Regardless of your amazing pillow, eye mask, mouth tape, sleep supplements, or white noise machine, a hot sleep climate can ruin your efforts. If you’ve ever woken up sweaty, you know what we mean. Your sleep strategy for tackling temperature should be in four parts: mattress, pillow, bedding, room temperature. In this guide, we’ll show why sleeping hot is a problem, what science says about the importance of cooler sleep, and how to dial in materials (including memory foam blends) so you can rest, relax, and recover.
Why Heat Hurts Sleep
As your body prepares for your evening slumber, your body naturally cools down. Why? Because our body likes to sleep cool. When room temperature or bedding runs warm, it’s harder to fall asleep and easier to wake up in the night wrecking your rest. Plus your sleepless, sweaty nights are not good for hygiene. If you’re a hot sleeper, it’s a problem.
Most experts steer people toward a bedroom around the low- to mid-60s °F to help that cooling happen. Most of us (especially those of us in the South) will not reach these temperatures at night, but there are things you can do to help your body relax and recover.
Know Your Heat Triggers
- Room too warm or stuffy. Aim for a cool, steady temperature and good airflow. This is especially important in humid climates.
- Bedding microclimate. What’s between you and the mattress matters—breathable covers and sheets help heat and moisture escape.
- Materials that hold heat. Dense foams and tight weaves can trap warmth; open, airy structures vent it better.
Pillow Construction: Solid/Shredded Memory Foam, Wool, Kapok
- Solid core foam: steady feel, but more likely to hold heat.
- Shredded memory foam blends: more air channels, easier to shape, and often cooler—especially when mixed with high-airflow or cooling elements. Pillow formulas matter!
- Wool and Kapok: Great natural options that naturally keep you cool, but their cost can be prohibitive, often reserved for the $100+ price range.
Bedding Cooling Features That Actually Help
- Breathable, washable covers made from naturally cooling materials. There are materials that will wick moisture and provide cooling through the night. Current hot topics for cooling bedding are bamboo viscose and eucalyptus Tencel.
- Moisture-managing fabrics that don’t cling. These changes help your skin shed warmth so sleep is deeper and tossy turny. They feel great too, often feeling more silky than traditional cotton. Also, depending on your choice, some are antimicrobial, helping your clean sheets smell clean longer.
Adjustable Loft: One Pillow, Many Nights
Did you know that your loft of your pillow needs changing? Season to season and person to person, lofts need adjusting. With adjustable pillows, you can add or remove scoops to dial in height and airflow. Hot night? Pull a little fill from the center or add more cooling pieces so heat escapes faster.
Price vs. Value
Ultra-cheap pillows flatten fast and often run warm, often filled with the same material designed for winter coats; ultra-premium isn’t always cooler either. Most people win with a mid-tier pillow that blends breathable construction and adjustability, so you can keep tuning the feel over time as your body changes through the year.
Key Takeaways
- Keep the room cool and air moving.
- Choose breathable designs (shredded blends + cooling elements).
- Manage the bed microclimate with smart covers and sheets.
- Pick adjustable loft so you can fine-tune comfort as seasons—and you—change.
Interested in further reading?
- Nature Communications (2025): Climate warming may undermine sleep duration and quality (large, multi-country analysis).
- Sleep Medicine Reviews (2024): Ambient heat and sleep: systematic review (heat linked to poorer sleep across studies).
- Sleep Foundation (2023): Bedroom temperatures and bedding choices affect sleep (practical guidance, expert-reviewed).