8 Foolproof Solutions for Hot Sleepers

Hot sleeper solutions have been circulating for years now, and yet, there are still some of us warm sleepers who still can't seem to find relief. In this article, we'll look at some of the reasons why you can't sleep at night, what makes it feel too hot, and what you can do about it.

First of all, let's talk a bit about the definition of a hot sleeper.

Hot Sleepers - How to Know If You're One

Traditionally, the term “hot sleeper” quite simply refers to people who have trouble falling asleep at night because of a permanent feeling of extreme heat.

Being a hot sleeper isn't something that occurs every once in a while, but permanently, night in, night out.

So if you couldn't go to sleep one night because you felt too hot, there might be a bunch of reasons that would explain that other than being a hot sleeper, such as the fabric of your nightwear.

Obviously, being a hot sleeper implies more than a change of sheets and has to do mainly with our core temperature. Since everyone's a little different in that department, it stands to reason that some people will have more trouble reaching a comfortable temperature than others. This difficulty inhibits the body's production of melatonin, a hormone that is in charge of making us fall asleep. The harder it is to secrete melatonin, the more time we will spend awake.

So if you feel hot even if you're not wearing tight pajamas and if the room temperature is appropriately cool, you might be a hot sleeper. Also, if you have trouble falling and staying asleep because of a constant feeling of warmth, read on, because this article is for you.

Best Solutions for Hot Sleepers

As we mentioned, being a hot sleeper has to do largely with core temperature, and there's not a whole lot you can do about that. However, there are several options you can explore to help soothe your body, and encourage melatonin production.

1. Take a good look at the fabric of your sheets.

Sweaty sleepers will be glad to know that the answer to their problems could be as easy as just changing the sheets on your bed. Why? As you might've guessed, some fabrics are more heat-resistant than others. For example, polyester sheets will trap your body's moisture and reflect it back at you, thus making for a warm and sweaty atmosphere.

The best fabrics for sheets for hot sleepers include organic cotton and linen. These fabrics are well-known for being light and breathable, which in the case of sheets, means that instead of trapping the moisture your body naturally exudes, they allow it to move out into the rest of the room. Cotton and Linen make for better air circulation, thus creating an overall cooler sleeping atmosphere.

You may also want to try satin or sateen in your sheets, for a similar experience. Satin is wonderfully soft, and aside from encouraging breathability, Satin also has many perks for your skin and hair.

However, satin tends to be a little on the pricey side, so you might want to switch them in for sateen, like in these Sateen Fitted Sheets from Parachute, a much-refined type of cotton that is softer and resembles satin.

2. Switch your mattress or add a mattress topper!

Another reason why you might be having difficulty finding the right sleep temperature might be the mattress you're using. Like sheets, a mattress will absorb and accumulate your body warmth, and some mattresses will even reflect that back to you, thus making it too hot to sleep.

If you suspect that your mattress might be at fault, then you might want to look for a cooling mattress for hot sleepers, instead. Generally, a cooling mattress is made up of multiple layers of different materials, usually including coil layers that encourage cooling airflow.

And if you love your mattress foam too much to give up its many benefits, don't worry, you can get a mattress that's both cooling and has a memory like an elephant! The Midnight Luxe from Helix Sleep, for example, is a specially-designed memory foam mattress complete with cooling layers that will soothe even the pickiest of sweaty sleepers.

If switching up your mattress sounds like too much of a commitment for you, you can opt for installing a mattress pad (or topper) also designed with cooling in mind. Gel foam mattress toppers are both comfortable and good at regulating body temperature. The special cooling gel used in such toppers improves air circulation and reduces hot flashes. What's more, the mattress topper (or pad) has the added benefit of putting an extra layer between you and the heat-trapping mattress. You get similar benefits to a cooling mattress with a topper, but without going through all the hassle.

3. Change your pajamas.

We're sure you've thought of that already, but do you know what to look for in your new set of bedwear? What we're looking for here isn't simply a shorter pair of pants, or something a little looser, though those too are good ideas to keep in mind.

As with the sheets earlier, you will want to look for a fabric that keeps your body dry and free of moisture. Unfortunately, many cute pajamas are made using a heavy dose of polyester, which traps heat, so you want to move toward a fabric that's cooling and pleasant to the touch.

Bamboo pajamas (like the ones from Sleepy Time) seem to be a big favorite for women suffering from hot flashes, which makes us think they might also prove to be a lifesaver for all you warm sleepers out there. As before, organic cotton makes for another excellent choice in bedwear, as it will keep you dry, which in turn, will keep you cool.

4. Try a cooling bed fan!

Yes, as the name suggests, a cooling bed fan is literally a fan that you place somewhere near your bed. Or is it more? See, having read that, you might be tempted to just get yourself a regular old fan and stick it next to your bed, but that's not all there is to it.

The main problem with regular fans and with the AC, in general, is that they have been created to cool the entire room. That can pump up your bills by quite a bit, and it's money you're paying unnecessarily. You don't need to have the whole room cool, just your bed.

This is why cooling bed fans are specially designed to send gusts of cool air beneath your sheets, thus only targeting the area of the room where you are. This can help save quite a bit on bills at the end of the month, while still accomplishing the same benefits!

The bFan, for example, is an excellent choice that fits snugly next to your bed and is fitted with a few air vents that go under the covers. Its small size and general unobtrusiveness make it a great fit for those of you working with limited space, and the price sweetens the deal!

Some warm sleepers also opt for the NightBliss, which is costlier than the bFan, but also more customizable, and has the added benefit that its wireless fan can be placed anywhere in the bed (as opposed to the bFan, which goes at the foot of the bed).

5. Or perhaps a cooling pillow?

Yeah, they actually make cooling pillows, because as we hot sleepers know, these hot flashes can strike in various areas of the body. By cooling the head and neck area (and also, often, the hands), a cooling pillow such as the Breeze Pro from TempurPedic works by using a cooling gel to regulate your body temperature. It has the added benefit that it maintains its position (so that you don't have to keep fluffing it all the time!).

Another excellent option is the Slumber Cloud Cirrus Pillow, which works by storing and releasing heat at different points during the night. This means that it can take away the heat while you try to go to bed, but re-release it toward the body later on in the night, as the body temperature drops.

6. Alternatively, spring for a cooling weighted blanket.

Sure, you can combine the cooling mattress topper, pillow, and blanket. Or you can opt for one, depending on your particular preference. What's great about a weighted blanket is that it sort of feels like a hug, which has an important soothing effect on your psyche. A weighted blanket often confers safety and comfort, which can help you relax and go to sleep more quickly.

The Dual Therapy Blanket from Brooklyn Bedding is a clever addition to your bedroom because it has both a hot and a cool side, which you can alternate if you feel the need. However, one downside with weighted blankets is that they can be too heavy for some people, so if you do decide to go for it, make sure you opt for a weight that's appropriate for your body.

7. Ultimately, you might want to go for a bed cooling system.

A bed cooling system is the ultimate leap in the quest for a cooler sleeping experience. As you might expect, the bed cooling systems we're going to discuss in this section are quite pricy, but they do have lots of excellent benefits that make the extra cost worthwhile. At its core, a bed cooling system functions with the use of a base and then the system itself.

The chiliPAD is a smart, advanced technology mattress topper connected to a small controlling unit that fits snugly under your bed and can be remotely controlled from a special remote - that means you don't even have to get out of bed to change the temperature! It uses water, well-known for its cooling effect, to keep your body at an even temperature throughout the night. With the OOLER, the chiliPAD is one of the most revolutionizing solutions for hot sleepers from the same manufacturer.

The bedJet, on the other hand, is the ideal choice if your partner isn't a hot sleeper and so might be bothered by your cooling alternatives. The bedJet is a cooling sleeping system that comes in single and double options, with the latter setting different temperatures on either half of the bed (which is why we recommend it if your partner isn't a hot sleeper). The bedJet involves stashing a control unit under or near the bed, which will then pump cool air into your blanket, and dry the sweat your body naturally lets off during the night.

Lastly, we have the MOONA pillow pad, which is marketed as the pillow that never gets hot. We all know how frustrating it can be when you're trying to fall asleep, and the pillow gets all hot and deflated, preventing you. Well, with the remote-controlled MOONA, that's no longer a problem. This smart pad is controlled either from the control unit or directly from an app on your phone. It goes over your everyday pillow, maintaining your desired temperature through the night.

8. Tweak your room for a cooler sleeping experience.

While these aren't as efficient as the options above, they are still some worthwhile tweaks that you can do to your bedroom to maintain a cooler temperature.

Add some shades! Particularly if you live in a hot place, the sun beating through your window can seriously hike up the room temperature. This can be a problem both first thing in the morning but also at night since that heat is hard to get rid of. So putting in some blinds or curtains can help keep excessive sunlight out of your home.

Switch the AC on. As we mentioned, the AC's main issue is that it will put a spike in your electricity bills. Still, cranking on your AC or thermostat can make the difference when the temperature doesn't let you go to sleep. A room or ceiling fan can also be a worthy alternative that will force cooler air around you as you sleep (though less targeted than a bed fan).

Bottom Line

Life as a hot sleeper can be nasty and unpleasant. In the long-term, too much-missed sleep can make you cranky and less productive throughout the day, not to mention it can have a seriously negative impact on your health. Luckily, with these solutions for hot sleepers, we hope that your too-hot nights are numbered!