The right sheet set and pajamas can help you stay cool. Today’s memory-foam mattresses don't sleep as "hot" as older models did, thanks to air-circulating layers and ventilated toppers that keep the foam from absorbing and retaining all your body heat. But a certain insulating effect is unavoidable when you're sleeping on a foam block. If your memory foam mattress leaves you sweating at night, a few remedies can help turn down the heat -- if only by a few degrees. Top It Off Anything you can do to distance your body from the memory foam will help keep you cool. Place a non-foam topper or pad over the mattress, or use sheets made of breathable material -- such as cotton or bamboo -- with a high thread count. Both remedies reduce the amount of body heat that penetrates to the foam. Turn It Down Lower the ambient temperature by turning the thermostat down, opening a window, or changing into lighter-weight, breathable pajamas. While these might not be the most convenient solutions, they're less expensive than purchasing a whole new mattress.
Switch to a Topper If you just can't stay cool on a memory foam mattress, consider switching to a non-foam mattress. You can always layer a memory foam topper over the mattress for comfort, while still enjoying the other mattress's greater breathability to help keep the foam cool. : Memory Foam Mattress FAQ Photo Credits Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images Suggest a CorrectionWhat are the top memory foam mattress problems? Here's answers to the most common Tempurpedic style bed concerns including smells, bad sex rumors, sweaty sleep and the effects of sleeping on synthetic chemicals. Odors are near the top of memory foam mattress problems. They are very common in cheap mattresses that are delivered in compressed vacuum packaging. The mattresses are usually not left to air out at the manufacturer long enough to let off gassing take place completely before they are compressed and sealed for delivery. If you notice an odor, leave the doors and windows open to let the mattress air out.
The odor usually dissipates within a couple days or weeks. If the odor really bothers you and it's not getting any better, exercise the return option on your guarantee. You did read and approve the mattress trial period options in your mattress guarantee didn't you? Sex on memory foam is not necessarily worse, but it is different. You may be a bit more sweaty than usual afterwards. You can solve this memory foam problem by choosing one of the newer models that have a mattress cover or top layer that wicks away moisture. Your mobility will be reduced a bit. Since memory foam sinks rather than pushes back, you might not be able to roll around as energetically as you are accustomed to. But you can also try almost anything without worrying about a limb falling asleep due to pressure points. There's no 'rebound' to help you acquire a rhythm and speed but...since the partner on the bottom is going to be gripped or cupped by the mattress, you'll use less energy and concentration in maintaining your 'aim'.
Now you only need to tie them down if you both enjoy it. You won't have to worry about squeaking springs waking kids or neighbors. Only you and your partner can determine whether you like sex on memory foam. Make sure you get a good return policy, because this is one thing the Maniac does not recommend testing at the mattress store. This used to be the most common memory foam mattress problem. Because memory foam gets softer and 'cups' you where you're warm, heat can become trapped and cause a sweaty spot. Many newer mattresses have specially designed top layers that dissipate heat more efficiently and covers made with fabrics like CoolMax that wick moisture away from the body. This is absolutely true. On the other hand, with less pain and numbness caused by pressure points you'll feel less need to turn over and you may wake up fewer times at night. The same properties that allow visco elastic foam to get softer with your body heat do cause memory foam to be a bit slower to respond in cooler environments.
Most people do not notice this effect unless the bed is in a basement, or an RV or semi-trailer sleeping cab in the winter. This is much less noticeable in newer models. Some people worry about memory foam mattress problems attributed to polyurethane. The jury is still out as to whether it causes health problems for more than a handful of ultra-sensitive people. The Maniac's opinion is that people have been sleeping on polyurethane based visco elastic foam for about 20 years. You'd think that would be enough time for long term exposure problems to become evident. If you're concerned with this issue, there are some newer, so-called natural memory foam mattresses like Tandalay that claim to reduce or eliminate these problems. These 6 complaints are the most common memory foam mattress problems. Others, including 'memory loss', lack of durability and cracking used to be common in visco foam mattresses. But now these problems are usually only found in cheap memory foam mattresses.
So, if you feel you can live with these possible problems, go right ahead and purchase your new memory foam mattress with confidence that you'll be getting a great night's sleep.#1 in Sleep Product Research Millions Served Since 2008 Ratings > Mattress Type Comparison Unbiased Comparison, Analysis Based on 22,584 Owner Experiences 1. About 8% of people report that their mattress significantly and regularly retains heat and, consequently, sleeps hot. About another 12% say that their mattress sleeps warm but usually not to an uncomfortable degree. 2. Mattress heat retention often results in excessive sweating, restlessness and poor sleep quality. 3. Main factors that affect heat retention include mattress firmness, sleeper weight, mattress type, and comfort layer composition. 4. To combat heat for your current mattress, see temperature control. Due to the fact that a person sinks significantly into a softer mattress, air flow around the sleeper is thereby restricted often resulting in greater heat trap potential.
By contrast, a person tends to sleep on top of a firm mattress thereby having greater air flow. However, highly conforming firmer mattresses, such as certain Tempur-Pedic models, have above-average heat trap potential due in part to their ability to strongly contour to the curves of a sleeper's body thereby restricting airflow between the mattress and the sleeper. Heavier people tend to have greater potential for sleeping hot. This appears to be due to the fact that a heavy person sinks farther into the mattress where there is less airflow. It may also be due to the fact that a heavier person expends more energy when moving compared to a lighter person and this expenditure often creates more body heat. Nearly all mattress types can sleep hot, but some do so more than others. Keep in mind that the following chart represents what is often, but not always, the case. model or individual mattress may go against these findings somewhat. About 9% of memory foam mattress owners report sleeping hot to an uncomfortable extent.
An additional 15% report their bed being warm but at most times not uncomfortably so. In other words, the clear majority of memory foam mattress owners report no heat problems. Keep in mind, however, that these numbers may be affected by the fact that memory foam is often known to sleep hot for some people. As a result, people who are naturally hot sleepers may avoid buying a memory foam mattress in the first place – making the rate somewhat lower than it otherwise would be. Owner experience data suggests that main factors affecting memory foam heat retention – as discussed below – are foam density, foam composition, and cover material. Memory foam used in memory foam mattresses can have low to high density. Mattresses with high foam density tend to have at least two times the number of reports for bothersome heat retention than do mattresses with low foam density. This appears to be mainly due to high density foam having less open space to allow for air flow. (Learn more about how density affects memory foam mattress characteristics in the memory foam density comparison.)
For how specific memory foam mattresses compare in density, see the memory foam mattress reviews - summary. Many memory foam mattresses use memory foam infused with millions of gel beads. This gel-infused foam is designed to sleep cooler longer than regular memory foam. Owner experience data shows it to reduce heat-trap complaints significantly for all memory foam densities – by as much as 30%. Nevertheless, about 6% of gel memory foam bed owners still find gel-infused foam to sleep hot. Several memory foam mattresses use a moisture-wicking cover such as a Coolmax® or Outlast® fabric. The material is designed to let perspiration quickly evaporate allowing for cooler sleep. Owner experience data suggests that such a cover is often at least somewhat effective at reducing heat problems. Memory foam hybrid mattresses are spring-based mattresses with at least two inches of memory foam in the comfort layer. About 12% of owners report sleeping hot – a higher than average rate due likely due to the presence of the memory foam.
An additional 20% report above average warmth but not to a bothersome extent most of the time. Latex mattresses are second only to memory foam / hybrid mattresses for having the most complaints regarding heat buildup. Most complaints, however, are for all-latex beds as opposed to latex-hybrids. Airbeds with a three-inch or thicker comfort layer have nearly twice the likelihood of retaining heat to a bothersome extent than those models with a less-thick layer. Three-inch thick or thicker comfort layers in some cases consist partly or entirely of memory foam. Innerspring mattresses – especially medium to firm models without memory foam or latex – have relatively few heat-related complaints. Waterbeds do not have a significant sleeping hot issue because the water inside keeps the temperature down. In fact, if the beds do not have a heater to warm the water, there may be a sleeping cold issue especially in cooler climates and during winter months. Sleeping hot does not tend to be a noteworthy problem for futon mattresses.