The 8 Best Bed Cooling Systems of 2023

Best Overall

BedJet3 Climate Comfort System

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The BedJet V3 is our favorite bed cooling system because it’s easy to set up, can cool you off quickly, and offers precise temperature management via remote or phone app. This air-cooled system doesn’t require any additional components, and it’s ready to use right out of the box with your existing mattress and bedding. It does require a sheet or blanket of some kind, as it works by blowing a layer of cooling air between the sheet and the bed, but you can use whatever works for you. BedJet does make an optional Cloud Sheet ($139 on Amazon) that improves the system even more, but you’re free to use it with your own sheets and blankets if you prefer. The BedJet V3 is also capable of pumping out warm air, which is some nice flexibility to have if you need cooling in the summer and a bit of heat in the winter.

The BedJet v3 is built around a blower unit, and setup is fairly straightforward and easy. The blower unit sits at the foot of your bed, or even under your bed, and needs to be plugged into an electrical outlet. The blower connects to a flexible hose, which clips into a bracket that’s held in place by sliding it between your mattress and box spring. Once that’s in place, you can put your bedding on, and the BedJet will blow cool or warm air between your sheets and the mattress when switched on. Due to this design, it works with any size mattress. But it’s worth noting that this cooling system is not an effective replacement for an air conditioner on hot summer nights. It “cools” using room temperature air—so if the exterior temperature is very warm, its cooling capacity will be limited.

Temperature can be regulated via a phone app or the remote that comes with the BedJet. The remote is especially nice, with clear controls and a big, backlit LCD display. The unit is programmable, allowing you to set specific temperatures for different hours of the night. It’s worth noting that the fan does make some noise when in operation, which may be a bit too much for especially light sleepers. It’s about as loud as a refrigerator when the fan is at its highest setting, so keep that in mind if noise is a big concern.

The BedJet v3 is capable of dual zone heating and cooling, or just cooling one side of the bed, but that functionality requires the optional Cloud Sheet. The Cloud Sheet has a port for the blower, so air enters the sheet instead of just blowing between the sheet and the bed. That lets you cool only one side of the bed, or heat one side and cool the other with the addition of another BedJet unit. Purchasing a Cloud Sheet adds an extra expense, but it’s still more affordable than high-end water-cooled units like our Best Splurge pick, the Eight Sleep Pod system, and there’s no chance of a leak waking you up in the middle of the night.

Price at time of publish: $599

_{Cooling Method: Air | Active Cooling: Yes | Temperature Range: 66 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit | Coverage: Any mattress size}

Best Budget

Mattress Cooler Mattress Cooler Classic

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If you’re in the market for a more budget-friendly active bed cooling system, the Mattress Cooler Classic is worth consideration. This is a water-cooled system that pumps chilled water through a vinyl mattress pad. The pad is a little smaller than a twin mattress, so it’s really designed for a single sleeper. For shared sleeping situations where both people require cooling, there are a couple options. One is to arrange the single pad across the head of the bed, which provides a decent cooling effect. If additional cooling is required, you can also install two systems in the traditional configuration, with one pad for each sleeper. This system does come with two pads, but the base station can only pump through one pad at a time. The second pad is meant as a replacement part, as the pads need to be replaced every four to six months to avoid leaks.

The vinyl pads do a good job of cooling you down, but they may not be terribly comfortable to sleep on directly. You may find that the addition of a thin mattress pad or blanket makes it comfier. You’ll also need to empty the water tank every other week to ensure that it continues to run efficiently.

Price at time of publish: $200

_{Cooling Method: Water | Active Cooling: Yes | Temperature Range: 6 to 12 degrees below room temperature | Coverage: 63 x 27 inches (slightly smaller than twin-size mattress)}

Best Splurge

Eight Sleep Pod 3 Cover

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Sleep is so important that it’s hard to really put a price on it, which is why the Eight Sleep Pod 3 system is worth a look if budgetary constraints aren’t really a concern. This system circulates cooled water through a closed loop, pulling heat out of your bed, and providing precise temperature regulation in two discrete zones. That means you can set each side of the bed to a different temperature, opt to only cool one side, or even set one side to heat and the other to cool. It’s controlled by a phone app that requires a monthly subscription, but that comes with some nice bonuses like sleep tracking and automatic temperature adjustments to provide the best night of sleep possible.

The Eight Sleep Pod 3 system is available in a few different configurations, but we recommend the Sleep Pod 3 Cover in particular because it lets you keep your existing mattress. If you’re in the market for a new mattress, the Pod 3 Mattress ($3,395 at Eight Sleep) is also available as an integrated system with all of the cooling technology built right in. Regardless of which one you choose, the system is capable of heating and cooling. It even vibrates, which means it can wake you up in the morning with a gentle shake, either alone or in conjunction with a temperature change.

If you opt for the mattress cover, one issue you will run into is that it isn’t washable. That’s due to all the technology that’s built into the cover that would be ruined if you put it in the wash. Eight Sleep sells an optional Pod Protector ($119 at Eight Sleep) to get around that issue. While it does represent an additional cost, it’s well worth it to protect this expensive bed cooling system. 

Price at time of publish: $2,295

_{Cooling Method: Water | Active Cooling: Yes | Temperature Range: 55 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit | Coverage: Full, queen, king, and California king mattress sizes}

Best Portable System

Bedfans USA bFan bed fan with wireless remote

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The bFan is ideal for anyone who has trouble sleeping without the coverage of a sheet, or even a weighted blanket, but gets too hot at night to keep the covers on. This bed cooling system is a lot simpler than other active systems, as it consists of a fan unit that blows cooling air under your existing bedding. That means you can use it with your favorite sheets or comforter, a weighted blanket, or even a cooling blanket for an even better night’s sleep. Since there aren’t any additional components beyond the fan, this is one of the only bed cooling systems you can take with you when you travel. It’s very easy to set up and take down, and it works with just about any bed.

This is an air-based cooling system, so it does have some limitations. It doesn’t actually lower the temperature of the air like an air conditioner, so it’s very affordable to run in terms of power use, but there are some limits to what it can accomplish if it’s especially hot or humid in your room. Since it works by blowing air under your sheet or blanket, it also won’t work if you toss and turn and throw your bedding off in the night. It includes a convenient remote to turn on and off, adjust the fan speed, and set a timer, but there’s no thermostat, so it takes some guesswork to find the optimal fan speed for your own personal comfort. But if you’re looking for one of the best bed fans to cool you down at night, this one’s a relatively budget-friendly option.

Price at time of publish: $185

_{Cooling Method: Air | Active Cooling: Yes | Temperature Range: Not applicable | Coverage: Any mattress size}

Best Cooling Mattress Pad

Slumber Cloud Performance Mattress Pad

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The Slumber Cloud Performance Mattress Pad provides passive cooling, which means it doesn’t actively remove heat. Instead of active cooling, it relies on materials that are specifically designed to absorb moisture and heat. The first material is Tencel, which is a type of rayon that exhibits moisture-wicking properties. The other is Slumber Cloud’s own proprietary Outlast fibers, which absorb heat and then later release it when you have cooled down. This combination of advanced materials allows the mattress pad to effectively regulate the temperature of your bed at night, keep you from getting uncomfortably sweaty, and provide a cooler sleeping environment.

There are limits to what a cooling mattress pad can do, since it doesn’t use any active cooling, but Slumber Cloud has a 60-day return policy that provides plenty of time to see if it works for you. You can install it over the top of another mattress topper, so there’s no need to worry about comfort issues if you already have a topper that you love. It isn’t waterproof—so you’ll want to avoid spills—but it does have excellent moisture-wicking properties to deal with sweat, and you can toss it in the washing machine when it needs a deep clean. It’s available in a variety of sizes, from twin to king, but only in a single color.

Price at time of publish: $249

_{Cooling Method: Not applicable | Active Cooling: No | Temperature Range: Not applicable | Coverage: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king, and split king mattress sizes}

Best Cooling Mattress

Casper Nova Hybrid Mattress

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If you tend to sleep hot and are in the market for a new mattress to keep you cool, Casper’s Nova Hybrid is an excellent choice. After putting this mattress to the test in a real home setting, we gave this mattress perfect ratings across the board. It blew us away in terms of its comfort, support, and value, and we felt our sleep quality improved after sleeping on it during the testing period.

It doesn’t have an active cooling mechanism like you’d find in Eight Sleep’s Pod 3 mattress, but the lack of active cooling means it's both less expensive and there’s no complicated setup process. Instead of active cooling, it’s designed with Casper’s AirScape Technology, which essentially means that two of its foam layers have small holes to increase airflow and draw heat from your body throughout the night.

This is a hybrid mattress that combines layers of breathable foam and a system of innersprings below, all of which is encased in a knit cover. The result is a mattress that feels soft on top with firmer support and has excellent breathability. We sent the mattress home with a tester who is a combination sleeper, and they reported that it’s supremely comfortable for back, side, and stomach sleeping alike. We also didn’t notice any odors when we first set up this mattress, which is a huge perk, as off-gassing isn’t uncommon among foam and hybrid mattresses. While this isn’t the cheapest solution for keeping cool at night, we appreciate that the mattress is covered by a 100-night trial period and ten-year limited warranty

Price at time of publish: $2,295 for queen

_{Cooling Method: Not applicable | Active Cooling: No | Temperature Range: Not applicable | Coverage: Twin XL, queen, full, king, and California king mattress sizes}

Best Cooling Pillow

Coop Sleep Goods The Eden Pillow

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The Eden Pillow from Coop Home Goods is built specifically for hot sleepers, with a soft, cool-to-the-touch rayon cover, and shredded memory foam fill that absorbs heat. When we tested this pillow, we appreciated the high-quality construction and how it didn’t heat up during the night. This pillow doesn’t have any active cooling mechanisms, but the combination of materials used for the filling and cover work well to absorb heat and sweat. We appreciate that both the cover and inner pillow are machine washable, too. You can use the pillow with your existing bedding, or in concert with other cooling options, so you can pair it with an active bed cooling system or an assortment of other passive options to create your ideal sleeping space.

One of the great things about this pillow is that it’s designed for each individual to customize. It’s easy to adjust the fill level—the brand even provides some suggestions for how much fill to add or remove based on your sleeping position—and it comes with a lot of stuffing. That means you can easily adjust the firmness of the pillow to your liking. There is a bit of a chemical odor associated with the fill material when you first unpack the pillow, but that sort of off-gassing is common with memory foam products. If you unpack the pillow, let it air out, and wash the cover, you’ll find that the odor doesn’t linger. All in all, if you find yourself flipping your pillow to the cooler side in the middle of the night, the super-comfy Eden Pillow is worth giving a try.

How It Performed Long-Term

We continued to test this pillow at home for six months, during which time we didn’t notice any changes in the overall quality of the pillow. It retained its shape and stayed cool at night, and we didn’t observe any wear and tear. We are still very impressed with and highly recommend this adjustable pillow for all kinds of sleepers, but especially if you tend to run warm.

Price at time of publish: $96

_{Cooling Method: Not applicable | Active Cooling: No | Temperature Range: Not applicable | Coverage: Queen and king pillow sizes}