with temperature control helps keep you at the right temperature to promote deep sleep cycles for an undisturbed night’s rest.

Sleep Number Climate 360 Smart Bed — A smart bed like the Sleep Number Climate 360 offers active cooling or warming via built-in climate control. (Image credit: Sleep Number)

3. Reduces tossing and turning

We've all been there — tossing and turning, pulling on the covers only to kick them off again as we search for the right sleep temperature. If you find yourself doing this more often than not, a mattress with temperature regulation is certainly a worthy investment.

A smart bed with automatic temperature control will do the work for you, measuring your body temperature, room temperature, and bed temperature to reach an ideal sleep environment without you getting flustered.

4. Caters to opposing sleep styles

If you’re a hot sleeper who shares a bed with someone who feels the cold, you’ll already be familiar with how these opposing sleep needs can lead to sleep disruption. This is where smart dual temperature control steps in. Smart mattress covers from Eight Sleep are especially good when it comes to dual-sided temperature regulation.

Eve is a PPA-accredited journalist with an MA in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University. She is a Sleep Staff Writer at Tom’s Guide and has four years’ experience writing health features and news. She is particularly interested in the relationship between good sleep and overall health. At Tom’s Guide Eve is responsible for coverage and reviews of sleep tech and is our smart and cooling mattress specialist, focussing on brands such as Eight Sleep and Sleep Number. She also covers general mattress reviews, seeks out the best deals to produce tried-and-tested buyer's guides for sleep accessories and enjoys writing in-depth features about sleep health. She has been involved in rigorous testing procedures for mattress reviews in our Sleep Studio and has interviewed experts including sleep doctors and psychologists. When not covering sleep at Tom's Guide, Eve enjoys writing about health and fitness, food and culture.