Lightweight summer sleepwear that’s also great for menopausal women

published 16 June 20

Welcome to woman&home’s online shopping guides, where we reveal where to buy the most popular and top-rated products. This guide is about where to the best summer sleepwear to keep you cool, but you may also be interested in our edits of flattering swimwear styles for every shape, Monsoon dresses we're obsessed with and leopard print sandals.

Lightweight summer sleepwear is not only great for when summer comes around - it also helps menopausal women deal with night sweats!

Hot flushes and night sweats are common night-time occurrences, especially in the summer months and as your body changes with menopause these can increase dramatically.

As the seasons change so does your sleep routine, so you’ll need to adjust your bedtime wardrobe for some cooling sleepwear. The best fabrics work hard to let the body breathe and wick away sweat and moisture as you sleep, so you can snooze without interruptions.

What should I wear for night sweats?

The first and most important thing you need to consider when shopping for cooling pyjamas is the material they are made from. 100% natural fabrics such as cotton, linen and merino wool are optimal choices for those overheating issues, as they’re more breathable than synthetic fabrics.

However that’s not to say that synthetic fabrics can’t be worn. Many of the specialist menopause sleepwear brands use clever combinations of natural and synthetic fibres that are specially designed to draw moisture away from the body and into the fabric.

An example are leading menopause sleepwear brand Dagsmejan, who combine the finest natural fibres, with the latest sleep technology and innovative textile engineering. They use fabrics such as Lyocell which is more breathable than cotton, containing millions of invisible nanocapillaries in its fibres, which allow excess heat to be released. Its unique structure means it offers 50% better moisture management than cotton. They heavily focus on sustainability too - Lyocell is one of the most sustainable fabrics around, and their Nattwarm™ merino yarn is bluesign® certified.

Dagsmejan’s most cooling nightwear claims to be softer than silk, cooler than linen and better moisture management than cotton. It features NATTCOOL™ a fabric which is eight times more breathable than cotton. This cleaver water wicking fabric also dries in a third of the time of cotton!

But there are loads of sleepwear options that will keep you cool throughout your slumber, without scarifying style or comfort.

Best lightweight summer sleepwear

Here’s our pick of the best high street and specialist menopause brands...

Nightire 100% bamboo clementine short sleepwear set

£69, sizes, xs-xl, nightire.com

VIEW NOW: Nightire 100% bamboo clementine short sleepwear set

John Lewis 100% cotton chambray nightdress

£35, sizes 10-20, John Lewis & Partners

VIEW NOW: John Lewis 100% cotton chambray nightdress

The White Company Woodprint lace strap 100% cotton nightie

£49, sizes xs-xl, The White Company

VIEW NOW: The White Company Woodprint lace strap 100% cotton nightie

Dagsmejan NATTWELL™ fabric: Sleep t-shirt

£63.99, sizes s-xxl, dagsmejan.com

VIEW NOW: Dagsmejan NATTWELL™ fabric: Sleep t-shirt

Desmond & Dempsey 100% cotton palm printed set

£120, Desmond & Dempsey

VIEW NOW: Desmond & Dempsey 100% cotton palm printed set

The White Company 100% cotton stripe pjama set

£70, sizes xs-xl, The White Company

VIEW NOW: The White Company 100% cotton stripe pjama set

Urbanara 100% organic cotton pyjama set

£26 (was £49) urbanara.co.uk

VIEW NOW: Urbanara 100% organic cotton pyjama set

Marks & Spencer Cool comfort technology fabric nightshirt

£18, sizes 6-26, M&S

VIEW NOW: Marks & Spencer Cool comfort technology fabric nightshirt

Become HydraDerma fabric short sleeve night dress

£44.95, becomeclothing.com

VIEW NOW: Become HydraDerma fabric short sleeve night dress

Cucumber Clothing Raspberry ribbon tie top in 37.5® Technology

£89, sizes xs-xl, Cucumber Clothing

VIEW NOW: Cucumber Clothing Raspberry ribbon tie top in 37.5® Technology

Cucumber Clothing Raspberry shorts in 37.5® Technology

£65, sizes xs-xl, Cucumber Clothing

VIEW NOW: Cucumber Clothing Raspberry shorts in 37.5® Technology

Toast 100% cotton double soft pyjamas

£99, Toast

VIEW NOW: Toast 100% cotton double soft pyjamas

Piglet Blueberry 100% linen pyjama set

£90, sizes s-l, pigletinbed.com

VIEW NOW: Piglet Blueberry 100% linen pyjama set

Linen Shed Long 100% linen nightgown

£101, sizes xs-xl, linenshed.co.uk

VIEW NOW: Linen Shed Long 100% linen nightgown

Zayana Eco friendly cooling sleeved nightdress

£75, sizes s-l, zayana.co.uk

VIEW NOW: Zayana Eco friendly cooling sleeved nightdress

Hannah Hughes

Hannah Hughes is Group Fashion Editor at Future Publishing. Her work appears in woman&home, Woman, Woman's Own, and Woman's Weekly magazines.

She is a fashion creative with over fifteen years of solid experience in editorial, commercial, and celebrity styling. She has an in-depth knowledge of the luxury, mid and high-street fashion sectors, which she developed over a decade spent as Fashion Director at some of the UK's most widely read women's magazines, including You Magazine and Look Magazine.

When she's not styling fashion shoots or pulling together shopping edits, Hannah is a caravan-loving hippy who's trying to hit the road as much as possible, while juggling the demands of being an eco-conscious mum.