If you ever owned a mattress, mattress pad, or mattress topper in your house, then you know that they can occasionally get hot. This is great for the cold winter months when we’re all aiming to keep our bedrooms cozy and hugging. Unfortunately, in the summer, in the scorching days and quite hot nights, sleeping on a plain memory foam mattress or mattress pad can be unbearable.
Mattress pads and mattress toppers tend to get hot because they’re made out of synthetic materials that respond to the pressure of our body, as well as temperature. You know that snuggly sensation as you sink into the cloud-like memory foam? That’s the mattress pad adjusting to your curves, and the more it adjusts the hotter it gets.
Some mattress pads and toppers boost additional materials that contribute to sleeping cooler on them. For example, memory foam toppers use gel beads that cool down the mattress topper and regulate the temperature exchange between the topper and the environment. While some pads also boost this feature, not all of them have it.
Like you can see mattress toppers can easily warm up and cause you to get hot in the middle of the night. While there are different types of mattress toppers that you can use, those made of memory foam are quite convenient because they’re affordable and they have a conforming effect which is ideal for people with joint pain.
That being said, we wrote this article to help you identify the common causes of why you’re sleeping hot on your mattress topper, and counted the ways to fix your mattress pad so that you wouldn’t sleep hot in the night or wake up sweaty after tossing and turning the whole night.
Remember, there’s no ultimate fix for your mattress pad that makes you sweat. The heating effect of your pad is caused by other factors like environment, faulty mattress, not enough space in your bed frame, and other subjective terms like yourself.
That being said, your mattress pad doesn’t need fixing. Something else related to your bedding, however, does and that will ultimately fix your mattress pad too. Here’s how you can do it and enjoy sleeping cooler with no sweats and hot flashes.
Why Is Your Mattress Pad Making You Sweat
Like we mentioned above, there are a couple of reasons why your mattress pad could be getting hot and making you feel even hotter in the process. This may not seem as problematic during the winter months, but if you live somewhere, where it can get extremely hot, then you may have trouble sleeping.
You Sleep in Hot Climate
Seemingly enough, you can’t do much about this problem. You live in an area that is either too humid or too dry, but also extremely hot in the process. Sleeping in a hot climate can lead to so many problems with having a proper night’s rest. If the climate is humid, your mattress pad might be absorbing too much heat and making you hot in the summer.
Editor’s notes: This can be fixed with additionally cooler sheets like those made out of percale, as well as pillowcases made of cool cotton material. Investing in the cooling pad, air conditioner, or electric cooling pad also seems like a good idea.
It’s a Cheap Memory Foam
A lot of people don’t realize that approaching the shopping for memory foam mattresses and a mattress pad is more different than those made of other materials. There are different types of memory foam and everyone must be extra careful when shopping because inexpensive memory foam is prone to be mistaken for good ones. A lot of people get scammed thinking they purchased a great quality but the mattress heats up easily.
Editor’s notes: If you’re shopping for a memory foam mattress topper instead of a quilted pad, try to look for an option that comes with gel beads or organic BioPur foam that absorbs the temperature and regulates it in a better manner.
Also Read: 8 Best Firm Mattress Toppers for Hot Sleepers And People Suffer From Back Pain
Your Bed Frame Doesn’t Regulate Temperature
For a lot of people, the bed platform can be the culprit of hot temperatures and not the pad. Even though the mattress pad feels cool and refreshing your bed frame could be trapping the heat inside its platform and radiate it back at your body, making you feel even hotter in the process.
A bed frame can be quite easy to purchase, but if you sleep on a large and heavy mattress, you’ll need to invest more, especially if you’re a heavier sleeper.
Editor’s notes: You have two solutions. One is to invest in a good box spring bed with good temperature regulation. This can be refreshing especially if your bed frame is old. Another solution would be to put your mattress on the floor and also pad on it and see whether the temperature regulation is better. As long as the floor is clean and you’re not exposed to dust and dust mites.
Your Mattress Traps the Heat
Just like memory foam pads and mattress toppers trap the heat, in the same way, mattresses made out of memory foam can get extremely hot. When the mattress gets hot, it’ll also radiate the heat back into the pad and then against you. This can be extremely uncomfortable and if the mattress has spent quite some years with you, maybe it’s time for new investment.
Editor’s notes: But, if you want to replace your memory foam mattress with another memory foam mattress, make sure to go for the one with gel cooling features, or the organic memory foam option. You’ll feel much cooler and your pad and body won’t suffer.
Your Bedding Or Sleep Clothes Trap Heat
Maybe the heating of your mattress pad and mattress, in general, don’t have much to do with the properties of the mattress, maybe it’s your own body that produces more heat.
Generally, you should consider wearing spacey and breathable clothing during the night, made of cotton. If you wear clothes made out of synthetic materials, you’ll feel hotter and experience night hot flashes.
As for bedding, you should only use bamboo or Tencel cotton sheets, as well as some other material like linen or silk if you can afford it. Sleeping on poor quality sheets and bedding can cause your mattress pad to heat up, radiating the heat back at you, which is bad for the night’s rest.
Editor’s notes: If your body generates a lot of heat, you should consider not eating or exercising before bed. That can speed up your metabolic rate, causing you to sweat even more during the night, and give you trouble falling asleep as you’ll be too troubled with all the heat you’re producing. Make sure to cool down before bed with a shower or a bath.
How to Fix a Mattress Pad That Makes You Sweat or Sleep Hot
Don’t worry, even if you sweat up and experience hot flashes in the night because of your pad or mattress topper, there are a couple of easy ways to improve your situation. Keep in mind that while some changes you may make will be free or inexpensive, others are quite expensive.
Evaluate the situation your mattress pad puts you through and decide what would be the easiest fix for your bed but also your sleep.
Remember, many people think that your mattress pad needs fixing as to not feel hot, but it’s other things that affect your mattress pad. If your mattress pad is made out of synthetic materials that make you feel hot, there’s nothing you can do but buy a new one, but ultimately, you need to fix your environment and sleeping habits to fix your cooling pad too. Here’s how.
Change Your Sheets
One of the most basic suggestions that we can give you is to use a different set of sheets. Some sheets use a different threading process and may appear thicker and hotter in the process.
It’s worth mentioning that the sheets that are not made out of cotton, linen, silk, or some other material will not only make you feel hot in the summer but could also result in unwelcome rashes and discomfort.
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Cotton is a breathable material, and so are other types of cotton and similar materials that effectively transfer the hot air that your body generates throughout the night. That being said, changing sheets and considering those that are more comfortable will help a lot with getting rid of excess heat from your pad.
Editor’s notes: Consider the following:
- Using cotton sheets and pillowcases that have at least 180 thread count
- If you can afford to sleep on linen or silk sheets you can go for it.
- Invest in Percale bedding because it’s the coolest option that has cotton in it. There are Percale sheets with 100% Egyptian cotton.
- If you own sheets made of sateen avoid them in the summer. It’s heavier and thus traps more heat. It’s great for cozy winters.
Adjust Your Bed Frame
You would be surprised if you knew how much impact your bed frame could have on how much heat is trapped in the bed. A lot of people don’t know that, but if your mattress, mattress pad, or topper trap the heat, it has to escape somewhere, and oftentimes, the encased platform bed frame will make it difficult to escape, which only results in clashing with the heat you’re currently generating.
Most cheap bed frames, especially platform and bed in a box kinds of beds with storage trap a lot of heat. They’re made out of chipboard, instead of full wood which is a much more breathable material whereas chipboard feels synthetic which results in heat being trapped.
If you don’t use the storage drawers, you should consider removing them to be able to make more room with your bed. You should also consider airing your mattress and mattress pad during the day to leave it more space.
Also, you could invest in a newer floor system with full wood that would help the heat get out and adjust temperature regulation on your bed.
Editor’s notes: Consider using an open design frame that gives a lot of space for regulated airflow. Additionally, you should invest in a slated floor system that not only gives you extra airflow but also helps with support and won’t make your mattress feel uncomfortable.
Get a New Mattress
We often get a mattress pad to ensure the additional support of our mattress that feels too firm or too hot. But, what to do when the mattress is so outdated and old that the mattress pad doesn’t help? You naturally get a new mattress.
It’s important to understand one thing, mattresses are supposed to last for a very long time, at least 10 years. However, many companies offer warranties that last well beyond that time frame. If you’re buying a memory foam mattress, understand that it doesn’t need to be super cheap.
Memory foam is hot and many manufacturers that sell it for cheap don’t want to go too deep in with the regulations so they sell it affordably. That being said, buying cheap memory foam or hybrid mattresses is not only hot but also dangerous as they’re not Certi-PUR the US certified. Studies show that high rebound foam mattresses retain heat and lead to sweating regardless of cool sheets or mattress pads.
Editor’s notes: Additional considerations:
- Buy only memory foam mattresses with gel beads or Bio foam additions
- Innerspring mattresses with pillowtop made of pure cotton help with regulating heat
- Invest in a waterbed if you live in extremely hot conditions, but winters could feel too cold.
- Latex is the most breathable natural material with additions of cotton and wool.
Change Your Environment
People who live in extremely hot environments need to create special conditions for their bedrooms to sleep comfortably. There are many things that you can do, but one of them is to cover the windows and not open them during the day, keeping the shade in your room and preventing the summer heat from coming in.
Other considerations include airing your pillows, sheets, and mattress in the cooler area outside your house, ideally in the shades. Finally, you can open the windows in the evening and
let your room cool down while preparing for sleep. Finally, using dark curtains to cover up your windows can also be of great help for those who suffer from hot nights on their mattress pad.
Editor’s notes: There are additional things that you can do. However, it’s worth noting that they will require some sort of investment on your end:
- Use cooling pads with wires or pipes inside the fabric that let the cooled air or water cool down the padding which ultimately leads to cooler sleep for you and your sleeping partner.
- Use a cooling fan in your room near the bed which can stop the pad-induced sweating and hot flashes.
- Invest in an air conditioner that can help you with preparing your room for sleep and preventing your body from warming up the cooling pad.
Dress Cooler
Remember, don’t use pajamas and sleeping gowns made of synthetic materials unless you have sleepwear that has viscose which is generally considered a cooling material. Other than that, sleep in breathable cotton-made clothes that will allow your skin to breathe. Also, you should avoid covering yourself with heavy blankets made out of synthetic filling which can warm up your cooling pad.
Editor’s notes: If you feel too hot, you should consider opening part of the blanket or sleep with somebody part outside your blanket, to allow for easier air circulation.
