The nights are getting shorter and the temperature is rising daily, but for some this means that it’s harder to get a good night’s sleep, due to overheating and sweating.
Besides the right mattress and bed, the right sleeping environment plays a very important role in getting a good night’s sleep. Which temperature you find particularly pleasant when sleeping naturally depends on your personal preferences. Generally, the temperature in the bedroom should be between 15 and 18 degrees Celsius.
On summer nights, however, the temperature is often higher than that. While we can’t control the temperature, we shouldn’t forget that the right mattress and the right bed linen are also important parts of our sleeping environment.
So, which bed linens can help you get a good night’s sleep in the summer?
The best bed linen for warm summer nights
In summer, you should make sure that your bed linen is breathable and moisture-regulating. Good bed linen should be able to balance out the temperature in order to avoid the accumulation of heat. Pure, natural materials such as silk, cotton, linen or satin, feel airy and cool to the touch, even in the summer.
Bed linens made from polyester and microfibers are not well suited for summer use, as heat can accumulate under the synthetic fabrics, which makes it difficult for your body to regulate its temperature. In the past, people with a strong house dust allergy were often advised to use bed linens made of polyester; now that hypoallergenic cotton is available, which is perfect for allergy sufferers, this is no longer necessary.
Silk bed linen
Silk offers a feeling of luxury and is also incredibly gentle on the skin. Silk is a very fine material and is extracted from the larval cocoon of the Chinese silk spider. Silk is therefore one hundred percent natural.
Silk creates an unbelievably pleasant sleeping environment because it regulates moisture and is breathable. Furthermore, silk can not only absorb moisture very well due to its tightly woven fibres, but also releases it back into the air. This is why silk is often chosen by people who tend to sweat a great deal at night.
Since silk is very easy to dye and print, silk bed linen is available in a wide variety of designs and colours. Silk bed linen will certainly create an elegant and shiny ambience in your bedroom.
In addition, silk is considered to be very easy to care for, as it doesn't crease and therefore doesn't need to be ironed. Silk is also safe for allergy sufferers, as it is hypoallergenic. Furthermore, silk has a repellent effect against mites, bacteria and moulds.
Satin bed linen
Satin is obtained by an elaborate weave (the atlas weave), in which the weft threads predominate on the upper side and the warp threads on the underside. This unique weave gives satin the surface shine that many people know and love. However, the term "satin" doesn't refer to the material of the fabric, but only to the type of weave. The most common material used for satin bed linen is cotton.
Satin fabrics are suitable for bed linen sets, especially in the summer, because they give a luxurious feeling on the skin and feel pleasantly cool. Satin bed linen is also extremely hard-wearing and easy to care for, as it doesn't need to be ironed.
The breathability and moisture regulation of bed linens made from satin cotton can be of great benefit to you. In addition, satin cotton can balance the temperature well and also reduces heat build-up. Satin bed linens can not only be used in the summer, but also in winter, as they are ideal for keeping the body sufficiently warm.
Cotton bed linen
Cotton has long been a popular material to make bed linen from. First of all, cotton can absorb up to 65% of its own weight in moisture. This property becomes especially important in the summer, as the human body loses at least a litre of sweat every night.
In addition, cotton is very soft, supple and particularly skin-friendly. Furthermore, pure cotton is resistant and light in weight. Since cotton can be washed in the washing machine without any issues, the fabric is considered very easy to care for and is an ideal material for bed linens in the summer.
Percale bed linen is a speciality among the cotton fabrics:
Percale bed linen
Percale is a cotton fabric made with a plain weave. For cotton to be considered percale, it must have a threat count of at least 200. In this weaving technique, a vertical thread is woven over each horizontal thread. Percale is just as soft and flexible as satin, but doesn't have the sheen. Percale is also very resistant to friction and is therefore often used to make percale bed sheets or percale fitted sheets. Percale bed linen can be used for several years, as it is very durable and long-lasting. The fabric offers a cool sleeping environment and is therefore an ideal bed linen for the summer. Of course, percale also retains the positive properties of pure cotton, such as breathability and moisture regulation.
Linen bed linen
No discussion of the best bed linen for the summer would be complete without, well, linen. Linen has a high degree of permeability for air and heat, which is why heat doesn’t build up beneath your duvet.
In addition, linen allows moisture and sweat to dissipate very quickly to the outside. In the summer, this means that you can sleep through the night in a pleasantly dry environment.
Linen is also one of the strongest natural fabrics. Bed linens made with linen’s natural color won’t. Linen keeps its shape for a long time and is less susceptible to creasing than other materials. Furthermore, linen has bactericidal properties, which means that bacteria can't survive in linen bedding.
Finally, no chemical processes are used in the production of linen fabrics or in their processing, so linen doesn't cause allergic reactions.
How often should I change my bed linen in the summer?
After we have given you a tip on the topic: "Which bed linen is best in the summer", you will certainly want to know how often you should change your bed linen in the summer.
As a rule of thumb, you should change a bed every two weeks in the summer and winter. As already mentioned, our body loses at least one litre of sweat per night; in the summer, this number is certainly even higher. You should also make sure to wash your duvet about every two years and air it out regularly.
If you sweat particularly heavily at night, you should wash your bedding every week. Bed linen and pillowcases should be washed at at least 60 degrees, as mites only die at a temperature of 58 degrees. Additionally, air your pillow outside every other day.
If you are allergic to house dust, you should change the bed linen as often as possible and wash it thoroughly. Mites like to settle in the dust and in our bed linen and can cause sneezing fits, itchy eyes, rhinitis and skin eczema.
Should I use a duvet in the summer?
If temperatures are above 20 degrees at night, many people will wonder whether you need a duvet at all or whether you can simply sleep without one. As we sweat a lot even when we sleep, we might cool down more than we think if we sleep completely without a blanket.
Thus, it is advisable to use a blanket even in the summer. Many manufacturers therefore also offer thinner summer duvets, or you can sleep without a blanket but at least cover yourself with your bedsheets.