I tested Silentnight's Cooling Copper mattress topper in a heatwave, and it definitely helped me to fall asleep faster

As a 46-year-old perimenopausal woman who's already prone to overheating in bed, I put the Silentnight Restore Cooling Copper Mattress Topper to the test during a heatwave to see how it compares to the best mattress toppers and best cooling mattress toppers on the market.

In a nutshell

As I mentioned, as a woman in her mid-forties, I'm increasingly prone to overheating in bed, so according to Silentnight's product description, I'm the exact audience the Silentnight Restore Cooling Copper Topper is aimed at.

The main USP of this product is its cooling powers. Silentnight says it's 'ideal for overheaters', and that its 'cool sensation fabric helps to banish night sweats and hot flushes'. That's paired with its eye-catching copper-infused yarn, which the brand says is 'naturally anti-bacterial, kind to sensitive skin, and keeps sheets fresh and hygenic'.

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It promises a lot, and I found it *almost* delivers on those promises. I certainly agree with the 'cool sensation fabric' part. This topper felt instantly cool to the touch when I lay down on it – even through a fitted sheet – and it certainly made getting into bed a lot more appealing when my family and I tested it during a heatwave when temperatures in my part of the UK reached 35C plus.

Did it stay cool all night? I still felt hot and clammy when I woke up in the morning, so I'd say not. However, I was still impressed by how cool it felt as I drifted off to sleep, as were my hot-blooded husband and two sons when they were given a go.

It's also fairly reasonably priced, at approximately £49.99 for a double, depending on where you shop, and it can be machine-washed (as long as you have a drum big enough for the size you purchase).

At 2.5cm deep, it's thin, so it doesn't offer much cushioning or support, but if you have the space to store it ready for the next summer heatwave, its instant blast of coolness did bring some welcome relief to this hot sleeper.

Specifications

• RRP: Single £44.99 / Double £49.99 /Kingsize £54.99 / Super-king £59.99
• Sizes: single / double / king / super-king
• Depth: 2.5cm
• Construction: cover 38% Polyethylene, 62% Polyester. The percentage of copper in the topper is 17% copper-infused yarn. Filling 100% polyester
• Care instructions: machine washable at 40 degrees and can be tumble dried on a cool heat
• Manufacturer sleep trial: no

Attaching the topper to the bed

I tested the Silentnight Restore Cooling Copper Topper in a super king-size, and unlike some of the heavier memory foam toppers I've tested recently, this mostly polyester topper was light enough to carry upstairs easily.

Fortunately, there wasn’t an off-gassing smell as many foam toppers have, and because it's simply folded into its packaging rather than vacuum-packed, it was ready to get onto the bed straight away.

To attach it to the mattress, I found that there were four fairly thick elastic corner straps in each corner.

Although it was a bit awkward to lift the corner of my mattress to hook them under, I found these really useful because they meant the topper didn’t move around when I was making the bed or when my husband and I were getting in and out of bed.

Comfort

The first thing that struck me about this topper was how stylish it looked. The orange and white patterned cover with orange piped edge made it look more like a well-designed quilted throw than a mattress toppers. It was almost a shame to cover it up under a sheet!

The surface of the fabric feels smooth and shiny to the touch, and once my fitted sheet was in place, I did discover that this was a bit of a downside. I found the fitted sheet kept sliding around on top of the topper and on some occasions slipping off. It may be more a reflection of my sheet than the topper, but it hasn’t happened before with any of the previous toppers I've tested.

Measuring just 2.5cm deep and filled with soft polyester rather than a denser foam or memory foam, this topper is considerably less deep than most mattress toppers I’ve tested, which tend to start at around 5cm in depth.

It also didn't offer that much support or cushioning. Instead it felt a little like adding a thin duvet to the top of our bed. However, it did deliver some gentle cushioning for my joints, something which I felt the benefits of on my shoulder and hip as I predominately sleep on my side.

Temperature regulation

However, what this topper doesn't deliver in cushioning, it aims to make up for in temperature regulation.

Silentnight says that the Restore Cooling Copper Mattress Topper is 'perfect for over-heaters and restless sleepers,' offering 'cooling relief and all the natural health benefits of copper'. 'Made with innovative cool fabrics,' the brand says it's 'the perfect solution for menopausal night sweats'.

As a 46-year-old woman, I'm no stranger to overheating in bed, and as I've mentioned, I also tested this topper during a heatwave, so I was eager to see if it could help me to stay cool in bed.

Silentnight says that the topper is constructed with 17% copper-infused yarn, which, according to my research, should keep me cool by utilising the metal’s natural properties to wick away excess body heat.

The impact of this was immediately clear when I touched the topper, as it felt cool to the touch when I placed my hands on it and when I lay on it.

My hot-blooded husband and sons all loved how cool it felt to lay on too, especially during the heatwave when it provided an instant feeling of coolness. So much so that I struggled to drag them off of it! I was surprised that even with a cotton bedsheet on the coolness of the topper could still be felt.

This feeling of coolness when I first got into bed was extremely beneficial when getting to sleep. When my youngest son slept on it during a heatwave, he also fell asleep quickly.

However, I still woke up in the morning feeling hot and clammy, which does make me question how long-term the cooling impact is.

I tended to find that instant coolness wore off during the night and the topper gradually warmed up to match my body temperature. But, the cooling effects when I first got into bed were still welcome, and definitely helped me to drift off quicker on hot nights.

Care instructions

You can machine wash this topper at 40 degrees, and it’s also compatible with being tumble dried on cool.

However, the ease with which you'll be able to do this depends on the size of the topper you own, because it is quite bulky. As the care label mentions: ‘for best results we recommend the use of a large capacity washing machine’.

This advice is spot on because when I tried to fit the super king-size topper into my standard washing machine, I couldn’t. A single or double would have fitted, but it's worth bearing in mind if, like me, you opt for a larger size.

Sleep trial

Unlike a lot of other mattress toppers we've tested, Silentnight doesn't offer a sleep trial on its bedding products.

That's a shame, because it can be tricky to know how bedding performs without the opportunity to test it out at home.

In contrast, Simba offers a generous 200-night sleep trial on all of its toppers, and brands such as Woolroom and Panda offer 30 nights.

Value for money

Whilst there's no sleep trial to test out this topper before you commit to keeping it, the one plus point is that it is very competitively priced.

As of writing, the Silentnight Restore Cooling Copper Topper costs £44.99 for a single and £49.99 for a double, which, in the world of mattress toppers, is very reasonably priced.

For comparison, the best memory foam topper we've tested (which is also one of the most affordable) – Panda's Bamboo Mattress Topper – costs £99.95 for a single.

It also did the job in cooling my family and me down when we first got into bed, and although I didn't find that cooling lasted throughout the night, I still appreciated the help in drifting off to sleep in the first place.

Would I buy it again? If I had the space to store it when the weather was colder (I probably won't appreciate that chill-factor when I get into bed in the winter!), then yes, I do think it's worth the money for helping me to fall asleep quicker.

But if I were looking for cushioning as well as cooling properties, I'd probably up my budget and consider the highly breathable (yet equally cosy in winter) Woolroom Deluxe Wool Mattress Topper or the more supportive Simba Hybrid Topper instead.

How I tested

Rachel Tompkins

I’m Rachel, a mother of two who helps the Ideal Home team put all manner of products through their paces to find the top recommendations for our readers. For this review, I tested the Silentnight Restore Cooling Copper Topper in a super king size over a hybrid memory foam mattress.

My sleep stats:

• Sleep position: back or side
• Tension preference: firm
• Sleep problems: lower back pain and/or neck pain and occasional overheating
• Height & weight: 5"5 and 9.5 stones

In order to test out this mattress topper, my husband and I slept on it for two weeks in our own home on top of our usual mattress. I assessed how easy the Silentnight Restore Cooling Copper Topper was to attach to the bed, how comfortable it was when sleeping on my back and side, and whether it offered good temperature regulation. I also took into account how easy it was to care for and any sleep trials on offer, as well as its value for money.