Your Mattress Is Not the Reason You Sleep Hot (Usually)

A lot of people walk into our showroom convinced they need a cooling mattress. Sometimes they do. More often the heat problem lives on top of the bed, in the sheets and the mattress pad, and no mattress underneath can fix that. Here is the honest version.

Heat is usually a top-of-bed problem

You sweat at night. Your sheets and your mattress pad are the layers that touch you, so they decide whether that moisture is pulled away from your skin or held against it. A thick, non-breathable mattress pad or a set of sheets that does not wick will make almost any mattress feel hot, including the ones sold as cooling beds. Good quality, breathable sheets and a breathable mattress pad let the mattress ventilate the way it was designed to and let your body regulate its own temperature.

Three things to fix before you shop for a mattress

1. Sheets. Choose a breathable, moisture-wicking fabric. If your sheets feel clammy in the morning, they are holding sweat against you.
2. Mattress pad or protector. A waterproof protector protects the mattress, but a thick or plastic-backed one can block airflow. Look for a thin, breathable protector and skip the thick quilted pad if you run hot.
3. Fabric softener and dryer sheets. Stop using them on sheets and pads. They leave a coating that keeps the fabric from wicking moisture, which is the exact job you need it to do.

Make those three changes and give it a couple of weeks. For many people, the problem is solved for the price of a set of sheets.

When the mattress really is the problem

Some beds do trap heat. Dense, basic memory foam with no airflow or gel is the usual culprit. It hugs you closely, which feels great for pressure relief, but that hug also holds warmth against your body. An old mattress with a broken-down comfort layer can do the same thing because you sink further into it.

If you have fixed the top of the bed and you still wake up sweating, then the mattress is worth replacing, and this is what to look for:

• Coils. A hybrid lets air move through the support core in a way solid foam cannot. Our Loft hybrids and the hybrid collection are the starting point.
• Gel-infused foam. The Craftsman Gel line uses gel foam to move heat away while keeping the contouring feel.
• Cooling covers and cooling layers. Every MOLECULE mattress has a cool-touch cover, and the Reflex Pro and Engage Pro models add phase-change cooling that reacts to your body temperature. The Helix Luxe line and Midnight Elite use cooling covers as well.

And even then, keep the good sheets. A cooling mattress under a heat-trapping pad is still a hot bed.

Sleep hot and share a bed?

Two people generate more heat than one, so couples feel this first. Our couples guide covers airflow, motion transfer and why a king makes a difference.

Every mattress we sell comes with a sleep trial: 100 nights on the Rimrock house line and MOLECULE, 120 nights on Helix. Shipping is free anywhere in the lower 48, in-store pickup is free, and local delivery is free within 100 miles of the store. Full details are in our shipping policy and trials and returns.

Not sure which one fits you? Ask a Pro: call 406-661-5704 or stop by the Billings showroom. No pressure, no commission, just a straight answer.

Rimrock Mattress
547 S 20th St W, Unit 10, Billings, MT 59102
406-661-5704
Monday to Friday 8 AM to 5 PM, Saturday 10 AM to 3 PM, Sunday closed

Frequently asked questions

Do cooling mattresses actually work?

The good ones help, especially hybrids and beds with cooling covers or phase-change layers. They cannot overcome heat-trapping sheets or a thick pad, so fix those first.

What kind of mattress protector is best if I sleep hot?

A thin, breathable protector. Avoid thick quilted pads and plastic-backed covers that block airflow.

Which Rimrock mattresses are best for hot sleepers?

The Loft hybrids and the Craftsman Gel line in our house range, and the MOLECULE and Helix lines for the most cooling technology. Come in and feel the covers for yourself.