This article is a part of CNN Underscored’s Guide to Sleep, a week-long focus on everything you need to sleep better. We’ll be featuring new products and exclusive deals all week, so check in every morning to see what’s new and be sure to subscribe to the CNN Underscored newsletter to see it all.
Some people run hot all the time, some wake up hot, some find themselves sweaty in the middle of the night and some experience all of the above. It’s not always the greatest feeling, and it can be a sign of something serious, but many times it can be related to hormonal changes, menopause, premenopause or just an overheated environment.
Feeling hot can also simply make it harder to sleep, and according to research, the ideal temperature for sleep is actually a chilly 65 degrees Fahrenheit. There’s good news, though! An overheated environment can be fixed with just a few tweaks to your sleeping situation, like cooling bedding and gels or lightweight toppers for when it’s ridiculously hot out. Ahead, we highlight some products that, according to reviewers, make sleeping cool as easy as ever, as well as picks that we’ve personally tried and loved.
“When shopping for cooling sheets, breathable fabrics made of natural materials do a great job of creating a cooler sleeping environment,” says Liz Boscacci, Casper’s director of product development. “Cotton percale and Tencel are two examples of such materials.”
With more than 31,000 reviews, this 100% cotton sheet set is an Amazon favorite. The set comes with a flat sheet, fitted sheet and two pillowcases, and you can take your pick of anything from pastel solids to paisley and polka dots.
“I made my bed and being that it was a warm night it provided the opportunity to test them to see if I would feel too warm,” one reviewer writes. “It was a cool comfortable experience and had a perfect sleep in my new sheets!”
See more of our cooling sheets picks here.
“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,” says nurse Angela Ballard.
For cooling sheets that aren’t going to set you back too far, look no further than this set. Made of ultra-fine microfiber with moisture-absorbing technology that actually pulls moisture away from the skin, you only need to look at a few reviews to be convinced of their magic.
For example: “I live in Arizona, so cool sheets feel like a necessity to me,” one reviewer writes. “I was on the brink of ordering a very expensive set of bamboo sheets from a specialty site when I saw the reviews for this set on Amazon. I’m so happy to report that these sheets are exactly what they purport to be. They are EXTREMELY comfortable and soft. They are also very cool. My husband doesn’t believe in ‘cool’ sheets because he sleeps very hot — he wakes up sweaty more often that not, usually — but he exclaimed last night that these sheets are very cool.”
The winner of the best linen sheets of 2021, this Parachute set is made from 100% European flax in a family-owned factory in Portugal. Light and airy with the ability to get even softer after every wash, the colors couldn’t be dreamier too.
“On the summer night we first tested these, the sheets were soft but also firm,” our reviewer wrote. “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.”
“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.
Made with said bamboo rayon, these are designed to wick away moisture and even minimize smell. We’ve tried them ourselves and love how silky they look too.
Another bamboo option, these sheets (which Oprah is a fan of), have made several Underscored editors fall head over heels. Made specifically with viscose from bamboo, these sheets are cool to the touch and even moisture-wicking. Luckily, the brand just branched out to supply more colors other than white too, so we’ll definitely be buying another set.
These sheets are made from 100% eucalyptus fiber, giving them a bit of a sheen and a cool-to-the-touch effect that’s simply irresistible for hot sleepers. 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.
Cooling pillows for hot sleepers come in a variety of materials like shredded foam, gels and cotton. Look for one that holds in coolness and wicks away moisture. This well-priced, high-rated foam pillow is infused with a temperature-regulating gel for a cool night’s sleep.
“I too had bought every pillow on the market over the years and this one is certainly the most comfortable, most cooling and best support yet,” writes one reviewer. “This is what a pillow should do! Cradle and support your head. My first thought was it wasn’t high enough and wouldn’t feel comfortable. Boy was I wrong. The second my head hit this pillow, I realized what I have been missing all along.”
See more of our favorite pillows here.
The bamboo cover and shredded memory foam make this pillow super breathable, with one happy reviewer writing, “I normally toss and turn all night. I don’t think I’ve moved much since I started using the pillow; it’s absolutely wonderful.”
From the experts at Tempur-Pedic comes this cooling pillow with gel on both sides to keep you cool all night long.
“I’ve purchased close to 20 pillows over the past three years, trying to find one that stays cool while also being comfortable to sleep on. I’ve tried all types (memory foam, feather, real goose down, etc.),” writes one reviewer. “I’ve had this one for three months and have never had a better one. By far the coolest pillow I’ve used, and I don’t think I’ve ever had to flip it over. I’m a back/side sleeper, and the comfort also exceeds nearly every other pillow I’ve purchased. Best sleep I’ve had in years.”
With cooling foam and a three-layer design meant to make it extra huggable (and who doesn’t want that?), this is one of our favorite pillows to sleep on night after night.
You can use the code CNNSLEEP10 for 10% off your entire order.
Weighted blankets can be extremely hot under, so when we find one that doesn’t make us sweat, we are elated. Enter: the Bearaby Tree Napper.
As one editor observed: “The Tree Napper is especially cooling, as it’s made from moisture-wicking Tencel that uses eucalyptus fiber, a material that’s naturally even cooler than linen, not to mention super soft. In fact, it’s so cool to the touch that sometimes I find myself layering it with another blanket because I’m too chilly — not a sensation I’m used to in July! It’s the ideal summer option for weighted blanket aficionados who appreciate a chunky knit.”
See more of our editor-favorite cooling blankets here.
If a comforter is always too much for you, look no further than this linen quilt, which thrilled one Underscored editor.
As she wrote: “Every night this summer I’ve slept on cooling sheets and a cooling mattress cover and used a cooling pillow. So really the final step in my cool-as-possible sleep setup was a cooling quilt, and this one I can say is just magic. Apart from being impossibly light and easy to bundle yourself in during even the muggiest of nights, it looks fantastic against any sheet color I’ve paired it with. I love the diamond stitching and can even see using it year-round under my heavier comforter.”
We’ve tried this weighted blanket for several months now and we absolutely adore it. Cool on one side and plush on the other, it’s available in both 15- and 20-pound versions.
As one editor wrote: “I made it so the cooler material was against my skin and soundly slept for a solid 10 hours. I never once kicked it off me in the middle of the night.”
Looking for a good throw blanket that won’t make you sweat? Check out this one.
As one editor wrote: “It’s thin enough that it can roll up really, really small, so it’s great for smaller apartments and storage as well. After hanging out with this blanket on the couch for a few days, I realized that it was a lovely barrier between my hot laptop and my legs, and I never felt the need to kick my legs out from underneath it like I usually have to do with blankets.”
With more than 23,000 reviews on Amazon, shoppers love this machine for how quietly it runs and, at the price, just how powerful its cooling powers are.
Need more convincing? Just read this review: “One evening I needed a little help with cooling off,” one reviewer writes. “Within five minutes of turning this thing on, it was like an angel had come down from heaven to personally blow cool air on my face. I was genuinely close to tears. If this thing only lasts a month it will have been worth the money.”
Need we say more?
With more than 500 reviews, this fan is a Target shopper fave, with one writing, “I use it in all the bedrooms and family room, and it seems to circulate the air across most of the room.”
Personal fan more your jam? This vintage-looking cutie that reviewers love will sit on your nightstand and keep you cool while you snooze.
Not a mattress itself, but we wanted to start this section with a product that one editor thinks can actually make any mattress a cooling mattress. (Plus, mattresses are expensive, you know?) Made with cool-to-the-touch foam that you sink right into, she says this has “completely changed the way I sleep.”
A unique mix of a gel grid, supportive coils and foam make this one of the coolest mattresses on the market. According to the brand, the pocketed coils allow for greater airflow compared to many other gel and entirely foam beds.
“This mattress is fantastic,” writes one reviewer. “It took a couple nights to get used to it, but I sleep more soundly now than I ever did before and much cooler! The grid is what feels so different. It truly is amazing how much spring the mattress has, but when you move it doesn’t affect your partner.”
Classic Brands Cool Gel Chill Memory Foam 14-Inch Mattress
This memory foam mattress is available in three different cooling options — cool gel chill, cool gel cloud and cool gel ice — each with its own benefits so you can really get the mattress of your dreams.
“My foam topper I had previous to this mattress always made me too hot,” writes one reviewer. “But this cool gel mattress really does stay cool compared to the foam topper. And it is not too hard. It seems to adjust nicely with my body weight. Glad I bought it.”
With more than 8,500 reviews, this top-rated cotton mattress topper is filled with a down alternative to deliver comfort that reviewers love without heat and sweat.
“I had tried several other toppers with the hope that it would provide some cooling relief,” writes one reviewer. “This topper did the trick. Not only did it make my mattress even MORE cozy, it is considerably cooler to sleep on. I would highly recommend this product.”
