If you struggle to sleep because you’re too hot or toss and turn through the night, flipping your pillow trying to find the cool spots, a cooling pillow could be for you. They’re designed to either actively cool you down in bed or, more commonly, to stop you overheating as you sleep. We tested a range of products to find the best cooling pillow, from those that rely on the material of the fillings or covers to regulate your body temperature to cooling gel pillows that are cold to the touch.
“Some pillows (especially ones filled with feather down or solid memory foam) can trap heat, meaning the sleeper may overheat during the night and wake up because they’re too hot,” says Dr Lindsay Browning, psychologist, neuroscientist and sleep expert for And So To Bed. “Cooling pillows or pillow covers may help you regulate your temperature and stay cooler during the night, potentially helping you to sleep better.”
Who would benefit from a cooling pillow? “If your bedroom is too hot in the summer or your partner likes to keep the bedroom warmer than you’d like, a cooling pillow may help you sleep,” says Dr Browning. “Some people can also be especially sensitive to overheating at night, such as those experiencing menopausal hot flashes or an overactive thyroid. When we’re too hot, it is very difficult to sleep.
“Starting around two hours before we fall asleep and until morning, our core body temperature drops by around 1C. This coincides with an increase in skin temperature through vasodilation. If the room we are in is too warm, then our core body temperature will struggle to drop and we will find falling asleep and staying asleep more difficult.”
Which are the best cooling pillows in 2024? At a glance
Best cooling pillow overall – Marks & Spencer Comfortably Cool Medium Pillows
Best value cooling pillow – Silentnight Cool Touch Pillow
Best cooling pillow for night sweats – JML Chillmax Pillow Insert
Best cooling pillow for combination sleepers – Simba Hybrid Pillow
Best cooling pillow for side sleepers – Snuggledown Bliss Extra Deep Cool Touch Pillow
What makes a cooling pillow cool?
There’s a variety of technologies that make cooling pillows cool, including fabrics that wick moisture away from your head and neck. The majority work by being more breathable than standard pillows.
“Breathable pillows help to keep you cool by allowing air to flow freely throughout the pillow,” says Dr Browning. “Other cooling pillows use technology (either gel or phase-change materials) to aid the cooling process. Cooling gel pillows feel cool to the touch and absorb heat, using conduction to disperse the heat away.
“Other technology uses phase-change materials (PCM), which are substances made into beads and typically spread throughout the filling. They absorb heat to change from a solid to a liquid within the bead, reducing the temperature of the pillow.’
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How I tested the best cooling pillows
best cooling pillows 2024
Lisa tested the best cooling pillows for several weeks each
I slept on the pillows over the course of a month. I was primarily assessing whether they kept me cool as I was going to sleep, whether this lasted with my head in one position or whether I needed to move to or turn the pillow over and how well I slept throughout the night. I also noted whether I woke up feeling sweaty in the morning.
Even if it cools well, a pillow needs to be comfortable, so I also considered which sleeping position they suited (side, back, front), how they felt to sleep on and their level of support for my head and neck. Lastly, I assessed whether they represent good value for money, whether cheap or very expensive.
Best cooling pillows
1. Marks & Spencer Comfortably Cool Medium Pillows (two pack)
£35 for two, M&S
Best cooling pillow overall, 10/10
We like: the effective cooling
We don’t like: doesn’t have a premium feel
Marks & Spencer Comfortably Cool Medium Pillows (two pack) – best cooling pillow 2024
Marks & Spencer: wicks moisture from your skin
Fill type: 100 per cent polyester
Cover material: 100 per cent cotton
Firmness: Medium
Size 74cm x 48cm
Machine washable: Wash at 40C and tumble dry on low heat
I didn’t get the actively cool sensation through a pillowcase of some of the other pillows I tested, but this pillow’s Comfortably Cool technology is designed to regulate temperature by drawing moisture away from you quickly as you sleep. I didn’t overheat or sweat at all on warm nights when I might usually wake up in the morning with a clammy feeling around the neck and head.
M&S says that it’s suitable for both side and back sleepers and I’d agree with that – it’s very comfortable, offering just the right amount of support when I slept on my side, keeping my head and neck level with my body, but not too bulky if I rolled onto my back.
This is quite basic as pillows go (no zip-off cover, thick cover fabric or hi-tech filling) and it doesn’t have the premium feel of some of the more expensive pillows I tested, but it’s well made and the filling didn’t move about or become lumpy while I was testing. It’s good value for money as you get two in the pack, and I like the fact that it’s washable and can be put into the tumble dryer so that you can easily keep it clean and wash and dry it in a day.
It gives a nod to the planet too, with 30 per cent of the polyester being recycled, and the cotton used is from the Better Cotton initiative which means that it is responsibly sourced. As there are no animal products in the pillow, it’s suitable for vegans.
I tested the Medium firmness, but you can also buy the pillow in Firm if you prefer less give in your pillow. No bells and whistles here, but it does what it says on the tin.
£
35 for two
Buy now
Price at
M&S
2. Silentnight Cool Touch Pillow
£30, Argos
Best value cooling gel pillow, 9/10
We like: the cold feel of the gel inlay
We don’t like: lying on a gel pad takes getting used to
Silentnight Cool Touch Pillow – best cooling pillow 2024
Silentnight: uses cool-to-touch gel
Fill type: 100 per cent polyester
Cover material: Polyester with gel inlay
Firmness: Medium
Size (in cm) 74cm x 48cm
Machine washable: Inner pillow 40C/outer cover sponge wash only
This pillow has a bobbly cooling gel pad built into one side, which I thought might feel strange under my head when I ran my hands over it, but I didn’t notice it all once I was lying on it. Sleeping on a gel surface takes getting used to compared with a regular pillow, but I adjusted after a couple of nights.
The coolness of the gel inlay is pressure-activated and I could feel it immediately through the pillowcase. If it takes you a while to get to sleep, you need to move your head across the pillow as the patch you’ve been lying on feels less cool after a few minutes, but I didn’t wake up feeling hot or sweaty on warm nights. The outer cover with the gel inlay zips off so you can put it in the fridge for a short time to make it extra cool on hot nights, which I really liked.
It’s a good height for people who like to side sleep and back sleep as it’s not too high, and has the perfect level of support – not too cushy and not too firm. A good value pillow and it does its job well.
£
30
Buy now
Price at
Argos
3. JML Chillmax Pillow Insert
£9.99, Robert Dyas
Best cooling pillow for night sweats, 9/10
We like: the active chill
We don’t like: the change in pillow feel
JML Chillmax Pillow Insert – best cooling pillow 2024
JML: designed to fit between a pillow and pillowcase
Fill type: Gel
Cover material: 100 per cent polyamide
Firmness: Soft
Machine washable: No
This clever insert is a flexible, gel-filled pad that you slide between your pillow and pillowcase. It actively cools you down, rather than just stopping you getting hot. It feels very cool to the touch and can be used as it is if you want to lie on it directly. Even when used inside the pillowcase, its coolness really comes through and feels refreshing. For extra coldness, you can put it in the fridge (but not freezer) before bedtime.
It fits well across a standard-size pillow and is comfortable to lie on, moulding well to your head, although you do lose the plush softness of the pillow underneath and it takes getting used to. It’s worth it, though, if you struggle to fall asleep because of being too hot and it’s a cheaper option than buying a whole new pillow. You can wipe it clean, which makes it a good gel option. Most are built into the pillow, meaning the pillow itself can’t be washed.
It’s portable, so it could be taken away with you if you’re going somewhere hot, and it can also be used as a laptop cooling pad, seat cushion or for putting hot feet on during the day or at night.
£
9.99
Buy now
Price at
Robert Dyas
4. Simba Hybrid Pillow
Currently £109, Simba
Best customisable cooling pillow, 9/10
We like: the height adjustability
We don’t like: the price
Simba Hybrid Pillow – best cooling pillow 2024
Simba: an impressive five layers
Fill type: Nanocube core filling foam
Cover material: Cotton with ‘Stratos’ finish
Firmness: Firm but adjustable
Size: 45cm x 70cm
Machine washable: Cover washable at 40C
This has Stratos temperature control (a patented technology) on one side of the pillow that draws away excess body heat and it has a cool feel when you lay your head on it. A bonus is that you can lie directly on it without a pillowcase as it’s washable.
The ‘cool’ side of the pillow is indicated by the blue piping. I used it on several warm nights and didn’t sweat at all. The inner is filled with small foam cubes which allow more air to flow through the pillow than one made of solid foam. A breathable mesh border helps with this.
Its height is adjustable by removing some of the foam cubes from the inner pillow, which is good because it felt quite high for me with all the cubes in there, but better once a few were taken out. It also reduced the firmness of the pillow, which I found to be too firm with all the cubes in. It comes with a little storage bag for the cubes, so you can take them in and out if you want to. It’s hard to find a pillow that suits you perfectly, and the adjustability of this one perhaps justifies the high price.