Penguin Cooling Pillow Mat
Relief for hot heads
I have had lifelong issues overheating in bed, which got worse with hot flashes from cancer treatment induced menopause 3 years ago. And when I am too hot, I cannot fall to sleep. My first “cool tool” to deal with hot flashes was a fan on my bedside table pointed at my head. The fan was a huge help but about 7 months ago, I started overheating every night after about 20 minutes in bed and then might not fall to sleep for hours.
So I went in search of additional cooling help. Cancer message boards recommended a damp towel or cooled ice pack; both of which required foresight or getting out of bed and had potential for mess. Then, after being struck that a gel icepack is cool at room temperature, I hunted around Amazon and found this pillow sized gel filled mat. (There are many similar products, I choose this one because of its large size + price + reviews.)
This cooling mat has been an incredible help to me getting to sleep. I put it on my pillow when I get hot and the mat (and the gel in it) feels cool on my (chemo-bald) head, presumably because of the difference between room temp and my temp. This cools my whole body down. It takes about 20 minutes for the spot of gel under my head to heat up, and the mat is large, so if I am still hot then I can move around a bit. Often, I only keep it on my pillow a few minutes until I am cooled. And once I am cooled, I am able to fall asleep. Total game changer for my sleep. The pad has held up great for 7 months and I intend to buy another for travel. Amazon reviewers suggested using placing it near legs or back in bed too. Given how well it works on my bald head, I haven’t tried that but imagine it would be quite nice.
05/29/18Penguin Cooling Pillow Mat 12.2 x 22 in. ($25)
