Summer Nightwear – What Is Best to Sleep in When It Is Hot?

Short answer: On warm summer nights you sleep best in light, loose nightwear in a material that moves perspiration away, neither naked nor in clammy cotton. Summer nightwear in bamboo viscose keeps the skin dry, so the body finds it easier to shed heat during the night.

Why not just sleep without clothes?

Without a layer against the skin, perspiration stays where it appears and evaporates slowly. A thin fabric spreads the moisture over a larger surface where it can disappear faster. That is why most people sleep cooler with a light layer than with none, even though it sounds the wrong way round.

The material matters more than the amount

A thin cotton fabric can feel cool for the first hours and turn clammy once it is damp. Bamboo viscose takes the moisture into the fibre and releases it slowly, so the surface against the skin keeps feeling dry. See the light models under bamboo night tops for women.

Loose beats close in summer

In winter a close layer warms best, because it holds on to the air. In summer the opposite applies: air has to circulate between fabric and skin. So choose a looser cut than you would in winter, but not so loose that the fabric wraps when you turn over.

Shorts or a nightdress

A nightdress is the coolest option, because there is no fabric between the legs. See bamboo nightdresses for women in the short lengths. If you prefer something on the legs, bamboo night shorts for women give air without riding up during the night.

The bedding is the other half

Nightwear cannot save a warm night on its own. Bedding in the same material carries the moisture on rather than holding it, and that counts at least as much as the nightwear. See the range under bamboo bedding in the usual sizes.

How to cool the bedroom

Air the room early in the morning and late in the evening, and keep the curtains closed during the day. A room that has not heated up during the day is easier to sleep in than one that has to be cooled at night. That works better than any fan.

What to avoid

Synthetic fabrics trap heat and leave the moisture on the skin. Thick cotton qualities soak up perspiration and turn heavy. Both make a warm night worse, and it shows most clearly between two and four in the morning, when body temperature is at its lowest.

Washing in the summer months

Wash summer nightwear after two nights at 30 degrees and without fabric softener, which lays a film in the fibres and slows moisture transport. Hang it to dry in the shade, and keep three sets so one is always clean when the laundry piles up in a hot week. See also bamboo and temperature regulation and sleeping better with bamboo.

Frequently asked questions

Is it cooler to sleep without clothes?

Not for most people. A thin layer spreads perspiration over a larger surface where it evaporates faster, and that feels cooler than bare skin against the sheet.

Which nightwear is coolest?

A short nightdress or a set with shorts in a thin, loose cut. There is the least fabric and the most air, and air matters more than the thickness of the fabric.