Home → Blog → Resources → Cooling Bed Sheet Technology – The Secret to a Good Night’s Sleep
Few things are as likely to prevent a good night’s sleep as overheating. Falling asleep in a hot, stuffy room can be extremely uncomfortable and frustrating. It can lead to tossing and turning, as well as significant sweating, leaving you damp, sticky, and unable to sleep. Whether you share a bed with someone who really likes to wrap up at night or you live in a hot climate, keeping cool during the night can be challenging.
Fortunately, there are solutions. Cooling bed sheets are arguably the most practical and effective means of overcoming the issue. By helping you to regulate your body temperature, they can drastically improve your nighttime comfort and ensure you get the best sleep possible. In this article, we examine who benefits from cooling bed sheets, how they differ from traditional sheets, and how they work. So read on to learn all you need to know about the latest textile cooling sheet technology and how StayCool by Polygiene is radically changing the way brands design cooling sheets.
While most people just instinctively feel that their sleep suffers in overly hot conditions, we have plenty of sleep science to back up this idea. Sleep scientists are in total agreement that temperature regulation is critical if you want quality rest. Overheating disrupts the natural sleep cycle and decreases the time you spend in the deep, restorative sleep stages – namely REM sleep and NREM stage 3 sleep (SleepStation).
Less deep sleep means your body does not recover as well during the night. Deep sleep is essential for muscle and tissue repair and general physical recovery. It is also when your brain processes everything that’s happened during the day and turns it into memories. A lack of deep sleep can leave you fuzzy-headed and unprepared for the day ahead
(SleepStation).
So, we’ve established why overheating during the night is bad and detailed the negative effects it can have on your body and how you feel. But what are cooling bed sheets? And how can they help you achieve a more comfortable sleep?
Cooling bed sheets are specifically designed to help you better regulate your temperature during sleep, ensuring you don’t get too hot. Whereas traditional sheets often trap heat and moisture, increasing your body temperature and adding to your discomfort, cooling bedding utilizes various techniques and technologies to improve airflow, wick moisture away from the skin, and keep you cool.
Cooling sheets achieve this in several ways. Some employ natural fabrics and emphasize breathability, while others are excellent at getting sweat away from the skin and facilitating more effective evaporation. There’s also a whole new generation of highly effective additive cooling technologies – with StayCool by Polygiene leading the way. In many cases, the best bed sheets will combine elements from all three of these approaches. But we’ll talk about this in greater detail later in the article. For now, let’s focus on how cooling technology benefits users.
You might want to use these unique bed sheets for any of the following reasons.
Superior quality of sleep is arguably the single biggest benefit and the main reason most people invest in the best cooling bed sheets they can find. By helping you maintain a stable body temperature and preventing large fluctuations, these sheets ensure you get to sleep faster and stay asleep longer.
Some of the best cooling sheets on the market are also just a lot more comfortable. They typically feel fresher and lighter against the skin and do not retain moisture, eliminating that unpleasant stifling feeling that comes with damp, heavier sheets. Even if you tend to get a good night’s sleep most of the time, these unique sheets can make your time in bed even more comfortable.
Some of us are more prone to sweating than others and this can become a bigger problem at night. Not only does heavy sweating really impact your overall comfort, but it also means you have to wash your sheets more regularly. And more washing means more work for you, more premature wear and tear in your textiles, and a larger environmental footprint.
Breathable, moisture-wicking materials are much better for your skin health. These materials slow the growth of bacteria and other microbes that can significantly impact your skin. They also prevent clogged pores and skin irritations that result from exposure to excess heat and moisture.
Finally, more restorative sleep, greater comfort, and better skin can also contribute to improvements in mood, cognitive functions, emotional resilience, and outlook. Overall, there’s a positive impact on mental health and often a notable improvement in how you feel because you’re sleeping longer and better.
A wide range of users will benefit from using these specialst sheets because our sleeping temperature is affected by various factors. For instance, you may get warm at night because you share a bed with someone, and they run hot. Or you may overheat because you live in a region where high nighttime temperatures are commonplace. With this in mind, here are a few key use cases and common user groups.
If you share a bed with someone, there’s a good chance you will reach a higher night temperature than if you were sleeping solo. Two bodies will generate and retain more heat than a single individual. This problem is exacerbated if you share a smaller bed, as it makes it harder for the heat to dissipate. Cooling sheets can go a long way to helping in this situation.
If you live in a particularly warm climate – whether it’s a dry, arid heat or a humid, tropical heat, cooling bed sheets can make a world of difference to your sleep. Cooler, more breathable sheets will allow the air to circulate more freely, keeping you fresher. Technologies like StayCool by Polygiene are particularly useful in this instance, as they offer a cool-to-the-touch feel that lowers the textile temperature.
If you don’t live in a year-round warm climate, you may still experience warm summer nights. Often, this can be even more difficult to deal with as you’re simply not accustomed to sleeping in these temperatures. Here, switching to a lighter summer sheet that incorporates cooling technology is a great idea. And you can always switch back as the summer comes to an end, temperatures drop, and you want something a little warmer.
Some of us are simply heavy sweaters, while others may experience night sweats for a range of circumstantial reasons. For instance, certain medications and medical conditions can cause you to sweat more, as can menopause. In some cases, a small change in environmental temperature can impact your sweating considerably. In all these cases, cooling sheets are an effective way to reduce your body temperature, better control your sweating, and ensure any moisture is dealt with effectively.
If you lead an active lifestyle or participate in sports, there is a good chance your core body temperature will fluctuate more than those who exercise less (Atkinsen et al.). While this often manifests as a lower body temperature at night, it’s not always the case. For instance, strenuous exercise in the hours before sleep is likely to increase body temperature and the likelihood of sweating in bed. Consequently, cooling bed sheets can be a big help for those who regularly work out or enjoy taking part in sports.
So, how exactly do cooling bed sheets work? We’ve already touched on the three main modes of action – breathability, moisture-wicking capabilities, and cooling technology – but it is the way they interact and complement one another that is really important.
The StayCool by Polygiene solution is a moisture-activated cooling technology that responds to sweat by reducing fabric temperature by 2–3°C (4.3–5.4°F) almost instantly. Polygiene StayCool also enhances fabric ventilation, ensuring users stay fresh and enjoy improved airflow.
It is ideal for use in clothing, bedding, and textile-based equipment, such as backpacks. Compatible with cellulosics, synthetics, manmade cellulosics, and recycled fibers, it is a supremely versatile solution. Manufacturers can also integrate it as a single solution or alongside our odor-control solutions, such as Polygiene StayFresh, so manufacturers can combine cooling technology with antibacterial freshness solutions to offer customers even greater value.
StayCool by Polygiene is the perfect cooling solution for bed sheets and other bedding products. Its thermo-reactive polymer matrix ensures it activates immediately on contact with moisture, so sweaty conditions will trigger a quick response that cools you down.
Cooling sheets are a great way to regulate your temperature, but they’re not the only solution. In fact, they work best when combined with other cooling measures. Consider the following tips to further reduce your nighttime temperature.
StayCool by Polygiene represents the future of cooling technology. By enhancing breathability and moisture-wicking capabilities, as well as introducing moisture-activated temperature drop, StayCool by Polygiene fundamentally changes the way manufacturers think about thermal performance in textiles. Easy to integrate into products and designed to last, it is a highly effective means of improving user comfort and distinguishing products in a crowded textile market.
To learn more, head to the StayCool by Polygiene solution page or contact our expert team.
