Cooling bedding is everywhere, but it often sounds too good to be true. In the past few years, we’ve seen hundreds of new bedding products promote their “cooling” abilities. That’s why the scientists in the Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab evaluate cooling claims to make sure they’re legit. We test all bedding for qualities like comfort, durability, and ease of use, but when it comes to cooling bedding specifically, we take our evaluations further. There’s no universal standard for what qualifies as “cooling” bedding, so we evaluate products using a series of factors rather than relying on brand marketing claims. Here’s what that entails.
First, we consider whether the bedding touches your skin.
Cooling bedding consists of a wide range of products, but some of it may be far removed from your body.
For products that directly touch the skin (like sheets, blankets, comforters, or pajamas), we assess factors like cool-to-the-touch feel, breathability, and moisture management.
For cooling bedding that doesn’t actually touch skin (like pillows, mattress pads, mattress toppers, and mattresses), we compare them to non-cooling models, especially because some traditional bedding can cause sleepers to overheat.
While some items contain cooling technology that actively cools the sleeper, most items we review focus on using a construction that prevents overheating.
Next, we vet the materials and construction.
Our evaluations begin by reviewing the fiber content and other material specifications. The GH Textiles Lab is made up of fiber scientists and textile analysts, so the specifications alone can indicate to us if the bedding has any inherent cooling capabilities.
For instance, certain rayon fibers (like lyocell and viscose) feel cool to the touch and wick moisture well, while some fabrics may use temperature-regulating technologies (like Outlast and 37.5) that we recognize as being able to pull heat away from your body. This also gives us the opportunity to look for materials (like memory foam) that are prone to trapping in heat.
The construction of the bedding is also important, so we pay close attention there. For fabrics that touch the skin, we consider the weave or knit structure. For products with layers and fills, we check whether the design allows for airflow.
We’ve also seen a rise in “smart” bedding, like mattress pads, mattresses, and base systems that actually change the temperature of your bed. Because these systems use active cooling mechanisms like circulating water or internal fans, we find that they’re the most effective cooling bedding. The downside is that they’re also the most expensive and can be high-maintenance, so they may not be suitable for many hot sleepers.
Then, we take a closer look at cooling claims and data.
Here’s where we address the “too good to be true” aspects. Because cooling bedding is marketed as a solution for overheating, hot flashes, and night sweats, brands often make broad performance claims, including some that aren’t backed by independent research or testing. We also recognize that cooling bedding can’t cure conditions, control climates, or work miracles, so we’re especially skeptical when brands make claims they can’t support.
When we see claims tied to specific numbers (like “20% cooler” or “10 degrees cooler”), we reach out to brands and ask for data to support them. For broader cooling claims, we follow our own test methods, both in the Lab and with consumer sleep tester feedback.
Finally, we test bedding in the Lab and at home.
Our testing varies based on product type and specific claims.
Lab testing
Most commonly, we test moisture management in the Lab because humidity and sweat buildup play a major factor in how warm you feel overnight. Our Moisture Management Tester (MMT) assesses how a fabric swatch responds to a synthetic sweat solution. It measures how quickly a fabric absorbs and wicks away sweat, how fast the material dries afterward, and more. These results give us real, comparative data across categories and lets us know whether a fabric will leave you feeling cool and dry or hot and sweaty.
Consumer testing
We also put all bedding products to the test in real-world sleep conditions. We work with at-home consumer testers, including hot sleepers and those who experience overnight hot flashes, to capture their feedback from sleeping on the bedding. Analysts match testers to bedding through a thorough recruitment process, then testers sleep on the products for extended periods before filling out detailed surveys. They provide both quantitative and qualitative feedback, giving us a comprehensive picture of the testing experience. And when we’re evaluating cooling products, we don’t tell testers ahead of time that we’re specifically assessing cooling performance, which helps reduce potential bias in their feedback.
Meet the experts
Emma Seymour
Emma Seymour is the associate director of the Textiles, Apparel, and Paper Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute. She has overseen all cooling bedding testing and content for over seven years and sleeps with a cooling eye mask every night.
Seymour holds a bachelors of science in fiber science and apparel design from Cornell University.
Grace Wu
Grace Wu is a senior textiles analyst and regularly assesses cooling sheets and pillows in the Textiles Lab. She’s assigned cooling mattresses, mattress toppers and mattress pads to hundreds of consumer testers and personally swears by a cooling comforter.
Wu holds a master of engineering in materials science & engineering and a bachelor of science in fiber science from Cornell University.
Amanda Constantine
Amanda Constantine is a home & apparel reviews analyst and routinely works with hot sleepers to test cooling sheets, comforters, pajamas, and more. A hot sleeper herself, she swears by cooling bedding at home.
Constantine holds a bachelor of applied science in apparel merchandising and product development, as well as a master of science degree in consumer sciences from The Ohio State University.
