After a year of intermittent bed sweating, I finally found a solution that keeps me, and my bed, completely dry
Sweating the bed is a common issue that affects both men and women alike. Before I get into my own personal experience, I want to point out that there are a number of different medical conditions that may cause persistent night sweats, so it’s important to do your own research to rule out any serious underlying conditions.
Trying to pin down what’s causing you to sweat the bed can be tough since there are so many different possible explanations. For me, the best approach was through the process of elimination, starting with the more serious undiagnosed medical conditions (i.e. cancers or bacterial infections). In these cases, it's typical for there to be additional unexplained symptoms, none of which I was experiencing. I also eliminated possible causes that were highly unlikely, such as menopause because I’m only 32. And I did the same for my husband, who’s also no stranger to sweating the bed.
From there, we tried a number of different things like turning the thermostat down, sleeping with the windows open, swapping our duvet with a light quilt, and limiting the liquids consumed after dinner. Nothing seemed to help.
At this point, both of us had also been dealing with hormonal imbalances and some anxiety, so I figured that this could be playing a role in our bed sweats too. So we focused on ways to reduce stress and get our hormones in check, and just continued to accept all of the inconveniences that come with being bed sweaters, like having to wash your bed linens all the time and having our bright white sheets turn yellow.
Eventually, out of nowhere, after a year of intermittent bed sweating, we found a solution that keeps us, and our bed, completely dry: linen bedding.
The idea to swap our standard cotton sheets with linen had nothing to do with the bed sweating issue; I was simply looking to give our bedroom a bit of a facelift and chose linen bedding because I’ve always wanted one of those beds that look and feel like you’re sleeping on a cloud.
To our surprise, after a week with our new bedding it occurred to us that we were having the most restful sleeps ever and were waking up bone dry (and still are to this day).
In addition to being impossibly soft and only getting softer with every wash, it turns out that linen absorbs as much as 20% of its weight in moisture before it starts to feel wet, which is why it always feels fresh and cool when touched or slept on. On top of this, linen has high air permeability, which means that it’s a very breathable fabric and helps to keep you cool during summer months and warm during winter months. These capabilities, and the fact that it is resistant to bacteria, also make it a great option for those with skin diseases or sensitive skin in general.
The price tag on linen bedding isn’t cheap, especially if you’re used to buying standard, middle of the road cotton sheets or duvet covers. That being said, linen is known for is strength, and is said to be twice as durable as cotton bedding and can last for decades if cared for properly.
It’s been a month since I made the move to linen sheets and I’ve never been happier - and not just because I’m no longer sweating the bed or sleeping next to someone who is. It’s become an absolute joy to get into bed every night, but even more so to wake up every morning and be impossibly well rested. Embracing linen sheets has actually improved my quality of life. My only regret is not doing it sooner.
