menu
Select currency GBP

Memory Foam and Night Sweats

Waking up hot and sweaty every night? These are often the symptoms of night sweats – and they are surprisingly common. But did you know that your bedding could be the cause? While memory foam remains a popular choice for mattresses, it’s a lesser-known fact that this material can make you hot, sweaty and uncomfortable during the night.

“Why does my mattress make me sweat?”

If your mattress is making you sweat, you don’t have to put up with it! If memory foam is too hot for you, and you’re looking for the coolest mattress to sleep on, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve pulled together some advice and tips for relief from memory foam mattress sweating – making your sleep environment a much more comfortable place to be. Find out how to keep cool on a memory foam mattress, as well as some other solutions to memory foam and night sweats, below.

Why your memory foam mattress is too hot

Firstly, why is memory foam hot? And what are these mattresses made from? Also known as viscoelastic polyurethane foam, memory foam is a soft, highly energy-absorbent substance, initially designed for NASA aeroplane seats in the 1960s. In theory, memory foam mattresses perfectly support you, keeping your body moulded and your spine straight in your sleep.

Memory foam mattresses are designed to support you during your sleep – instead of sleeping on springs like a regular mattress, the foam moulds to the unique contours of your body shape instead. To do this, the surface of the memory foam needs your body heat to warm it up, as the memory foam softens in reaction to warmth.

The problems with memory foam mattresses

But why are memory foam mattresses hot?

Reflective Heat
Is your memory foam mattress too hot in the night? Memory foam mattress sweating isn’t unheard of. Because this material is completely synthetic, it’s not breathable and instead effectively reflects your body heat back towards you. To give you an idea what this means, your average skin temperature is 32?C, so imagine lying on a 30?C heated surface all night. On top of that, memory foam is also unable to help with moisture management. This means that once you begin to sweat, the moisture remains on the surface, leaving you waking up feeling hot and clammy. Read on below to learn how to keep cool on a memory foam mattress.

Memory foam and night sweats

“My memory foam mattress makes me sweat.” You’re not the only one. This level of heat moulded around your body as you sleep is a common cause of night sweats. This means you’re excessively sweating during sleep, even if the temperature of the room is cool when you wake. Bedclothes and bedding can be soaked in sweat and, although this could be due to other medical conditions, if you sleep on a memory foam mattress it is worth investigating if this is the cause of your night sweats, or even making them worse.

Uncomfortable or disrupted sleep
Even if you’re not sleeping with memory foam and night sweats aren’t an issue, this synthetic material can make you generally uncomfortable at night. The average person needs to toss and turn around 70 times every night in their sleep; however, the way that memory foam moulds to your body means that you need to use a greater amount of energy to move, often waking you out of the important deeper phases of the sleep cycle and also restricting the amount of times you turn in the night. This difficulty to toss and turn can result in you waking up several times to get comfortable again.

But the problems with memory foam mattresses don’t stop there – the correlation between memory foam and night sweats is just the beginning. From back pain to durability, there are other factors to consider when choosing your next mattress. Looking for the coolest mattress to sleep on? Discover our wool mattresses.

Solutions to memory foam and night sweats

If you think that hot memory foam may be causing your sleep problems, there are a number of steps you can take to find relief – and some of them may be simpler than you think. Here are some of our ideas for how to keep cool on a memory foam mattress:
  • Add a wool mattress protector: Memory foam too hot? It’s a little-known secret that wool is an incredibly effective fibre for keeping you cool. As a breathable, natural material, it regulates temperature and absorbs more moisture than other materials such as polyester, down and even cotton. This means that if your memory foam mattress is making you sweat, having a wool mattress protector will help to draw this moisture away from your body, keeping you dry and stopping you from feeling clammy – a quick and easy solution for finding the coolest mattress to sleep on.

Of course, while a wool mattress protector is great, it isn’t a full solution to your problems with memory foam mattresses, and you may want to try some of the other solutions below.
  • Sleep in wool bedding: Another solution for problems with memory foam mattresses is sleeping in wool bedding. While a wool mattress protector is an effective way to improve the heat regulation in your bed, surrounding yourself in wool bedding can enhance your comfort even further. Replace synthetic duvets and pillows with natural, wool-filled alternatives for a breathable, sleep-enhancing environment. As with the mattress protector, it will keep you cool and draw moisture away from your body.
  • Replace your memory foam mattress: This is the ideal solution, of course, and the best way to be sure that you’ve eliminated the problem. When choosing your new mattress, look for natural, breathable fibres rather than synthetic alternatives – and remember that some pocket-sprung mattresses come with a built-in layer of memory foam too.

Finding the coolest mattress to sleep on

Is memory foam too hot for you? The good news is that you can harness the sleep-enhancing benefits of wool in your mattress, too. Here at Woolroom, we offer a range of wool mattresses that are completely chemical free – so you can sleep easy in your all-natural sleep environment.

So if you’re looking for the coolest mattress to sleep on, browse our range of > wool mattresses – effortlessly comfortable, handmade and all natural.

Suffering from memory foam and night sweats? Hopefully the tips above will help you figure out how to keep cool on a memory foam mattress – and help you sleep cool and comfortable each night. If your problems with memory foam mattresses are persistent, please consult your doctor for medical advice.

Looking for more sleep help and advice? Take a look at our advice on Night Sweats and Menopause and Hypoallergenic Bedding.