Why Do I Get Hot When I Sleep?

You might wake up feeling too warm at night, which can come from a mix of things related to your body and your sleeping setup. Normally, your body cools down to help you sleep, but shifts in blood flow can sometimes make you feel hotter or even sweaty.

What you choose for bedding and pajamas plays a big role, too, since some materials trap heat while others let air flow better. The temperature and humidity in your room, plus habits like what and when you eat, can all affect how hot you feel. Small changes in these areas can make a big difference in keeping you cooler and helping you sleep more comfortably.

Let’s dive into the main reasons why you might be feeling hot at night.

1. Heat Production Linked to Metabolic Activity

Even when you’re resting, your body is still busy turning food into energy, and this process gives off some heat. That heat helps keep your body temperature up a little.

Your core temperature usually drops a bit when you sleep, but the heat your body produces can help balance that out.

Keeping your room cool, somewhere around 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit (15 to 19 degrees Celsius), makes it easier for your body to stay comfortable and manage its temperature while you sleep.

Key points to remember:

• Metabolism produces heat by converting food into energy
• Heat generated may counteract the natural cooling of sleep
• A cooler room assists your body’s temperature regulation system

2. Excessive Sweat Production

Your body relies on sweat glands to cool you down by releasing moisture through your skin. But when these glands go into overdrive—especially at night—it can leave you feeling too hot and uncomfortable, making it harder to sleep well.

There are a few reasons this can happen. Hormonal shifts, certain medications, and stress are common triggers. Big life changes like pregnancy or menopause can also affect how much you sweat. In some cases, medical conditions like hyperhidrosis cause the body to sweat more than usual.

To manage this, consider the following:

• Maintain a cool, well-ventilated sleeping space.
• Use breathable fabrics like cotton or bamboo for bedding and pajamas.
• Practice good hygiene by showering before bed to lower your body temperature.

You can also try using antiperspirants with aluminum-based ingredients, and they’re much more effective at reducing sweat than older options like powders or vinegar pads. Small changes like this can really help keep you drier at night and make your sleep more comfortable.

3. Managing Heat Build-Up in Bedding and Sleep Spaces

The materials you use for your bedding can greatly affect how hot or cool you feel at night. Fabrics like flannel and fleece tend to trap heat, while cotton or bamboo let your skin breathe and help you stay cooler.

Your mattress matters, too. Memory foam holds onto body heat more than traditional spring mattresses. If you sleep hot, it might help to look for one with built-in cooling features or use a cooling mattress topper.

Blankets also play a part. Thicker ones might feel cozy at first, but can cause you to overheat if you’re prone to sweating. Lighter blankets or layered options let you adjust your comfort level more easily.

For an extra boost in staying cool through the night, check out our specially designed bedding at Rest.com. Our Evercool+ Cooling Sheet Set helps wick away moisture to keep you dry and comfortable. Pair it with our Evercool+ Cooling Pillows, which provide a cool surface for your head, and the Evercool Cooling Comforter, offering lightweight warmth without trapping heat. These products work together to help you sleep cooler and more comfortably, especially if you tend to overheat.

Even your bedroom setup can affect how warm you get. Using fans, opening a window, or turning on the AC can all help reduce heat buildup and create a more comfortable sleeping space. Making a few of these small changes can help you stay cool through the night.

4. Hormonal Fluctuations Throughout Your Sleep

Your hormones go through natural shifts while you sleep, and those changes can affect how warm or cool you feel. Cortisol, a hormone that helps regulate body temperature, drops during the deeper stages of sleep. That drop can trigger cooling responses like sweating, feeling hot, or waking you up.

Cortisol isn’t steady—it follows a daily rhythm. It’s lowest at night while you sleep and starts rising early to help you wake up.

Most of the night, your metabolism slows and your core body temperature drops. But during REM sleep, when most dreaming happens, blood flow to your brain increases, making your body feel slightly warmer. These shifts can sometimes throw off your internal thermostat and affect how comfortable your sleep feels.

5. Health Issues That Lead to Night Sweats

Night sweats aren’t always just caused by thick blankets or a warm room; sometimes they point to something going on with your health. Hormonal changes, like those during menopause, can reduce your body’s ability to manage temperature, making you sweat more at night.

Certain infections, such as tuberculosis or HIV, may also affect your body’s heat regulation. And in some cases, cancers like lymphoma can trigger sweating that feels similar to a fever.

Other conditions, like hyperthyroidism or diabetes, can have a similar effect. If night sweats happen often and don’t seem tied to your environment, it’s worth talking to your doctor to find out what’s happening.

6. Adverse Reactions from Some Medications

Some medications can mess with how your body controls temperature, making you feel hotter than usual at night.

Drugs like antidepressants and antihistamines can interfere with your internal thermostat, leading to extra heat while you sleep. Hormonal treatments, like birth control or thyroid meds, might also throw your hormones off balance and make you feel overheated.

Even sedatives and painkillers can relax blood vessels, sometimes raising body temperature and adding to that warm, restless feeling.

If you’ve noticed night sweats or feel too hot after starting a new medication, you should check in with your doctor. They might adjust your dose or suggest another option.

To make sleep more comfortable, try a few simple changes like using breathable bedding, keeping your room cool, and sticking to a relaxing bedtime routine. These small tweaks can help you manage the heat and sleep better.

How Stress and Anxiety Influence Your Body Temperature Control

When you’re stressed or anxious, your body kicks into a response that can mess with how it regulates temperature. Stress hormones like cortisol get released and can throw off your body’s standard cooling system. That’s why you might feel warmer than usual, especially when trying to relax or sleep.

Your body’s fight-or-flight response also speeds up your heart rate and increases blood flow, making you feel hot. Stress often causes quicker, shallower breathing, which can throw off the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your body and make it even harder to stay cool.

Key effects of stress and anxiety on body temperature regulation include:

• Elevated cortisol levels
• Increased heart rate and blood flow
• Altered breathing patterns
• Disruption to heat dissipation

Following these steps can help you better control your body’s stress and anxiety response, which in turn helps you have a calmer temperature and be more comfortable.

How What You Eat Influences Your Body Heat

What you eat can actually change how warm or cool your body feels. For example, spicy foods with ingredients like capsaicin make your body release heat. They do this by increasing blood flow near your skin, which makes you sweat and feel hotter.

Some common heat influencers include:

• Spicy foods: Increase body warmth
• Caffeine (coffee, energy drinks): Boosts internal heat
• Alcohol: Expands blood vessels, creating warmth

• Watermelon
• Cucumber
• Leafy greens

These foods help keep you hydrated and help your body stay cool while you sleep. Picking the right cooling foods can really help you keep a comfortable temperature at night.

If you want to manage how warm you feel, try cutting back on spicy or caffeinated drinks, especially before bed. Instead, focus on hydrating, cooling options that help your body wind down and avoid overheating.

By paying attention to how different foods affect body heat, you can sleep more comfortably and feel better overall.

Impact of Alcohol and Caffeine on Sleep Temperature

Both alcohol and caffeine can mess with how your body controls temperature when you sleep. Alcohol usually raises your core temperature, which affects your body’s natural cooling process. That can make you toss and turn, making it harder to fall or stay asleep.

Caffeine also shakes things up by raising your body heat during the night. This can make it tougher to stay in those deeper, more restful sleep stages.

Key effects:

• Alcohol increases core temperature, causing restlessness
• Caffeine disrupts temperature balance, elevating heat during sleep
• Both can reduce overall sleep quality by affecting body cooling mechanisms

To sleep better, try cutting back on alcohol and caffeine before bed. Everyone’s different, but reducing these can help keep your body at a comfortable resting temperature.

Strategies to Sleep Better and Prevent Overheating

1. Regulating your bedroom temperature and airflow

Try to keep your bedroom cool, around 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit (15 to 19 Celsius), to help you fall asleep more quickly. A fan or an open window can help move the air around and cool you down. Using blackout curtains or blinds to block out light can also make it easier to get good rest. If your room feels damp, a dehumidifier can make things more comfortable. And it’s best to keep electronics away from your bed since they give off heat, and that blue light can interfere with your sleep.

2. Selecting bedding that promotes airflow

Pick bedding made from natural stuff like cotton, linen, or bamboo. These fabrics breathe well and soak up sweat, so you don’t get too hot while you sleep. Natural sheets with a nice thread count feel soft but still let air pass through, unlike synthetic ones like polyester, which can make you feel warmer. Bamboo sheets are great because they pull moisture away and help keep you cool on warm nights.

3. Wearing light and breathable sleepwear

Choose lightweight pajamas made from cotton or linen so your skin can breathe and you don’t hold onto too much heat. Wearing loose-fitting clothes helps air flow around your body, which keeps you from getting too warm. Pairing light sleepwear with a cool room and breathable sheets makes it easier to stay comfortable and keep your body temperature steady all night.

4. Using cooling pillows and mattress pads

Cooling pillows and mattress toppers use gel-infused memory foam to help pull heat away from your body. They support you while keeping you cool, so you stay comfortable all night. Using these cooling bedding extras can help you sleep better and feel refreshed.

5. Engaging in calming activities before bedtime

Try calming activities like deep breathing, meditation, or slowly tensing and relaxing your muscles to help your body and mind unwind. Things like aromatherapy, soft music, or guided imagery can also ease stress before bed. These simple habits not only help you sleep better but can also stop stress from making you feel too warm at night.

6. Avoiding activities that stimulate you before sleep

Turn off screens at least an hour before bed. Skip intense workouts or exciting movies late at night. Instead, try reading or taking a warm bath in a dim, cool room to help your body wind down.

7. Staying well-hydrated during the day

Drink enough water throughout the day to stay hydrated; it helps keep your body temperature steady and supports better sleep. Eating fruits and veggies with lots of water can help, too. Just try not to drink too much right before bed so you don’t have to get up in the middle of the night.

8. Consulting healthcare professionals for persistent overheating

If you’re still feeling too hot at night even after making changes, you should check in with a doctor. They can help determine what might be causing it and suggest the proper treatment or lifestyle tweaks. Getting the correct diagnosis can make a big difference in helping you sleep better and feel more comfortable.

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. Why do I feel overheated while sleeping?

Your body temperature can rise at night for a few reasons, such as if your room is too warm, your bedding is heavy, or there are hormonal changes or health issues. Keeping your bedroom cool usually helps you stay comfortable.

2. What are some ways to stay cool overnight?

Try lowering the room temperature or using a fan. Choose light, breathable sheets and blankets made from cotton or bamboo; they let air flow and help with sweat. Avoid thick covers and tight, heavy pajamas.

3. Can health problems make me hotter when I sleep?

Yes, certain conditions, such as an overactive thyroid, menopause, or infections, can make you feel hotter while you sleep. If this happens often, it’s a good idea to check in with a doctor.

4. Do certain foods affect my nighttime body temperature?

Yes, they can. Spicy foods, caffeine, and alcohol can raise your body temperature and make sleeping harder. If you want to stay cool, it’s best to avoid these close to bedtime.

5. How can I improve my bedroom for better temperature control?

Ensure your room gets good airflow, and consider bedding designed to help with heat, like cooling pillows or mattress toppers. Blackout curtains can also keep sunlight from heating the room during the day.

6. What lifestyle habits support better temperature balance and sleep?

Regular exercise, calming activities before bed, sticking to a sleep routine, and avoiding screens at least an hour before sleeping all help your body stay balanced and cool.