Why Do I Get So Hot When I Sleep? 7 Reasons Plus Solutions

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Tips to Try If You Get Hot While Sleeping

Medically reviewed by Thomas Johnson, PA-C — Written by Daniel Yetman — Updated on October 23, 2024

Room temp and humidity
Bedding and sleepwear
Pre-sleep activities
Who you sleep with
Medication
Hormones
Illness and infection
Solutions
Takeaway

You may feel hot when sleeping because your room is too warm, the bedding is too thick, or because of certain medications and underlying health conditions.

sleeping on bed and covers — Thomas Grass / Getty Images

You’ll likely have trouble sleeping if your room is too hot or cold.

Even if your room is the perfect temperature for you, it’s still possible to feel too warm during the night. Your bedding, pre-sleep routine, some medications, and certain health conditions can all make you feel overheated.

This article examines seven reasons you may get hot when you sleep and possible solutions.

1. Room temperature and humidity

If you feel too hot when sleeping, your bedroom may simply be too warm.

You may stay awake and have less slow-wave or rapid-eye movement sleep if the room temperature is too high. Humidity can also magnify the effect of heat by reducing your sweat’s ability to evaporate.

What is the best room temperature for sleeping?

A 2019 research review of human and animal studies found that the optimal room temperature for sleep is about 66 to 70°F (19 to 21°C).

2. Bedding and sleepwear

Your bedding acts as an insulator, much like the insulation in your home. Thicker bedding tends to trap more heat than thinner bedding. Wearing thick sleepwear can also lead to overheating.

Different fabrics have different heat-retaining properties and may influence your sleep quality too.

A small 2016 studycompared the effects of cotton and wool sleepwear and polyester and wool bedding on sleep quality at temperatures of 63°F and 72°F (17°C and 22°C).

Researchers found wool sleepwear promoted sleep onset more than cotton sleepwear at 63°F (17°C), but cotton sleepwear promoted deeper sleep at 72°F (22°C).

Researchers found no difference between sleep onset or quality between polyester and wool bedding at either temperature.

3. Pre-sleep activities

Your activities before bedtime can potentially increase your body temperature and make it more difficult to fall asleep. For example:

Exercise: A small 2018 research review found that evening exercise didn’t impair sleep and actually had the opposite effect. But sleep onset may be impaired if high intensity exercise finishes within 1 hour of bedtime.
Caffeine: It’s well documented that consuming caffeine close to bedtime can make it difficult to fall asleep. Along with increasing mental alertness, caffeine is associated with higher core body temperature, according to a small 2014 study.
Stressful activities: When you feel stressed, your blood vessels constrict. This action drops your skin temperature and increases your core body temperature, according to a 2015 animal study.
Sex: Sex can improve sleep quality by releasing hormones that promote relaxation. However, vigorous sex that raises your heart rate may have the same effect on sleep as high intensity exercise.

4. Who sleeps with you

If you sleep with other people or pets, the combined temperature of your bodies can raise the temperature under your bedding and in your room.

Bodies are constantly giving off heat as a byproduct of metabolism. The more bodies and the smaller the space, the quicker the area will heat up.

The average human body temperature is roughly 98.6°F (37°C). If the temperature of the room is warmer than this, your body will absorb heat and actually have a cooling effect on the room.

5. Medication

A long list of medications can potentially raise your body temperature or disrupt your body’s ability to regulate its temperature.

Some commonly used medications that affect thermoregulation include:

anticholinergics
beta-lactam antibiotics, including penicillin and cephalosporins
carbamazepine
diabetes medication
diuretics (water pills), especially combined with angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers
hormone therapy medications
methyldopa
pain relievers, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or aspirin
phenytoin
procainamide
psychotropics
quinidine
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or tricyclic antidepressants
steroids, such as cortisone or prednisone
recreational drugs, such as MDMA, ecstasy, cocaine

6. Hormones

Imbalances in your hormone levels can lead to night sweats or hot flashes.

Many people experience night sweats as part of their menstrual cycle, particularly with premenstrual syndrome, due to fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone levels.

Night sweats and hot flashes are also two of the most common symptoms of menopause. Reductions in estrogen and other hormonal changes that aren’t fully understood are thought to cause these symptoms.

Pregnancy also leads to hormonal changes that increase blood flow and raise your core body temperature.

Hyperthyroidism and obstructive sleep apnea (which can affect a variety of hormones) are two more potential causes of why you feel hot and sweaty at night.

7. Illness and infection

Many potential illnesses can lead to an increase in body temperature or cause night sweats. Infectious diseases that can cause elevated body temperature include:

flu
strep throat
pneumonia
tuberculosis
other bacterial infections
colds

Other conditions that can make you feel hot at night include:

chronic stress
hyperhidrosis
hyperthyroidism
cancer
coronary heart disease

How body temperature affects sleep

Your body temperature follows a natural cycle during a 24-hour period. Typically, your body temperature:

drops in the evening
rises in the morning
peaks later in the day

If your body temperature doesn’t drop in the evening, it can impair your sleep.

A 2019 research review of human and animal studies found that people tend to self-select their bedtime at the point when their body temperatures drop the most.

Solutions to feeling overheated at night

Here are some ways you may be able to stop feeling overheated at night.

Underlying cause	Treatment
Room temperature too high	• Open a window. • Use a dehumidifier. • Use a fan or air conditioning. • Move your mattress to the floor.• Have a cold shower before bed.
Bedding	• Use fewer blankets.• Choose lightweight and breathable fabrics.
Pre-sleep activities	• Finish exercising at least 1 hour before bed.• Avoid consuming caffeine in the late afternoon or evening.• Minimize stressful activities near bedtime.• Avoid vigorous sex before bed (non-vigorous sex may improve sleep quality).
Sleeping with other people or pets	• If sleeping with other people, consider using a separate blanket.• Consider opening a window or leaving the door open.
Medications	• Contact your doctor and see if you can adjust your medications.
Hormonal conditions	• Ask your doctor about the best treatment options for your particular condition.
Illness or infection	• Try to treat the underlying condition.

Takeaway

Many potential factors can make you feel hot when trying to sleep. In some cases, you may feel hot because your room is too warm or your bedding is too thick. Certain medications or underlying health conditions can also contribute to feeling too hot.

If you find that changing your room’s temperature and pre-bedtime habits doesn’t fix the problem, it’s a good idea to make an appointment with a doctor to rule out an underlying medical condition.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2019.00336/full
Harding EC, et al. (2019). The temperature dependence of sleep.
https://www.dovepress.com/the-effects-of-fabric-for-sleepwear-and-bedding-on-sleep-at-ambient-te-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-NSS#
Shin M, et al. (2016). The effects of fabric for sleepwear and bedding on sleep at ambient temperatures of 17°C and 22°C.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40279-018-1015-0
Stutz J, et al. (2018). Effects of evening exercise on sleep in healthy participants: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jcpt.12294
Westaway K, et al. (2015). Medicines can affect thermoregulation and accentuate the risk of dehydration and heat‐related illness during hot weather.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499843/
Yousef H, et al. (2023). Physiology, thermal regulation.

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Medically reviewed by Thomas Johnson, PA-C — Written by Daniel Yetman — Updated on October 23, 2024

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