This Genius Product Turns Any Normal Pillow Into a Cooling Pillow
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There are a lot of cool things out there that make us wonder — do they really work? In our I Tried It series, we set out to use them in the real world and have determined that, in fact, they really do.
The Product on Trial
Slumber Cloud Performance Pillow Covers
The Tester
Melanie Yates, hot-weather insomniac and believer in holistic systems, not miracle products
The Brief
If you bought your current bed pillow before you realized that cooling pillows now exist, fret not — because the Slumber Cloud Performance Pillow Covers are here to turn any run-of-the-pillow into one that helps regulate your body temperature as you sleep.
By chance of strangely fortuitous timing, I began testing a standard-sized pair of these pillow covers just as NYC entered a weeklong, late-July heat wave. It ended up being an excellent education on the benefits (and limitations) of the covers' phase-changing technology.
A rundown of the material
The magic of the Slumber Cloud Performance Pillow Covers lies within their materials. Each pillow cover is made of eucalyptus-derived Tencel fabric blended with Outlast fibers. The Tencel provides a smooth and silky feel while the Outlast proactively regulates temperature by absorbing excess body heat, then releasing it when the sleeper's temperature drops. Interestingly enough, Outlast is a phase-change material that was originally designed for NASA to keep astronauts’ bodies at the optimal temperature level. In studies comparing Outlast products with traditional bedding materials, it’s been found that this material helped test subjects sleep deeper and feel less hot and humid under the covers through the night.
These are indeed pillow covers, not pillowcases (although Slumber Cloud sells those, too), so they are meant to zip over any pillow before you layer a pillowcase on top. The idea is that the benefits of the Outlast technology can be felt even through an additional bedding layer. The pillow covers are also machine-washable and -dryable, so there's no annoying hand-washing or dry-cleaning you have to subject yourself to. They are also available in standard and king sizes.
Judging the coolness and texture
I divided my hot week in hell into two parts, sleeping on the bare pillow covers for 3 days and with a pillowcase for the next 3. This was mainly to see if there was any sense of cooling that was lost when an additional layer was added. (For the duration of the test, I slept with the Pillow Cube Side Sleeper Pro under my head while spooning the Coop Home Goods Eden Pillow. If you don't already sleep with a hugging pillow, I recommend doing so.)
I was a little surprised that the Slumber Cloud Performance Pillow Covers didn't have the breezy, cool-to-the-touch feeling as a lot of other phase-changing products I’ve tried, but it didn’t put me off. As anyone who’s ever worn a silk shirt can tell you, a material that feels slinky and cool-to-the-touch can also be deceptively insulating and heat retentive, completely defeating its temperature-regulating purpose. The pillow covers’ fabric is woven into a grid with a slightly bumpy texture, and it feels just like cotton. Having said that, this is not a texture that will wow you right out of the package or upon first laying your head down on it.
I felt that these covers positively contributed to my sleep environment once I completed the first three nights of the test — nights that I sunk into a deep, dreamless sleep, waking up in the same position I fell asleep in. During the latter three days of the test, I layered Brooklinen's cotton-sateen pillowcases over them, curious whether the 480-thread-count material would impede the Outlast technology. While I couldn't feel the original material through the pillowcase, I didn't feel like this negatively impacted the performance (plus, it also mitigated the fabric's bumpiness!).
How did I sleep?
To cut right to the chase, after layering on the Slumber Cloud Performance Pillow Covers, I had some of the best sleep I had not just all summer, but all year long. Surprisingly enough, sleeping does not come easy to me — even though my literal job entails testing countless permutations of bedding products at home.
Even though I got some terrific sleep, I don't think these covers alone were the sole cause of my blissful zzz's. As writer Craig Mod once said, "“Airflow is life.” During this scorching-hot week, I ran my July window-unit A/C and tabletop Lasko fan continuously, and I have to believe that the cooler bedroom environment they created largely helped the pillow covers' phase-changing Outlast fabric work its temperature-regulating magic.
Since it's common sense that phase-changing bedding is going to be significantly more effective in a cold room than in a hot room, your bedroom temperature must be fairly cool in order for this product to perform at its best. This doesn't make me doubt the effectiveness of these pillow covers — however, it does affirm that you need a holistic system suited to your sleep needs instead of just seeking out the one product that'll solve everything.
I'm excited to continue using these covers on and off through the seasons and under different pillowcase materials to continue evaluating their effectiveness as the nights get cooler and the ambient air temperature drops.
Closing Argument
I recommend the Slumber Cloud Performance Pillow Covers to anyone who is already on their journey to optimizing their bedroom's coolness and comfort. If you can temperature-control your home, they make a fantastic and easy upgrade to your current bed setup. In my initial test with these covers, I sank right into sleep without even having the chance to ask myself if their phase-changing technology was working.
It must be said that at nearly $60 for a standard-sized pair, they're not cheap — but in my bedding-testing experience, you get what you pay for.
If you're curious but still on the fence, Slumber Cloud lets you try out these covers for 60 days, and if it doesn't work out, you can send them back for a full refund within that period. The brand also makes an effort not to contribute to textile waste — per their FAQ section, “Please note we do our very best to donate all returns to local charities instead of a landfill. We appreciate your help in this process by washing any used items before returning them to us.”
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