Are hot flushes and night sweats troubling you during the day or night? Wearing removable layers may help to keep you cool, but it’s important to also think about your choice of bedding, sleepwear and clothing. In general, synthetic fibres such as polyester or nylon are likely to make you sweat more, while natural fabrics such as 100% cotton and silk tend to absorb heat and moisture, leaving you feeling more comfortable. But you’ll have to use trial and error to see what works for you.
This article was included in issue 100 (Spring 2024) of The Menopause Exchange newsletter.
If you search online, you’ll find a wide range of specialist clothing and bedding brands using fabrics with hi-tech cooling technology and other ‘anti-flush’ features to combat hot flushes and night sweats. We’ve summarised a few key companies here, but other brands are available too. We haven’t tried out the different products, so you’ll need to shop around to discover what suits you – and your bank balance – best.
Bedding choices
For a more comfortable night’s sleep, it’s important to keep your bed cool. The most breathable bedding fabrics tend to be pure cotton, bamboo, linen and silk, which all help to regulate your body temperature. Combinations of cotton sheets and lightweight blankets are usually cooler than duvets. Choose lighter cotton sheets with low thread counts, as those with higher thread counts may make you sweat more. Silk is the ultimate in breathable luxury but it’s very expensive and needs to be dry-cleaned. Wool has natural thermoregulating properties, which means it keeps you cool when you’re warm, and warm when you’re cold. But some people find that wool can trigger allergies or irritates their skin.
Woolroom (www.thewoolroom.com) makes a range of wool bedding, from sheets and blankets to pillows and duvets.
Luff Sleep’s 100% organic, natural bamboo silk sheets are breathable, silky and don’t irritate the skin (www.LuffSleep.com).
The ‘Smart Temperature’ collection, from The Fine Bedding Company (www.finebedding.co.uk) is 100% cotton with a dynamic cooling system that adapts to body temperature changes and cools before the first sign of sweat. The cooling stops once the technology senses the body temperature has dropped to its optimal level. The range includes a mattress protector, fitted sheet, pillowcase and duvet cover. The company’s Breathe collection contains Smartfil technology and Modal to draw moisture away from your body.
If you get very hot at night, you could invest in a new mattress topper. Duvalay’s FreshTec Mattress Topper contains a memory foam that actively channels heat away from the skin, making it ideal for menopausal women. It has a washable Maxicool cover to improve air circulation and reduce humidity build-up.
If you don’t want to give up sleeping under a cosy duvet, use a lighter 4.5 tog summer weight all year round. Natural fillings (such as wool or down) are best for breathability but not all wool duvets can be washed easily. The Deluxe Washable Wool duvet from Woolroom can be machine washed on a wool cycle at 40°C.
Cool Embrace (found at https://coolembrace.com) makes blankets and pillowcases. The patented technology uses a five-layer system that takes heat away from your body and prevents sweat building up on your skin and bedding.
Some pillows have cooling gel outer layers or cooling gel in the pillow to keep your neck and head cool when you sleep. Examples include Luff Sleep’s Mayfair Gel Pillow, Simba Hybrid Pillow (https://simbasleep.com) and Kally Sleep’s Cooling Pillow (www.kallysleep.com).
Clothing choices
When it comes to feeling comfortable at the menopause, breathability is the main property to look for in your clothing too, as this means that air can get to your skin to regulate your body temperature. If you hold a fabric up to a light, the more light that shines through it, the more breathable the fabric tends to be.
Wearing light, loose breathable cotton (with a small percentage of Lycra or polyester) or a silk/viscose blend may help to reduce hot flushes and night sweats. If a fabric feels stiff or plasticky, or the clothing is tight, it’s more likely to make you sweat. If you’re prone to itchy skin, wear your clothing loose.
Primark sells menopause nightwear, underwear (such as bralets and knickers), and baseline layers (such as cami tops). Made from recycled nylon and recycled polyester, the products feature anti-flush technology with cooling yarn and odour and temperature control.
Damart (www.damart.co.uk) has a range of clothing, sleepwear and underwear made from Climatyl (a combination of linen and viscose), which is designed to keep you cool and fresh day and night.
Become by femography (sold by www.becomeclothing.com) is made from a lightweight silky fabric that’s clinically proven to help keep you cooler and drier through night sweats and hot flushes. The fabric absorbs heat from your skin’s surface when you get hot, then releases warmth back onto your body during the chill that follows. The fabric also has an anti-odour finish. The range includes sleepwear, underwear, vest tops and T shirts, and leggings.
Fifty One Apparel (sold at https://fiftyoneapparel.com) caters specifically for women with menopausal symptoms. The brand’s range of tops, bottoms and nightwear uses fabrics with NASA-developed technology that controls moisture production and keeps body temperature stable.
Dagsmejan’s Balance beechwood-based pyjamas (https://dagsmejan.com) are ideal for women with hot flushes and night sweats who get both hot and cold at night. The Stay Cool eucalyptus-based pyjamas are suitable if you’re always hot at night.
About the author
Victoria Goldman is a freelance health journalist and editor. She is also the author of two crime novels, The Redeemer and the award-winning sequel The Associate.
Created Spring 2024
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