Is sleeping in silk sheets hot or cold?

Silk is a natural protein fiber, and purchasing silk sheets and pillowcases is a great investment in beauty, health and sleep, and is popular for its unique shine, softness and beauty. But there is debate about whether sleeping on silk sheets is hot or cool, and how well it maintains a certain temperature?

In fact, when we fall asleep, the body's metabolism slows down and body temperature begins to drop. But through heat transfer, fabrics in contact with our skin absorb and retain a small amount of our body's natural heat, so we can sleep soundly in a warm environment. While some fabrics transfer heat from the body and release it into the surrounding air, other materials absorb and retain body heat. Silk fabrics do this well, a natural hypoallergenic material that adapts to changes in ambient temperature. It can provide both warmth and coolness, depending on your body temperature and what it takes for a better sleeping environment. So it's never too hot or too cold, giving you a comfortable sleeping environment.

How do silk sheets keep sleepers dry and comfortable?

1. Insulation

Silk will keep you warm on cold nights, and here we have silk protein to thank for its natural insulating and temperature-regulating properties. Silk fibers naturally have very little thermal conductivity, so they form a thin layer of air insulation that absorbs and retains our heat, keeping you warm on cold nights. And the silk fabric also keeps your skin cool and hydrated so you look good in winter.

2. Absorbency

We often wake up sweaty and unpleasant on hot nights. Many hot sleepers suffer from this too, so how do we choose a bed fabric that absorbs excess sweat and keeps you cool? Fabrics that are naturally absorbent are often people's first choice. Cotton is known for being exceptionally absorbent, and silk is also very absorbent.

Cotton absorbs a lot of water, and on a hot night, a person sweats profusely, and if all this is absorbed, the body may have a cooling effect in the first place. But when the body is dehydrated causing discomfort and cold, this is quickly reversed. This is where silk sheets with neutral water absorption will come in handy.

Silk sheets will moderately absorb moisture without reducing moisture content. After absorbing sweat, the silk sheets are not sticky. While 100% silk absorbs and retains moisture, retaining body odor from sweat can create foul odors and also become a haven for sweat-borne bacteria and microbes that can affect the user experience. The mixed silk is not only very absorbent, but also very good at wicking away sweat, which can avoid leaving sweat stains on the sheets.

While silk pillowcases or silk sheets won't cure or prevent hot flashes, they can definitely help ease the discomfort. If you choose 100% silk, we recommend that you wash them regularly so your sheets smell and feel good to use. Of course, you can also choose fabrics made of mixed fibers, because they are hygienic, convenient and beautiful.

3. Breathability

Breathability is also an indicator to consider when choosing a comfortable bed sheet. Impermeable sheets and blankets can restrict or reduce the flow of air, which cannot escape the confinement of tightly woven materials, making it easy to get hot and sweaty while sleeping.

A breathable fabric weave will be loose enough to allow air to flow, reducing insulation and promoting the evaporation of sweat. When we are sweaty, it can help to cool down and relieve our troubles greatly. The silk fabric is porous enough to allow air to pass through it, reducing thermal insulation.

4. Hypoallergenic

Sericin in silk, a protein-coated silk fiber that naturally repels allergens, fungi and dust mites, makes silk hypoallergenic and a great way to remove dust and keep your airways open for sensitive skin (including babies) or people with other skin problems can also use it with confidence.

To sum up, silk's insulating properties keep us warm in the cold winter, its water absorption keeps sleepers dry, and its breathability is enough to allow sweat to evaporate. When you learn about the thermal insulation and breathability of silk, you may think that the two are in conflict, but in fact they are not, thanks to the temperature regulation function of silk and keep them from getting too hot or too cold), so silk sheets are a great option for a comfortable sleep all year round.

When choosing a new set of silk sheets, there are several factors to focus on to help us choose the most comfortable, functional, and easy-care sheets.

• Materials
  100% silk is good at heat insulation, water absorption and breathability, but pure silk has the problem of easy dyeing. The silk blend (preferably blended with cotton, bamboo, etc.) also has the above functions without the disadvantages of silk.
• Low thread count
  Thread count refers to the number of threads contained in one square inch of fabric. Studies have shown that silk sheets with a thread count of about 300 have the best breathability. While the lower the thread count, the more breathable the sheet will be, the integrity of the fabric will be compromised, and if it is too high, while high thread count sheets are durable, they are also highly insulated, so the sheet will be more breathable reduce. So we need to find the best balance between quality and breathability.
• Machine washability
  Although silk fabrics are recommended to be hand washed, for hot sleepers, bed sheets need to be washed more often, and hand washing a large set of bed sheets each time is not a small project. Therefore, we recommend that you choose silk sheets that are machine washable. Use cold water when washing, first place the silk bedding in the mesh wash bag, then select the detergent formulated for silk, and finally select the Delicate setting to wash the silk sheets.

Silk is generally considered a thin fabric that provides flannel-like warmth on cold winter nights; it has absorbency similar to cotton and good breathability on sweltering summers, creating a cool feeling for you sleeping environment. The effective temperature-regulating properties of silk fabrics throughout the year give us just the right amount of warmth for a good night's sleep!