Memory Foam Hot To Sleep On?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions we get. And I've certainly read a variety of answers on it all over the web. So here's my best answer - it depends.

What do I mean? It depends on the memory foam, how it is presented (what type of cover used, for instance), and whether an individual tends to sleep hot regardless of what type of mattress they sleep on. I can say for our product line this hasn't been a problem - we rarely get a complaint that our memory foam products sleep hot. But I have heard from people that others might have this issue. Often, though, you really need to know the ins and outs of a product before you can understand if the problem is the foam sleeping hot or some other issue (like the cover, a person's natural tendency to sleep hot, etc.) that might be the real culprit.

For example, when I sold Tempur-Pedic TM mattresses, we had customers complaining about sleeping hot all the time. But we found out over time that in most cases it wasn't the Tempur TM foam that was hot to sleep on. Instead it was the cover - the cover had a built in water barrier that many people found hot to sleep on. So we came up with an easy fix - just unzip the cover and try to sleep just on the foam. And I'd say 90+% of the time this fixed it. So it wasn't the foam, it was the cover.

As I said above, we have almost no returns due to our toppers or mattresses sleeping hot. The very few people we do hear from basically fall into two categories - those that are in really hot climates and keep their homes warm, or people that have a problem with sleeping hot (that is, they sleep hot regardless of what type of mattress they sleep on). My best guess, based on our customer response and returns, is that sleeping hot is a problem less than 1/2 of 1% of the time for our customers with our memory foam topper and memory foam mattress product lines. But other memory foams may get different responses from their customers regarding sleeping hot, so you really need to ask a retailer questions about the specific memory foam you are considering buying.

My own personal experience is that I find some memory foams a bit hotter to sleep on than others. When I slept on Tempur-Pedic TM, I did often feel warm - not uncomfortably so, but warmer than I sometimes liked. For the last few years I've slept on one of our memory foam toppers, and I have really never feel overly warm. My personal opinion is that memory foam does sleep a bit warmer than a polyfiber topped mattress, but I just adjust the amount/weight of any covers and blankets I use and I'm perfectly comfortable.