Hot sleeper needs a blanket or duvet insert that will NOT keep me warm!

March 30, 2013 2:43 PM

I'm a hot sleeper, but I love the feeling of having covers over me when I sleep. I need either a blanket or (preferably) a duvet insert that won't keep me warm. In a perfect world, it would have some weight, but zero ability to hold heat. I've been using a duvet cover with an old crappy comforter, but the comforter is finally falling apart, so it's time to look for something else. Style wise, it just needs to be white. And machine washable. Any other hot sleepers out there? What works for you? What should I be looking for?
posted by 2oh1 to Home & Garden (38 answers total)

They've always been out of my price range, but some places sell "weighted blankets"--cloth quilts which have polyfill pellets sewn into them to make them heavier. They're billed as being therapeutic, often for people with autism spectrum disorders. I'm not sure if they'd feel similar enough to a heavy comforter, though.
posted by needs more cowbell at 2:55 PM on March 30, 2013 [1 favorite]

What about a cooling blanket? I don't know if they will work inside a duvet cover though.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 2:58 PM on March 30, 2013

What works best for me is moving air. I keep a pedestal fan a couple of feet away, on a fairly low setting, aimed towards the top half of the bed. I find that even when I'm asleep, I'll move the duvet to allow just enough cool air reach me so that I don't overheat. Too hot? Move the duvet down a bit or open a little gap at the side to let more air in. Too cold? Pull the duvet up to my ears.
posted by pipeski at 3:07 PM on March 30, 2013 [1 favorite]

Duvets are sold in weights. The lower the tog, the less warm it is. It is possible to find 2 and 3 tog duvets though I've no idea where to do that in the US.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:12 PM on March 30, 2013

Just to check, but if your comforter is inside of a duvet cover, why does it matter that it is falling apart? It seems like that would just help it not hold heat, which is exactly what you want.
posted by willbaude at 3:14 PM on March 30, 2013

It's not a blanket, but how about a cooling fan.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 3:16 PM on March 30, 2013

How about a light weight blanket that is designed to have holes? Like this?
posted by Flunkie at 3:22 PM on March 30, 2013

I recommend muslin.
posted by dpx.mfx at 3:30 PM on March 30, 2013

I use just a down blanket inside the duvet. Thin, white, breatheable, but nowhere near as hot and bulky as a down comforter. I find anything in polyester far too hot, and that is often what's inside the non-down comforters. I wash my down blanket in the machine. There's plenty of space. It air dries quickly.
posted by Knowyournuts at 3:35 PM on March 30, 2013 [2 favorites]

I have switched over to my summer bedding. This is simply a top sheet and a lightweight blanket. My ceiling fan constantly runs at medium speed. If you have an Ikea store nearby, I'd also recommend this duvet insert. It meets your stated requirements and is very reasonably priced.
posted by MyTwoCentsToo at 3:36 PM on March 30, 2013 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: I should mention that cooling fans aren't what I'm asking about at all here. I already have AC, and have no trouble keeping my apartment cool. I'm specifically asking about blankets or duvet inserts.

The reason it matters that my current comforter is falling apart is because it's gotten super lumpy to the point where it barely works as a duvet insert anymore. I'm not sure how many more times it'll even survive a wash. Maybe one? It's 13 years old.
posted by 2oh1 at 3:37 PM on March 30, 2013

I am the same, hot sleeper but need the blanket weight or I can't fall asleep.
I use something like these.
They are thin enough to allow me to be cool, but weighty enough to prevent me from feeling like I am going to float away.
I have a duvet/cover that I just push aside during sleepin' time, but you could easily put one inside the duvet cover.
posted by tillei at 3:38 PM on March 30, 2013

Loosely crocheted afghans? That what I use on hot summer nights, weighty and well-ventilated.
posted by deinemutti at 3:38 PM on March 30, 2013

I just use a thin quilt, a blanket and a sheet.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:40 PM on March 30, 2013

Response by poster: Afghans definitely aren't going to work for me. As a single guy, it's super important that my bedding look modern and stylish.

That Ikea insert looks like it has potential!
posted by 2oh1 at 3:41 PM on March 30, 2013

Ikea has great bedding actually. I have one of their very light feather inserts - may or may not be the one linked above - and I use it for all but the hottest summer nights. And I live somewhere where AC is not prevalent.
posted by koahiatamadl at 4:03 PM on March 30, 2013 [1 favorite]

I know exactly what will work: a rayon chenille throw. I bought one several years ago at Marshalls or TJ Maxx to curl up in while watching tv. It was weighty and yet had absolutely no heat-retaining capability whatsoever. Useless, but it's what you're looking for here. Slide it into your duvet cover.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 4:12 PM on March 30, 2013

The IKEA warmth layer 1 is exactly what you want.
posted by saradarlin at 4:31 PM on March 30, 2013 [3 favorites]

I have a plain white quilt from West Elm. It doesn't look like they sell it right now (and it may be a coverlet) but I'm also a hot sleeper and some of the quilts from West Elm are very lightweight cotton. This one is close to the one I use during the summer. I also have the Ikea one which works with a duvet cover and I like it but sometimes I don't want to mess with the duvet.
posted by biscuits at 4:36 PM on March 30, 2013

As a fellow hot sleeper, hatever you get, I recommend not tucking in your sheets so much that you can't stick your feet out from underneath.
posted by feral_goldfish at 4:40 PM on March 30, 2013 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: I'm definitely going to look into that IKEA layer 1.

feral_goldfish! Oh, no... if my feet poke out from the bottom of my sheets, there will be absolutely no possibility of sleep until I get up to tuck the bottom of the sheet back under! Feet poking out from under the overs? That! Is! Madness! :)
posted by 2oh1 at 4:45 PM on March 30, 2013 [4 favorites]

Target has a similar rating system to Ikea for its covers and maybe easier to get to. GL.
posted by cestmoi15 at 6:05 PM on March 30, 2013

You could put the afghans inside the duvet cover.
posted by windykites at 6:41 PM on March 30, 2013

As a fellow hot sleeper, I recommend something in natural fibres. I had a down and cotton duvet for a long time, but felt it was too hot, so I switched to a lighter synthetic Ikea comforter. It's actually worse because it doesn't breathe so it tends to get sweaty. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the responses.
posted by looli at 7:20 PM on March 30, 2013

What about a cellular cotton blanket? I don't think I've ever cooked under one of those. Put it inside a duvet cover if you don't like the look of it.
posted by flabdablet at 8:28 PM on March 30, 2013

We have a cotton chenille throw that serves the same purpose for me and I run very hot in bed.
posted by arcticseal at 10:07 PM on March 30, 2013

How about a sheet of chainmail over a cotton sheet?
posted by Sophont at 10:39 PM on March 30, 2013 [1 favorite]

It would be a fairly straight forward project to insert weights, say nickels, into a series of pockets created by sewing two sheets together in a graph paper pattern. Insert that into your duvet cover and it would be quite heavy and still stylish. Weight can be adjusted by the density of the nickels or by using different coins (but nickels are ideal because they are stainless and actually worth more than their face value).
posted by Mitheral at 10:46 PM on March 30, 2013 [2 favorites]

My 100% cotton quilts apply weight without being too insulating. Overstock has some white ones.
posted by maggieb at 11:24 PM on March 30, 2013

We have some giant towels that someone made for us many years ago that are the perfect weight during the time of year when a top sheet is too little and even the lightest comforter is too much. He used terry cloth yardage and made them about 7 or 8 feet long, by however wide the fabric comes, so each of us uses one, which has the advantage of no fighting over covers. You could probably buy bath sheets and use those.
posted by jvilter at 12:28 AM on March 31, 2013 [2 favorites]

In summer we sleep under a cellular cotton blanket, or an Indira bedspread from ikea. It's heavy cotton and available in white. It's fairly cool and affordable, so you could potentially layer them if you needed to increase the weight.
posted by escapepod at 3:57 AM on March 31, 2013

I'm also a hot sleeper, and I have a Woolrich down alternative duvet insert that I got from Target a few years ago that's great for 3 seasons (in summer, we switch to just a blanket). Unfortunately, Target doesn't seem to carry it anymore, but their Room Essentials down blend comforter sounds like a good weight from the reviews. Can't beat the price, anyway.
posted by Kriesa at 10:36 AM on March 31, 2013

3rding cellular cotton blanket
posted by WeekendJen at 1:03 PM on March 31, 2013

Thirding (fifthing?) Ikea Mysa Stra for summer. We have one of the heavier down ones for winter, and it's just about time to switch to the level 1.
posted by AstroGuy at 2:45 PM on April 1, 2013

Response by poster: I bought the Ikea Mysa Stra and I really like it. I was surprised by how something as simple as using a proper duvet insert rather than an old cheap comforter can make the bed look better. My bed looked nice before, but it's definitely a little better looking with a proper insert.

I still wish there were something with as much fluff as the Mysa Stra but with even less ability to keep me warm. I'm such a hot sleeper that the Mysa Stra will be able to keep me warm in winter.
posted by 2oh1 at 11:07 AM on April 15, 2013

Best answer: I still wish there were something with as much fluff as the Mysa Stra but with even less ability to keep me warm.

There will be it just will be harder to find. The Mysa Stra is a 4.5 tog duvet. 2.5 tog duvets do exist; I'm just unclear what system is used in the US to identify them. You could call the Company Store and see if they can help you?

Also, very important: if your duvet cover or sheets are a poly blend or other synthetic, they'll be warmer than 100% cotton.
posted by DarlingBri at 11:26 AM on April 15, 2013

Response by poster: Now that I've owned the Ikea Mysa Stra for a while, my opinion has changed for the worse. One time in the washer and it looks like garbage. The filler material bunched up badly, to the point where the bed looks lumpy. One wash. Granted, I only tend to wash the duvet insert a few times a year, but still... one wash and it's a mess. I guess that's for the best since it's a little warmer than I'm looking for.
posted by 2oh1 at 2:33 PM on May 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

Quilts hold up better in laundry than comforters in my experience. Machine wash plus air dry is the best combo for bedding if you can manage it.
posted by maggieb at 6:02 PM on May 22, 2013