How much does the mattress we sleep on affect our temperature and is there a perfect mattress for hot sleepers? As the weather changes and the temperature increases, the way to dress for bed (or not) changes too. The 10.5 tog duvets of winter are banished as the summer months begin. But, it’s not just our duvets and sheets that affect our temperature. Remember, heat rises and what’s beneath us when we sleep is a mattress. Therefore the materials used in the production of our natural mattress will be intrinsically linked to our circadian rhythms and have the biggest impact on those of us who sleep hot.
What is sleeping hot?
In simple terms, a hot sleeper is someone who is always hot (whatever the temperature) when they sleep. When we sleep our body temperature transfers heat from our body to the mattress and, depending on the materials the mattress is made from, it (the mattress) will retain the heat. This is why choosing the right mattress for hot sleepers is critically important for a good nights sleep.
Natural is best
As with most choices related to what we put in our next to our bodies intuitively, it feels like something natural will be the best choice. Cotton over polyester will be the better choice for a T-Shirt in the summer, for instance. So why wouldn’t this be true for a mattress, especially as we know that the heat from our bodies transfers to it? The simple truth of the matter is mostly mass-produced synthetic and memory foam mattresses are made from different types of plastic. The spongy memory foam is pretty much just a different chemical composition of the same hard plastic that, say, a printer is made from. To us, that didn’t feel like the best thing to put next to our bodies.
Cotton and Wool - nature’s super materials
Have you ever known of a sheep to be too hot or too cold? Millions of years of evolution have meant that sheep unknowingly created a super fibre that we can harvest sustainably and allow Snoozel Green to create a mattress that is perfect for the hot sleeper. Here’s the science — the anatomical make up of wool means it has a natural crimp. This crimp enables the material to do two things that may seem scientifically paradoxical. It creates an air buffer that keeps your body cool when the temperature drops but also, and crucially for the hot sleeper, allows moisture to escape when the body gets hot. No plastics, no genetically engineered innovations — just the innate wonder of organic wool.
Another core component of the Snoozel Green mattress is organic cotton. Like the T-shirt in the summer analogy, for the hot sleeper, spending all night on a synthetic fibre will increase your bodies’ temperature. The cotton woven into our mattresses is lightweight and breathable and, like the natural temperature regulating properties of wool, cotton helps to keep you warm in the winter by absorbing and retaining your body's heat.
No apps, gel or plastic required
Before we launched Snoozel Green we researched the market extensively to ascertain which materials would be kind to the body and the planet. We also had the hot sleeper in mind during the research and development phase of our journey. We’re confident that removing plastics from as many elements of your life as possible is going to benefit you in many ways, not least of which is helping the hot sleeper to sleep cool. Learn more about the Snoozel Green mattress here.