According to Consumer Reports, nearly 30 percent of adult Americans struggle to get to sleep or stay asleep throughout the night on a daily basis. Additionally, 68 percent experience sleeplessness at least one night weekly. With the majority of Americans struggling to sleep each week, many advanced technologies are being utilized in bedding products to help individuals sleep better and longer. One of the key culprits in causing sleeplessness is feeling too warm. Our body temperature directly affects our sleep quality and quantity for a variety of reasons. For example, when we enter REM sleep, a sleep stage that boosts brain activity and is associated with dreaming, the body’s natural temperature regulation system shuts off. For those who are not in a conducive sleep environment, environmental temperature changes due to hot bedding or a warmer room temperature may disrupt REM sleep and cause one to wake up. Many people also experience night sweats, and when individuals start to sweat, sleep is broken.
Because sleep temperature regulation is such an issue for many, it makes sense that bedding companies are working tirelessly to innovate technology that allows sleepers to sleep more coolly. The head is the warmest part of the body, and throughout the night, energy escapes the body through the head. For this reason, many people seek a cool pillow that reduces the need to flip the pillow over to the “cool side.” Significant innovations in pillow cooling technologies include using cooling materials in covers and fill materials inside the pillow.
What Makes Cooling Pillows Feel Cool?
Cooling pillows often include covers that feel cool to the touch. These are produced using knit fabrics, which allow for more breathability than traditional woven fabrics. One key cooling fabric is polyethelene. These cool covers help deflect heat and keep the head, and consequently the body, cool. Additionally, cooling pillows may be filled with different materials that keep the pillow from getting warm including gel cooling beads, more breathable fibers, and the addition of phase change materials, which are sprayed onto memory foam. This type of phase change cooling fill technology is found in SensorPEDIC Cool Coat Technology.
What are the Benefits of Pillows Made with Cooling Technology?
There are numerous benefits of sleeping on a pillow made utilizing advanced cooling technologies. Some benefits include:
- Falling asleep more quickly and staying asleep throughout the night – the ideal room temperature for sleep is in the mid-60 degree area. Cooling down your head can help regulate your body temperature more quickly to send the signal that it’s time to sleep. Also, cooling pillows help regulate your temperature throughout the night, reducing night sweats and discomfort caused by feeling too warm.
- Boost your immune system – the immune system is key in preventing illness, and it is very closely tied to sleep. Individuals suffering from a lack of sleep or low quality sleep are more likely to get sick. Sleeping on a cooling pillow that helps you fall and stay asleep allows you to gain more quality sleep per night, enhancing one’s immunity.
- Reduce your risk of disease – poor sleep is associated with high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and being overweight. Making a commitment to sleeping better through the use of cooling technologies helps cut down your risk of experiencing serious disease.
- Help keep you focused – when you get a good night’s sleep, your mind is clear and ready to focus the next day. Better quality sleep leads to greater productivity and a decrease in mental health needs. Using a cooling pillow can help improve your rest, relaxation, and overall well-being.