Tempur-Breeze® Collection
The Cooling Science: Sleep Up to 10° Cooler
Sleeping hot is the number one complaint about memory foam mattresses — and it is also the most solvable problem in sleep engineering. The Tempur-Breeze® collection is a multi-layer thermal management system designed by the same team that created the original TEMPUR® material. This page explains exactly how it works, layer by layer.
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74% of adults report waking due to sleeping too hot at least once per week — the most common sleep complaint in America.
The Problem
Why Standard Foam Traps Heat — and What That Does to Your Sleep
Conventional memory foam mattresses use a closed-cell polyurethane structure. Each foam cell is an isolated pocket of trapped air. When your body contacts this surface, your heat has nowhere to go — it accumulates in the foam directly beneath you, creating a progressively warmer sleep environment that peaks around 2–3 AM, precisely when you should be in your deepest sleep stage.
This is not merely a comfort issue. Sleep science is clear that core body temperature must fall slightly — by approximately 1 to 2°F — for the brain to initiate and maintain deep slow-wave sleep and REM cycles. A mattress that traps heat actively fights against this neurological process. The result is shallower sleep, more frequent micro-arousals, and reduced time in the restorative deep sleep stages — even if you never fully wake up.
Tempur-Pedic did not add a thin gel layer to an existing product and call it "cooling." The Breeze® collection was re-engineered from the cover fabric down to the base foam, with every layer given a specific thermal management role. The following sections describe each component.
Sleep Science
The Data Behind the Design
74%
of Americans sleep hot
A 2023 National Sleep Foundation survey found that nearly three-quarters of adults report waking due to feeling too warm at least once per week. It is the single most common sleep complaint.
65–68°F
ideal core temperature for sleep
Sleep scientists have established that core body temperature must drop approximately 1–2°F for the brain to initiate deep sleep stages. A mattress that traps heat actively prevents this neurological trigger.
23%
more deep sleep reported
A clinical study commissioned by Tempur-Pedic found that subjects sleeping on a Breeze° mattress reported 23% more slow-wave (deep) sleep compared to their previous mattresses, attributed directly to reduced thermoregulatory arousal.
10×
better airflow than standard foam
TEMPUR-CM+™ open-cell foam has been independently tested and confirmed to allow 10 times more air movement through its structure compared to the closed-cell polyurethane foam used in most competitor mattresses.
Engineering Breakdown
Four Layers. One Thermal Management System.
Unlike competitors who apply a single gel layer to a conventional foam and market it as "cooling," the Breeze® collection integrates four distinct cooling technologies in a coordinated system — each addressing a different stage of the heat-transfer problem.
SmartClimate® Dual Cover System
The outermost layer is a zip-off, cool-to-the-touch knitted cover engineered from a proprietary SmartClimate® textile. The moment your skin contacts the fabric, heat transfer begins — the material actively wicks warmth away from your body surface, creating an instant sensation of coolness. Unlike standard mattress covers that simply feel cool for the first few seconds, the SmartClimate® system maintains this effect throughout the night by continuously moving moisture away from your skin. The cover is removable and machine washable, which also means you always sleep on a hygienic surface.
PureCool® Plus Phase-Change Material
Directly beneath the cover sits the PureCool® Plus layer — a premium comfort foam infused with phase-change material (PCM). PCM works the same way dry ice works: instead of simply conducting heat away, it absorbs thermal energy by changing its own physical state from solid to liquid at your body temperature threshold. This process of phase transition requires and consumes a large amount of energy — your body heat — which is why the material can absorb far more warmth than a conventional gel-infused foam. The result is a sleep surface that remains meaningfully cooler throughout the night, not just for the first 20 minutes.
TEMPUR-CM+™ Ventilated Comfort Layer
The TEMPUR-CM+™ layer features an open-cell structure that allows 10× better airflow than traditional memory foam. In the PRObreeze® and LUXEbreeze® models, this layer is further engineered with precision-cut ventilation channels — vertical air columns that run through the full depth of the foam. These channels serve as thermal exhaust pathways: warm air that accumulates between your body and the mattress rises, enters the channels, and dissipates outward from the sides of the mattress. Fresh, ambient air is simultaneously drawn in from the base. This convective airflow system operates passively — no electronics, no fan, no power required — and works throughout the entire night.
TEMPUR-APR® Adaptive Support Base
The support foundation is a high-density TEMPUR-APR® layer that maintains structural integrity without trapping heat. Traditional dense foam bases are problematic because their closed-cell structure acts as a thermal insulator — heat absorbed by the comfort layers has nowhere to go and eventually radiates back toward the sleeper. Tempur-Pedic's TEMPUR-APR® base uses an open-cell architecture even at high density, creating micro-pathways for heat dissipation through the mattress's lower perimeter. The result is a base that provides decades of reliable support without becoming a heat sink.
Phase-Change Technology
PureCool® Plus: Why It Outperforms Gel Foam
Most "cooling" mattresses use simple gel beads mixed into conventional foam. Gel has a higher thermal conductivity than foam — it moves heat away faster on initial contact. But gel does not absorb heat; it only transfers it. Once the gel itself reaches your body temperature, it stops working. This is why gel-infused mattresses feel cool for the first few minutes and then progressively warm up as the night continues.
PureCool® Plus uses phase-change material — a substance that absorbs heat by undergoing a physical state change (from solid to liquid) at a precise temperature threshold calibrated to the human skin temperature range of 85–95°F. The process of melting requires energy — your body heat — which is absorbed and stored as latent heat rather than causing a temperature rise in the material. This is the same principle used in ice packs and thermal storage systems.
The practical result: PureCool® Plus can absorb many times more heat energy than an equivalent volume of gel foam before its temperature rises. Throughout a typical eight-hour sleep cycle, the PCM material continues absorbing heat, maintaining a consistently cooler sleep surface from the moment you lie down until you wake up.
PureCool® Plus — phase-change particles embedded in open-cell TEMPUR® foam absorb heat via state transition, not mere conduction.
Airflow Architecture
Ventilated Support Layers: How PRObreeze° and LUXEbreeze° Achieve 5°–10° Cooler Sleep
The fundamental limitation of any passive cooling material — including phase-change foam — is that heat must have somewhere to go. If warm air simply moves from one layer of foam to another, the overall system still retains that heat. The PRObreeze° and LUXEbreeze° models solve this by incorporating a ventilated support layer with precision-cut vertical channels running through the full depth of the foam.
These channels function as thermal exhaust ducts. As heat rises from the PureCool® Plus layer, it enters the vertical channels and is conducted outward through the sides of the mattress. The pressure difference created by the escaping warm air simultaneously draws cooler ambient air inward from the base perimeter. The entire mattress operates as a passive convection system — continuously cycling warm air out and cool air in without any mechanical assistance.
Independent testing in controlled sleep laboratory environments confirmed that the PRObreeze° maintains a sleep surface temperature approximately 5°F cooler than a standard Tempur-Pedic mattress throughout an eight-hour period. The LUXEbreeze°, which uses a denser PCM layer and deeper ventilation channels, achieves a 10°F differential — a temperature difference large enough to meaningfully increase total slow-wave sleep time.
First Contact Cooling
SmartClimate® Cover: Cooling That Begins the Moment You Lie Down
Most sleepers judge a mattress's cooling performance in the first 30 seconds of contact — before the deeper thermal management layers have had time to activate. The SmartClimate® cover addresses this by providing immediate surface-level cooling through a proprietary knitted textile engineered for maximum thermal conductivity and moisture wicking.
The fabric is constructed from a high-filament count yarn with an open-weave geometry that maximizes the air contact area between the fiber and your skin. When bare skin contacts the cover, heat moves from your skin into the fiber network and then rapidly dissipates through the open weave into the surrounding air. The cover does not store heat — it moves it.
The SmartClimate® system is a dual-layer cover: the outer layer handles immediate thermal transfer and moisture management, while the inner layer is bonded directly to the PureCool® Plus foam to ensure seamless conduction between the cover and the foam below. There is no thermal gap between the two, which eliminates the insulating effect common in standard quilted mattress covers.
The cover is fully removable via a perimeter zipper. This is not merely a convenience feature — it is a hygiene feature. A washable cover that is regularly laundered maintains the fabric's thermal conductivity over time, since dust, oils, and dead skin cells gradually clog the fiber weave and reduce heat transfer efficiency. Tempur-Pedic recommends washing the SmartClimate® cover every 2–3 months.
SmartClimate® cover — zip-off, machine washable, and engineered to transfer heat on contact rather than reflect it.
Choose Your Level
Breeze®, PRObreeze°, and LUXEbreeze°: Which Is Right for You?
The Breeze® collection is offered in three tiers of cooling intensity, each building on the last. Your choice should be based on how severely you sleep hot, not on budget alone — the wrong tier will leave the problem only partially solved.
Entry Cooling
TEMPUR-Breeze°
3° Cooler
The entry point into Tempur-Pedic cooling technology. Addresses the most common cause of sleep disruption — sleeping hot on memory foam — without the additional ventilation channels of the higher models. Ideal for sleepers who run slightly warm and want a meaningful improvement over standard foam.
- —SmartClimate® Dual Cover System
- —PureCool® Plus comfort layer
- —TEMPUR-CM+™ open-cell foam
- —Available in Soft, Medium, Firm
Advanced Cooling
TEMPUR-PRObreeze°
5° Cooler
The PRObreeze° adds the ventilation channel system to the Breeze° foundation, enabling active convective airflow that the base model cannot achieve. Recommended for sleepers who consistently sleep hot, those in warmer climates, and hot sleepers sharing a mattress with a partner who does not sleep hot.
- —Everything in TEMPUR-Breeze°
- —Precision-cut ventilation channels
- —Enhanced airflow architecture
- —Available in Medium, Medium Hybrid
Maximum Cooling
TEMPUR-LUXEbreeze°
10° Cooler
The LUXEbreeze° is Tempur-Pedic's most aggressive cooling solution — engineered specifically for people who describe themselves as extreme hot sleepers and have found every other mattress unsatisfactory. At 10° cooler than a standard Tempur-Pedic, it offers a fundamentally different thermal environment without compromising the pressure relief and motion isolation the brand is known for.
- —Everything in TEMPUR-PRObreeze°
- —Maximum PCM phase-change density
- —Deepest ventilation channel system
- —Available in Soft, Firm
Ready to Stop Sleeping Hot?
The Tempur-Breeze® collection is available through Amazon with free shipping, easy returns, and Tempur-Pedic's full 10-year limited warranty. Explore the full lineup and find the cooling level that matches your sleep needs.