There are few better feelings than sinking your head into bed at the end of a long day. But if you’ve ever spent a sleepless night flipping to the cool side of the pillow, you know that comfort can be more complicated than it seems.
That’s why a cooling pillow is ideal if you’re prone to overheating. These pillows use a range of temperature-regulating materials, breathable layers, and even cooling gel fillings to ensure a good night’s sleep.
Whether you’re looking for help with night sweats, hot flushes, or simply a more refreshing sleep setup, we’re here to help with a few options for side, front, and back sleepers, covering all cooling bedtime bases.
Read on for our pick of the best cooling pillows, from gently refreshing to noticeably cool.
How we tested
We trialled a range of pillows over several months, sampling them one at a time with different bedding layers. Our tester looked at how much cooling comfort the pillows provided for sleeping on and sitting up in bed. We also compared firmness and value for money, as well as breathability and any additional design features.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Helen Wilson-Beevers is a writer and editor who specialises in lifestyle content. Helen began contributing to The Independent's lifestyle desk in 2018 and became a regular contributor for IndyBest in 2021, covering new launches, product reviews, best buys and trending stories. When it comes to home essentials, she’s tested everything from silk pillowcases to washable rugs, always offering honest opinions and bringing detailed reviews to help inform your shopping choices.
The best cooling pillows for 2024 are:
- Best overall – Silentnight wellbeing cool touch pillow: £29, Silentnight.co.uk
- Best for height adaptability – Slumberdown cool touch super support pillow: £14, Asda.com
- Best firm pillow – Eve Sleep memory foam pillow: £70, Evesleep.co.uk
- Best budget buy – M&S two-pack comfortably cool pillows: £35, Marksandspencer.com
Silentnight cool touch pillow
The knitted cover of this Silentnight cooling pillow holds medium-firm filling inside, with a top layer of gel bubbles. These tactile bumps released intense, instant coolness when our tester’s head pressed onto the hypoallergenic pillow. We appreciated the immediate chill, especially when waking up too warm or turning over. The gel pad is soft enough to lay your head on while bringing the crisp relief of a cold surface.
Although the gel bubbles warmed up slightly after resting for a while, we found their freshness returned by shifting our head’s position. Our tester noted the pillow has shape flexibility and works well as part of a stack. It is a fairly flat headrest when used alone, but we couldn’t fault how cooling the top layer is, making the under £30 price tag a very reasonable spend.
Buy now £29.00, Silentnight.co.uk
Dreams therapur memory foam ice pillow
This memory foam pillow has a dense shape with enough movement to mould to your head and a cooling knitted cover. Our tester found the firm foam best for side sleeping while being noticeably supportive. We could feel the firmness hold our neck well in particular.
Both sides are cooling to the touch and bring that flipped pillow feel, offering instant respite from being too warm. There’s breathability in the memory foam as well, adding an airiness. The pillow’s depth is level throughout, so it lies flush with other bedding. Although an investment pillow purchase, the firming support accompanying its breezy coolness would also suit head or neck achiness.
Buy now £80.00, Dreams.co.uk
Simba hybrid pillow
This hypoallergenic pillow arrived with a drawstring mesh bag to store any excess foam cube filling, which can be removed to adjust the firmness. As the “nanocubes” are small, we liked being able to tailor the height precisely. The top temperature-regulating pillow layer is immediately cooling to the touch, and we were soothed by this when turning over in bed. Continuous moving around at night doesn’t diminish that fresh feel either.
On the other side is a smooth cotton surface, while the mesh outer border keeps airflow moving, and we noticed a refreshing airiness. The overall outer composition has a durable high-quality thickness to match the premium price. Because of the adjustability, we were comfy in all sleeping positions and even at its firmest, the machine washable pillow is spongy enough for resting on.
Read the full Simba hybrid review
Buy now £109.00, Simbasleep.com
Emma premium microfibre pillow
The zip closure case with blue piping contains separate bulky and flat microfibre layers, which are removable to cater for different firmness preferences. We mostly kept them both in place, liking how much our head sank into the super fluffy overall composition. It felt similar to a down pillow.
The freshness we noticed comes from the top “UltraDry” sweat-eliminating cover. We noted a comforting crispness to this supremely soft pillow top, bringing a gentle airiness rather than an overt chill. Plus, because of the squishy filling, we found it supportive in all sleeping positions. The entire pillow is machine washable for thorough cleaning too.
Buy now £69.00, Landofbeds.co.uk
Soak & Sleep pure silk pillow
Hypoallergenic silk has natural temperature-regulating qualities, wicking away moisture and warmth like sweat. The satisfyingly plumped-up, yet soft, fibres were gently cooling on our face while we fell asleep, and retained freshness overnight. We also found it easy to settle into the composition across all sleeping positions, which we noticed most during a few restless nights we spent tossing and turning.
The effect of sinking into this pillow is luxurious relaxation, with it being light and breathable to rest on, rather than really chilly. We could also feel a soothing skin comfort from this pillow, too.
Read the full Soak & Sleep pure silk pillow review
Buy now £80.00, Soakandsleep.com
Eve Sleep memory foam pillow
The yellow-piped pillow comes complete with a removable machine-washable polyester cover for keeping it clean. There are tiny holes in the PU memory foam, adding breathability which we noted when resting our head on its surface. That’s where we saw the coolness come into play, as a refreshing airy release, rather than a chilly overall surface area.
The firm foam was supportive and held our head and back in place without any squishiness. There was some give with movement, but just the right amount for a dense firmness. We found this pillow to be a useful height for reading on our back or side, too.
Read the full Eve Sleep memory foam pillow review
Buy now £70.00, Evesleep.co.uk
Kally Sleep cooling pillow
This fluffed-up medium firm pillow contains inner foam, and an outer microfibre filling with a mesh surround for boosting air circulation. We found the composition really comfy to prop us up when lying on our back or side. Each side of the pillow is equally fresh, and we noticed the breeziness from the mesh while hugging it too.
Resting our head on the smooth surface felt refreshing and lightly cooling. But for us, the mesh surround brought the most coolness – sometimes, we placed our hands on it while sleeping. It’s worth knowing that the pillow can be hand-washed too.
Buy now £31.49, Kallysleep.com
M&S two pack comfortably cool pillows
This polyester-filled pillow pair has a cotton exterior that we noticed felt fresh when first laying our head down. Layering both together lets you sit up in bed, and when separated, we found using one was enough to sleep on our side. They are a simple composition as pillows go if you prefer a classic shape and style, and we appreciated the crisp cotton effect they add to bedding, with a light, refreshing feel on our skin. Machine washable too, we were impressed by the price point for a matching pair.
Buy now £35.00, Marksandspencer.com
Cooling pillows FAQs
What to look for in a cooling pillow
There are several key factors to consider when shopping for a cooling pillow and these also depend on personal preference. When it comes to materials, natural fillings like silk, wool and down are temperature regulating. Meanwhile, pillows with cooling technology such as gel pads and mesh to promote airflow offer refreshing and breathable benefits too. Finally selecting pillow firmness varies according to whether you’re a back, side or front sleeper. Many cooling pillows are machine washable for cleaning practicality, so it’s worth checking this too.
The verdict: Cooling pillows
The Simba hybrid pillow offers height adaptability and a soothing coolness. If you’re looking for a pillow pair, we rate Next’s active cooling set. Finally, for breezy cooling, plus back and neck support, we’d recommend the Dreams therapur memory foam ice pillow.
Front, side and back sleepers, we’ve found the best memory foam pillows for extra neck support and comfort
