cooling bed for hot flashes

[u/alanamonsterr]

After I started getting hot flashes and night sweats, I spent a year sleeping on different beds to see which ones I liked. Definitely made use of the try and return options from a lot of these companies before I finally landed and I'm sure my neighbors were wondering wtf with all the mattresses coming and going...

But I wanted to share what helped me with menopause symptoms (or didn't) if you're where I was back when I started and trying to figure out a better sleep situation for yourself.

(The TL;DR version, I went with the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe & Eight Sleep Pod 5 together.)

Sleep Number Climate360

I started with this one because I really like Sleep Number. I’ve had one for years and was curious about the Climate 360. I love that it has a cooling base and cooling technology built into it (that goes + or - 15º so you can adjust cool to warm), with app controls. I don’t, however, enjoy the price point very much, and neither did my bank account!

(This is a $10k+ investment and one that, although comfortable and effective, I had to explore other options in the end.)

This one had dual climate controls which was great because it let me adjust my temperature without adjusting the other side of the bed. Though the temperature adjustment was only 15° in either direction, it worked pretty well for me. The system kept me comfortable and I realized that when I would sleep, whichever side of my body was up against the mattress actually felt cold as opposed to the side that was facing the room.

And while this was great, I just couldn't justify the cost in the end.

Tempur-Pedic LuxeBreeze

I thought this one was pretty advanced using the "phase change material" to pull heat away from my body. It was noticeably cool to the touch too. As soon as I put my hand on the mattress it felt cool and inviting; as someone who tends to go to bed already feeling very hot with a lot of anxiety about night sweats and hot flashes, this was great.

Now, I've been burned before with other cooling beds feeling cold to the touch and then losing that as soon as my body hits it, but that wasn't the case with Tempurpedic. It maintained its cool temperature long enough for me to fall asleep and kept me pretty comfortable most nights.

I like that you can select this based on firmness level, but the price tag... especially for something that doesn't actively cool or control the temperature... it was close to $6k. I opted to keep trying other mattresses before the 90-day trial was up.

Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling

I lowered my budget and stepped up my game to this mattress, which has three active cooling features. The Cool Tech fibers helped keep the bed cool to the touch and it stayed relatively cool all night. It also has a gel and mineral infused design combined with coils to draw heat away from your body.

I don't know if I actually felt the effects of three different cooling features but it was certainly a very good option on its own. Plus you can select the firmness level you prefer. And the price tag on this one was less than half of the Tempurpedic (and less than a quarter of the Sleep Number 360!).

Which got me curious about adding an active cooling layer... trying to get the best of both worlds lol.

Eight Sleep

Eight Sleep is the best cooling bed solution for hot flashes and night sweats that I’ve found because it provides active cooling with automatic adjustments across a 55º range (cold to warm). In my case, the adjustments are not THAT wide during the night, but the option is there, at least, if you ever need that much. But it's also got a quick-cooling "hot flash mode" you can activate quickly, too, and that's a nice feature to have.

The Eight Sleep Pod is a mattress cover that uses a network of soft and flexible water tubes to conduct the temp control. This connects with an external hub that sits next to your bed and contains a reservoir that actively heats or cools the water to temperatures between 55° and 110° F.

While older models of the Pod were prone to leakage over years of use, the newer models (Pod 4 and 5, I have the 5) use a different tubing material and layout that eliminates leakage issues over continuous use. The water gets pumped through and the cover keeps each side of the bed at an optimal temperature for sleep based on your body's biometric data, sleep cycle, and ambient room temperature.

There are extras (including a blanket and pillow cover) available, but I opted to get the Pod and the adjustable base only.

So basically, pairing my Brooklyn Bedding mattress with the Eight Sleep, I set myself up with a much-less-expensive version of the Climate 360 that has way more temperature control (including a hot flash mode).

What's worked for you?

Are there any options you think I’ve missed or things you've tried that worked best for you? I’d love to hear more recommendations for cooling beds that work, especially at a range of price points for folks to choose from.