Hello,
I am a side sleeper currently sleeping on a mattress that has a top layer of natural latex. The my mattress cover is the St. Dormier Wool mattress protector and the pillow I use for my head is a shredded natural latex pillow. My sheets are 100% organic cotton and I use my top sheet as a blanket. I do however, need a body pillow to properly sleep comfortably on my side. For a long time I have used a cheap polyester pillow which would always overheat me. I was wondering if there was a pillow material fill that wouldn’t get hot, if it is at all possible? 95% of the body pillows on the market are either polyester or shredded poly foam. I suppose no matter what type of pillow I use it will make me sleep hotter? I’m just trying to add the least amount of heat to my sleep system while still remaining comfortable sleeping on my side. It gets quite humid and hot where I live. Perhaps a cotton/kapok/wool/latex filled body pillow…
Hi dhaiman1.
You’re in luck! Pillows with natural fibers are definitely possible to locate.
I personally sleep on one that is shredded latex, and while I’m generally not a hot sleeper, this pillow has never overheated me/my face/my head.
Latex is the most breathable of all of the foams, and this rings true for pillows as well. CozyPure has a great shredded latex pillow option. Nest Bedding has the Easy Breather Natural Latex pillow.
You can also find natural pillow “kits” here at DIY Natural Bedding including wool, kapok, shredded latex, and even millet hull.
I hope this helps you get started!
NikkiTMU
Do you think the same thing will apply to a body pillow? I never really overheat with head pillows regardless of what material they are because my head is out in the open when I sleep (as I think most people are). It’s the body pillow I am mostly referring to. Being that a body pillow goes between my legs and under the covers I always feel the heat if it is 70 degrees or hotter in my room. I was wondering if a latex or wool or kapok or cotton filled body pillow would sleep cooler (body pillow)
The key to helping maintain a relatively neutral sleeping environment is airflow and humidity regulation. When using a body pillow, you will be insulating a large area of your body, exposing less surface area for heat exchange, and also potentially increasing the areas where there may be poor humidity control. Latex does tend to flow air quite well, and there are fibers which do a good job such as have already been mentioned (Kapok, wool), and even structured polyethylene (like Airweave or Indratech manufacture). How densified these materials are can impact breathability. If a shredded latex pillow uses very small pieces and is compacted tightly, it will breathe less than one with larger pieces and is more loosely shaped. Wool and kapok can pack down and compress with use, so it will behoove you to fluff these periodically and allow the fibers to reorganize and breathe better, should you choose such a pillow. Additionally, how tightly you hug the body pillow will have an impact. If you tightly hug the body pillow all the way from your knees to your neck, this will provide quite a bit of insulation, and there will be more potential to sleep warmer, regardless of the materials being used. So while you certainly can choose materials that are more breathable, it would be normal to experience some increased warmth, as you already mentioned. Tencel sheets can help, as they’re quite breathable and excellent at wicking moisture away, but I know you weren’t asking about that.
Wow thanks for that answer. Super helpful.
Tencel sheets are more breathable than organic percale cotton? Do you have any recommendations for specific Tencel sheets?
Tencel (Lyocell) is quite breathable, but so is cotton. The tightness of the weave will play an important factor in breathability, regardless of fiber being used (tighter weave will flow less air). Tencel is better at moisture wicking and releasing than cotton, and humidity control is a key component of sleeping as cool as possible. You want a good combination of breathability and ability to wick moisture away from your body. I don’t have a recommendation for a particular line of Tencel sheets, as there are many available. My store carries Malouf brand Tencel sheets in a Sateen weave, and I’ve found those to be quite breathable and comfortable, but that’s just my personal opinion and I’m sure you could do just as well or better with other Tencel lines.
[quote=“Peggyy”]Gel fiber is a good material for pillow because it is beathable and soft enough to support your neck. It is very common in the stores. https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/is-your-pillow-hurting-your-health
[/quote]
I sleep on gel pillow for a few months and I can say it is much cooler than the ordinary one. I can quickly fall asleep as well. However, it is more expensive and I need to get a new pillow for 1 - 2 years…