6 Best Cooling Pillows of 2026, Tested by Editors and Sleep Experts

The best activewear (think Lululemon yoga pants and The North Face jackets) relies on serious tech to regulate your temperature and keep you dry. Sleep Number uses a similar feature in its True Temp Pillow—specifically, a material that "attracts and removes moisture vapor to resist heat and humidity buildup." Translation: You sleep cooler, drier, and more comfortably.

This pillow is available in three options: classic, contour, and ultimate. The flagship Ultimate pillow includes three removable foam inserts (4, 5, and 6 inches tall) so you can dial in your exact height and support level. That makes it the best cooling pillow for all sleeping positions, since you can easily mix and match.

WH contributor Mike Richard has now spent months testing all three models. He keeps coming back to the Contour and Ultimate. "They're the cooling pillows that are on my bed night after night—the ones that my girlfriend and I fight over," he says. "We've both found the foam fill to be extremely effective at drawing away heat and keeping us cool, even on the hottest summer nights." Because he's also a combo sleeper—shifting from his back to his side to his stomach and back again throughout the night (in his own words)—Richard says the Ultimate has the versatility to keep him comfortable no matter what.

Read more: Best Pillows for Neck Pain

This pillow offers a "best of both worlds" design with a synthetic shredded memory foam fill that's encased in a polyester and natural bamboo fabric blend—nice-to-have features in a cooling pillow, Dr. Winter says. You can also add or remove the foam fill to adjust the pillow to your preference. So, you can adjust both height and firmness, making it feel like a custom bedroom piece.

This is also a rare cooling pillow that features a fully machine-washable design. You can throw both the cover and interior fill in the washer for easy, low-maintenance care. What most sets this model apart for us is the affordable price tag, making it one of the best-value, best "bang-for-your-buck" cooling pillows of 2026.

Calling all side sleepers: The Z Gel Memory Foam L-Shape Pillow is perfect if you want maximum head, neck, and shoulder support in one. The unique L-shape replaces multiple pillows, so you can ditch the separate "head and body pillow" or "head and back pillow" setup you're currently cobbling together to stay comfortable at night. The high-tech gel cools way better than traditional memory foam, giving you a perfectly chilly snoozing surface.

Made with bamboo and smooth rayon, this option feels like buttery-soft memory foam under your head and neck and helps reduce sleep pain. The Tencel cover is also cool to the touch, moisture-wicking, and easy to remove for machine washing.

The main downside is the lack of a true in-home sleep trial. Amazon buyers can still take advantage of the company's solid return policy.

Finding the right pillow—including cooling options—depends heavily on your preferred sleep position. Ostrichpillow makes the choice easier with its simply named Memory Foam Bed Pillow. It's ultra-versatile, with an ergonomic design that works whether you snooze on your back, side, or stomach. The slightly higher "flared" sides provide greater support for side sleepers, while the center dip perfectly cradles the head and neck for back and stomach sleepers.

Unlike most shredded memory foam pillow designs, you don't have to fuss with adding or removing foam fill. Just rotate it 90 degrees to dial in your preferred height. It's a great solution, especially if you're a combo sleeper who switches positions in the middle of the night.

While it's not marketed specifically as a "cooling pillow," the memory foam features open channels that promote continuous airflow to prevent overheating, and we can confirm they work very well. We love the premium, medium-density memory foam that provides just the right support and pressure relief in any position.

For contributor Mike Richard, this pillow ranks second only to Sleep Number's True Temp pillow. "My girlfriend swears by it, and even after trialing dozens of pillows over the last year, this is the one she always keeps on our bed as her go-to," he says.

Bedgear's premium pillows use soft-to-the-touch foam that contours (a.k.a. hugs) your body, all while deflecting heat. “They are very cool and lightweight,” Dr. Winter says. The Storm Series pillows also have a numbering system to help you figure out what size you need. Plus, Bedgear “also makes very good temperature-reducing bedding to put over the pillow,” Dr. Winter says. We love that the versatile, dual design is soft on one side and firm on the other, making it a great option for every sleep position. Just flip to the side you need, even in the middle of the night.

There's only one downside to this and most of Bedgear's pillows and bedding: price. All this great cooling pillow tech doesn't come cheap. If you factor in not having to buy a new cooling pillow every few years because you're not happy with any of them, buying this pillow once will probably save you money in the long run.