9 Best Cooling Pillows of 2024

An efficient nighttime routine goes a long way in getting your mind ready for bed, but functional bedding gets the rest of your body on board, too. Studies show that a cool environment—around 68 degrees—improves sleep quality and brain function. That’s why we found the best cooling pillows to help you rest easy and avoid sweating the bed.

"Sleeping in a cool environment helps your body relax and get into deep sleep more easily," says Raj Dasgupta, MD, who practices medicine at Keck Medicine of USC's division of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. "Cool bedding, like a cooling pillow, can keep you from overheating, which often disrupts sleep. A cooler bed means fewer wake-ups, better REM sleep, and feeling more refreshed in the morning."

A cooling pillow gives you the support you need (especially now that many are fully adjustable to different heights and firmness levels) while maintaining a cool temperature at night. Our testing team spent weeks snoozing on the best cooling pillows that’ll upgrade your bedding—and your sleep.

Our Favorite Cooling Pillow Overall

The Luxome Layr is our top pick. It’s packed with cooling memory foam that our tester swears actually stays cold all night. The adjustable design lets you reach that just-right firmness and height for pain-free mornings.

Best Cooling Pillows: At a Glance

We tested the best cooling pillows to keep your sleep sweat-free, no thermostat changes required.

• Best Cooling Pillow Overall: Luxome Layr Pillow
• Best Cooling Pillow for Back Sleepers: Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Cooling Pillow
• Best Latex Cooling Pillow: Saatva Latex Pillow
• Best Memory Foam Cooling Pillow: Coop The EdenCool+ Pillow
• Best Cooling Pillow for Side Sleepers: Tempur-Cloud Breeze Dual Cooling Pillow
• Best Silk Cooling Pillow: Cozy Earth Silk Pillow
• Best Adjustable Cooling Pillow: Nest Bedding Easy Breather Pillow
• Best Cooling Pillow for Neck Pain: Lagoon Otter Pillow
• Best Organic Cooling Pillow: Layla Kapok Pillow

Luxome LAYR Pillow

$120

Luxome

Pros & Cons

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Pros

• Cooling bamboo cover
• Adjustable firmness and height
• No loose filling
• Machine washable

Cons

• Might be too firm for those who like soft pillows
• Takes time to find the right height/firmness

The Luxome Layr Pillow stood out in every category. It feels luxuriously soft with extra cool materials that put it in competition with high-end hotel pillows. You don’t have to choose just one firmness level: Adjustable inserts allow you to dial in the height and support level to fit your sleep position.

Think about how many pillows you’ve bought and discarded in your search for the best cooling pillow. Well, the Luxome Layr combines the best of them with an adjustable, layered design and cooling fabrics in each layer. Our tester, who sleeps in a 68-degree room with a partner, gave it five stars all around, and said she especially loved that it felt cool to the touch and shockingly soft. The bamboo viscose cover allows that coolness to shine through, while the memory foam inserts are infused with gels for more freshness. The cover also has perforations that allow for more airflow and breathability, ultimately eliminating heat from the inside out.

The Luxome Layr comes with three removable inserts that you adjust to reach the ideal firmness and height. The inserts are soft, medium-firm, and firm, which combine and stack inside the cover. If your preferences change, just swap out the inserts to create a practically new pillow. “I love the firm solid foam inserts that contour perfectly to my head and provide optimal support and comfort,” our tester says. “It’s the most comfortable pillow I have ever slept on.”

Brooklyn Bedding

Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Cooling Memory Foam Pillow

$90

Brooklyn Bedding

Pros & Cons

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Pros

• Cooling copper- and gel-infused memory foam
• Comes in high and low lofts
• Hypoallergenic

Cons

• Low loft lacks support

Back sleepers will love the Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Cooling Pillow for its extra-padded cushion you can sink into. Gels and copper also aid in its cooling efforts.

A pillow has to work a little harder to cool you down when you sleep on your back, as opposed to your side or stomach. (Basically, it’s easier to cool your face than the back of your head.) The memory foam in the Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Cooling Pillow is copper-infused, which means it’s microbial and breathable. Gel in the foam also works to combat body heat, so it keeps you cool even as you lie on your back.

Although the pillow comes in a low and high loft, our tester notes that the former probably isn’t for you if you’re looking for firmness. The low height doesn’t offer as much support as its higher counterpart, but it may be the right option if you prefer to sink into your pillow. Either way, bedtime just got cooler.

Saatva

Saatva Natural Latex Pillow

$165

Saatva

Pros & Cons

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Pros

• Natural latex fill
• Comes in standard and high loft
• Hypoallergenic

Cons

• Short sleep trial at 45 days

The Latex Pillow by Saatva is our most sustainable pick. The inner latex foam and cotton cover add breathability so you don’t end up with a stuffy pillow.

If you’re an eco-conscious sleeper, the Saatva Latex Pillow is for you. Shredded latex foam is extra breathable and cooling while offering support for your neck and head. You might think the latex is firm, but the pillow is pretty bouncy. Latex is also hypoallergenic and repels dust mites and mildew better than synthetic foams. Our tester does say that the shredded foam tends to bunch together, requiring a good fluff every few nights, but the pillow is encased in 100% cotton, which is more breathable than engineered fabrics. However, our tester also notes that the shredded latex pillow had a chemical smell for the first few days after opening. It might be hard to justify the higher price tag for a standard-sized pillow, but Saatva offers discounts if you buy the pillows in a pair.

Coop Sleep Goods

Coop The EdenCool+ Adjustable Pillow

$96

Coop Sleep Goods

Pros & Cons

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Pros

• Lots of cooling tech features
• Adjustable fill
• Comfortable for all sleeping positions

Cons

• Trial and error to get the right firmness/height
• Have to keep track of the extra fill

The EdenCool+ Pillow from Coop has a double-sided design—so you get the cool side of the pillow every time—and uses proprietary adjustable foam pieces so you can switch up the height and firmness to your liking.

Multiple features of the Coop EdenCool+ Pillow solidify its place as one of the best cooling pillows. Memory foam tends to trap heat, but the EdenCool+ combats this with a double-sided design, foam pieces that add breathability, and a heat-wicking inner liner. According to our “human furnace” tester, it’s refreshing and light—even while getting some shut-eye after her marathon training.

One side of the pillow has ventilated phase-change memory foam that’s substantially firm and cool, while the other side jumps right into the soft Oomph+ fill, a proprietary cooling gel-infused foam and microfiber blend, that sits on the pillow's surface. (CoopSleep Goods clearly didn’t skimp out on the cooling technology.) Plus, to get that just-right firmness and loft, you can unzip the cover and add or subtract the Oomph+ foam pieces (the brand also includes an extra half-pound of the material).

Tempur-Pedic

Tempur-Cloud Dual Cooling Pillow

$199

Tempur-Pedic

Pros & Cons

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Pros

• Double-sided cooling design
• Medium-firm memory foam
• Five-year warranty

Cons

• No returns

The Tempur-Cloud Dual Cooling Pillow is our pick for side sleepers who want a medium-firm, sturdy loft for neck support. It maintains coolness and shape thanks to layers of gel-infused foam on both sides.

The Tempur-Cloud pillow has cooling gel on both sides to allow for an even temperature distribution (our tester notes that he only had to flip the pillow once). A medium-firm block of memory foam sits in the pillow’s core to adapt to most positions, followed by a layer of cooling material that absorbs heat. Everything is then wrapped in a 100% cotton removable pillow cover that you can throw in the washing machine.

Side sleepers usually require a higher lofted pillow to support their neck in that position, and our tester appreciated that although it's a medium-firm pillow, the memory foam comfortably propped his head as he turned from side to side. The only downside to this luxury pillow is the nonexistent return policy. Still, for the five-star cooling and comfortable support, our tester says the pillow is well worth the cash.

Cozy Earth

Cozy Earth Silk Pillow

$254

Cozy Earth

Pros & Cons

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Pros

• Filled with 100% Mulberry silk
• Plush, yet firm
• Super soft exterior

Cons

• Highest price point on our list
• Spot or dry clean only

For those who like a little more luxury, the Cozy Earth Silk Pillow has a lavish silk-stuffed interior and a breathable bamboo viscose shell for a one-way ticket to dreamland.

Have you ever slept on silk? And we’re not talking close-but-not-the-same shiny satin, either. What makes the Cozy Earth Silk Pillow a winner in this category is that it uses 100% mulberry silk, a naturally temperature-regulating and hypoallergenic material. The pillow itself is heavy and floppy with the air of a fancy resort-style pillow, plus it’s ultra-breathable and moisture-wicking. According to our tester, it isn’t the coldest pillow we tested, but the Mulberry silk strands inside the bamboo viscose cover offer a plush, ventilated place to rest your head. The velvety pillow also doesn’t need to be fluffed, like, at all.

The pillow is the perfect middle ground between extra plush and firm. Cozy Earth did well in making sure it feels cushiony on the outside, but still allowing it to compress a bit. You’re still getting that “sinking in” feeling but with adequate neck support. You have 100 days to decide if the silk pillow is right for you, but considering the luxurious vibe, it probably will be.

Nest Bedding

Nest Bedding Easy Breather Pillow

$119

Nest Bedding

Pros & Cons

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Pros

• Cool to the touch
• Adjustable fill for your preferred height and firmness
• Cover is machine washable

Cons

• Loose fill requires storage
• Strong off-gassing smell

The versatile Nest Bedding Easy Breather Pillow does the work of multiple pillows. Adjust the shredded foam to your preferred firmness, adding or subtracting foam for more density or cushion.

Whether you sleep with four pillows or one, having the right height, firmness, and comfort level is crucial to getting quality sleep. The Nest Bedding Easy Breather Pillow is the best adjustable pillow we tried because of the endless DIY nature of the loose foam fill. Nest purposely ships the pillow to you overstuffed, but that’s the beauty of an adjustable pillow. Just unzip the cover and take out some of the filling until you get the perfect loft and firmness. Preferences can change, so add or remove more shredded foam as you see fit.

The foam is virgin CertiPUR-US-certified and held inside a cotton liner. (Be warned about the heady off-gassing smell: Our tester said it took multiple days to air out.) Our tester also loved that the pillow stayed cold all night, which was especially beneficial to handle her tossing and turning.

Lagoon

Lagoon Otter Pillow

$130

Lagoon

Pros & Cons

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Pros

• Doesn’t go flat
• Adjustable memory foam and microfiber fill
• Bamboo blend cover adds coolness

Cons

• Takes longer to find the right loft/firmness

The Lagoon Otter Pillow can help ease neck pain because you don’t have to worry about your pillow being too high or low. Similar to the other adjustable cooling pillows on our list, it’s easy to modify the cushion to match your sleeping position.

We can’t necessarily prescribe a pillow when it comes to neck or back pain, but our tester specifically calls out the Lagoon Otter Pillow for its pressure-relieving properties on her neck. The blend of memory foam and microfiber provides support that eased and prevented soreness in the morning, she said. Another notable detail is that once you’ve adjusted the pillow to your liking, you don’t have to worry about it falling flat. The memory foam core retains its fluffiness, preventing your head from bending at an uncomfortable angle.

Regardless of your sleeping position, the Otter Pillow prioritizes breathability so you don’t overheat. The cool outer cover doesn’t retain warmth, and memory foam is infused with gel to maintain a cool temperature. Our tester says she noticed that it didn’t get stuffy, especially when combined with a silk pillowcase.

Layla

Layla Kapok Pillow

$109

Layla

Pros & Cons

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Pros

• Safely sourced from natural resources
• One of the more affordable options on our list
• Adjustable fill

Cons

• Fill shifts during sleep

The Kapok Pillow from Layla is our pick for a natural pillow because the materials are responsibly harvested straight from the rainforest. Not only is it more environmentally friendly, but sleeping on organic materials is better for your skin and sleep quality.

Layla designed the Kapok Pillow for maximum breathability from the inside out. The hexagonal outer cover is softer than cotton or wool and is purposely spaced to prevent hot air from getting trapped inside. The interior deploys Kapok proprietary fibers and open-cell memory foam for another avenue for airflow. Kapok fibers, responsibly harvested from the tropical Kapok tree, are naturally lightweight and airy. Set the noise machine to the rainforest setting and you’re practically in the jungle.

This is an adjustable pillow, so you can alter the height and firmness. Our tester says the Kapok “isn’t your average department store purchase,” and retains its coolness and firmness with little to no fluffing and flipping.

We assigned our team of testers a cooling pillow to use over a two-month period. If a specific pillowcase arrived with their pillow, they used that as well (or a regular pillowcase, if not). They used the pillow on a daily basis with instructions to go into detail about its delivery, unboxing experience, cooling power, comfort and firmness, and overall value. No feature went unnoticed.

Our testers slept on, flipped, adjusted, and fluffed their pillows over the trial period to provide a comprehensive review. With pillows, sheets, and mattresses under our belt, it’s safe to say we’re experts at testing bedding.

How Do Cooling Pillows Work?

A cooling pillow works a bit differently than a regular pillow. Special materials and technology help the pillow maintain a cool temperature. For example, a memory foam pillow will be infused with gel, copper, or phase change material to actively dispel body heat. Sometimes the pillow’s fill, usually memory foam or latex, will also be shaped or spaced a certain way to allow for air to flow through the pillow. More airflow, more breathability. The pillow cover might also be made with certain cooling fabrics, such as cotton or silk, to keep the exterior cool to the touch. Finally, the manufacturer might include other details, like gussets around the zipper or perforations in the foam, to promote even more coolness.

How do you shop for a cooling pillow online without trying it first? The major factors to keep in mind are the pillow’s fill, fabric composition, and firmness options.

About the Expert

Raj Dasgupta, MD, is a quadruple-board certified physician by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He has over two decades of experience specializing in internal medicine, pulmonology, critical care, and sleep medicine.