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As your bedroom gets hotter and the temperature keeps rising, upgrading to cooling sheets can help you get some quality shut-eye. To help you swap out your sheets for something less sweat-inducing, we reached out to experts for some advice.
The most important thing to look for and consider is the breathability of the fabric, say nurse Angela Ballard and Lisa J. Pieretti, executive director and co-founder of the?International Hyperhidrosis Society. “In terms of bedding and fabrics, look for moisture-wicking textiles. These materials are designed to draw water away from the skin, helping your body to regulate its own temperature,” they explain.
One thing to remember: If you’re always hot at night and it’s impacting your sleep, you may want to check in with your doctor, say Pieretti and Ballard. “Many different medical conditions can cause night sweats. To figure out what’s going on, visit your doctor for a complete physical.”
To dive deeper into the exact materials you should be looking for and why, we reached out to experts. “When shopping for cooling sheets, breathable fabrics made of natural materials do a great job of creating a cooler sleeping environment,” says Liz Boscacci,?a former director of product development at Casper. “Cotton percale and Tencel are two examples of such materials.”
“Linen would absolutely be my top recommendation,” says Lauren Fountain, a textile expert at Sleep Foundation. While she realizes that its feel and relatively high price may mean it isn’t for everyone, “it’s a great option for cooling sheets because of its breathability and its moisture-wicking properties.”
If linen doesn’t work for you, Fountain’s recommendation is a percale weave cotton since the “one-over-one-under weave encourages airflow to keep you cool over the course of the night.” For a silky-smooth hand feel and fabric that feels initially cool to the touch, Fountain also recommends Tencel sheets. Of course, your mileage may vary based on your personal texture preferences.
So if you’re ready to stop sweating through your bedsheets, we found 20 stylish sheet sets made from cooling materials such as cotton, bamboo and more.
“Bamboo rayon has many benefits for hot sleepers, as bamboo fabric wicks moisture, reduces humidity and stretches, all while staying extremely soft,” says Christopher Sun, founder of My Sheets Rock. These fun sheets, available in nine bright and bold colors, fit the bill. Plus, they’re available in sizes up to split king.
Bamboo is a beloved cooling material that’ll also keep you dry. Derived from planet-friendly and renewable viscose, this popular Oeko-Tex-certified bamboo sheet set is as kind to your sweating body as it is to the planet. Its sateen finish is cool to the touch while providing a subtle satiny look. The fitted sheet accommodates mattresses up to 16 inches and it features an elastic all around the trim for easy bed-making.?
This Oeko-Tex-certified cooling sheet set made of renewable and sustainable bamboo lyocell is bound to keep night sweats at bay. Its sateen weave provides an extra-cooling touch, while its fitted sheet fits mattresses up to 17 inches deep. What’s more is that it features inner labels to facilitate making your bed.
Out of the 19 sets of sheets we tested, these were our favorite for hot sleepers. Light, airy and breathable, they wicked moisture away and felt smooth against our skin. Pair them with our favorite cooling pillow for a sweat-free night.
Known for its organic cotton, Boll & Branch has percale cotton sheets that are great for hot sleepers. We love this subtle stripe pattern, and how crisp the sheets feel. If you want to make your bedroom feel like a luxury hotel room, this is where you start.
An Underscored editor favorite, one staffer who’s a particularly hot sleeper says that since she first tried these sheets three years ago, she hasn’t slept on another set since. Made with eucalyptus, they’re cool to the touch too.
Underscored editors can also vouch for the quality and beauty of these sheets from Sijo, which are made with Tencel, lyocell and eucalyptus. Particularly thick, high quality and with a nice sheen, without trapping in heat, one editor has bought herself three sets alone. But really, the sheets offer that cool-to-the-touch feeling that’s so lovely in winter, and all the colors are so rich.
The “proprietary design of these sheets provides superior breathability and airflow,” says Boscacci, “and they are made of 100% Tencel, which also makes them absorbent.” These 200-thread-count sheets are available in three neutral colorways sure to match the look of almost any bedroom.
Want something a little more affordable? Ultra breathable, this solid sheet set features the Cool Max proprietary blend fabric that wicks away moisture, and it’s available in five soft colorways. Target shoppers note not just how much these sheets keep them cool but also how soft they are even before washing them.
For cooling sheets that make you feel like you’re floating on a cloud, look no further than PeachSkinSheets' extra-soft cooling sheets made of breathable poly-fiber in 24 colors. They’re doctor approved for their moisture-wicking properties that help you wind down easily in humid conditions. Plus, the set comes with an extension panel to support mattresses as high as 22 inches, so making the bed will no longer induce more stress than it needs to.?
You can’t go wrong with one of the most popular cooling sheet sets on Amazon boasting enough reviews to populate a small city. Made of double-brushed microfiber, they’re at once breathable, moisture-wicking, stain- and pill-resistant and Oeko-Tex certified.
Linen is what you look for when you’re seeking a low-maintenance fabric that keeps you cool as a cucumber. This highly popular linen sheet set does just that with its Oeko-Tex-certified Belgian linen material free of chemicals known to harm human health. Its fitted sheet’s deep 16-inch pockets are sure to easily fit mattresses of most sizes and it comes in three soothing hues.
Of our?top tested pick for linen sheets, our tester wrote, “On the summer night we first tested these, the sheets were soft but also firm. If this sounds uncomfortable, it was the converse: cool, light and luxurious. Our first mental note was that we felt like we were sleeping on a cloud.” The set is crafted from flax in Portugal, and is available in seven lush colorways.
Another gorgeous linen option, Citizenry’s linen sheets are French flax, woven in a family-run mill in Portugal and produced in a fair-trade environment. This set is so luxurious that it won our runner-up spot when we tested the?best linen sheets?on the market.
Our top pick for?softest linen sheets, this set isn’t stiff or starchy like many of the others tested, but arrived already feeling worn in, even brand new. Brooklinen also makes some of our favorite cooling blankets.
These 100% linen sheets, which we named the best affordable linen sheets on the market, give you the luxury and breathability of a much pricier set for just over $100. Plus, they’re available in 10 colors from a basic white to a showstopping purple.
Thread count measures how tightly woven fabric is. The higher the thread count, the more threads are woven into one square inch of fabric. Though companies market higher-thread-count sheets as better quality, hot sleepers should opt for lower-thread-count sheets, says Dan Connors, Casper’s product engineering manager. “Thread counts for cooling sheets should be somewhere in the range of 200 to 400 to allow for efficient ventilation and a more breathable, and spacious sleeping experience,” he explains.
That said, Alli Truttmann, the president and CEO of the smart bedding company Wicked Sheets, says that consumers “should be more concerned about fabric type and breathability” than thread count. “Thread count is only important for cotton sheets, and when you think of cooling, you should be thinking of polyester/cooling nylon blends and bamboo,” she explains.
If you want to avoid hot, sweaty nights, choose fabrics that are lightweight, breathable and natural, such as Tencel, bamboo and cotton. “A little tip to consider is to also look for lighter-colored sheets to mitigate high temperatures if they will see sunlight during the day,” Connors adds.
Connors says that while both bamboo and cotton fabrics are breathable and cooling, “bamboo sheets are often softer, more durable and lightweight than cotton sheet.” Truttmann agrees that bamboo fabrics are superior for cooling and also recommends polyester/nylon blends.
“Hot sleepers should avoid the Fs: fleeces, flannels and feathers,” Truttmann says. “Anything intended to provide insulation will have essentially no breathability?and likely poor wash and wear durability.” Instead, go for polyester and nylon blends and bamboo.
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