Is it just me or does a cooling pillow stop feeling cooling once you wake up?

Fell asleep fine. Woke up in the middle of the night and suddenly my head felt… warm and very aware of the bed. Same mattress I’ve been okay with. But once I noticed the cooling pillow, everything felt less forgiving. Not sweaty. Not uncomfortable.

Just awake enough to notice every surface. Does cooling stuff only work while you’re fully asleep?