This surprising bedding material will keep you cool all summer long, according to experts

'It's nature's air conditioning!'

White duvet set with furry throw blanket on bed, white rustic desk and chair with stone feature wall in white painted bedroom
(Image credit: Future PLC/Colin Poole)

As we welcome the oncoming of the summer season, experts reveal the surprising bedding material that's guaranteed to keep you cool during the upcoming warmer nights.

Summer is officially on the horizon, which means a notable change to our night-time routines: having to adjust to sleeping in the heat. Although investing in the best fan now ahead of the hot, sleepless nights is a smart decision, it also pays to know how to keep a bedroom cool in hot weather for the factors we can easily change – whether that be knowing the right time to switch to a summer duvet or simply changing your bedding.

You could surprise yourself at how much of a difference a small change can do to helping you sleep better when the heat eventually hits.

Bed with white duvet sheets and pillows, rattan bedside table with lamp, hanging wall art in white painted bedroom

(Image credit: Future PLC/James French)

The best bedding material to keep you cool

The unexpected best bedding and duvet material to opt for if you're trying to keep cool is wool, which may come as a surprise to some – it certainly did for us.

'It seems counter-intuitive to sleep under wool in summer, but wool is in fact the best material you can use in the heat,' explains Sophie Platts, founder of Floks. 'Wool fibres are inherently temperature regulating; cooling you down when you feel too warm and insulating you when the nights get colder.'

'Wool helps you maintain your perfect body temperature and prevents waking during the night due to overheating – it's nature's air conditioning!'

Dark pink bedding set with decorative cushions on top of bed, shelving above headboard and black chandelier

(Image credit: Future PLC/James Merrell)

Rex Isap, sleep expert and CEO of Happy Beds adds: 'Wool bedding is ideal for anyone who is over-heating at night and often sweats, which can happen more in the warmer months. That's because wool bedding can easily absorb up to 30% of its weight in moisture without feeling damp as its fibres absorb water.'

 A study done by scientists at the University of Sydney studied the relationship between wool and sleep, and concluded that 'wool improves sleep by absorbing the sweat we produce at night, keeping skin dry and comfortable,' Rex adds. Wool also produced a deeper and longer sleep for participants, with the difference at high temperatures most extreme. 

Double bed with pink and dark grey bedding, black bedside table, hanging wall art and houseplant in grey painted room

(Image credit: Future PLC)

And although we're talking about our current sleep needs for summertime, investing in wool bedding now will also serve you later in the year when it starts to get colder again. 

Sophie Platts at Floks assures: 'These thermoregulating qualities will allow you to buy once and buy well for the whole year – the same bedding will balance heat and humidity during the warmer months and keep you super snuggly in winter.' So it's a win-win now and more bang for your buck later.

This especially comes in handy if you're struggling with storage ideas for small bedrooms because there's less to store.

White painted bedroom with wall art above bed and grey bedding

(Image credit: Future PLC / David Cleveland)

If it'll really end the saga of hot, sleepless nights we dread so dearly, it might be worth considering retiring your usual bedding options come the change of season to ensure you keep cool all summer long.

Jullia Joson
Junior Writer

Jullia is Ideal Home’s Junior Writer and the Ideal Home Certified Expert in Training on Vacuums, having spent over 60 hours testing different models. She’s always loved all things homes and interiors, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Architectural Studies from the University of Nottingham where her love for writing blossomed following her internship at ArchDaily. Now focused on home tech and cleaning, Jullia works on writing features and explainers to help people make the most of their home appliance investments, putting the newest launches through their paces. When she isn’t writing, she loves exploring the city, coffee shop hopping, and losing hours to a cosy game or book.