Cozy Pajamas May Actually Be The Culprit Behind Your Sleepless Nights
Insomnia is not fun. Lack of sleep can affect cognitive skills such as memory and attention, as well as making you more irritable and conflict-prone (via Cleveland Clinic). When trying to sleep, it can get frustrating and anxiety-inducing to toss and turn, knowing you won't be feeling well the next morning.
To address your sleep issues, you might have developed a special bedtime routine. Maybe you stop looking at your phone an hour before bed, listen to soothing music, and turn on an essential oil diffuser. You might also invest in high-end bedding and cozy, luxurious pajamas to improve your sleep experience.
If you've developed the perfect bedtime routine and bought all the premium sleep accessories, only to find that you're still not sleeping well, the answer may be that you're doing too much. More specifically, your snuggly flannel pajamas are getting in the way of a good night's rest.
Why you should ditch your cozy pajamas
It might feel great to tuck yourself into bed with a warm, cozy pajama set, but it won't guarantee you a restful sleep. While the sensation of warmth feels pleasant in the moment, most health experts recommend relatively temperate conditions for an ideal sleep environment. According to SleepFoundation.org, the best temperature range for sleeping is 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit.
The need for a cooler environmental temperature relates to the natural pattern of your body: During the time that you sleep, your internal body temperature slightly lowers, and then rises again when your body is ready to wake up (via University of Pennsylvania). If you wear thick flannel pajamas, you can get too hot and disrupt your biological sleep signals.
Wearing warm pajamas also makes it more difficult to adjust your sleeping temperature overnight without interrupting your rest. Unlike a blanket that you can kick off in your sleep, with pajamas you would have to get up, change your clothes, and then return to bed. For this reason, it's best to design a sleep environment that you can modify more fluidly without fully exiting your sleep cycle.
Cozy pajama alternatives
You can still get the warm, cozy sensation you love without overheating in flannel pajamas. Try to wear lightweight, breathable pajamas to bed. Look for cooling materials such as cotton, linen, or statin. In terms of the style of the pajamas, opt for something that leaves at least part of your arms and legs bare.
That sounds great for a hot summer night, but what about when it's cold? For colder nights, prepare your bed with an extra blanket. This way, you can be warm and snuggly as you drift off, but it will be easy to shed a layer if the heat bothers you later on in the night. And don't dismiss the benefits of a top sheet — sometimes a lightweight sheet is exactly what you need when you start to overheat at 2 a.m.
If you still prefer warming up as your go-to comfort activity in the evenings, swap out the pajamas for a hot shower or bath. You'll get the relaxation benefits of the warmth, but once you step out of the hot shower, the contrast of the cooler air will help get your body into sleep mode.
While your flannel pajamas are certainly cute and cozy, the goal for a good night's rest should be cool and airy. So save the flannels for loungewear and stick to cotton for bedtime.