do cooling blankets work?

May 28, 2022 4:54 PM

Do the newish (generally synthetic) "cooling blankets" work? How does the experience compare to using a typical woven cotton blanket? I sleep very hot but a top sheet alone is not enough weight for me to feel comfortable sleeping. In case it's relevant, I no longer use top sheets (for better air flow and also because top sheets end up wrinkling and the sensory aspects of that annoy me) with blankets or comforters and would probably not be using them with cooling blankets either.
posted by needs more cowbell to Home & Garden (2 answers total)

I bought this one to try. It's heavier than a top sheet, with two sides, one cooling and one normal.

The smooth cooling side starts off far more chilly than a cotton top sheet, but will still warm up with body heat like any sheet. It helps to have a fan pointed at it, shift your legs away from the warmer part for a while, etc. The biggest problem is that the silky smooth side can pill easily (definitely use a laundry net bag + hang dry as the description suggests), which could be a sensory annoyance. I don't know how good it is with wicking as I don't have night sweating.
posted by automatic cabinet at 8:03 PM on May 28, 2022 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks, that is the sort I was thinking of (I think they're sometimes called "Japanese cooling blankets" in advertising.

It makes total sense that they would warm up as the night progresses, and I'm realizing that might really limit the usefulness of it for me personally since my main issue is that getting overheated makes me wake up, and I'd like to avoid waking up before I've had enough rest.
posted by needs more cowbell at 9:08 AM on May 29, 2022