Best cooling pillow 2024 – tested for hot sleepers and summer nights

When you sleep with the best cooling pillow, you're always facing the fresh side of the bed. As a hot sleeper, I rely on my cooling pillow to dissipate heat and wick moisture so that I can sleep sweat-free, especially in the summer.

Many of the best cooling pillows are filled with synthetic materials, such as memory foam, for softness, then infused with a cooling gel for comfort. There are plenty of ways to keep cool naturally, thanks to breathable fabrics and fills, such as merino wool and mulberry silk. From the outside, though, most pillows look pretty similar, and it can be difficult to find a cooling pillow that meets your needs.

That's where I come in. As H&G's resident sleep writer, I've sampled some of the world's best pillows, as well as a whole lot of duds. I had to sleep on several stuffy synthetics before I found the fabrics and fills that keep me cool. I've rounded up a few of my favorite cooling pillows from the best places to buy pillows, so that you don't have to suffer like I did. 

Best cooling pillow: ranked and reviewed

Many of these cooling pillows are tried and tested by one of our sleep experts. For the sake of a fair fight, we assess each pillow against the same criteria: comfort and support; cooling properties; loft; and the all-important price. Where we haven't been able to get our hands on a product, we've read countless customer reviews to ensure we're recommending the best cooling pillows. 

The quick list

If you've already got a cooling pillow in mind, then you can skip straight to that section using the jump menu. If you'd rather take stock of your options, then you can browse the best pillows below. 

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The best cooling pillow overall

The Saatva Latex Pillow comes highly recommended by chiropractors and orthopedic consultants. Filled with shredded natural latex, this firm pillow strikes a careful balance between comfort and support, while keeping you cool, naturally. 

Latex is far more breathable than your average synthetic foam. That's thanks to its open cell structure, which allows air and moisture to freely flow into and out of the pillow. Saatva pre-washes their latex to remove any allergens, which makes the pillow perfectly suitable for sensitive sleepers. 

The Saatva Latex Pillow comes in two lofts, Standard and High. I'd recommend the lower loft for back and stomach sleepers to save them from straining their neck, while side sleepers should appreciate the thicker fill in the High Loft Latex Pillow.

I like the sound of the Saatva Latex Pillow, but you might not be quite so keen. If you're allergic to latex, I'd encourage you to consider another of the best cooling pillows. Thick and firm, the Bear Pillow might be just what you're looking for.

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The best cooling gel pillow

Adjustable pillows are the new big thing in bedding. The idea is that you can remove or replace pillow inserts until you reach your ideal feel. The Luxome LAYR Customizable Pillow is the first I've seen that's specially designed to keep you cool.

The LAYR Pillow comes pre-configured with one side down alternative and the other shredded memory foam. While memory foam isn't the most environmentally friendly material, Luxome only uses the good stuff, which is CertiPUR-US certified free from VOCs and other harmful substances. 

That memory foam is infused with cooling gel to dissipate heat, then wrapped in a bamboo viscose cover for thermoregulation. By the looks of the reviews, it really works: the LAYR Pillow boasts more than 1,000 five-star reviews, many of which praise its cooling comfort. 

One word about adjustability: it only works to a certain extent. The LAYR Pillow comes with just three inserts: one soft, one medium, and one firm. If you can't find your perfect fit with those three inserts, then you're out of luck: there isn't an option to purchase an insert separately.  

Luxome LAYR Customizable Pillow | $120 at Luxome

When you consider that you're getting three pillow inserts for just $40 per piece, this seems like a pretty good deal.

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The best memory foam cooling pillow

One of our expert testers, Jaclyn, tested this cooling pillow more than two years ago, and she's kept it in rotation in her linen closet. As a hot sleeper sweltering through the summer in Atlanta, Georgia, Jaclyn needs an actively cooling pillow to keep her feeling fresh. She still raves about the Sleep Number True Temp Pillow. 

Made from memory foam, this pillow molds to the shape of your neck and shoulders to offer custom comfort and springs right back into place as you lift your head. The True Temp Pillow is specially designed to maintain your natural body temperature at 99.5°F, keeping you cool for the summer and cozy in the winter. 

This is one of the first pillows I've seen that comes in distinct shapes to support different sleepers. There's the Classic, which flattens out nicely for stomach sleepers, and the Contour, which dips in the middle to support your head and upper back. Jaclyn tried the Ultimate Pillow, which follows the curves of your neck and shoulders.

Again, memory foam isn't for everyone. If you're keen to keep cool naturally, then you'd be better off with something like the Saatva Latex Pillow or the Cozy Earth Silk Pillow, although you'll miss out on those special supportive shapes. 

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The best cooling pillow for side sleepers

What sort of pillow suits you all depends on your sleep position. If you tend to lie on your side, then you need a pillow with enough give to cushion your neck and shoulders and sufficient bounce to stop you sinking. 

Enter, the Bear Pillow. Filled with LOFT-X foam, this pillow combines the plush comfort of memory foam with the springy responsiveness of natural latex to make a pillow that's perfect for side sleepers. 

As we've established, memory foam isn't the most breathable material. That's why the Bear Pillow is covered with Double Ice fabric, which stays cool to the touch all night long, and capped with mesh panels to maintain airflow. 

There are only two things I don't like about the Bear Pillow: cost and care. Retailing for around $195 for a Standard, this pillow doesn't come cheap, though it's often listed for less as part of site-wide sales. Unlike a lot of the pillows on this list, the Bear Pillow is not machine-washable. if you're looking for something lower-maintenance, I suggest the Woolroom Deluxe Washable Wool Pillow.

Bear Pillow | Was $195.00, now $78.00 at Bear

You could save more than $100 on this premium pillow when you shop the bedding sales.

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The best cooling pillow for night sweats

If you suffer from night sweats and hot flashes, or you simply tend to run a little warm, then you'll appreciate the importance of a cooling pillow that can handle the heat. The Woolroom Deluxe Washable Wool Pillow can keep you just the right side of cool and dry. 

That's because wool is naturally thermoregulating, able to absorb more than a third of its weight in water in one night, which evaporates within minutes come morning to inhibit the growth of mold, mildew, and dust mites.

This isn't just any wool, either. Woolroom uses premium washable wool balls, hand shorn from British sheep. Thanks to their Wool ID program, you can trace the wool in your pillow all the way back to the farm it comes from. 

I'm sleeping on the Woolroom Deluxe Washable Wool Pillow at the moment, and I'm loving it. For sheer adjustability, it's the best pillow I've ever tested. You can reach right down inside the pillow to remove or replace handfuls of wool until you reach your ideal fit and feel.

Woolroom Deluxe Washable Wool Pillow | Was $169.98, now $127.49

I'd happily pay full price for this naturally cooling pillow, which is machine-washable for convenient cleaning.

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The best luxury cooling pillow

If you want to splurge on the best cooling pillow money can buy, I suggest the Cozy Earth Silk Pillow. This premium pillow should hydrate your skin, smooth your hair, and keep you cool. If you're really feeling fancy, you could pair it with the best silk pillowcase.

Filled with 100% mulberry silk and covered with bamboo viscose, the Cozy Earth Silk Pillow is naturally cooling and antimicrobial, built to bust the bacteria that breeds in warm, damp environments, such as bedrooms. 

I just finished testing the Cozy Earth Silk Pillow and I've never felt anything quite like it. It's soft and sumptuous, just the right thing for a stomach sleeper like me. If you sleep on your side, you might appreciate a thicker pillow to support your head and shoulders. I recommend the Woolroom Deluxe Washable Pillow: you can adjust it to your ideal thickness and firmness.

 As cooling pillows go, the Cozy Earth Silk Pillow is on the more expensive side. Right now, it's listed for $264 for a Standard Pillow. Then again, you're paying for 600 square inches of mulberry silk. When you put it like that, it sounds like a bargain.

You can find more detail in our Cozy Earth Silk Pillow review.

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How we test pillows

We put a lot of thought into how we test pillows. It's more than a matter of sleeping on the job. Our expert testers sample pillows for weeks, if not months, ideally through several seasons to assess their thermoregulation and monitor their performance over time. 

We assess each pillow against the same criteria: comfort; support; breathability; loft; and the all-important price. In the case of cooling pillows, we're particularly interested in breathability and thermoregulation. We expect different results from different types of pillows. We might expect a down pillow to retain more heat inside its air pockets, while a down alternative pillow could be better for keeping cool: it all depends on the specific fabrics and fill inside and around the pillow. 

Where possible, we cross-check our results with verified customer reviews to show a range of experience from different sorts of sleepers. We bring it all back to the cost of the pillow to help you determine value for money. 

Meet the team

Emilia Hitching

Emilia is our resident sleep writer at Homes & Gardens. She spends her days tracking down the lowest prices on the best bedding and spends her nights testing it out at home. She tested the Woolroom Deluxe Washable Wool Pillow and the Cozy Earth Silk Pillow for inclusion in this buying guide.

Louise Oliphant

Louise is one of our former eCommerce Editors. In her time at H&G, Louise covered all things sleep, with a particular focus on cooling bedding. As a lifelong hot sleeper, Louise loves a cooling pillow, and tested the Saatva Latex Pillow and the Sleep Number True Temp Pillow for inclusion in this buying guide.

Best cooling pillow FAQs

How does a cooling pillow work?

It's all about the fabric and the fill. Cooling pillows contain breathable materials, such as natural latex or perforated foam, to optimize airflow. Then, they're wrapped in crisp covers, often made from breathable bamboo or cooling cotton. You wouldn't think that a memory foam pillow could feel fresh, but many are infused with a cooling gel to stay cool to the touch. 

What makes a good cooling pillow?

Beyond breathability, the pillow buying rules are pretty much the same as they would be for any old cushion. Here's how to choose the perfect pillow to keep you cool and comfortable.

A premium cooling pillow could be filled with any sort of stuffing, whether natural or synthetic, as long as there are mechanisms in place to keep you cool. That might mean foam with an open-cell structure or mesh panels to boost breathability. The right pillow should be thick enough or thin enough to support your sleep position, lifting and supporting your head without straining your neck.

Final thoughts

Once you've bought one of the best cooling pillows, it's important to take good care of it. It's worth learning how often you should wash your pillows to get the most out of your product and maintain a clean sleep environment. 

Next, it's time to style your pillows. Keep it classic with a single standard pillow or experiment with pillow arrangements to create a bespoke bedspread. You could incorporate a few of the best throw pillows to add a bit of interest to your bed.