If you have to keep turning over your pillow to the cool side at night, you could probably do with a more breathable pillowcase. You should also consider getting a cooler pillow. But if you are not ready to buy a new pillow yet, here is a guide to the best pillowcases for hot sleepers. 

What to Look For When Buying a Pillowcase for Hot Sleepers

The two most important things to consider when shopping for a pillowcase that will keep you cool are breathability and moisture wicking. 

A breathable pillowcase allows body heat to escape instead of getting trapped in the fabric and making you too warm. It is especially important if your have a microfiber or memory foam pillow, which are known for trapping heat. A breathable pillowcase reduces how much heat is retained inside the pillow. 

If you are a hot sleeper, you also likely sweat quite a bit in your sleep. A pillowcase that absorbs sweat AND dries quickly is important for your comfort. Otherwise, you’ll wake up with your face feeling all hot and clammy. 

Now that we know what to look for, let’s see which specific pillowcases meet these needs.  

The Best Pillowcases for Hot Sleepers and Night Sweats 

Cotton Pillowcases

Cotton pillowcases are the best choice if you are on a budget. But be careful what kind of cotton you get. 

Pillow cases made from long or extra long stape cotton (like Egyptian or Supima cotton) are the best. They are soft and offer good breathability. The type of weave is important as well. Satin cotton is softer but traps more heat. What you want is percale cotton. It has a crisp and cool feel. 

Cotton pillowcases are also great at absorbing sweat off your skin. But if you are a heavy sweater, we recommend choosing one of the other pillowcases below. That’s because cotton takes longer to dry. So if you sweat a lot, the pillowcase can get damp. This is bad for your skin and health since the sweat can clog pores and attract bacteria and mold. 

But for most people, cotton pillowcases are fine. They sleep cool and they stay dry. A good quality cotton pillowcase with over 200 thread count also feels soft against your skin and doesn't cause too much friction.

Bamboo and Tencel Pillowcases

If you don't want a cotton pillowcase but don't have the budget for linen or silk pillowcases, bamboo and Tencel pillowcases are the best choices. Both of them are semi-synthetic fabrics with a soft texture. 

Bamboo rayon is made from bamboo cellulose while Tencel is derived from wood pulp, usually gotten from eucalyptus trees. 

Both bamboo and Tencel are generally cooler than cotton, so pillowcases made from these fabrics are excellent for hot sleepers. They also absorb sweat well and dry fairly quickly.  

Depending on your budget, you can get 100% bamboo rayon or Tencel pillowcases or go for cheaper blended pillowcases that contain a bit of polyester. The blended ones are not as good, but they are certainly better than 100% polyester or microfiber pillowcases. 

Linen Pillowcases

Now we get into the category of luxury pillowcases. We’ve talked about linen bed sheets before and they are great for cooling and sweating. 

Linen is made from flax plant and it is a 100% natural fabric. It has excellent breathability that keeps you cool, absorbs sweat easily and dries up fast. 

A linen pillowcase may feel a bit rough and stiff at first, but it softens up after a couple of washes and keps getting softer. You can also find stone-washed or pre-washed linen pillowcases that come already soft.  

Silk Pillowcases

Silk is the other natural fabric commonly used in luxury bedding. We have a post all about silk bed sheets. Similar to linen, silk is incredibly breathable and sleeps cool in any weather. It also wicks away sweat and stays dry. 

Another big reason many people go for silk pillowcases is their soft and smooth texture. Not only do they feel great against the skin, they cause minimal friction. This prevents hair damage and protects the skin as well (abrasion can cause early wrinkles and can even lead to a form of acne called acne mechanica).  

Avoid These Pillowcases If You Sleep Hot

You have probably noticed we’ve left out several types of pillowcases. That’s because we don't recommend them for hot sleepers and people with night sweats. Here are the specific pillowcases you should avoid if you sleep hot or get hot flashes. 

• Polyester/microfiber pillowcases — they trap heat and are not very good at wicking sweat away from your skin. 
• Satin pillowcases — these are advertised as budget ‘silk’ pillowcases but they are completely synthetic. They may be smooth but they get hot easily and pool sweat on their surface. 

We also recommend avoiding cotton pillowcases with a very high thread count. Anything over 500 is probably a marketing gimmick and they are fudging the numbers or the cotton pillowcase is too dense and will trap heat. 

A 200-300 thread count cotton pillowcase is perfect if you are looking for something soft and cool.