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Best Heated Mattress Pads
As winter approaches, it may be time to get your cold weather bedding out of storage. But if you want an alternative to heavy, bulky bedding, or you can’t seem to stay warm at night without turning up your thermostat, a heated mattress pad may be worth considering.
Electric heated mattress pads offer adjustable settings that warm your bed to help keep you cozy at night, while using only a fraction of the power when compared to central heating. Modern heated bed pads range from simple and effective systems to advanced options with both heating and cooling. We’ll walk you through our picks for the best heated mattress pads and what you need to know to pick the right one for your needs.
The Best Heated Mattress Pads
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Best Overall – Sleep Number Warming Layer
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Best Value – Sharper Image Dual Heated Mattress Pad
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Best Luxury – Eight Sleep Pod 3 Cover
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Best Overall
Sleep Number Warming Layer
The Sleep Number Warming Layer is constructed with a plush microfleece shell for elevated comfort and insulation. You can choose from a wide range of heat settings, and the entire pad is machine-washable for quick and easy care.
Price
$200
Cover Material
100% polyester
Fill
Heating wires
Full Details
A high-quality heated mattress pad can be an expensive investment, but the Sleep Number Warming Layer is a notable exception. The pad offers 11 different settings, as well as automatic shutoff and a soft microfleece shell, but its sticker price falls well below most competing pads of this caliber.
Ultra-thin wires run through the pad to deliver heat from end to end without making the surface feel uneven. Sleep Number recommends giving the pad 10 to 15 minutes to warm up before using it. The corners are equipped with elastic bands, rather than stretch pockets, so the pad is compatible with virtually any mattress made today. You can launder the pad in your household machines for quick and easy care. Machine wash in cold water, then tumble dry on low heat and remove the pad as soon as the cycle is finished. If you use the pad overnight, it automatically shuts off after 10 hours of use.
Queen, king, and California king sizes are available. In addition to the relatively low price, Sleep Number ships the warming layer free of charge throughout the contiguous U.S. Your purchase includes a 100-night trial period allowing you to test out the pad, and a 1-year warranty against structural defects if you decide to keep it.
Best Value
Sharper Image Dual Heated Mattress Pad
Designed for 10 temperature levels and dual-heating capabilities, this heated pad from Sharper Image is essential for co-sleepers with differing preferences. Automatic shutoff and unsafe heat reduction controls also make the pad safe to use.
Price
$200
Cover Material
100% polyester
Fill
Heating wires
Full Details
The Dual Heated Mattress Pad from Sharper Image is a top-notch option for couples as well as those looking to add warmth without changing their mattress’ feel. This slim pad has a skirt-style design that fits similarly to a fitted sheet and radiates heat across its entire surface. It also has an affordable price-point considering its wide range of settings and versatility.
Dual controls allow partners to manage the temperature on their side of the bed independently from one another, making this model an excellent choice for couples with different preferences. Each controller has 10 heat settings, allowing you to fine-tune your sleep surface. The pad is electric and plugs directly into any AC outlet.
Though this pad should get some protection against wear and tear from your fitted sheet, it’s easy to launder and most users should find it quite durable. The 100% polyester fabric can be machine-washed and dried but it should not be dry cleaned. It also includes several safety features, such as an automatic 10-hour shut-off and a mode that prevents heating in unsafe conditions. Shoppers can purchase this pad in full, queen, and king dimensions.
Sharper Image accepts returns on unused items that are in their original packaging.
Best Luxury
Eight Sleep Pod 3 Cover
The revolutionary Eight Sleep Pod Cover allows you to select from a wide range of cooling and heating levels, making the pad suitable for any time of the year. Integrated sensors also track your nighttime movements for daily sleep data reports.
Credit: Sleep Foundation Test Lab
Price
$2,195
Cover Material
Polyester and cotton
Fill
Water tubes
Full Details
While the Eight Sleep Pod 3 Cover’s might seem pretty expensive at first glance, rest assured that advanced heating and cooling technology backs up the steep sticker price. Designed for use with the Eight Sleep Pod Pro 3 but compatible with any mattress between 10 and 16 inches thick, the cover contains thin wires running from top to bottom. These wires connect to an external reservoir known as the “Hub,” which heats or cools water based on the temperature setting and funnels it through the cover.
Using the Eight Sleep app, you can program the temperature on each side of the bed anywhere between 55 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit. This dual-control option is ideal for couples with different heating or cooling preferences.
In addition to superior temperature regulation, the Pod 3 Cover also features sensors that enable sleep tracking. You can monitor your breathing, resting heart rate, and other metrics through the app’s sleep data interface. Another nifty component is the temperature-based smart alarm, which wakes you up with a gradual thermal adjustment and gentle vibration.
The cover acts as a full encasement when in use, though it is not waterproof and should never be machine washed. Full, queen, king, and California king sizes are available. Ground shipping is free for all customers in the contiguous U.S. Each purchase includes a 30-night trial, and those who keep their Pod 3 Cover receive a 2-year warranty against various structural defects.
Best for Couples
BedJet 3 Dual Zone Climate Comfort Sleep System
The BedJet uses active heating and cooling technology to help your sleep surface maintain a constant temperature anywhere from 66 to 104 degrees. Compact dimensions and quiet operation add to the convenience of this innovative device.
Price
$1,269
Cover Material
100% cotton
Fill
100% cotton
Full Details
If you and your sleep partner have been dissatisfied with traditional heated pads, the BedJet 3 might be worth considering. This cutting-edge device consists of an external unit placed beneath your bed, which draws in outside air and heats or cools it to any temperature between 66 and 104 degrees. A hose funnels the air beneath your sheet to keep you cozy or cool all night long.
If you and your partner differ in your temperature preferences, you can upgrade to the “dual-zone” sleep system with two BedJet units. The dual-zone option also includes a sheet with a divider down the middle to isolate airflow on each side of the bed. You can stay warm, your partner can keep cool, and neither of your temperature settings will interfere with the other person’s sleep.
Wireless remotes enable you to quickly and easily adjust temperature settings. The device has been rated for a volume of 38 decibels, making it quieter than most conventional bedroom fans and air conditioning units. Since the unit rests beneath your bed, you won’t need to worry about electrical components on your sleep surface. The BedJet 3 needs only 6 inches of under-bed clearance. If your bed frame rests low to your floor, we recommend measuring before making this purchase to ensure the external unit will fit.
The BedJet 3 Dual Zone is very expensive and cost will be a barrier to some shoppers, but if you need a certain temperature to sleep comfortably, this device may prove invaluable. Standard ground shipping is free for orders in the U.S. and Canada. A 60-night sleep trial allows you to test the BedJet 3 and decide if it’s right for you. The standard warranty covers various defects for 2 years, and you can purchase an extended warranty that runs for 4 years.
Best Overall
Sleep Number Warming Layer
A micro-fleece shell adds to the cozy warmth of this machine-washable mattress pad with a wide range of temperature options.
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Best Value
Sharper Image Dual Heated Mattress Pad
Ten temperature settings and dual-heating controls set this pad apart from the rest of the competition.
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Best Luxury
Eight Sleep Pod 3 Cover
An advanced mattress cover that allows you to heat or cool your sleep surface across a wide range of temperature settings.
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Credit: Sleep Foundation Test Lab
Best for Couples
BedJet 3 Dual Zone Climate Comfort Sleep System
Active heating and cooling technology allow this advanced pad to heat your sleep surface between 66 and 104 degrees.
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How We Test: Rigor, Data, and Sleeper Feedback
Each member of our team has years of experience testing bedding products firsthand. We choose our top product picks for each category after a round of hands-on evaluations in our Seattle Test Lab. When testing heated mattress pads, we carefully evaluate how comfortable they feel, how effectively they protect a mattress, the range of available temperature options, and how easily heat settings can be adjusted. Our team consists of people with different temperature preferences for sleep, allowing us to provide well-rounded ratings for heated mattress pads.
Construction analysis: Our testing process begins with a thorough product examination. We’ll take a close look at each heated mattress pad’s construction with a focus on materials, size options, special features, and type of temperature controls. This initial analysis allows us to gauge durability and overall quality.
Product testing: Our hands-on tests involve us taking turns with each heated pad. Each team member lies on a mattress with the pad secured and adjusts the temperature to different levels. We’ll also change sleep positions to assess whether the pad remains in place or slips off the mattress edges easily.
Field testing: Once we’ve finished our in-house tests, members of our field testing team take the pads home and use them in their own bedrooms. They’ll spend several weeks with different pads, making daily notes to help us see how each model performs in the long term.
User testing: In addition to our own findings, we use customer surveys and third-party reviews to shape our heated mattress pad ratings. Real-world experiences with pads and other bedding products help us confirm our initial ratings are accurate and reflective of the opinions of everyday sleepers.
What Is a Heated Mattress Pad?
A mattress pad is a thin layer that you can place on top of your mattress to provide additional cushioning and protection. This bedding accessory can serve to make your sleep surface a bit softer and adds a protective barrier that will help prolong the life of your mattress. Mattress pads typically come with elastic straps or sewn-in elastic bands similar to a fitted sheet to hold the pad in place.
Heated mattress pads take the comfort of a traditional mattress pad one step further with the addition of an electric-powered heating element. This provides extra warmth for cold sleepers or those who live in frigid climates.
Mattress pads are not the same as mattress toppers or mattress covers. Pads and toppers can both be used to modify the comfort level of your current mattress. However, mattress toppers offer a much thicker, more substantial adjustment. While pads are typically made with cotton or polyester for gentle cushioning, mattress toppers are often made with materials like memory foam or latex.
While pads and toppers both help protect your mattress from wear and tear, it is not their primary function. Mattress encasements and protectors are designed specifically to keep your mattress clean from liquids, body oils, and other contaminants.
How to Choose a Heated Mattress Pad
Heated mattress pads come in several varieties, with a wide range of features and price-points available. We’ll break down the most important qualities to look for to help you find a heated mattress pad that’s right for you.
What to Consider When Purchasing a Heated Mattress Pad
Shopping for new bedding can be daunting, but the right sleep accessories may help improve your sleep quality. A mattress pad can be used to adjust your overall comfort, especially when it includes heating or cooling elements to adjust the temperature of the bed.
Many companies will tout their product as a universal solution that works for every sleeper. But each person has unique needs and preferences that should be considered when making a bedding purchase.
We’ll highlight the most essential features that will impact your heated bed pad’s performance.
- Heating: Heated mattress pads typically rely on one of two heating methods: wires or water. Wired heated mattress pads contain a network of electrical wires. The wires are typically thin enough that you shouldn’t feel them through the pad. More advanced heating pads use water to deliver heat to your mattress. These systems come with a separate control unit that heats up a reservoir of water and pumps it into tubes spaced throughout the mattress pad. These systems allow for greater control over the temperature of your bed. Both types of mattress pads often come equipped with a handheld controller. This allows you to adjust the heat level. Higher-end pads tend to have more adjustability with a larger number of heat settings.
- Cooling: Traditional wire-based mattress pads can only provide heat. However, electric water-heated mattress pads also have cooling capabilities, making these sleep systems much more versatile for year-round use.
- Price: Heated mattress pads are available in a wide range of price-points, from under $100 to over $1,000. More expensive models will often come with advanced features and higher-quality materials. However, even on the lower end of this price range, you can find reliable heated mattress pads that help keep you warm on cold nights. Reading customer reviews before you make a purchase can help you determine whether a specific model will be a good value for the price.
- Controls: Heated mattress pads typically come equipped with a handheld control that allows you to adjust the pad’s temperature. Controls are usually wired to the pad, but some pads come with wireless controllers or can be controlled by a smartphone app. Certain models also offer dual or split controls so you can adjust each side of the mattress individually. This feature is ideal for couples with different temperature preferences. A timer function is also helpful, so you can set your pad to automatically turn off after a certain number of hours.
- Quality Materials: The most common materials that you’ll find used in heated mattress pads are polyester and cotton. Cotton is a natural material that tends to be moisture-wicking and breathable, while polyester offers more affordability. Blends offer the benefits of both materials in a single fabric. The quality of materials used will impact the overall durability of the mattress pad, and determine how well it stands up to regular use and cleaning.
- Thickness: A pad’s thickness can impact the comfort of your mattress. The thicker the pad, the more likely it is to make your bed feel noticeably softer and provide extra cushioning for pressure points like the shoulders and hips. If your mattress is a bit too firm, a pad can provide some additional comfort. That said, most mattress pads are an inch or less in thickness and will not have a significant impact on the firmness of your mattress. If your primary concern is modifying the comfort of your current bed by making it softer or firmer, we recommend considering a mattress topper instead.
- Cleaning and Care: Bedding that requires special care such as dry cleaning or hand washing can take away from its practicality. A heated mattress pad is typically placed underneath your fitted sheet, which helps protect the pad and extend the amount of time between cleanings. To make cleaning and care easier, look for models that are machine-washable and dryer-safe. Regardless of the model you choose, make sure to always follow the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions to avoid damaging your pad.
- Noise: Most heated mattress pads are made with cotton or polyester, which are silent when bearing weight. Mattress pads that are designed to be waterproof can crinkle when you move around on top of them. If you’re a light sleeper who is sensitive to noise, you may want to avoid heated pads that have a waterproof layer.
Which Type of Heated Mattress Pad Should I Choose?
Heated mattress pads come in two main varieties. While both use electricity to generate heat and keep you warm, there are some important differences between the two styles.
Electric Wire-Heated Pads
Traditional heated mattress pads use a metal wire-based system. This type of heated mattress pad works by using the electricity to create heat, which is then transferred to the sleeper by a network of thin, flexible metal wires.
The heating wires are integrated directly into the fabric of the mattress pad. The thin design allows the wires to provide warmth without disturbing the comfort of your sleep surface. However, encasing metal wires in fabric raises some safety concerns and requires sleepers to carefully follow all manufacturer instructions.
Electric wire-heated pads typically come with a handheld control that allows you to adjust the heat level. They also tend to be more affordable.
Electric Water-Heated Sleep Systems
More advanced heated mattress pads feature a water-heated system. While this type of mattress pad also relies on electricity, the method for generating heat is quite different.
Electric water-heated sleep systems use electricity to heat (or cool) a small volume of water to the temperature of your choosing. The heated water is then pumped into a network of silicone tubes distributed throughout the interior surface of the pad.
Electric water-heated sleep systems typically come equipped with a controller for adjusting the warmth to your liking. This type of mattress pad is incredibly effective when it comes to keeping you warm, but it comes with a much higher price tag.
Frequently Asked Questions
Heated mattress pads are relatively safe, as long as you follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Safety is a common concern for models made with electric heated wires since the use of metal-based heating poses the potential for a fire hazard or burns. However, modern heated mattress pads are designed to minimize these risks.
Many heated mattress pads now come equipped with additional safety features, including automatic shut-off settings and protection from overheating. That said, it’s important to only buy high-quality products from trustworthy brands. Look for heated mattress pads that are certified by an independent electrical safety organization, such as the UL certification.
While heated mattress pads are generally safe, they’re not appropriate in some circumstances. Don’t use your heated mattress pad on a waterbed, as they could cause a leak and pose a safety risk. Also avoid using your heated mattress pad with an adjustable bed frame or pull-out bed, as they may damage the heating wires in your pad.
You can use a heated mattress pad on a memory foam mattress, but it’s generally not recommended. Though this shouldn’t pose any safety risks, many manufacturers recommend against it due to the potential for damage to the memory foam. The heat will cause your memory foam mattress to soften, which could affect the feel of the bed and may make your mattress more susceptible to impressions over time.
Even though heated mattress pads contain electrical components, most are designed to be machine-washable. You simply need to remove any control units and power cords from the pad before cleaning it. However, you should always check the specific care instructions from your pad’s manufacturer before washing. Some heated mattress pads are spot clean only.
Mattress pads are thinner and made of fabric, while mattress toppers are thicker and typically made from materials that are commonly found in mattresses, like memory foam.
While these terms are often used interchangeably, there are notable differences. Mattress pads are typically 1 inch thick at most and are usually made from cotton, polyester, or rayon. In contrast, mattress toppers can be up to 3 or 4 inches thick and are usually made with more substantial materials such as memory foam, polyfoam, latex, or feathers.
Whether you should use a heated pad or blanket will largely depend on personal preference. Both heated mattress pads and heated blankets provide warmth, just from a different direction.
A heated mattress pad will heat you from below and provide the most heat for the parts of your body that are in direct contact with your mattress. A pad may also be more efficient at heating up the entire bed, with minimal heat loss. This can be beneficial for those who sleep extremely cold or for those who may need the heat to soothe aches, pains, or joint stiffness from arthritis.
However, heated blankets are more versatile. While you can only use your heated mattress pad on your bed, electric blankets are great for keeping you warm on the couch or in your favorite chair.
Still have questions? Ask our community!
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Jeremy is a sleep product tester with a passion for methodology and data collection.