Getting a good night’s sleep is essential to taking care of your mental and physical health — and creating the perfect setting is key. Just like your clothes, bedsheets are important to help you stay comfortable while you snooze.
You can find the perfect mattress and use blackout curtains to achieve total darkness, but finding a solution for overheating can be more difficult, particularly during the summer. According to the National Sleep Foundation, a good sleep environment is around 67 degrees Fahrenheit and specific materials will help with heat regulation. Fortunately, swapping your current bedding for cooling sheets can help, especially during nationwide heat waves and record-breaking temperatures.
From linen to bamboo, there is a myriad of options that will help regulate your body temperature and combat night sweats. We spoke with various sleep experts and a board certified-doctor to better understand why cooling sheets are imperative to quality sleep.
What are cooling sheets?
Cooling sheets are bedsheets designed to help combat overheating while you sleep. The cooling properties can come from thread count, material or the weight of the fabric.
“Even if you’re the best sleeper, sleeping in a 100-degree room will disturb your quality of sleep,” clinical psychologist Dr. Joshua Tal says.
Sleep expert and author of “The Mindful Way to a Good Night’s Sleep” Tzivia Gover tells Shop TODAY that cool and dark conditions are optimal for getting high-quality rest. “When thinking of the ideal environment to support sleep, think of creating a sleep cave.”
What should you look for while shopping for cooling bedsheets?
In terms of texture, Dr. Shelby Harris, a licensed clinical psychologist and author of “The Women’s Guide to Overcoming Insomnia,” explains that something smooth and comfortable is best.
“Higher thread counts are more smooth and comfortable, and they frequently trap less heat,” she says. If you don’t have a material preference, she advises choosing the option with the highest thread count you can find.
Tal also advises buying sheets that are made with light and breathable materials such as linen, cotton, eucalyptus or bamboo.
Furthermore, “the best cooling sheets are those made of materials that promote airflow — such as cotton and linen, which are light and breathable,” says Martin Seeley, sleep expert and CEO at MattressNextDay. “Also, light-colored sheets reflect heat, while darker colors absorb it during the summer months,” he says.
Tencel is also a great fabric if you’re looking to stay cool and have a good night’s sleep. According to Kaily Hanna, senior buyer at Bob’s Discount Furniture, “Tencel fabric has superior moisture management properties aiding in cooler sleeping temperatures helping your body stay cool throughout the night.”
Best cooling sheets according to experts
These sheets are made with a polyester-microfiber material that’s designed to wick away moisture and increase airflow. They’re also lightweight — a characteristic Tal recommends paying attention to when buying cooling sheets — and gentle enough for sensitive skin, according to the brand.
“Tencel — a fiber derived from eucalyptus trees — has great moisture-wicking abilities and is gaining popularity,” says Harris. While it has a lower thread count, Tencel is still soft to the touch and incredibly beneficial if you deal with night sweats.
“I’m a big fan of Cozy Earth for their natural fibers,” says Samantha Brown, a New York-based celebrity stylist and author of “Dressing Up: Pip’s Truly Fashionable Tale.”
“In general, I’d avoid any synthetics like polyester blends as the sheets will be less breathable. Organic cotton and bamboo are optimal for cooling as they allow air flow and circulation,” she says.
Editor-approved cooling sheets
Commerce editor Vivien Moon refuses to swap these bedsheets out for another set, as she says they are the softest and most luxe sheets she’s ever slept on. She boasts that they are better than any hotel sheets and plans to buy them for the rest of her life.
Moon has recommended these microfiber sheets to multiple friends and swears that if anything ever happens to them, she will just repurchase.
Senior editor Jess Bender likes these cooling sheets because they are certified by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation.
"These are pretty much the perfect sheets for hot sleepers due to their cooling and moisture-wicking properties, but there's more to love about these beyond that. In short, these are probably the silkiest bedsheets I've ever owned — you could even see the sheen bouncing off the bedroom lights! They're also made with sustainable, soft eucalyptus fibers that won't irritate or scratch sensitive skin. I've owned these for a little over two years and they're still in great shape beyond a slight bit of pilling from washing them," raves Bender.
“Bamboo is another good choice for many as it is hypoallergenic, eco-friendly and cool to the touch,” Harris explains.
Associate editor Kamari Stewart has these sheets and says, “ I run warm at night and these sheets have managed to keep me cool every single night without fail. I also love that I don’t have to fight to get them onto my 12-inch thick mattress and there’s even some room left in there for them to move around.”
"As a hot sleeper, these bamboo sheets have been an absolute dream to sleep on," shares production associate Audrey Ekman.
Aside from catering to the hot sleeping community, these sheets are great if you suffer from allergies or have sensitive skin. "They're silky and soft to the touch, and don't get too warm at night. The colors are gorgeous and from one wash/dry, the care involved is pretty easy and straightforward. I will say, they do wrinkle easily, but I'm not too bothered by that personally," adds Ekman.
Bender also likes the feel and construction of these sheets. “The opportunity to test these out was a pleasant surprise. My boyfriend didn’t feel the same sentiment at first, as he freaked out at the scratchy texture he felt right off the bat when I first made our bed with it. Nevertheless, despite the initial sensory overload, he persisted and came to appreciate its cooling capabilities thanks to its European flax material,” she says. “As a hot sleeper, I cosign the ease I felt sleeping between these sheets. The material also felt much sturdier than I expected from linen, so I feel okay about these lasting us for a very long time.”
This set touts the ability to keep you cool all night long with the temperature-regulating technology embedded within its proprietary Xirotex fabrics. According to the brand, it works by regulating temperature before the first sign of perspiration and stops cooling at optimal temperature in order to ensure a better sleep experience.
I (Espinal) often say there’s magic in these sheets and stand by them being the most comfortable sheets I've slept on. I live in a pre-war building where the heater is super warm and wake up drenched in sweat. Lately, I’ve felt fresh and dry since sleeping on my Lusome sheets.
How we chose the best cooling sheets
The Shop TODAY team rounded up the best cooling sheets by enlisting the recommendations of experts, including a licensed psychologist, sleep doctor, fabric care scientist and more. We also included two favorite cooling sheets that were tested by our editors as well. Sweet dreams!
Meet the experts
- Tzia Gover is an author and certified dreamwork professional from the Institute for Dream Studies in Charleston, South Carolina.
- Dr. Joshua Tal, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist with his own private practice in New York City.
- Dr. Shelby Harris, PsyD, DBSM, is a New York-based board-certified doctor who treats a wide variety of sleep disorders like insomnia and narcolepsy.
- Kaily Hanna is a senior buyer at Bob’s Discount Furniture.
- Martin Seeley is a sleep expert and CEO at MattressNextDay.
- Samantha Brown is a New York-based celebrity stylist and author of “Dressing Up: Pip’s Truly Fashionable Tale.”
- Sammy Wang is a fabric care senior scientist for Procter & Gamble.
