The Emma Original is a hugely popular mattress, and it's earned a place in our best mattress guide. We've had a chance to get our hands on the Emma Original (quite literally), to see how it feels after a warm night. In our Emma Original mattress review, our tester found that while the sleep surface was cool to the touch, heat could get trapped during the night.
We rated the temperature regulation of the Emma Original as average, which shouldn't be a dealbreaker for most sleepers. Below, we've explored why the Emma Original mattress can trap heat, and what you can do to prevent it from becoming a major problem. However, if you're worried about overheating, hybrid mattresses tend to be more breathable – we have some good options in our best hybrid mattress guide.
Is the Emma mattress hot?
The Emma Original mattress can hold onto heat during the night, meaning hot sleepers might wake up sweaty. This is due to a combination of dense synthetic foam and a medium-soft sleep surface. The thick foam has limited breathability, preventing hot air from circulating, while the close embrace of the softer surface traps heat next to the skin. While most average sleepers won't struggle too much – apart from the occasional warm night – hot sleepers might find themselves waking up consistently sweaty.
How do I make my Emma mattress less hot?
Specialist cooling mattress toppers and pillows are a cost-effective way to refresh your sleep setup for cooler nights. Also, try switching synthetic bedding for natural materials, which are typically more breathable. A cooler room can also help, so maybe hold back before turning the heating on.
If you're interested in an Emma mattress but worried about overheating, consider one of the Emma hybrid models. The Emma NextGen Premium combines plenty of pocket springs with a small foam layer to help air circulate, something we noticed during our Emma NextGen Premium mattress review. For an even cooler night, the Emma Luxe Cooling mattress has been designed with Thermosync technology, intended to absorb heat and redistribute it away from the mattress. Does it work? It seems the answer is yes – in our Emma Luxe Cooling mattress review, our tester rated the temperature regulation as 5/5.
But you don't have to abandon a foam bed to achieve cooler nights. Memory foam can sleep hot, but sleep brands are finding new ways to navigate this problem. The Levitex mattress, for example, is an all-foam bed with excellent temperature regulation. Learn more with our Emma Original vs Levitex mattress comparison. Alternatively you could supplement your mattress with the Emma Premium topper, which is temperature-neutral and will add an extra 9cm of comfort to your bed; see our Emma Premium topper review for more details.
