Mattress toppers that don't make you too hot?

Sasha

Sasha

Senior Member (Voting Rights)
I have a foam mattress topper and keep waking up in the night too hot, throwing quilts off, and then waking up too cold later, and on and on.

Does anyone have experience with non-foam ones? Recommendations?
 
We have a woolen mattress topper (on top of a foam mattress) and are very happy with it, especially in comparison to the foam mattress by itself - it seems to keep a more consistent temperature. We sourced it from here, I have no affiliation with them and I'm sure other suppliers exist. In the early days it still had a wool smell to it but over time that wore off - we didn't find it a problem but I thought it was worth mentioning for those people who do suffer with smell sensitivity.
 
@Sasha I'm assuming you've checked to confirm it is actually the topper thats causing the issue? ie that it doesnt happen when you're on a different sleep surface? If so i recommend wool topper from the Woolroom. Wait till they have a sale on, they have them every few wks. (edit, the one Andy mentioned looks good too, it looks thicker than mine)

I ask if you've checked because I've recently had the same problem that isnt related to the topper because i been using the same topper for yrs.

I have been having night sweats for 20yrs - waking up in early hrs drenched in sweat bedclothes wet. During that time i tried all kinds of different bedding/toppers etc & the only one that rectified it was a wool topper & thin (4.5 tog) feather duvet & cotton nightshirt. (in summer just an empty duvet cover (so a kind of double sheet).
In winter I would get the room really warm before sleep with a little electric radiator, & then as the room cooled during the night it counteracted my body heat rising. So i highly recommend wool topper - i still had the odd night sweat but not as intense, & other than that would stay same temp most of the night. Wool bedding is good because it's breathable.

But then about 2 months ago, (with no change to the bedding arrangements) i started having problems. I am now waking every 30-90 mins, too hot, even with no nightie & a ONE tog! wool duvet - so in theory a summer weight duvet in quite cool weather - its not a night sweat - i'm not drenched - just too hot, so hot i feel nauseated, like my upper torso is radiating heat while arms & legs are chilly. And then when i've been awake 5 mins i become chilly, & if i drop back off to sleep i wake up very cold, shivering. It repeats itself through the night.

Its driving me bananas. I have tried every possible permutation of night clothes, bedclothes, topper/no topper etc, it's either too cold to get to sleep in the first place or i wake up after a short while very hot, push the bedclothes down & then wake half hour later really cold. It's more akin to having a fever. I cant understand it or seem to find a way to solve it. I'm assuming it must be hormonal with me being 'that age' but as i said i was having night sweats for 20yrs & they have completely stopped to be replaced by this
Sasha said:
keep waking up in the night too hot, throwing quilts off, and then waking up too cold later, and on and on.
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So just make sure it is the topper before you shell out for another.
 
Thanks, @Andy - great recommendation!

Sorry to hear about your struggles with body temp, @JemPD. I've had periods of my illness where my temperature control has gone out of whack, including in daytime, but it has stablised in recent years and I'm pretty sure this is a mattress-topper issue. That's a good idea to test it, though - I'll try taking the topper off and just sleeping on the mattress underneath.

Great tip about the sale - thank you!
 
I use a latex mattress topper that looks like this. They come in different thicknesses.

I switched to a Mulberry silk duvet many years ago b/c of night sweats. I will never go back to wool or feathers.
 
Thats interesting Mij, do you 'sink into' the foam like with memory foam? I cant use memory foam because you have to kind of lift yourself out of the hole in order to turn over, which i do a lot i am a very fidgetty sleeper. I once got stuck & couldnt turn over while in a bad PEM state i was so weak i couldnt get out of the hole my body had made lol
 
@JemPD

No, latex is nothing like memory foam. You don't 'sink in', it naturally holds it's firmness with just the right amount of support and regulates temperatures.

I spent a bit of money on a memory foam pillow and gave it away, it was too hot and my head sunk in like cement.

I bought a pillow make from Hevea milk and foam. It all gets expensive but if you can afford it it's well worth it for more comfortable sleep.
 
Mij said:
@JemPD

No, latex is nothing like memory foam. You don't 'sink in', it naturally holds it's firmness with just the right amount of support and regulates temperatures.

I spent a bit of money on a memory foam pillow and gave it away, it was too hot and my head sunk in like cement.

I bought a pillow make from Hevea milk and foam. It all gets expensive but if you can afford it it's well worth it for more comfortable sleep.
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Thanks for that Mij, i found a company that offers a money back guarantee Latex Sense Ultimate Talalay Latex Topper - Natural Talalay Latex Toppers - Latex Sense
so i might try it. Also a silk duvet Mulberry Silk Duvets | Jasmine Silk that seem to have a money back guarantee. As you say very expensive, but I dont mind scrimping on other things to get these things, but only if they work, i have spent a fortune on different things trying to just get a bit of ruddy sleep! So if they offer a guarantee after 30 days if i dont like it they'll refund, there is only time & inconveniece to lose.

I also found this guide to different latex toppers which was wuite interesting if it's helpful to anyone 6 Best Latex Mattress Toppers UK | Coupons | October 2021 (themattressguide.co.uk)
 
We also have a wool topper that we're both very happy with, on top of a natural latex mattress. When we bought it the supplier had two kinds, one with treated wool with supposedly no wool smell, so if smell is an issue maybe other suppliers have the same type of product? Ours was bought from a small scale wool shop in Norway that seems to have been closed down since. We didn't buy the one with treated wool, so I can't say if it had a wool smell or not.
 
I have a latex mattress and topper, from latexsense. It is good but it does degrade over time. It looses some of its support. I’d recommend getting one that is too firm at first as it will soften. I wish it would stay fully supportive as i need both good support but softness.

it does not make you hot like foam does. Make sure you buy 100% natural latex without any artificial latex. It is a minefield buying latex due to confusing labeling and misleading labeling. Chemical latex has totally different properties and may be problematic fir those with sensitivities as well.

I may try wool next. Good to read the positive comments on that.
 
Sasha said:
Just want to thank everyone for their great contributions so far!

I'm wondering if repeated waking due to this problem is contributing to my unrefreshing sleep so this is an important thread for me. :)
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Getting a better mattress did improve my quality of sleep. I was really struggling before, including with overheating from the memory foam mattress I had originally. Don’t think it has helped my ME but it’s one less thing on top of the ME. A topper really helped and I figure it is cheaper to replace the topper, which should wear out first.

I found it v stressful trying to find something good though. I bought and returned a couple of other mattresses first before i settled.

I hope you end up with something that is exactly right for you, without too much stress!
 
Yesterday i won the lottery (first time I've played in about 2 years and still had a couple of quid in my account).

My winnings do not come close to being able to afford one of those duvets (I 'won' £4.30 but the ticket price was £2.50 (I think) so in reality I only won £1.80).

So those duvets are so expensive that even lottery winners can't afford them:laugh:
 
Joel said:
I have a latex mattress and topper, from latexsense. It is good but it does degrade over time. It looses some of its support. I’d recommend getting one that is too firm at first as it will soften. I wish it would stay fully supportive as i need both good support but softness.

it does not make you hot like foam does. Make sure you buy 100% natural latex without any artificial latex. It is a minefield buying latex due to confusing labeling and misleading labeling. Chemical latex has totally different properties and may be problematic fir those with sensitivities as well.

I may try wool next. Good to read the positive comments on that.
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@Joel, would you say the latex topper is as soft as a memory foam one? I'm wondering whether to go for a 2" or 3" latex mattress for softness but the latter will obviously be more expensive. And heavier! I'm worried that a topper will be too heavy for me to get up the stairs.
 
I'd be worried about it's height - I have enough problems getting fitted sheets to fit on my bare mattress, adding another 2 or 3 inches to its height would mean custom made sheets (and my mattress is not that tall by modern standards).

When it was new I did have a bamboo topper on it, it was a new mattress and firmer than it is now (or I've got less sensitive to such things) and needed it. It was retired a few years ago as I got sick of the battle to get sheets on it, of pulling muscles etc. It was only about an inch thick.

It did not increase the bed temp, bamboo apparently has a reputation for being cooling, but my body temps at night can be all over the place so it's impossible to know for sure, but it didn't seem to make it any hotter.

Washing/cleaning can also be an issue with toppers - in that they don't tend to fit in domestic washing machines, and cost a little over 2 arms to have done professionally.
 
Wonko said:
I'd be worried about it's height - I have enough problems getting fitted sheets to fit on my bare mattress, adding another 2 or 3 inches to its height would mean custom made sheets (and my mattress is not that tall by modern standards).

When it was new I did have a bamboo topper on it, it was a new mattress and firmer than it is now (or I've got less sensitive to such things) and needed it. It was retired a few years ago as I got sick of the battle to get sheets on it, of pulling muscles etc. It was only about an inch thick.
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You can get different depths of fitted sheet - eg from MArks & spencer - My mattress is very thick plus about 5cm of toppers & the Extra Deep Fitted sheet size fits it fine. for example Comfortably Cool Extra Deep Fitted Sheet | M&S (marksandspencer.com) fits depth of up to 15 inches

There is also a Deep size which fits depth up to 12cm
 
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