How to Stay Cool and Get Sleep Without AC

Try one of these seven inventive solutions to get quality rest this summer

Even before “heat dome” entered our collective vocabulary, getting a cool night’s sleep was challenging during the summer, especially if you’re a hot sleeper. Without air conditioning, staying cool at night requires some seasonal strategizing. Luckily, there are new innovative products available that can truly help you avoid overheating while you sleep.

Getting consistently good sleep isn’t just about overcoming restless nights and groggy mornings. Harvard Medical School research shows that quality sleep improves everything from memory to aging. If you don’t sleep well, the trickle-down effect can mean a massive improvement in your quality of life.

1. Nova Hybrid Mattress with Snow Technology by Casper, starting at $2,095

Casper’s “Snow Technology” was introduced in April this year, an optional feature with their two hybrid mattresses (Nova and Wave), which are already designed to pull heat away from underneath the body. Snow Technology—according to Casper—provides additional cooling, with an overall six degree cooler sleep due to special bands that remove 34 percent more heat for 12+ hours (when compared to the non-Snow mattress). The entire Snow mattress system is also covered with a special top layer that makes it feel 24 percent cooler to the touch when climbing into bed (compared to the non-Snow mattress).

At first touch, the cooling factor is impressively noticeable, feeling very cool… almost as if it were wet (it’s not). It does adjust quickly, so while you don’t continue to feel this temperature difference as dramatically, you do get cooling support whenever you need it. When seasonal temperatures drop, don’t worry. This proprietary technology was developed to evenly dissipate body heat, so seasonal temperature changes and the outdoor climate won’t directly affect your sleep experience.

All Casper foams are CertiPUR certified, meaning they’re made without formaldehyde, ozone-depleters, mercury, lead and other heavy metals. There’s astonishingly little off-gassing as the mattress expands and it’s absolutely possible to sleep on it the same night even just a few hours after unboxing.
Available online

2. Egyptian Cotton Sheets by Nestwell, starting at $135

Like icing on a cake, topping your mattress with Egyptian cotton sheets makes the whole experience better. Egyptian cotton itself yields stronger, longer fibres, which is why it’s so sought after for bedding. Their long, silky, durable strands allow fabric to achieve incredibly high thread counts (625 here), which produce satin-smooth surfaces. Sliding into a bed with crisp cotton sheets doesn’t just feel amazing during hot summers, the breathable and moisture-wicking sheets actually help you stay cool and dry throughout the night, so you can avoid any disruption to your sleep cycle.
Available online

3. Cooling Pillow by Simba, $199

The exterior shell of this pillow features the same astronaut-inspired technology used in Simba’s duvet (temperature-regulating Stratos fabric and heat-dissipating Invista fibres), and is filled with hundreds of open-cell foam cubes that can be added or removed to create a custom feel, whether you’re a side-, back- or stomach-sleeper. Temperature regulation comes through these materials that absorb, store and release heat whenever you need it. And while most conventional pillows are more of a puffy 2D shape (a rectangle with fill), Simba’s is a true 3D shape (box construction), with mesh border around the perimeter, allowing for easy airflow. This is a comfortably squishy but supportive pillow that cradles your head throughout the night.
Available online

4. Refresh Mattress Protector by Malouf, starting at $199

Every mattress needs a mattress protector, but unless it’s breathable and moisture-wicking, it’ll negate any of the cooling properties your mattress might have. This mattress protector from upscale bedding accessories label Malouf is made from bamboo rayon that’s infused with bamboo-charcoal. The porous structure of charcoal offers superior heat and moisture regulating properties, while also naturally being deodorizing and anti-bacterial.

Your mattress is protected by a triple-layer fabric that’s designed with a waterproof barrier between two layers of soft bamboo jersey knit. There’s piping around the top perimeter, giving the bed a neat, crisp look. And corners are secured with a thick, sturdy elastic band that gives a very snug fit, accommodating mattresses up to 20 inches deep.
Available online
 

5. Temperature-regulating Duvet by Simba, starting at $299

Does this sound familiar: you go to sleep, you get hot, you sweat, then you get cold because you’re wet, so you add on more blankets, and then you get hot again? Overheating in bed is a vicious cycle, and one of the most efficient ways of breaking this cycle is by switching to a cooling duvet.

Simba’s cooling duvets use technology inspired from spacesuits, which have to regulate extreme temperature fluctuations. The breathable outer layer helps regulate body temperature throughout the night by drawing heat when you’re too warm, then retains it and returns it when you start to cool. The inside fibre filling is embedded with semi-conducting minerals that draw heat away and redistribute it, reducing temperature spikes, so your sleeping temperature remains cool and constant.

Most importantly, this duvet just feels like a hug. It’s luxuriously lofty and fluffy, gently draping over the body without clinging, providing warmth without ever getting hot.
Available online

6. Linen Cotton Duvet Cover Set by Nestwell, starting at $150

Linen tends to trap less heat that other fibres, which is why it’s such a popular fabric for summer clothing and bedding. It does wrinkle and crumple easily, which can be part of its charm, but—on your bed—it can look messy. Blend in some cotton, another breathable fabric, and you’ve both the best of both worlds. This duvet cover offers the rich texture of linen with the crispness of cotton, both which naturally have temperature-regulating and moisture-wicking properties.
Available online

7. Organic Cotton Napper Weighted Blanket by Bearaby, starting at $249 USD

It’s not often you get a product disrupter that drastically changes an already-simple item, making it not only better but also more beautiful. Unlike traditional weighted blankets that rely on fillers (plastic pellets, glass beads etc.) to create weight, this blanket gets its weight entirely from thick organic cotton yarn, which is loosely woven to create an elegantly textured, chunky-knit blanket. These blankets are hand-knit using over 250 metres of yarn into a unique, looped design that not only ensures even distribution of weight but an open weave that allows air to circulate around the body to keep you cool while still providing that hug-like weight. The ropy texture is ingenious, as it feels as if contact points on the body trigger pressure points that accelerate decompression and signal the body to relax. As you move, the blanket tends to move with you instead of sliding off, almost applying gentle massaging pressure.
Available online