Numerous studies out there attest to the importance of getting a good night’s sleep. The amount and quality of sleep you get daily affect various aspects of your life, including your mood, capacity to deal with different situations, and fatigue, to name a few.
This is why picking one’s bedding needs serious consideration and thought.
You do not want to pick sheets that make you feel uncomfortable or too warm to sleep after all. This guide is going to help you understand what makes sheets cooling and breathable. It will also provide insight into how you can get the perfect bedding for your sleeping needs.
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1- What Are Cooling Sheets and Why You Need them
Cooling sheets, as their name suggests, ensure your temperature stays cool when you are in bed. There are two main types of sheets that provide this cooling sensation: absorbent and breathable sheets.
They work in different ways to ensure that you don’t get too warm while sleeping. There are various reasons why cooling sheets are needed.
If you’re the kind of person who suffers constant night sweats, experience the effects of menopause, or simply need a cool night’s sleep in the hot summer then you are in need of some cooling sheets.
Not only will you sleep without sleep disruptions that result from overheating, but you will also wake up feeling refreshed and well-rested.
2- Difference Between Absorbent and Breathable Sheets
As mentioned above, there are two distinct types of cooling sheets. This guide specifically tackles looking for breathable, cooling sheets but walks you through the differences between absorbent and breathable sheets, as this will help you later on when choosing the perfect bedding for yourself.
Absorbent sheets cool you down by absorbing the moisture produced by your sweat glands, and this in turn prevents you from feeling overheated or soaked with sweat in your sleep.
Breathable sheets, on the other hand, are designed to allow airflow, which ensures that you do not feel trapped in the heat because your skin is left with some room to breathe.
3- Colors and Their Effects On Cooling Sheets
You might not believe this, but the color of your sheets can affect your body temperature when sleeping. Darker colors trap in the heat much more than lighter colors.
This means that the darker your bedding is, the less cooling effect it is going to have. Some might argue this point by saying that at night there are no light or sun rays for the dark bedding to absorb.
While this is certainly right, you will find that your bed has been exposed to the sun throughout the day, which means that the darker your bedding is, the more heat it has absorbed, which while it is great during winter when you want to feel cozy, is a definite disadvantage during summer.
4- Material To Look For In Bedding
The first factor you need to consider when looking for breathable, cooling bedding is the material it is made of.
There are many different materials used to make bedding, and each one provides a different feel, level of luxury, and more importantly effective cooling.
For example, cotton is one of the most commonly used materials to make bedding. It is lightweight especially if the thread count, which will be discussed later on, is low.
Although cotton is one of the go-to materials in sheets, linen is more breathable and will provide a much more cooling sensation than regular cotton.
Other fabrics, that are used to make lightweight breathable cooling bedding, include bamboo, which is used to make some of the best cooling sheets even though it is relatively new to the bedding scene as a natural fabric, Pima cotton, and Performative polyester.
However, it is usually recommended to stay far away from synthetic fabric if you want to stay cool while sleeping. Performative polyester and similar synthetic fabrics, though, were developed to keep the body’s temperature down and prevent overheating during sleep.
5- Importance of Sheet Thread Count
When it comes to bedding, you will constantly be hearing this phrase in use. Basically, the thread count of a sheet is how much thread is woven together to create it.
Usually, people go for a higher thread count because of how luxurious it seems; however, if you are looking to stay cool, then the lower the thread count, the better.
No matter how lightweight the material is, if the threads used are higher in number and are woven tightly together, then breathability will be at a minimum, which is why high thread cotton sheets are much less cooling than their synthetic counterparts.
6- Different Weaves that are Breathable
There are different weaves that fabrics are woven into when making sheets for a bed. Some of these weaves are lighter than others because they are not as tightly woven together which ensures that the airflow is maintained.
Other weaves, however, are so tightly woven that they lose breathability even if the fabric used is usually a lightweight and cooling fabric.
Two of the more commonly used weaves to create breathable cooling sheets are sateen and jersey. They are much more loosely put together than weaves such as percale and satin.
7- Measurement of Mattress Depth and Dimensions
When picking your own sheets, it is important that you know what kind of mattress you want the sheets to fit.
While most mattresses are pretty standard and easy to find bedding for, it is quite bothersome if you do not get the proper sheet for your mattress’s depth. You can simply avoid such a hassle by measuring the dimensions of your mattress before you buy your desired bedding.
Using this detailed guide, you can guarantee yourself the best sleep you can possibly get. Taking care of your sleeping routine is important if you do not want your fatigue to affect other aspects of your life.
With some easy steps and the right information, you can find the right sheets for your bed in practically no time.