Do you notice that most nights, you feel your body overheating, then sweating, and even struggle to stay asleep because of it? Sleep isn't as easy as your temperature feels like it's skyrocketing while you sense beads of sweat rolling down your back and neck. An overly hot or humid sleep environment can leave you feeling like you're in an undesirable personal sauna inside your bedroom. So, how can you help yourself to counteract that and cool down your mattress?
Many consider themselves to be hot sleepers, and numerous cooling products, such as cooling pillows, have been introduced over the years, along with other advanced hybrid mattress designs, fabrics, and materials. From gel foams to products that are breathable and incorporate advanced cooling technologies, each cooling fabric or temperature-regulating tech has its own varying capacity to perform.
A varying degree of performance means that not all cooling technologies are the same, nor do they each provide the same degree of effectiveness. Gel infusions often do not meet the same standard for temperature regulation as other technologies, such as phase change fabrics or materials.
If you're looking for a cooler surface to sleep on because you feel overheated on most nights, a more breathable mattress protector or topper may be the solution. However, if you're especially sweaty or warm while trying to sleep and appreciate high-performance products, a sleep accessory with active temperature-balancing technology is likely a more ideal choice for you.
Next, the Bed Tech Sleep Experts will highlight some of the best, easy-to-use sleep accessories that offer the ability to help you regulate moisture, put the "heat on pause," and cool off your mattress.
#1 Cooling Sleep Accessory: Breathable Sheets
Just as choosing a pair of shoes or a new mattress is typically a subjective decision, picking out sheets often comes down to personal preference as well. If you consider yourself a hot sleeper, selecting the right set of sheets is important; you'll want sheets made of a breathable, moisture-wicking, or cooling fabric. Whether you prefer crisp, textured, soft, or silky sheets, these preferences will naturally influence your choice of sheets. The sheet's feel, as well as its breathability, plays a noteworthy role in your overall satisfaction with your sleep quality and the product itself.
Some prefer the crispness of cotton, while others opt for soft, cozy, or velvety fabrics, such as flannel or blended microfiber. For many people, the smoother or silkier sheets, including those with a high thread count, are often the culprit of excess body heat becoming trapped within the sheets and the mattress. The Bed Tech Sleep Experts also refer to this as your immediate sleep environment.
The texture and breathability of your sheets will be the most influential factors in determining how comfortable your mattress and bed perform overall. Most nights, your sheets will personally impact your sleep quality and how enjoyable your night of sleep feels when you wake up.
For anyone who tends to be sweaty and hot during their sleep cycles, consider investing in a set of sheets with moisture-wicking capabilities, such as those made from wood-pulp-based fibers like bamboo. Thread Bamboo sheets by Bed Tech are an impressive option that features non-irritating, hypoallergenic bamboo fabric and a universal fit. These sheets naturally help control humidity within your sleep environment by wicking away moisture and thermobalancing body temperature.
#2: Temperature Balancing Mattress Protector
Another way to significantly improve your sleep health and hygiene is by introducing a mattress protector that offers cooling or temperature-balancing technology infused into the foam or fabrics. Like the Bed Tech Blue Ice mattress protector, this sleep accessory is an ideal addition to any bedroom with sleepers who tend to feel hot most nights. These types of cooling sleep products can keep a warm sleeper cool and a cool sleeper warm. The idea is that, in the form of fibers, temperature-balancing mattress protector fabrics with phase change technology will store, absorb, and release body heat back to you as necessary.
Many people are already familiar with this example of a phase change material: water. Water can change its state from solid to liquid to vapor, which perfectly illustrates the concept of phase change. As the temperature rises, ice melts into liquid water and eventually evaporates into vapor, helping to keep your drink cool. Conversely, when the temperature drops, such as in a freezer, liquid water solidifies back into ice.
Phase change materials (PCMs) used in mattresses are different from water in that they undergo a phase change from liquid to solid, rather than simply freezing or melting. Still, PCM technology is currently applied in a wide range of sleep products, including mattresses, pillows, sheets, mattress protectors, and other bedding accessories.
Moreover, phase change technology is highly effective in actively storing, absorbing, and releasing heat as necessary to regulate the environment. PCM technology is utilized in building construction materials, such as roofing, insulation, as well as in protective gear worn by athletes, industrial workers, and firefighters. PCMs for your mattress or bedding will also offer efficient and dynamic temperature regulation.
That said, many of these types of mattress products will feel great to the hot sleeper as they pull heat away from the body and cool it down. In contrast, the other sleeper, who may feel cold, remains unbothered by the advanced technology, as it also helps keep the cooler sleeper warm.
Temperature-balancing mattress protectors primarily deliver cooling-based benefits. Still, they are also recommended for beds with one person who sleeps warm and one who sleeps cold, as this advanced technology works effectively in both situations. The Tencel 5.0 Protector by Bed Tech, made with bamboo-wood pulp-based fibers, and the Blue Ice Protector are both exceptional choices for individuals who need medications or have conditions that affect body temperature, or those residing in hot or overly humid climates.
#3: Cooling Pillows
When you have a fever, one solution to help cool your internal temperature is to apply a cool, wet washcloth to your forehead. For hot sleepers, the same concept applies: a pillow with cooling foams or fabric can serve as an effective source of cooling in areas of the body that generate excess heat, such as the head and neck.
Cooling pillows are among the most exciting sleep accessories to test before making a purchase. Their cooling sensation is a natural "breath of fresh air" as you rest your head on a cool and comfortable pillow that naturally helps your whole body and sleep environment feel cooler than before.
If you're struggling to stay asleep because you wake up hot, don't hesitate to try a Bed Tech Blue Ice Pillow, available in low, medium, or high profiles with a cooling cover. Or, the latest in advanced pillow technology—check out the assortment of breathable, cooling Bed Tech Italian foam pillows.
Bed Tech Bella pillows boast an optional shoulder curve cut-out, ideal for side sleepers, along with a temperature-balancing cover that feels cool to the touch:
Bella Frost Italian Pillow
- Bella Frost Pillow- Features contouring Italian foam with breathable ventilation channels. Ideal for back and stomach sleepers.
- Bella Frost Curve Pillow- The same highly contouring Italian foam with ventilation channels. The shoulder cut-out design is best for side sleepers.
Bella Curve Italian Pillow
- Bella Ice Pillow- Fast responding Italian foam with ventilated air channels. Designed for use on the side and back, as well as for multi-position or "combination" sleepers.
- Bella Ice Curve Pillow- The same fast-response Italian foam with ventilated air channels, with a shoulder cut-out design for side sleepers.
Keep Your Cool: Choose Bed Tech Sleep Accessories
Have you heard the saying: "If you snooze, you lose?"
The Bed Tech Sleep Experts emphasize the exact opposite:
"If you don't snooze, you lose!"
Nevertheless, there is more than just one product that is effective in helping you sleep better and stay cool at night. Many options exist, such as breathable bamboo sheets and cooling protectors, to help you improve the quality of your sleep cycles and achieve balanced nights of restful sleep.
Feel free to check out Bed Tech's online shop, featuring an assortment of some of the best cooling foam mattresses, as well as pillows, sheets, and mattress protectors with unique phase change fabrics, moisture-wicking capabilities, and other temperature-balancing technologies.