Generally, foam is an ideal bedding material because it shapes itself around the body and absorbs and retains body heat, which means it actually warms up through the night as you sleep. Great news for chilly nights, less so for sticky ones.
Not all mattresses that use foam get too hot, it depends on the type of foam, where the foam is placed, and whether there is sufficient ventilation and airflow in and around the mattress. Simba use open cell graphite infused Simbatex foam which draws heat away from the body and maximises air flow.
ARE MEMORY FOAM MATTRESSES HOT TO SLEEP ON?
You’re more likely to overheat on a memory foam mattress because it is a dense, non-breathable, and synthetic material that’s very effective at trapping heat. Its primary feature is that it compresses around the body, holding the heat. This means memory foam may be less suitable during the menopause, for people who are prone to feeling warm rather than cold, or during the warmer months of the year.
WHY IS TEMPERATURE IMPORTANT TO SLEEP?
Body temperature helps to control the onset of sleep and the duration spent in different sleep cycles. A colder sleep environment has been shown to increase the time spent in deep sleep, while lower temperatures help with melatonin production and better sleep quality. Being too hot or cold can interfere with this function.
Higher night temperatures make it more likely that you’ll wake up in a sweat. Unfortunately, nighttime temperatures are warming faster than daytime temperatures, especially during the summer.
Need more tips for when it’s too hot to sleep? Click here.
How to sleep cooler on a memory foam mattress?
These simple methods and accessories for hot sleepers can reduce the temperature in your sleep space and help control your sleep environment;
- Keep a window open
- Turn down the radiators in the bedroom
- Set the bedroom thermostat for 16-18 degrees
- Ditch the polyester sheets for breathable 100% cotton bed linen
- Don’t sleep directly on foam - add a mattress topper or protector with a breathable sleep surface
- Sleep with a Hybrid® duvet or pillow that uses Stratos® active temperature regulation and Simba-Renew™ heat dissipating fibres that move the heat away from the body
- Make sure the mattress is raised off the floor and that air can circulate underneath. For this reason, a slatted bed base is preferable to a divan.
What is the best mattress for hot sleepers?
Firm mattresses tend to be cooler, as they don’t hug the body in the same way as a softer mattress.
Love the feeling of foam but can’t take the heat? Our super affordable Cool Foam mattress uses Simbatex foam, which has an open-cell structure to encourage air flow through the mattress.
At the premium end, our top-of-the-range Hybrid® Luxe has a special bamboo infused wool layer positioned underneath the sleep surface, which offers incomparable temperature control, on top of the open cell graphite infused Simbatex and double stack of Aerocoil® springs that whip away body heat and boost airflow.
