What to Look for in the Best Cooling Sheets

Do you experience night sweats, or are you someone who prefers to sleep cool, rather that warm? Perhaps you’re experiencing the effects of menopause. If so, then cooling sheets are the answer. Where the comforter rules the winter, it’s the cooling sheet that rules the summer. Often used in warm climates, cooling sheets keep you cool by absorbing humidity or otherwise known as moisture-wicking, then evaporating quickly. What’s great about cooling sheets, is that they perform double duty by helping you to keep warm in winter.

Table of Contents show

Thread Count

In general, this should be your first consideration when buying the best cooling sheets. If you’re not familiar, thread count refers to how many threads exist per square inch. Thread count gives you a clue as to how efficient the cooling sheet is as well as how durable. In general, the higher the thread count, the more durable the sheet. Not only that, but cooling sheets with a higher thread count often equals comfort. As nice as that sounds, there are some pitfalls for the consumer to avoid. For instance, a manufacturer of cheap bedding, may list a high thread count on the label, but the quality of the threads are of low quality, which equals flimsy, cheap, stiff sheets. The rule of thumb many follow, is to look for a thread count of between 250 to 400, from a manufacture which utilizes high quality threads.

Smart Fabrics

Smart fabrics are those which are designed and developed to perform a specific task. Some smart fabrics go as far as to include electronic components woven into the fabric, while others, such as cooling sheets are designed to provide moisture-wicking tasks. These moisture-wicking tasks help provide the sleeper with a cool, uninterrupted sleep, as they ‘wick’ away any moisture. As the smart fabric is designed to dry fast, the result is to keep you cool. When shopping for a set of cooling sheets, check out the label to see if they are using one of these smart fabrics.

Outlast Technology in Bedding – Outlast Technology is a product of NASA research, and is considered a Phase Change Material, or PCM. This means that any materials made with Outlast Technology are designed to provide the best thermal comfort. As a PCM, cooling sheets with this technology manages heat and moisture to the point where you get the perfect sleep.
37.5 Bedding Technology – 37.5 Technology was invented by Dr. Gregory Haggquist, and involves regulating heat so you get the perfect nights sleep. 37.5 Technology refers to 37.5 degrees Celsius, which is the body’s perfect core temperature. According to their website, the technology “helps the microclimate next to your skin at the ideal relative humidity of 37.5 percent”. Cooling sheets made with this technology act when you become warm. Particles from volcanic sand, which were integrated into the fabric, remove any moisture, which then cools you off. If you’re a bit chilly, the same particles ensure that your body heat remains intact, enabling you to stay warm.
Dri-Tec Technology – Sheets made with Dri-Tec technology work to keep you cool by wicking away moisture. Known as a performance fabric, Dri-Tec also comes with a variety of other features. Dri-Tec helps to block pet dander and dust mites, is stain and fluid resistant, and also decreases allergens.
Coolmax Technology – Created by Invista, Coolmax is a smart, moisture wicking polyester fabric that is designed to keep you cool at night. This is a hydrophobic fabric, which means it’s adverse to absorbing as much moisture as cotton, plus it dries faster than cotton, thus providing you with a soft, clean cool.
Sheex Technology – Like the previously mentioned smart fabrics, Sheex is a moisture wicking fabric known to cool 2 times better than cotton. Developed by Michelle Brooke-Marciniak and Susan Walvius, Sheex performance fabric regulates heat, is also stain and bacteria resistant.

Know the Materials

Another consideration, involves the materials which make up the cooling sheet. Before you start shopping, it’s good to know which type of fabric works best for you. Some people love silk or faux silk as it feels cooler, slippery smooth and light, while others love to snuggle beneath a good, high quality Egyptian cotton cooling sheet. However, if this is your first time out purchasing a set of cooling sheets, then your best bet for a starter set would be 100 percent cotton. You get good quality, nice cooling and they’re affordable for most everyone.

Bamboo – While linen is a fabric that’s been around for years, bamboo is more recent. This eco-friendly fabric has many benefits. First, it’s cool and light. Second, it’s soft and long-lasting.
Egyptian Cotton – By using Egyptian cotton, you’ll avoid the unpleasantness of stiff sheets. Egyptian cotton provides sleepers with a soft, gentle feel.
Linen – Linen is the traditional sheet material most are familiar with. Linen is a cool, breathable fabric that are also extremely durable, and will provide you with many years of service.
Microfiber – A high quality, brushed microfiber sheet set will offer sleepers a comfortable, dry and cool sleep. Breathable while wicking away moisture, you’ll find that good quality microfiber sheets such as those from Mellanni, are also stain and wrinkle resistant.
Tencel – Tencel is a synthetic, rayon fabric. This eco-friendly material provides a luxurious appearance, while also helping to keep sleepers cool and dry.

Weave Affects Coolness

The breathability of fabric is partly due to how it’s woven. When searching for a cooling sheet set, you’ll probably encounter words such as, percale, sateen, or jersey. To help you get to know what the various weaves are, we’ve compiled the following list.

Jersey – Jersey is a familiar fabric. it’s versatile and can be used in a variety of products, including sheets. Though Jersey isn’t particularly good at moisture-wicking, it can help to keep you cool in summer and warm in winter.
Percale – This simple, yet effective weave is used on most cotton sheets. It lays light on the body, breathes well, and is very durable.
Sateen – Walk up and touch a sateen woven sheet, and you’ll notice that it’s cool. Its appearance is similar to silk, but it’s actually cotton.
Satin – Satin sheets are quite comfy for those who love that gentle, smooth and slippery feeling as they sleep. Very freeing to sleep in, it’s also cool.

Final Thoughts

The fact remains, that everyone’s needs are different when it comes to cooling sheets and the comfort they provide. What type of cooling sheet works well for one person, may not for another. For example, there are people who you’ll find swear by silk sheets when it comes to keeping cool, while others find them hot and sticky. Some users will say a thread count of 300 is great, while others love the feel of a 250 or 500 threadcount sheet. In the end, it’s up to personal preference. However, if this is your first time out, it’s a safe bet to start with a good quality, authentic Egyptian cotton material. From there, you can begin to experiment with other fabrics and weaves until you find the right one for you.