How to stay cool in bed during hot flashes

Key takeaways

• Hot flashes often arrive at night. In one sleep lab study, women had about three or four a night.

• The bed holds the heat. A mattress and covers that trap warmth can leave you lying in it after the flash has passed, so a cooler bed is often the most comfortable place to start.

• An active cooling mattress topper works on the mattress you already own. The Orion Sleep System cools or heats each side of the bed separately, and has a one-tap setting that cools your side.

• Everything else on the bed still counts. Our picks for a cooling mattress, sheets, a comforter, a pillow, pajamas, and a fan each take on a different source of heat.

• Comfort isn’t treatment. If hot flashes are wearing you down, a doctor can talk through treatments that work on the hot flashes themselves.

Why hot flashes hit so hard at night

A hot flash starts in the brain’s temperature control. In women who have them, the range of body temperature the body tolerates before it starts sweating or shivering shrinks almost to nothing. A review by researcher Robert Freedman describes hot flashes as set off by small rises in core body temperature inside that narrowed zone. The body then dumps heat fast, with flushing and sweat.

Night is when that’s hardest to escape. You’re under covers, on a mattress that holds warmth, often next to a partner who gives off heat of their own. In a 2014 sleep lab study of 34 women in the years around their last period, the women had an average of 3.5 hot flashes a night, and 69% of those were linked to an awakening.

They’re common and they can last. In a large US study that followed 3,198 women in midlife, more than half (55.5%) said at their fifth yearly visit that they’d had hot flashes, night sweats, or cold sweats in the previous two weeks. In a Philadelphia study that followed women for up to 16 years, moderate or severe hot flashes lasted an average of 4.6 years after the final period, and a third still had moderate or severe ones 10 years or more after.

You can’t control when a hot flash comes. What you can control is how much heat your bed holds onto, and how quickly you can cool down when one hits. Here’s what can make those moments more comfortable, starting with the bed itself.

How we chose

We picked one product for each layer of the bed and the room, from the mattress up. For each category, we looked at how the product handles heat and moisture, how it suits someone who goes from hot to cold in the same night, and what independent reviews say about it, then checked every detail against the maker’s own website on November 3, 2026. Prices are for a Queen where sizes apply, and sales are noted as sales, since they change often.

1. Active cooling mattress topper: Orion Sleep System

The Orion Sleep System is an active cooling and heating topper for the mattress you already own. The Smart Cover fits over your mattress like a fitted sheet and sits under your own sheets. It’s about as thick as a sheet. A Control Tower beside the bed cools or heats water and circulates it through the cover. Each side of the bed has its own temperature, and the water can be set anywhere from 50°F to 113°F.

When the heat builds, a setting in the app called Hot Flash Relief cools the water on your side to 50°F for 15 to 60 minutes. You start it with one tap, in the app or from a Home Screen widget. Your partner’s side stays where it is, and your side goes back to its usual setting when the time is up.

You can also set a schedule, with different temperatures for bedtime, early night, late night, and wake-up, and separate times for weekdays and weekends. If you tend to get cold toward morning, you can schedule your side to warm up before you wake.

What works: You can cool your side in one tap when the heat builds, and your partner keeps their own temperature.

What doesn’t: It comes in three sizes only, and it’s a bigger purchase than the other picks here.

Best for: Hot sleepers who share a bed, and anyone who wants to change the temperature of the bed itself, not just the room.

2. Cooling mattress: Helix Midnight Luxe

If you’re replacing a mattress anyway, consider the Helix Midnight Luxe, a hybrid with a breathable cover over foam and coils. It has layers of gel memory foam and support foam over up to 1,000 individually wrapped coils, and a cover made with TENCEL fibers from eucalyptus, which Helix says “naturally enhances airflow.” It’s 13.5 inches tall and sits at a medium feel. For more cooling, Helix sells an upgraded GlacioTex cover, which it says draws heat away from the surface.

A Queen lists at about $2,499 and was $1,874 with a 25%-off code when we checked. The GlacioTex cover adds $187 to $249 on a Queen.

What works: Coils and a breathable cover, in a medium feel that suits side sleepers.

What doesn’t: It’s a big purchase to make for heat alone, and the GlacioTex cooling cover costs extra.

Best for: People who need a new mattress and sleep on their side.

3. Cooling sheets: Brooklinen Classic Percale Core Sheet Set

Brooklinen’s Classic Percale sheets are 100% long-staple cotton in a 270 thread count percale weave, a simple one-over, one-under weave that feels crisp and matte. Brooklinen calls them “ideal for hot sleepers” and adds “night-sweaters this fabric is for you!” A Queen set (flat sheet, fitted sheet, and two pillowcases) is $199 in solid colors. Fitted sheets fit mattresses up to 16 inches deep.

Sheets sit right against your skin, so they decide how quickly heat and sweat can get away from you. They can’t make the bed colder than the room, though. We look at what fabrics and weaves really do in do cooling sheets actually work?

What works: A crisp, breathable weave at a moderate price.

What doesn’t: Percale wrinkles, and it feels crisp rather than silky.

Best for: Anyone who wants a cooler first layer.

4. Cooling comforter: Rest Evercool Cooling Comforter

The Rest Evercool is a light, knit comforter made to feel cool to the touch. Its cover uses what Rest calls high-conductivity polyamide yarns, over a fill of TENCEL and Sorona fibers, and Rest says the fabric wicks moisture away from your skin. A Full/Queen lists at $229 and was on sale for $171 when we checked.

It’s closer to a light blanket than a fluffy duvet, so it’s easy to push off when a hot flash hits and pull back afterward. If you share a bed, a separate comforter for each person lets you each choose your own weight, the idea behind the Scandinavian sleep method.

What works: Light and cool against the skin, and easy to throw off when the heat builds.

What doesn’t: It has little loft and a slippery feel, and it needs to touch your skin to feel cool.

Best for: People who still want some covering on a hot night.

5. Cooling pillow: Coop Sleep Goods Cool+ Adjustable Pillow

Your head and neck are often where a hot flash feels worst. The Coop Cool+ Adjustable Pillow is filled with a blend of gel-infused, plus-shaped memory foam pieces and microfiber that you can add or remove to set the height. Its inner liner has a cooling gel memory foam layer with phase change material on one side, and the cover is cool to the touch, scoring 0.48 out of a possible 0.50 on the Q-max coolness scale, according to Coop. A Queen is $149.

Cooling pillows have some research behind them. In a 2016 trial of 74 women having hot flashes as a side effect of breast cancer treatment, those given a cooling pillow topper reported a bigger improvement in their sleep diaries than women given standard care.

What works: Adjustable height, and a cooler side you can turn to.

What doesn’t: Finding the right amount of fill takes trial and error, and the cool feel fades as the pillow warms.

Best for: People whose hot flashes start in the face, neck, and chest.

6. Sleepwear: Cozy Earth Women’s Bamboo Stretch-Knit Short Sleeve Pajama Set

Loose, light sleepwear lets heat escape. Cozy Earth’s short-sleeve set is a stretch knit of 95% viscose made from bamboo and 5% spandex, with shorts and a short-sleeve top. Cozy Earth says the fabric is breathable and moisture-wicking and sleeps cooler than cotton. The set is $134 in solid colors. Short sleeves and shorts leave more skin uncovered when a hot flash hits.

What works: Light, stretchy, and cut short.

What doesn’t: It’s pricey for pajamas, it’s cut generously, and the silky feel isn’t for everyone.

Best for: Hot flashes that come with sweating.

7. Bedroom fan: Honeywell QuietSet Tower Fan

A fan moves heat away from your skin and makes a warm room easier to bear. The NHS suggests keeping your bedroom cool at night and using a fan. In a 2008 study of 17 men sleeping in a hot, humid room, steady airflow, like the breeze from a fan, made the heat easier to sleep through. Our guide to what temperature to sleep at covers the room itself.

The Honeywell QuietSet Tower Fan (model HYF290) is a 40-inch oscillating tower fan with eight speeds, a remote, a 1-, 2-, 4-, or 8-hour shut-off timer, and display lights that dim or turn off. It starts on its lowest “Sleep” speed. Honeywell doesn’t sell it directly, and it was about $84 to $97 at the retailers Honeywell links to when we checked.

What works: A gentle low setting, a timer, and lights you can turn off.

What doesn’t: The lower speeds feel similar, and a fan cools the air, not the mattress under you.

Best for: Warm bedrooms, and anyone who likes some airflow.

The seven picks side by side

Habits worth trying

Keep a glass of cold water and a damp washcloth by the bed. The NHS lists a cold drink and a cool shower among the things that can help during a hot flash, and a cool cloth on your wrists, neck, or face is a quick way to settle before you try to sleep again.

The NHS and MedlinePlus both suggest avoiding common triggers such as spicy food, caffeine, and alcohol. The National Institute on Aging notes that even small amounts of alcohol make it harder to stay asleep, and that waking from sleep may itself set off hot flashes, rather than the other way around.

These steps are about comfort. In its 2023 position statement on non-hormone treatments, The Menopause Society didn’t recommend cooling techniques or avoiding triggers as treatments for hot flashes. They can make a night more bearable, but there isn’t good evidence that they reduce hot flashes. That applies to every pick above, including a cooling topper.

When to talk to a doctor

If hot flashes are disrupting your sleep night after night, it’s worth talking to a doctor. Hormone therapy is the most effective treatment, according to the society, and there are non-hormone options too, including cognitive behavioral therapy and several prescription medicines. Each has its own benefits and risks to discuss.

According to the NHS, see a doctor if night sweats regularly wake you up or worry you, or if they come with a high temperature, a cough or diarrhea, or weight loss you can’t explain. Night sweats have other causes too, including anxiety, some medicines, low blood sugar, and alcohol or drug use.

Frequently asked questions

Why are my hot flashes worse at night?

You’re wrapped in covers on a mattress that holds heat, so it’s harder to cool down once a hot flash starts. Many women also notice them more at night because hot flashes often come with waking up.

What should I sleep on to stay cool during hot flashes?

Start with the bed itself. An active cooling mattress topper like the Orion Sleep System lets you cool your side of the mattress you already have. Percale sheets, such as Brooklinen’s Classic Percale, and a light comforter help heat escape on top.

How can I stay cool at night without waking my partner?

Use separate covers, and choose a cooling option that works on your side only. The Orion Sleep System sets each side of the bed to its own temperature, so you can cool your side while your partner’s stays warm.

Is a cooling mattress or a cooling topper better for hot flashes?

A cooling mattress like the Helix Midnight Luxe is built with coils and a breathable cover meant to let heat escape, but it doesn’t change temperature. An active topper like the Orion Sleep System cools or heats the water running through the cover to the temperature you set, on the mattress you already own.

Do cooling sheets help with night sweats?

They help sweat and heat escape faster, which can feel cooler. They can’t make the bed colder than the room, so they work best alongside a cool room or an active cooling topper.

Does a fan help with hot flashes at night?

A fan can make you more comfortable by moving heat away from your skin, and the NHS suggests one. It cools the air, though, not the mattress you’re lying on.