Written By
Brendan Luck

Are you someone who sleeps hot at night? You’re not alone.

 

While some of us may be too embarrassed to admit it, sleeping hot (or experiencing what some call “night sweats”) is a very common issue, and purportedly affects anywhere from 10 to 41 percent1 of the entire population. For some, it can become a serious problem – and can negatively impact the quality of a good night’s rest. To understand how to conquer the dreaded night sweats, we need to first understand why some people sleep hot at night.

In this article, we’ll be tackling an assortment of topics related to sleeping hot, including:

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Why Am I Such a Hot Sleeper?

If you’re frustrated with the struggle of sleeping hot, you’ve probably asked yourself this question. Chronically sleeping hot can be traced to a handful of contributing factors, including the temperature of your room and your bedding/mattress. If you’re looking for solutions to sleeping hot, we’re going to assume you’ve already determined that the temperature of your room could be a factor – and have addressed it accordingly. But what about your bedding?

When we sleep at night, our body temperature begins to drop by a couple of degrees. This heat is expunged from our bodies, and can be trapped and absorbed by the particular bedding or mattress we sleep in. Not all mattresses or bedding are built alike in this regard, as the material and construction of your sleep environment can greatly impact the coolness or heat of your sleep. 

Let’s take a look at which bedding items and mattresses you should stick to if you’re looking to avoid a hot sleep. 

The Best Mattress for Hot Sleepers

When most sleepers continually experience a hot night’s sleep, the first thing they typically look to change is their mattress, and for good reason. Not all mattresses are built the same, and the components of the mattress itself affects how breathable and warm the mattress will be. 

Generally speaking, memory foam mattresses are the mattresses that trap the most heat. Since memory foam is a viscoelastic material (this means it responds to body heat to provide support), it can often trap body heat and leave the sleeper feeling warm. This was especially true with older-generation memory foam mattresses, as the technology available at the time did not create breathable mattresses. 

These days, memory foam has been improved in multiple ways. Using technology such as cooling gel and open-cell structures (like the technology we use in our S&S Mattress and Hybrid Mattress), memory foam mattresses are cooler than they were in the 80s and 90s. Despite this however, they are still not as cool as the most breathable mattresses on the market – latex mattresses. 

Latex mattresses (like our S&S Organic Mattress) are the coolest and most breathable mattresses currently available, especially when compared to memory foam or polyurethane foam mattresses. Latex is very porous, making it more breathable than even open-cell memory foam. Additionally, latex helps to pull heat away from your body, and away from your mattress. For these reasons, we strongly recommend latex mattresses for those struggling with sleeping hot at night.

The Best Sheets for Hot Sleepers 

The materials of the sheets you use are also a contributing factor to how warm your sleep will be. Certain materials such as polyester, wool, or cotton flannel can trap more heat when compared to materials like cotton and linen. 

Additionally, how your bedding is constructed also directly affects how hot it will make you feel. Bed sheets with extremely high thread counts will be less breathable for example, causing you to feel warm and sweaty at night. Certain weaves of bedsheets can also affect the breathability of them, so steer clear of any bed sheets that use tight weaves and high-thread counts for optimal breathability and cooling. 

Our pick for the best bedsheets for hot sleepers has always been linen sheets. You may be familiar with linen as one of the most popular fabrics for summer apparel, but it works amazingly well for your bedroom as well. That’s because linen features superior ventilation, breathability, and moisture wicking capabilities, and its lightweight structure leads to a more breezy feel as well. Using linen bed sheets can help you regulate your body temperature and provide you with a cool and comfortable sleep. 

The Best Duvet Insert for Hot Sleepers

Now that we’ve covered the best mattresses and sheets to choose if you’re a hot sleeper, let’s take a look at the best duvet to choose if you’re prone to sleeping hot as well. Duvets can be made of a wide variety of different materials, and they may be available in multiple weight options as well, so choosing the right duvet for your needs can mean the difference between a hot sleep and a comfortable one. 

For hot sleepers, we recommend sticking to a down duvet over a duvet made with synthetic materials. Down is a naturally insulating material, meaning it provides you with warmth when you’re feeling cold, or can provide heat and moisture wicking when you’re feeling hot. Synthetic bedding is not as breathable as natural bedding, another reason why we recommend down duvets for hot sleepers as a whole. Additionally, you should always look for duvets with 100% cotton covers, as cotton is a much more breathable material when compared to synthetic options. 

If you’re looking for alternatives to duvets in general, one great option is a lightweight blanket like our muslin coverlet. Soft and breathable, coverlets are a solid choice for those who feel overheated under lofty duvets. 

Other Things to Consider

While your sleep environment and your bedding are the most important contributing factors to a hot or cool sleep, there are a handful of other factors that can contribute to the temperature of your sleep as well, including: 

What you wear to sleep – stick to light clothing (or sleeping in the nude) to have a cooler sleep experience. 

Who you sleep with – co-sleeping or sleeping with pets can increase the temperature of your sleep environment. 

What you do before sleeping – eating, drinking caffeine, or exercising too close to bedtime can increase the overall heat your body emits during sleep.

Your overall health – certain health conditions and medications can affect your body’s temperature while sleeping. If hot sleeping becomes a serious issue, please consult your local health expert. 

Your mattress protector – If you use a mattress protector, ensure you’re using one that is breathable, like our S&S Mattress Protector. 

The Silk & Snow Organic Mattress

Woman lying on back on bed playing a ukulele

As previously stated, the coolest bedding material on the market is undoubtedly latex. Due to its porous (yet comfortable) structure, latex possesses optimal airflow, allowing warm air to escape your body and mattress, giving you a cooler experience overall. Paired with our linen sheets and Canadian down duvet, you can get the coolest, coziest sleep possible. 

Explore our Silk & Snow Organic mattress, and see what our happy, cool sleepers have to say about it. 

 Sources:

  1. Sharkey, Lauren. “Are You A Hot Sleeper? Here’s What You Need to Know.” Healthline.com, 21 May 2021, https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/hot-sleep#:~:text=Research%20showed%20that%20night%20sweats,%25%20to%2041%25%20of%20people.