The Best Cooling Pillow

Body temperature can be tough to regulate at night, as your body shifts temperatures to manage your sleep cycle. When you first drift off to sleep, your core temperature drops to help you rest. But as morning approaches, your body starts to warm up to prepare you for waking. These fluctuations can cause restlessness and discomfort for some people.

Recognizing this, manufacturers have come up with bedding that provides a cooling effect. You’ve probably already heard about mattresses with cooling gel built in. That same technology has also been applied to pillows.

A cooling pillow provides extra airflow and prevents the retention of heat. But it’s important to choose one that also supports your head and neck throughout the night. This can help prevent those body aches that happen when you wake up after a long night of sleeping with poor support.

Some cooling pillows use shredded memory foam to keep you cool. Shredded foam shifts to provide support where you need it. For stomach and side sleepers, this is especially important because it can flatten to accommodate your position. Some pillows even let you remove and add foam to find the exact comfort fit that works for you.

• Cooling pillows use a variety of designs to provide relief. One setup allows air to move freely throughout the filling. But many also infuse the inner part with cooling gel. The gel helps to promote airflow and also absorbs heat from the sleeper.
• The cover also plays a role in your pillow’s cooling abilities. Look for one that can help wick moisture from your skin. If you suffer from sensitivities, you can also find pillows with hypoallergenic covers.
• Pillows can easily start to take a specific shape over time. Look for one that can hold its shape even after you’ve been sleeping on it for years.
• Some pillows have removable covers, which can come in handy when it comes time to clean them. Simply toss the covers in the washing machine.
• Pillows come in different sizes: standard, queen and king. You don’t necessarily need king pillows for a king bed. Go with your own personal preference.
• Even cooling pillows can absorb heat during the night and become less cool by morning. For best results, knock the air conditioning down a couple of notches and consider sleeping with a fan in the room. This will help the cooling technologies do their work.