Cotton: Breathable cotton sheets can also be especially useful for preventing overheating, since they allow for greater airflow and help moderate your body temperature. Tightly woven cotton percale or the slightly softer finish of a sateen sheet set traps just enough heat that most hot sleepers will stay comfortable in the transition periods between the more extreme seasons, but your mileage may vary when a heatwave strikes.
Eucalyptus/bamboo: There are variations that are billed as having “cooling” or temperature-regulating qualities, including eucalyptus sheets or bamboo sheets. As a texture bonus, with either of these two you’re likely looking at a super soft, silky smooth hand-feel for nodding off like a king in your cramped apartment. Some textiles even claim to be absorbent and moisture-wicking, which is a boon for anyone who’s prone to night sweats.
How We Tested
We put these sheets through the wringer the best way we knew how: Dozing on them in the depths of a sweaty and humid summer, through heat waves, and in varying degrees of cooling accommodations (including crappy box fan situations). As another step in the testing process, we also tried to give each set of sheets at least one tumble in the wash and dryer to see how everything held up, or sometimes even improved, over time. Because summer bedding is equally about finding the right weight that doesn’t make you want to fling off your covers, we also paired these sheets with some of the airiest-feeling comforters and blankets that have been marketed as summer-weight toppers.
Below you’ll find our top picks for the sheets and assorted blankets that have performed best in our sleep tests (though we’d also suggest perusing our breakdown of the best mattresses to find a cooling mattress that can act as your foundation).
The Best Linen Sheets At Any Price: Cultiver
Cultiver has spent a solid decade perfecting its linens since its launch in 2012 (the full line ranges from table linens to bathrobes), quietly releasing some of the highest-quality linen sheets out there. For the price point, you’re getting an already pre-washed sheet set, including a flat sheet, fitted sheet, and pillowcases—so you don’t have to worry about any raw texture straight out of the box—plus a wide range of colors and patterns to choose from. We loved how smooth and breathable the European flax linen felt for even the most humid New York City summers, which is why we awarded these with a GQ Sleep Award this year.
The Best Eucalyptus Sheets: Sijo
Sijo—a newer player in the bedding space that specializes in temperature-regulating bedding—makes everything from all-season comforters to buoyant pillows. Its eucalyptus sheets are one of the brand’s marvels, a breathable, delightfully lightweight fabric that feels luxe and buttery as it envelops your body at night. The only knock against this set is its slightly cheap, synthetic-feeling fabric straight out of the box, but our tester reported that after one spin cycle, the sheets emerged completely transformed into something “smooth, almost satiny to the touch.” Though these sheets do run on the thinner side, which is typical for eucalyptus, our tester noted that they’ve held up great after a few spin cycles, and so far “seem well-made and of high quality materials.”
The Best Bamboo Sheets: Kassatex
The Kassatex linen sheets are actually a linen blend, made with 40% bamboo. That hybrid is a large part of what gives the fabric its ultra-soft feel. If you aren’t a blazing inferno of a sleeper, but still sleep on the warmer side, these sheets offer a good balance of breathability and coziness.
The Best Cotton Sheets: 10 Grove “Madison”
10 Grove makes some of our favorite crisp, breathable sheets for summer. They have a decadent hotel quality to them, with tasteful details like the delicate hem-stitching seen here that kick it a notch above other sheets at this price point. The extra-long staple Egyptian cotton sheets come in both sateen and percale weaves, and each is hand-crafted in Texas. A full “a little something extra” set gets you a flat sheet, fitted sheet, and pillowcases.
The Best Tencel Sheets: Helix
If the thought of a wrinkly bed makes you squirm, you should probably avoid linen. While most people can embrace the easy-going, lived-in vibe of having their bed look like a vacation shirt, hospital corner obsessives might find themselves reaching for a steamer when making the bed each morning. The best hot sleeper option we’ve found that doesn’t involve any linen at all are these wrinkle-resistant Tencel sheet sets from Helix. Tencel (otherwise known as lyocell) is a fabric made from the wood pulp of eucalyptus trees. The sheets have the feel of a sateen weave, but are a bit more moisture-wicking. Still not quite as breathable as linen, but a lot cheaper, they’re probably a good compromise if you sleep a little hot but your partner doesn’t.
The Best Sheets for Hot Sleepers Under $100: Target Threshold
We’re sorry to be the bearers of bad news, but no budget set of sheets will get you the breathability of linen sheets. Linen sheets are truly a get-what-you-pay-for proposition. But the 400-thread count cotton Target Threshold sheets are terrific regular sheets if you’re on a budget. So good, in fact, that they make our list of favorite sheets, period. They trap some heat, but if you toss the blanket off of you or just stick one leg out, you’ll be fine.
7 Other Sheet Sets for Hot Sleepers That We Like
Because you might want to explore other options—and may be inclined to opt for a budget-friendly pick given these sheets are likely one or maybe two-season sub-ins—we’ve also assembled a small class of honorable mentions in the sweat-wicking, heat-evading sheets category. These are more of our favorite breathable cottons (percale sheet sets and sateen sheet sets, specifically), and cooling eucalyptus and bamboo sets: ones that are soft and breathable, but also have the durability to hold up in the wash without significant pilling or fraying.
If linen sheets have turned you off because of their of their slightly Brillo pad-like texture, this is the linen sheet set for you. Parachute’s sheets, made in Portugal of fine European flax, feel smooth straight out of the box, and only get softer with every spin cycle. But they also have a balanced heft to them, so they won’t snag or tear after a couple summers in your linen closet. At a middle-of-the-road price point, you can also swath your kids’ twin bed or your oversized Californian King in these breezy layers—the range accommodates everyone—and pick and choose between 12 subdued solids. We felt that the sheets from the linen specialists at Cultiver had a softer hand-feel and a more breathable weave, but for a little less, Parachute’s still offer a soft, non-scratchy hand-feel that we also found to be less linty than comparable sheets of this material.
The Citizenry might be more well known for its furniture and home decor, but don’t sleep (and by that mean we mean do sleep) on its underrated bedding. Its stonewashed linen sheets come broken-in straight out of the packaging, and only gets softer after that maiden voyage in the washing machine. Our tester who hadn’t slept on linen before was shocked at how cooling these linens were. While not cool to the touch like a percale cotton bed sheet, the linen didn’t absorb heat and it felt like body warmth was just dispersed and pushed away from the body. These come in a huge array of colors and patterns, all of which look even better thanks to that “stonewash” effect.
If you’re getting Tencel sheets, you can be pretty sure you’re in for a cool treat. That applies to West Elm’s entryway into the category, which is silky as the name would suggest. They’re almost slippery smooth and they have a nicer, neater, and sleeker look than cotton percale (it looks like sateen but without all of that heat retention). The color options are slightly limited, but you can go for a neutral white or a couple more out-there colors like terracotta and dark olive.
Out of all the layers of airy linen that we’ve sandwiched our bodies between, Garnet Hill’s Home Award-winning sets are some of the lightest and gauziest, like the breeze on an early spring day. The sheets are more substantial than tissue paper when you’re throwing them in the wash, so they can take a beating, but have a thinness to them that’s ideal when a heat wave rolls through. They’re pre-washed for softness, but retain a bit of rough texture that’s common with some of the airier linen varieties. They also come in 16 different color options to choose from, so you’re never short on range. Another plus (or minus, if you prefer to shop a full set all at once), is that you buy all sheets and pillowcases individually so you can mix or match colors. Each sheet costs about $109 individually, with pillowcases running for $69 a pop, if you’re crunching the numbers.
And if you want bamboo cooling sheets without the Kassatex price, consider Layla’s 100% bamboo viscose sheets, which feel a bit like you’re sleeping on silk. They’re especially comfortable for restless sleepers who tend to jostle around in different positions throughout the night, with moisture-wicking properties that’ll help prevent them waking up in a cold sweat. These sheets also come with an unusually long five-year warranty that’ll cover any fraying or wear over time.
We’ve deemed Casper’s weightless cotton sheet sets one of our favorite cooling, non-linen options before. And though the wonderfully soft sheets have now sold out, the next best thing is Casper’s hyperlite set, which comes in cooling Tencel lyocell. The thick elastic band on them makes it easy to wrangle a fitted sheet onto your bed from the dryer, and the deep pockets fit securely.
Peru Pima’s sateen sheets aren’t exactly the softest sheets on the planet, but they still round out our curated list of the best sheets because they’re a solid, durable pick for the price. Their temperature-regulating promises hold up on the sateen weave, and even on the slightly cheaper Pima cotton ones, too.
6 Warm-Weather Friendly Blankets to Consider
The thing about being a hot sleeper, or trying to fall asleep when it’s hot outside, is that sometimes you get cold because you’ve shed all your covers to combat heat. The irony! All hot sleepers develop their own coping mechanisms here, and for some that might include blanket that’s friendlier to warm temperatures. Also, a bed just looks a little weird with only a top sheet, right? Here are a few warm weather blankets in a breathable fabric, ones that we consider the coolest for warm nights.
You’ve already embraced linen sheets, why not pile the linen high by adding a blanket? This Brooklinen quilt retains the airiness of linen, but also feels soft and worn-in right out of the box. Think of it as a lightweight spring sweater for sleeping. It’s not the cheapest style out there at close to $300, but for a soft, pre-washed linen quilt in an elegant diamond-stitched pattern that’ll never go out of style, we think it’s worth the investment. Brooklinen recently released a reversible version of the linen quilt in splashy, summer-y prints, like this breezy checkerboard style that’s a GQ-editor favorite.
Coop, the makers of our perennial favorite shredded foam pillow, recently launched an all-season comforter with one unique perk: adjustable add-ons for either side of the bed so each sleeper can actually button on or subtract an extra layer depending on how cool or blazing hot they feel. The modularity is a game-changer for couples that fight over the thermostat, which is why we anointed it with a GQ Sleep Award this year. Our tester noted that without the extra panels, the blanket is pretty thin for summer weather (and very cozy when they’re in place). “When the modular pieces are on it it has a really nice thick feel to it that’s still pretty light,” he explained. The only thing he didn’t love? “It was a little more annoying to attach with my current duvet cover because the panels button up right by the loops you tie the cover on to.” All in all, it’s a pretty neat bedding innovation that might be worth a shot to keep you from kicking off the covers at night.
Some weighted blankets can feel uncomfortably weighty for warmer months, more suited for warmth than breathability. But Baloo’s blankets and comforters are slightly different, with a lightweight quilted cotton cover and fill that’s strewn with cool glass beads—which are evenly distributed so they don’t feel oppressively heavy. If you want something even lighter, we’d suggest draping the 12-pound throw option over yourself in summer.
Nothing beats the airiness of a linen quilt, but this Tuft & Needle one comes pretty close—combining a summery blend of linen and cotton, in a similar diamond-stitched style to the Brooklinen. Our tester appreciated just how light it felt on hot summer nights, more like a thin blanket than a quilt, and the fact that the texture gets softer with every wash: It’s one of the lightest-weight quilts we’ve ever tested.
Utilizing NASA-approved science, Slumbercloud created the Cumulus comforter, which the brand says is proven to regulate temperature for hot sleepers. The thin construction is just enough of a barrier to give you that satisfying feeling of being swaddled at night, and we like its lyocell exterior, a calling card for any bedding approved for hot sleepers.
If you still want the feel of a lightweight summer quilt, but gravitate toward splashier prints, one of our favorite splurges is Thompson Street Studio’s cotton and linen quilts—which you can find in throw sizes for around $350, or larger options like this one that cover the whole bed. The New York-based brand sells abstract, Mondrian-style patchwork blankets (i.e. not your grandmother’s quilts) that are extra lightweight and cooling thanks to a breezy blend of linen and cotton.
Instead of Cooling Your Apartment, Try a Cooling Bed System
We don’t have flying cars or actual robot maids (robot vaccums don’t yet come with cool accents like Rosie), but using the BedJet feels like a taste of the future. The device is basically a centralized heating and cooling unit for your bed, allowing you to regulate the temperature of its surface. It’s very expensive and also an electricity drain, so we don’t recommend it as a first option for hot sleepers—especially not in the heat waves we’re seeing these days. Think of this as the last resort, Hail Mary option when new sheets or a better AC, or simply sleeping naked, aren’t doing the trick. We’ve also tried and can recommend the very similar Ooler bed cooling system.
While Eight Sleep’s Pod Pro 3 mattress topper is technically bedding, we like to think of it as a techy bedding system since it does a whole lot more than just cover your mattress. The forward-thinking topper—which won a GQ Home Award and a Fitness Award last year—bakes in a highly sensitive thermoregulation sensor for both sides of the bed and heats and cools it accordingly. That means that even if your partner tends to burn up at night and you’re perpetually running cold, you can set different temperatures for each side to keep the peace. The topper also tracks your sleep and gently jostles you awake through chest-level vibrations (what more can you ask of your bedding?). Of course, it’ll cost you a cool $2,000-plus to set your bed to the Goldilocks temperature year-round, but just think of all the quality REM records you’ll be setting in the brand’s sleep app.
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