Guide for the Best Fabric for Pajamas

Tips for choosing the most comfortable pajamas in all weather conditions.

How Cooling Sheets Help Regulate Your Body Temperature Reading Guide for the Best Fabric for Pajamas 7 minutes Next The Benefits of Eucalyptus Sheets for Sensitive Skin

By David Le BlancNov 29, 20240 comments

Best Fabric For Pajamas Comparison

Choosing the right fabric for your pajamas can make all the difference in ensuring a restful and comfortable night’s sleep. Below is a detailed guide comparing the top materials, helping you find the best option for your unique preferences and sleep needs.

Fabric	Sensation	Season
Cotton	Soft, breathable, and lightweight; feels smooth and natural against the skin	Mild or warm weather
Linen	Crisp, slightly textured, and breathable; becomes softer with each wash.	Hot and humid climates
Tencel	Silky, cool to the touch, and exceptionally smooth	All seasons, humid weather
Bamboo	Smooth, soft, and cooling; has a lightweight, silk-like feel	Hot weather
Wool	Warm, soft, and cozy; can feel slightly textured	Cold, dry weather
Silk	Ultra-smooth, light, and cool; has a luxurious and slippery feel	All seasons, versatile
Flannel	Soft, fuzzy, and warm; feels cozy and insulating against the skin	Cold, dry winters
Fleece	Plush, fluffy, and warm; feels soft and cushy, almost like a blanket	Very cold weather
Thermal Cotton	Soft and textured with a waffle-like weave; feels warm and insulating	Cold winter nights

How The Weather Affects Material Selection

Mizuno in their study “Effects of thermal environment on sleep and circadian rhythm” for the Journal of Physiological Anthropology. In fact, the researchers noted in their study that “cold exposure does not affect sleep stages, though the use of beddings and clothing during sleep is critical in supporting thermoregulation and sleep in cold exposure,” making your choice of pajamas incredibly important to securing reparative sleep.

Losing moisture through consistent sweating during the night can cause dehydration, making a cooling fabric that can wick away moisture and settle the body into a calmer, cooler state essential to quality sleep and a contributor to overall health. As such, the best pajamas to keep you cool are made from organic fibers that quickly respond to fluctuations in humidity. According to Melanie Aman in her article “7 Moisture-Wicking Pajamas That Will Keep You Cool All Night Long” for Woman’s World, the best pajamas “for those with overheating issues” are lightweight pajamas made of natural fibers like “linen, cotton, and wool...as they’re more breathable than other synthetic fabrics.”

Stonewashed Linen Pajama Set With Shorts by Deiji Studios from KonMari

Hot and Humid Weather

Stretch-knit Bamboo Classic Pajama Set, Image from Cozy Earth

Image from @amurelle_ on Instagram

For women experiencing hot flashes, any season can be hot and humid. That feeling of never quite getting dry is cloying, weighing, and annoying at the very least, making a moisture-wicking pajama a very welcome solution. Not only is high humidity (above 60% relative humidity) oppressive to the lungs, it is also harmful to the rest of the body, from swollen nasal passages to mold, fungal, and allergen propagation. According to Breathe Right’s article “How Humid Weather Affects Sleep,” high humidity “prevents moisture from evaporating off your body, which can make you hot and sweaty,” causing you to toss and turn throughout the night, interrupting your sleep and upsetting your partner’s.

While the best fabric for pajamas include many different fibers, for hot, humid weather, the nasal strip maker recommends pajamas made of anything but “silk and polyester. They instead encourage “moisture-wicking” fabrics like cotton and other light, natural plant fibers. To avoid waking up with damp hair plastered to your head in the morning, consider including a cotton scrunchie or headband in your bedtime routine. According to Mizuno and Okamoto-Mizuno, exposure to humid heat does affect the stages of sleep as well as the body’s ability to regulate its internal temperature, making the right environment and the right pajamas absolutely crucial to quality sleep.

Avoid tight fabrics and stick to natural fibers that have more swing and give, making them less likely to cling to your body if you do get sweaty. Plant products like the bamboo-based viscose, which has been repeatedly lauded by Bustle, and eucalyptus-derived tencel, which has captured the attention of countless media including The Huffington Post, are the most consistently endorsed fibers for hot, humid weather.

Cold and Dry Weather

Cold, dry weather can wreak havoc on the skin, terrorize the mucus membranes, and devastate sleep schedules if one finds his or herself too uncomfortable to fall asleep. Just as you switch out moisturizers as cold, dry weather appears over the horizon, pajamas should be swapped out as well. Consider flannel, fleece, thermal cotton, or silk pajamas in cold, arid climates. While silk is difficult to clean and more expensive than the others, it does moderate temperature well. However, flannel, fleece, and thermal cotton will all keep the body a bit warmer in cold weather and are ideal if relative humidity is low because sweat and ambient moisture will not be an issue.

Flannel may be your best bet during cold, dry weather, as it is loosely woven, a characteristic that may seem counterintuitive to holding in heat, but which is actually a key. According to Bryan Horn in his article “Why Flannel Clothing is a Winter Wardrobe Staple” for Over Under Clothing, flannel’s “loose weave creates air pockets between fabric fibers…[and because] air is a great insulator... the many air pockets in flannel fabric are what helps it retain so much body heat in cold winter temperatures.” While flannel is made from linen, cotton, wool, and synthetic fibers, depending on the manufacturer, try to choose the naturally-sourced fabrics. They are longer lasting and often safer to wash, kinder to the planet, and better for your skin.

Wool skeins, Image from @maranghuset on Instagram

Sweet Dreams Sleep Set, Image from Up West

Cold and Humid Weather

Silk threads, Image from @nadija.prekrasna on Instagram

Silk pajamas, Image from @iconicexpressshop on Instagram

Popular wisdom dictates that “flannel, fleece, thermal, cotton and silk are all great types of pajamas for cold weather,” but the right type for you depends on other aspects of your surrounding environment, most significantly, humidity. While as aforementioned above, cold temperatures do not significantly affect the stages of sleep, relative humidity does. Thus, cooling, moisture-wicking, fabrics that can keep the body warm while preventing moisture from settling on and chilling the skin.

Instead of simply keeping you warm in cold months (but overheating you in the warm months as would flannel or fleece), silk keeps the body cool and moisture free in hot environments and keeps it comfortably warm in cold environments. This versatility is the reason that silk is frequently used in camisoles and other year-round undergarments. According to Angela Fritz in her article “How to dress to stay warm when it’s super cold” for The Washington Post, wearing silk is often recommended as the fabric worn closest to the body in cold, stormy weather.

Though each is slightly better suited to a certain season versus another, choosing the best fabric for pajamas can be tricky. One can never really go wrong by choosing a natural, organic fabric like those derived from eucalyptus, cotton, flax, silk, and wool.