Feeling too hot to sleep well is frustrating and can leave you feeling groggy and tired the next day. Of all the sleep hacks to help you learn how to sleep when it’s hot at night, freezing your bed sheets is proving the most popular on TikTok right now.
This hack has been around for years though and involves placing your bottom sheet (fitted sheet) inside a zip-lock or vacuum sealed bag, then sticking it in the freezer for at least 10 minutes before bed. The aim is to have an ice-cold sheet to lie on when you’re ready to drift off.
It sounds good in theory, but does it actually work? And what will a frozen sheet that’ll soon thaw do to the health of your mattress? Let’s take a look…
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Freezing bed sheets for cooler sleep: does it work?
A lower body temperature at night is much better for sleep, which is why we always encourage people to avoid activities, foods or drinks that will raise their body temperature before bed. The higher your body temperature, the harder it will be for you to fall asleep.
So while we understand the thinking behind freezing your bed sheets on a hot night, the effects are short-lived. Sure they’ll feel cool and crisp when you first lie down on them, but your body will quickly warm up that sheet.
When that happens, moisture will escape into the air in your bedroom, making it feel muggy and hot. Not the effect you were going for, right?
The only way to try and offset or slow this down is to use a room fan or a portable air conditioner at the same time, as you need to keep the air circulating in your room. Even then, the sheets will warm up eventually, but the hope is that you’ll be asleep by then. We'll group this TikTok sleep hack with bed rotting and mouth taping: a good idea with the wrong execution.
Will frozen bed sheets damage your mattress?
This depends on how often you’re putting frozen sheets on your mattress, what the mattress is made of, and whether you’re using a mattress protector or not.
Innerspring and hybrid mattresses are much better at circulating air than memory foam mattresses, and this is because they both use either coils or springs. Air flows better through and around these, so heat and moisture has less chance of building up in the mattress.
All-foam mattresses are more prone to mold and mildew, so if you are constantly placing frozen bed sheets on your memory foam bed, you could be creating the ideal breeding ground for those nasties. Especially when you lie on top of the sheets and add to the heat.
A mattress protector can act as a buffer between the mattress and the frozen sheet, so is definitely worth considering if you’re sold on the frozen bed sheets hack.
Better alternatives to frozen bed sheets
We’re now seeing more cooling mattresses hit the virtual shelves, and these are basically hybrid beds or memory foam mattresses infused with cooling gels or phase change materials to dissipate heat.
Share a bed with someone who likes to keep it cozy while you prefer playing it cool? Try the Scandinavian sleep method – sharing a bed but using separate bedding. You can opt for light, breathable sheets, while they stay wrapped up in the best weighted blanket.
We’re also seeing a greater range of cooling mattress toppers and pads, and all of these products are a more effective and longer-lasting way to boost airflow in your bed at night compared to using a frozen bed sheet. Here’s a few to get you started…
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We'd also recommend the Saatva Classic, a luxury innerspring hybrid mattress that sleeps cool throughout the night. It's our top pick of the year and you can learn why we rate it so highly in our Saatva Classic mattress review.
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