It’s hot, it’s a bit stuffy, air doesn’t circulate very well, you sweat a lot. I’m not talking about the jungle, I’m talking about your bedroom in the summer. We’ve seen record temps across the nation and while that might make grilling out and going to the beach fun, that heat is not welcome is in the bedroom when you’re trying to sleep. With this in mind, we’ve rounded up all of our favorite items to stay cool at night in your bedroom this summer.
Air Conditioning
For a lot of the country, central AC is a given in every home. However, if you live in an urban apartment or a city that doesn’t get hot that often, you may be fending for yourself when the dog days of summer come around. The obvious solution (and in many cases, only solution) is to install a window AC unit. These are our top picks.
Windmill Air AC
In a time when most window AC units are kind of blah, our Home desk decided that style points do indeed matter when recommending the Windmill Air AC. Not only does it look great, but it features a dual air filter, quiet cooling, minimalist LED display and superior air flow, plus 8,500 BTUs for superior cooling.
Windmill Air
Midea 10,000 BTU Smart Inverter U-Shaped Window Air Conditioner
This powerful air conditioner is one of the best you can buy. You can choose from 8,000, 10,000 and 12,000 BTU models, it claims up to 35% in energy savings and can connect to Alexa or Google Assistant — whichever smart home you prefer. The thing that sets this one apart is that you can still use the window when it is installed.
Walmart
GE Smart Ultra Quiet Window Air Conditioner
amazon.com
$399.00
$349.00 (13% off)
One of Wirecutter’s picks for the best AC unit, this ultra-quiet machine will keep you cool all summer long without the hum of a normal AC taking over your eardrums all day. Not only is it quiet, but it keeps a sleek profile, ensuring that it doesn’t take over the room with its looks.
Amazon
Tower Fans
Let’s face it, air conditioning is expensive. If you don’t want to break the bank on AC or just want something to circulate the air, a tower fan is your best bet. Give the palm leaves a rest and buy one of the most affordable cooling devices out there.
Lasko Portable Electric 42-Inch Oscillating Tower Fan
This tower fan consistently scores points with reviewers — it has over 27,000 reviews on Amazon and a score of 4.6 out of 5. It has everything you need from a tower fan: three quiet speeds, wide oscillation, night mode and even a remote control.
Amazon
Ozeri 3x Tower Fan
Don’t be fooled, this isn’t a speaker. This is actually a fan that has three independently operating fans within the tower itself. Each can be controlled separately and can spin at different speeds. It also oscillates 90 degrees and has three handy settings that keep you comfortable at all times of the day.
Amazon
Holmes Oscillating Tower Fan
This budget pick isn’t packed full of features, but it does what you want it to do: it keeps the air moving. It has three different speeds and is quiet and efficient.
Amazon
Pillows
Often overlooked when deciding how to set up the perfect bedding situation, the pillow is sadly something we could all probably pay a bit more attention to. Not only do you not want to sleep on an uncomfortable pillow but you also don’t want it to leave your face all sweaty and sticky all throughout the night. These are our favorite pillows to keep you cool.
Coop Home Goods – Premium Adjustable Loft Pillow
Our pick for the best pillow you can buy, the Coop Pillow has a machine-washable bamboo cover that keeps you cool all summer-long. It also has adjustable fill, meaning you can make it as firm or soft as you want, depending on how you sleep.
Coop
The Purple Pillow
The Purple Pillow features adjustable height, retains its shape well over time and, most importantly, is great for hot sleepers thanks to a unique gridded interior and mesh cover that breathes easy.
Purple
Pluto Custom Pillow
This pillow is all about you. After taking a quiz about what pillow type is best for you and the way you sleep, you get a custom-made pillow that is guaranteed to fit. If you don’t like it, you can get a new one, no charge. Importantly, cooling is one of the aspects taken into consideration when customizing.
Courtesy
Sheets
As the main piece of bedding you have contact with you at night, you want to be sure that you pick out the right sheets to keep you cool when the summer heat rises. Is there anything worse than waking up covered in sweat? We’re not sure there is. These are the best sheets for cutting down on the swamp.
Riley Home Percale Sheet Set
rileyhome.com
Not only are the Percale Sheets from Riley our choice for the best sheets you can buy in 2021, they are great for hot sleepers thanks to the cooling properties of percale, which is made from long staple cotton and one of the most comfortable materials you can sleep on.
Riley Home
Brooklinen Linen Core Sheet Set
brooklinen.com
If you’re more of a linen-lover, these are the coolest sheets you can get. They are still weighty, like most linen sheets, but since linen is naturally breezy, they are also some of the best and most affordable premium sheets for hot sleepers.
Brooklinen
Peru Pima – 415 Thread Count Percale
amazon.com
The Peru Pima is made from cool and crisp percale, ensuring that you get a good night’s sleep free of sweat. These are also some of the most highly rated sheets on Amazon, with over 1,500 reviews and a 4.3 out of 5 rating.
Amazon
Mattresses
Believe it or not, the mattress beneath your sheets makes a huge difference when it comes to keeping you cool on a nightly basis. You spend a third of your life on this thing, so you want to make sure it is optimized for your specific sleep habits.
Tuft & Needle Original Mattress
tuftandneedle.com
$595.00
Tuft & Needle’s trademarked Adaptive foam ensures that you stay cool at night by adding cooling gel and graphite to traditional foam, both of which are tailor-made to keep you cool.
Tuft and Needle
Nectar Memory Foam Mattress
Our favorite foam mattress normally wouldn’t be ideal for hot sleepers, but thanks to advancements in foam tech, it’s not only extremely comfortable but will keep you from waking up in a sweaty mess.
Nectar
Allswell The Allswell Mattress
This is our budget pick for the best mattresses of 2021, so not only will you get a cool sleep, but you’ll get a great deal. At just $375 for a queen mattress, you’ll never wonder if you made the right investment.
Allswell
Will Porter
Will Porter is Gear Patrol’s Commerce Writer.