“Hi, my name is Jane, and I’m a hot sleeper.”

Does this sound like something from an episode of your favorite celebrity rehab sleep show?

It shouldn’t...because sleeping hot is something lots of regular people (and celebrities, too!) deal with every night.

Luckily for us all, there are sleep tips that hot sleepers can use to get a great night’s sleep and feel rested every day.

But first, what does it mean to sleep “hot”?

Are You A Hot Sleeper?

Hot sleepers fall asleep at a normal temperature but wake up in the middle of the night, covered in sweat, because their body temperature has risen. Even if you don’t consciously wake up, sleeping hot can disturb your sleep and cause you to toss and turn throughout the night. That will lead to tiredness, grogginess, and lack of energy the next day.

Not cool, right?

*See what we did there 😜

According to the experts at National Library of Medicine:

The thermal environment is a key determinant of sleep because thermoregulation is strongly linked to the mechanism regulating sleep. Excessively high or low ambient temperature (Ta) may affect sleep even in healthy humans without insomnia. 

It’s normal for our body temperature to change while we sleep, but if you wake up feeling unrested or much warmer than you do during the daytime, you may be a hot sleeper.

Before we show you how you can fix this problem so you’ll be sleeping like a baby - a cool, chill baby, that is - we need to understand the possible causes of sleeping hot.

Potential Causes

There can be a variety of different reasons you may be a hot sleeper. Some of the common causes of sleeping hot are:

Hot Flashes

Did you know: women are the gender that most commonly gets hot flashes, but men can get them as well. Hot flashes occur as a result of a change in hormones. For many women, this is something they deal with when going through menopause.

Ever wonder why it’s not called “women pause”? Questions like this should keep you up at night...not because you’re sleeping hot!

Excess Sweating

Some people sweat more than others, but if you sweat A LOT more than others you may have a medical condition known as idiopathic hyperhidrosis. The cause of it is unknown, but the symptoms are excess sweating.

Excessively sweating in your sleep can cause moisture to be trapped in your bedding, which will disrupt your sleep even more.

Yikes! 

Excess Activity Before Bed

Do you like to exercise before bedtime?

Exercise is great for your body and having a consistent workout schedule can improve your sleep, but exercising right before you hit the sack may not be a great idea.

Working out stimulates the body and can raise your internal temperature and cause sweating that takes a while to subside.

Try to schedule your workouts earlier in the day so you have a couple of hours to cool off before catching some zzzs.

Inconsistent or Incorrect Room Temperature

The temperature in your home could be causing you to be a hot sleeper...especially because lots of people set the thermostat too high when going to bed.

If the temperature is too warm in your house or apartment you won’t have the ideal environment for high-quality sleep. It’s worth testing different temperatures over a few weeks until you dial in the best temperature for you.

*Hint...the ideal temperature is probably a lot cooler than you think. Keep reading to learn more... 

Sleeping With a Partner

If your sleep partner is hotter than Brad Pitt or Scarlett Johansson, you may be better if they, or you, sleep on the couch. Of course, we’re talking about “hot” in terms of temperature...but you knew that right???

Sharing your bed with someone can be great for your relationship and, well, your physical “fitness”, but the heat they radiate can increase your body temperature. This is enough to cause you to become a hot sleeper.

Ok, you don’t have to destroy your relationship... there are other tips that can help you sleep more comfortably without becoming a hermit for the rest of your life. For example, you can avoid...

The Wrong Night Wear

Long johns. Tighty whities. Pajamas. Everyone has their favorite attire to wear to bed. Whether you choose something that covers up most or little of you, the materials that they’re made of can cause heat retention, which you’ll want to avoid if you’re a hot sleeper.

The Wrong Mattress

Most people select a mattress based on comfort - the right level of firmness or plushness - but breathability is important, too, especially for temperature regulation. The best option is to replace a non-breathable, old mattress with a cooling mattress like this Hush Iced Cooling Mattress Pillow Top Firm from Down Under Bedding.

Mattresses are an investment, though, so if you’re stuck with a non-breathable mattress that you can’t replace right now then you can try amattress topper ormattress pad that can add some level of airflow to help regulate your body temperature while you sleep. 

Take a look at our mattress topper and mattress pad product selections.

The Wrong Bedding

One of the most common reasons that so many people become hot sleepers is because they use the wrong bedding. For example, wool bedding products are great heat insulators so are perfect for sleeping in colder climates, but if you’re a hot sleeper you’ll want to use a material that is more breathable and allows more airflow.

Ok, now that you know what causes people to sleep hot, we’ll share tips that can keep you cooler than a penguin sucking on an ice pop...

Tips To Cool Down

Regulate the Room Temperature

Sleep experts agree that setting your bedroom to the ideal temperature and keeping it consistent can do wonders for your rest. Ideally, the best sleeping temperature is between 60 degrees to 67 degrees.

During the course of your sleep, your body experiences thermoregulation, which is a fancy word that means your body temperature drops when you are sleeping. When you get into your deep sleep, this stops, and then your body reacts to the temperature of your bedroom.

Simply put, if your room temperature is too hot, you’ll sleep hot, and wake up hot. You don’t want that! 

Wear Cooling Pajamas and Sleep-Wear

Nightwear for bedtime is available in a lot of different materials. As a hot sleeper, you may want to focus on those that are lightweight and breathable. Some materials that fall into this category are:

Cotton:

Cotton is an all-natural fabric that is lightweight and feels pleasant to the touch...we all have a favorite cotton t-shirt, after all.
Even though cotton is comfortable, it may not be the best choice for you if you are a hot sleeper that also sweats a lot because cotton isn’t very good at wicking away moisture.

Silk:

With silk being an amazing thermoregulator, it is an ideal choice for hot sleepers. Just make sure you invest in high-quality silk products so you can take advantage of their breathability and cooling effects.

Bamboo:

We said it before, and we’ll say it again...bamboo is the coolest! Moisture-wicking, hypoallergenic, and eco-friendly...what’s not to love?

Use The Best Bedding

 

With bedding being one of the most common problems for hot sleepers, it is worth knowing and investing in the best bedding to help prevent sleeping hot.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Use A Breathable, Cooling Duvet

Using a duvet for your cover is a great choice. But, if you are a hot sleeper, it is really important that you choose the right one.

Silk Duvet

A silk duvet may be the ideal choice for hot sleepers. To begin with, silk is lightweight, which means that you are not going to be tossing and turning because of its weight. The extra movement would only mean you would be producing even more body heat.

A fantastic choice for this is Down Under Bedding's 100% Mulberry Silk Filled Light Weight Duvet Comforter. It is made with long strand mulberry silk which is hypo-allergenic and breathable. The covering of this duvet is a single ply 300 thread count 100% combed cover. This is quality cotton that also allows for a cooler and more comfortable sleep. It comes in five different sizes so there will be no problem with getting one that fits your bed perfectly.

Silk is classified as one of the lightest materials used in sleep bedding. It can allow your body temperature to adjust. There are some added benefits to relying on silk for a good night’s sleep because of its ability to reduce your body temperature, which means you are going to sweat less.

Silk is a breathable material, so it is not going to become wet from sweat. This means fewer bacteria are likely to form, which is a side effect that can come from sweating.

That’s right, sleeping hot can increase the bacteria in your bed...and nobody wants that!

Bamboo Duvet

When you use a bamboo duvet for your night covering, you don’t even need to worry about a top sheet. For hot sleepers, many have found that the bamboo duvet has been an excellent choice for them. This type of duvet is breathable, which allows for better regulation of the body temperature. This is a type of bedding that is ideal for all seasons, even for hot sleepers. It is lightweight, so there are no issues of having to deal with bedding that is too heavy which just makes for more problems that the hot sleeper has to deal with.

Buying a high-quality duvet like the Down Under 100% Bamboo Duvet provides all the benefits that hot sleepers are looking for in bedding that is going to help them sleep cooler. This duvet is ideal for any season. It enhances a good night’s sleep with its lightweight and super soft feeling.

This particular duvet is a smart investment because it can be used all year round. It means that the hot sleeper doesn’t have to put up with heavier duvets during the cold months which would make their condition even worse.

Goose Down Duvet

Most people think goose down is not a good option for hot sleepers, especially during the warmer months. Modern technology has allowed for the manufacturing of white goose down duvets in a summer weight.

Just when you thought geese couldn’t be any more chill!

For hot sleepers, this particular duvet may be the best choice to use during the entire year. Its lightweight composition helps to ensure that it is not too heavy, and it can assist with temperature control.

A goose duvet that will meet all the needs of hot sleepers is the Down Under White Goose Down Summer Duvet. This duvet is made with 12# baffle boxes and durable white cording that is double stitched. The outer cover is 100% top-quality cotton. It is made specifically for warm weather use and it brings a lot of relief to hot sleepers. 

Best Sheets For Hot Sleepers

When choosing the best bedding to stay cool while you sleep, don’t forget about the sheets!

Sheets are in direct contact with your skin, so you’ll want to choose a material that is breathable cooling, and won’t get too hot while you sleep.

Sheets that are made from high-quality cotton or bamboo are ideal for hot sleepers. Both of these are breathable materials that are going to help the hot sleeper to cool down.

Bamboo Sheets:

Bamboo is becoming a popular material for sheet sets because of its cooling properties. It is important that a bamboo sheet set is made of high-quality bamboo like the Down Under 100% Viscose Bamboo Sheet Sets.

The viscose in these sheets is 100 natural viscose coming from organic bamboo fiber. The end result of the composition of these sheets is a soft silky luxurious feel and cooling effects that are important to those who suffer from hot sleeping.

Added to its benefits are its hypo-allergenic and anti-bacterial qualities. An added bonus is that these sheets are not only durable but easy to care for and can be damp-dried by hanging them after a light drying cycle in the dryer.

Pre-cool the sheets

Some have been so desperate that they will put their sheets in a bag and pop them in the freezer. Just for a short while. Then just before bed, they will take them out and make up the bed with this. This is a quick and temporary fix for those who are hot sleepers during the entire night.

This one sounds a bit crazy but desperate times call for desperate measures, and when you can’t sleep people will do some crazy things. 

Turn on the Fan

Others have found that even if the room is cool that circulating the air can help reduce the heat they are feeling. Some like the fan to blow directly on them, while others are satisfied with it just being in the room.

Use Window Shades

If the bedroom has a lot of windows, it may be exposed to the heat from the sun. Keeping the bedroom consistently cool can help. This can be done by drawing the curtains during the day. It will help to stop the heat from the sun coming in.

Ice Packs

Another option is to cool the body down before going to sleep. Some will use ice packs for this. They find it helps them to lower their body temperature when using the ice packs on their wrists, neck, and temples. This is a temporary solution and the effects are likely to wear off if the bedding and mattress insulate heat.

Re-Purpose The Hot Water Bottle

Most like to use this item when they want to create heat. However, you can fill a bottle with ice-cold water to create the opposite effect. The severely hot sleepers may find it useful in at least helping them to get to sleep.

Drink Cold Water

Cooling down your body naturally before going to sleep may be beneficial when used with some of the other methods outlined here, especially when it comes to the proper bedding. An easy way of doing this is by drinking a glass of cold water just before going to bed.

Don’t drink too much, though, otherwise, you’ll be waking up during la-la land to take a trip to the loo.

Keep Your Distance

If you are sleeping with a partner, ideally, you want to keep your distance. It may mean investing in a wider bed if the current one you are using is too small.

Turn Off The Lights and Electronics

Some people like to sleep with a soft light on or with the television going. Both can create heat and make it miserable for hot sleepers. Keep in mind that electronics can emit heat even when turned off, so unplug any electronics you can when you’re about to hit the sack.

Invest in the Right Mattress

Aside from using the proper bedding, it may be beneficial to invest in a mattress that can help the hot sleepers. There are now cooling mattresses that are specifically designed to help with the regulation of body temperatures.

Check out our mattress collection.

Summary

Any one of these suggestions can help you as a hot sleeper. Using several of them can significantly enhance your chances of getting a good night's sleep so you'll stay cool and well rested.