No More Night Sweats, Please!

I’m going to keep it real with you, reader: My husband is a sweaty mess when he’s sleeping. Yes, he gave me permission to share and no, there isn’t an underlying condition to worry about. 😉

Every night, I try to give him a gentle kiss on the head before turning in. “Try” is the operative word here. By the time I get to the bedroom, he’s already covered by a film of clammy sweat, and I have to attempt not to recoil. Don’t get me started on the condition of our pillows either. (Let’s just say they’re now a color they originally weren’t.)

Now that we live in sunny California, I also tend to warm up overnight. Which is to say, for my own comfort—and for our bedding’s sake—I’m on a mission to keep us both cool as we sleep.

“I knew no matter which Avocado products we chose, they would all be good for us, the farmers they work with, and the planet.”

When Avocado offered me the chance to try some of its bedroom essentials, I leapt at the opportunity. Because yes, I’m desperate for a solution, but I’ve long been a fan of Avocado, too. The award-winning mattresses are already team favorites, and the brand’s headquarters is based in Hoboken, holding a special place in my Jersey girl heart.

More than that though, Avocado has always been so intentional with its products and practices. Each product is handcrafted in-house with a transparent supply chain, manufacturing includes almost all organic materials, and 100 percent of carbon emissions are offset along the way. I knew no matter which Avocado products we chose, they would all be good for us, the farmers the team works with, and the planet.

I opted to try the white organic linen sheets, because I’d previously heard that linen helps regulate your body’s temperature overnight. I also knew the linen would be quick-drying, an important distinction from our often-damp cotton sheets. The set included one flat sheet, one fitted sheet, and two pillowcases. Right out of the packaging, the texture already felt so luxurious. And knowing everything was loomed in France? Dreamy.

But $400+ for sheets alone is quite steep. And while they’ve been deemed “the most breathable sheets on the planet,” it would have to work on the sweatiest sleeper I know for me to be truly impressed. Would the reign of night-sweat-terror finally be over?!

First things first, we’d have to wrangle the sheets onto our bed. (Please tell me I’m not alone in this struggle.) But it actually wasn’t that difficult to fit onto our 10” mattress, because they’re very generously sized. Avocado also takes extra care to garment-wash its sheets, so over time they still won’t shrink or lose shape, unlike the ones we’ve used from big box stores.

“Avocado also takes extra care to garment-wash its sheets, so over time they still won’t shrink or lose shape.”

Once we finally got in bed, we were both pleasantly surprised at how cool it felt right away. Some sheets will be silky soft but noticeably warm, yet these were impressively cold to the touch. The same applied to the pillowcases and top sheet, too.

I noticed when I leaned over for my goodnight kiss, my own Sleeping Beauty wasn’t nearly as sweaty. Only when I stirred in the middle of the night did I notice that he had removed the top sheet, which seemed to be too warm. But he shared later that morning that the sheets felt extremely comfortable overnight. There was evident proof, too. His pillow wasn’t as, uh…, moist as it normally would be. (I’m sorry.) Even with a bit of sweat on consecutive nights, there haven’t been any lingering stains on these white sheets.

I agree with his feedback, too. I’ve felt cozy but not overly warm and the texture feels just right on my skin. Our furry friends also gravitate towards these sheets, keeping their bellies cool as they sleep for approximately a million hours a day. Living the life, am I right?

While we may not use the top sheet in particular (yes, we are #millennials), Avocado’s pillowcase and linen sheet were absolute winners in our book. They kept their quality through the wash (no pilling! Is this adult excitement nowadays?), have been comfortably cool night after night, and continue to feel like the sheets I’ve always dreamt about snuggling into.

When a cooling mattress and sheets aren’t enough, here are other tips I’ve found helpful to avoid sleep sweat:

Invest in a cooling pillow. 

We always hear about breathable sheets, but a good pillow can also make miracles happen. Avocado’s Green Pillow and Molded Latex Pillow are both fantastic organic options since the latex itself is temperature-regulating. As side sleepers, we both preferred the Molded Latex Pillow, because it quickly adjusted to our bodies.

Lather on some lotion.

While I don’t sweat as much as my husband, my feet do get especially hot overnight. I’ve tried ice packs and spraying my feet with cold water to no avail. The best solution I’ve found is to apply lotion or aloe vera gel before bed and then snuggle into cooler sheets. This must be what pure bliss feels like.

Upgrade your pads and protectors.

If I’m spending money on high-quality mattresses, sheets, and pillows, I want them to be free from the aforementioned sweat stains for as long as possible. I also learned that our existing mattress protector—which was meant to be moisture-proof—was actually counterproductive, because it was making us sweatier in the long run. That’s because most waterproof mattress protectors are designed with thick plastic to keep out moisture but unfortunately, that cuts off airflow in the process.

Now we’re looking for more breathable protectors, and I’m eyeing this one made with organic cotton and without vinyl or PVC. I’m also adding two Quilted Pillow Protectors to our wedding registry—they’re made entirely with GOTS certified organic cotton and are fair trade. Plus, no more yellow stains, baby! (See, aren’t you glad I spared you that visual earlier?)

Try DIY A/C hacks.

For maximum coolness, we keep our bedroom blinds closed throughout the day and we start the air conditioning 15 minutes before we head to bed. An additional hack I’ve picked up is to aim a box fan directly at where you feel hottest and then the cool air will cross-circulate. You can also put a bowl of ice behind the fan for an even cooler breeze.

“The good news is, the more we can do proactively to help regulate our body’s temperature, the better sleep we’ll have.”

I know firsthand what it’s like to be—and sleep near—a sweaty sleeper, so if you’ve had similar experiences, I absolutely get it. The good news is, the more we can do proactively to help regulate our body’s temperature, the better sleep we’ll have.

That’s why I’ll be using Avocado’s bedroom essentials for a long time to come. (And you can join me! Use code THEGOODSHEET through 8/31 for 15 percent off all bedding and protectors.) They’re worth it.

This article is in partnership with our friends at Avocado.