Is Your Bedroom Too Warm? It Could Be Affecting Your Sleep

Most people who struggle with sleep focus on the usual suspects: stress, screens, caffeine. But there’s a factor that often gets overlooked, and it’s hiding in plain sight. Your body temperature, specifically how effectively it drops and stays lowered during the night, may be one of the most powerful levers you have for better sleep.

Why Temperature Matters More Than You Think

Your core body temperature naturally decreases as part of the process of falling asleep, dropping roughly 1 to 2 degrees Fahrenheit to signal to your brain that it’s time to shift into sleep mode. If your sleep environment, or your bedding, traps heat and prevents that drop from happening, your sleep can suffer. 

The problem is that many traditional bedding materials tend to retain body heat. For people who naturally sleep warm, or those going through hormonal changes like menopause, this can turn a night of sleep into an uncomfortable experience. 

What Cooling Sleep Technology Actually Does

A growing category of bedding products now incorporates materials and designs specifically engineered to address heat retention. These products generally work through the following mechanisms and can be applied to every layer of bedding products, including mattresses, protectors, pillows, and sheets.

• Moisture-wicking fabrics like TENCEL™ Lyocell (derived from wood pulp) and certain treated cotton blends move perspiration away from the skin more efficiently than conventional cotton, reducing the clammy, humid feeling that can disrupt sleep. 
• Cool-touch fabrics create an immediate sensation of coolness on contact with skin. These materials work by drawing thermal energy away from the skin surface on contact, rather than simply managing moisture. 
• Thermoregulating fabrics help the body maintain a stable temperature across changing conditions throughout the night. This makes them particularly well-suited for people whose comfort needs shift across sleep cycles or who share a bed with a partner who runs warmer or cooler.
• Phase-change materials (PCMs) absorb excess heat from the body when skin temperature rises and release it back when the body cools. PCMs are embedded in mattress covers, pillow covers or fills, and even sheets. They don’t actively cool, but they buffer against temperature swings.
• Active cooling systems represent the most technology-forward end of the spectrum. These devices circulate water or air through a mattress pad to maintain a consistent temperature throughout the night. 

Does the Science Hold Up?

While the exact effects of cooling or moisture-wicking bedding may vary per individual and each sleeper’s unique needs, science clearly supports the underlying principle: cooler sleep environments and lower temperatures are associated with better sleep. When you sleep too warm, studies have shown that it can increase wakefulness and interrupt important phases of your sleep cycle. 

Because both temperature and humidity have a profound effect on sleep, cooling and moisture-wicking fabrics can help keep you cool and dry throughout the night. People who are most likely to notice a difference include those who report sleeping hot, people experiencing night sweats, and anyone who shares a bed with a partner whose temperature preferences differ from their own.

What to Actually Do with This

You don’t need to invest in an expensive system to start experimenting. A few practical steps:

• Keep your bedroom between 65 and 68°F, the range NSF identifies as optimal for most adults.  
• Swap sheets and pillowcases for natural or moisture-wicking alternatives. The layer of bedding that touches your skin directly should be the first place you start when it comes to lowering your body temperature as you sleep.
• Choose a pillow with a breathable or ventilated fill. Your head and neck generate significant heat during sleep, and a pillow that traps that heat is often the first thing people notice.
• Take a warm shower or bath 60 to 90 minutes before bed. This sounds counterintuitive, but the warm water can trigger a rapid cooling response once you step out. That accelerated cool-down mimics the natural pre-sleep temperature drop and can signal sleep onset.
• If you share a bed, consider bedding products that allow for dual-zone temperature control.

If you’ve addressed your sleep environment, your schedule, and your pre-sleep routine and you’re still waking up fatigued, temperature could be the missing piece. It’s one of the more underrated, and increasingly addressable, factors in sleep health.

This content was produced independently by the National Sleep Foundation and supported by Purecare, a Gold sponsor of the 2026 Sleep Awareness Week^® campaign. Sponsored content is educational and not intended to promote products or services.

Purecare is a bedding company with one simple mission: to wrap the world in whole-body care and comfort.