Sydney, it's winter so many of us will be pulling out or buying winter bedding.
But how much difference does your bedding make in your thermal comfort? Can a particular textile help you sleep?
Is it wool or other natural fibers, such as cotton? How about polyester? With so many options, it's easy to get confused. Here's what we found when we reviewed the evidence, not just for the winter, but also for the summer ahead.
We depend on our bedding to maintain a comfortable temperature to help us sleep. And the right textiles can help regulate body temperature and wick away moisture from sweat, promoting better sleep.
In the colder months, we are most concerned about the insulating properties of textiles: keeping body heat in and the cold out. As temperatures rise, we worry less about insulation and more about removing moisture from sweat. Another factor to consider is a fabric's breathability: how well it lets air pass through it. A breathable fabric helps keep you cool by allowing your body heat to escape. It also helps keep you comfortable by preventing moisture buildup. By releasing excess heat and moisture, a breathable fabric makes you feel cooler and more comfortable against the skin.
Different textiles have different properties.
Some textiles are better than others at insulation, moisture wicking, or breathability. For example, cotton and wool have small air pockets that act as insulation to provide warmth in cold climates. Thicker fabrics with more air pockets tend to be warmer, softer, and more breathable. But these factors are also affected by fiber type, fabric weave, and manufacturing process.
Cotton and wool are also breathable fabrics, meaning they help regulate temperature.
While cotton absorbs moisture (sweat) from the skin, it does not remove it efficiently. This retained moisture can make cotton feel sticky and uncomfortable, which could lead to shivering in hot weather. But wool is highly absorbent and wicks away moisture effectively. In warmer climates, when we sweat, wool fibers allow airflow and moisture transfer, which promotes efficient evaporation and cooling of sweat and prevents overheating. So wool (in different thicknesses) can be a good option in both summer and winter.
Linen, although breathable and has moisture-wicking properties, provides less insulation than wool and cotton due to its hollow fibers. This makes linen less effective at keeping warm in the winter, but it is more effective at keeping cool in the summer.
Polyester is a synthetic fiber that can be made to trap air and insulate it, but it is not naturally breathable. It usually absorbs moisture poorly. So it can trap sweat next to the skin, causing discomfort. However, polyester can receive a special treatment to help control sweat moisture. As part of our review, we were unable to find any studies that directly compared sheets made from different textiles (for example, regular cotton and flannel) and their impact on sleep when it's cold.
However, linen sheets are particularly effective in warmer conditions. In one study, conducted at 29°C and high humidity, linen sheets promoted less wakefulness and fewer stages of light sleep than cotton sheets.
If you don't heat your bedroom at night in winter, a goose down quilt (one made of fine goose feathers) could be an option. These promoted the longest, deepest sleep, followed by duck down and then cotton when He slept at 11°C. This may be because down offers better insulation (by trapping more air) than cotton. Down also has a lower thermal conductivity than cotton, meaning it is better at keeping warm.
Choosing between a wool or polyester quilt? In a study funded by the wool industry that two of us (Chow and Halaki) co-authored, there wasn't much difference. The study in young adults found no significant differences in sleep at 17°C or 22°C.
So how do I choose? The choice of bedding is very individual. What is comfortable for one person is not comfortable for another. This is due to variations in body size and metabolic rate, local climate, bedroom temperatures, and building insulation. These can also affect sleep.
This variability, and a wide range of study designs, also makes it difficult to compare different studies on the impact of different textiles on sleep. Therefore, you may have to experiment with different textiles to find out what works for you. (The conversation) RUP
But how much difference does your bedding make in your thermal comfort? Can a particular textile help you sleep?
Is it wool or other natural fibers, such as cotton? How about polyester? With so many options, it's easy to get confused. Here's what we found when we reviewed the evidence, not just for the winter, but also for the summer ahead.
We depend on our bedding to maintain a comfortable temperature to help us sleep. And the right textiles can help regulate body temperature and wick away moisture from sweat, promoting better sleep.
In the colder months, we are most concerned about the insulating properties of textiles: keeping body heat in and the cold out. As temperatures rise, we worry less about insulation and more about removing moisture from sweat. Another factor to consider is a fabric's breathability: how well it lets air pass through it. A breathable fabric helps keep you cool by allowing your body heat to escape. It also helps keep you comfortable by preventing moisture buildup. By releasing excess heat and moisture, a breathable fabric makes you feel cooler and more comfortable against the skin.
Different textiles have different properties.
Some textiles are better than others at insulation, moisture wicking, or breathability. For example, cotton and wool have small air pockets that act as insulation to provide warmth in cold climates. Thicker fabrics with more air pockets tend to be warmer, softer, and more breathable. But these factors are also affected by fiber type, fabric weave, and manufacturing process.
Cotton and wool are also breathable fabrics, meaning they help regulate temperature.
While cotton absorbs moisture (sweat) from the skin, it does not remove it efficiently. This retained moisture can make cotton feel sticky and uncomfortable, which could lead to shivering in hot weather. But wool is highly absorbent and wicks away moisture effectively. In warmer climates, when we sweat, wool fibers allow airflow and moisture transfer, which promotes efficient evaporation and cooling of sweat and prevents overheating. So wool (in different thicknesses) can be a good option in both summer and winter.
Linen, although breathable and has moisture-wicking properties, provides less insulation than wool and cotton due to its hollow fibers. This makes linen less effective at keeping warm in the winter, but it is more effective at keeping cool in the summer.
Polyester is a synthetic fiber that can be made to trap air and insulate it, but it is not naturally breathable. It usually absorbs moisture poorly. So it can trap sweat next to the skin, causing discomfort. However, polyester can receive a special treatment to help control sweat moisture. As part of our review, we were unable to find any studies that directly compared sheets made from different textiles (for example, regular cotton and flannel) and their impact on sleep when it's cold.
However, linen sheets are particularly effective in warmer conditions. In one study, conducted at 29°C and high humidity, linen sheets promoted less wakefulness and fewer stages of light sleep than cotton sheets.
If you don't heat your bedroom at night in winter, a goose down quilt (one made of fine goose feathers) could be an option. These promoted the longest, deepest sleep, followed by duck down and then cotton when He slept at 11°C. This may be because down offers better insulation (by trapping more air) than cotton. Down also has a lower thermal conductivity than cotton, meaning it is better at keeping warm.
Choosing between a wool or polyester quilt? In a study funded by the wool industry that two of us (Chow and Halaki) co-authored, there wasn't much difference. The study in young adults found no significant differences in sleep at 17°C or 22°C.
So how do I choose? The choice of bedding is very individual. What is comfortable for one person is not comfortable for another. This is due to variations in body size and metabolic rate, local climate, bedroom temperatures, and building insulation. These can also affect sleep.
This variability, and a wide range of study designs, also makes it difficult to compare different studies on the impact of different textiles on sleep. Therefore, you may have to experiment with different textiles to find out what works for you. (The conversation) RUP
