Finding the Best Blanket for Summer: Lightweight Comfort for Warm Nights

Summer nights can make it difficult to sleep. You want the cozy comfort of a blanket without waking up drenched in sweat. The right summer blanket provides the perfect balance between lightweight coverage and breathable design to keep you comfortable all night long. Whether you’re battling humid evenings or you simply run hot while sleeping, finding the best blanket for summer can improve your sleep quality during warmer months.

Materials matter most when choosing summer bedding, with options like breathable cotton, moisture-wicking bamboo, and airy linen leading the pack. The ideal summer blanket should feel substantial enough to provide comfort without trapping heat against your body. Let’s explore what makes certain blankets better suited for summer use and how to choose the perfect one for your sleeping style.

• Key Takeaways
• What Is the Best Blanket for Summer?
• What Features Should You Consider in a Summer Blanket?
• What Is the Best Material for a Summer Blanket?
• How to Sleep Cool During the Summer
• The Layla Down Alternative Comforter
• Best Summer Blanket FAQs
• Wrapping Up: How to Choose the Best Summer Blanket

Key Takeaways

• The best blankets for summer feature breathable fabrics like cotton, bamboo, and linen that allow air circulation and prevent heat buildup overnight.
• Natural fibers typically outperform synthetic materials for hot weather, with bamboo offering exceptional cooling properties that can keep you cooler.
• Look for blankets with moisture-wicking properties that pull sweat away from your skin so you stay dry throughout the night.
• Summer blankets come in various styles, from lightweight quilts to thin comforters, allowing you to match both your cooling needs and bedroom aesthetic.

What Is the Best Blanket for Summer?

Before discussing what to look for in a summer blanket, we’d like to take a moment to talk about the types of blankets you can use in the summer. Of course, you can use just about any blanket. However, here are some of the best blankets for summer to help prevent you from getting too hot while you sleep.

• Comforters: Specially designed summer comforters use less fill and breathable cotton covers to create that cloud-like feeling without trapping excess heat. Look for comforters with box-stitching that prevents fill from bunching while maintaining consistent airflow throughout the night.
• Quilts: These flat, lightweight blankets provide excellent breathability with their minimal batting and thin profile. Their airy construction prevents heat buildup, while the cotton exterior efficiently wicks away moisture during humid summer nights.
• Weighted blankets: Weighted blankets also make a comfortable addition to any bedroom. However, you might wonder, “Are weighted blankets hot?” Summer-specific versions use cooling fabrics like bamboo or lyocell along with glass bead filling instead of plastic pellets, which provides the pressure of a weighted blanket without heat retention.
• Down alternative comforters: You can find down alternative comforters for hot sleepers that offer the loft and softness of natural down without trapping heat or triggering allergies. The soft, fluffy fibers are much finer than down and allow for more even airflow throughout the comforter while drawing moisture away from your body.
• Duvets: Duvets are similar to comforters, only they require a duvet cover to keep them soft and safe
  from crumbs and spills. Depending on your preferences, you can find a duvet of any thickness to help you stay cool in the summer. Because you can switch covers and duvets quickly, you can easily choose cooling fabrics like cotton paired with thinner duvets in the summer and warmer covers with thicker inserts in the winter.
• Throw blankets: Perfect for fluctuating temperatures, these smaller blankets provide coverage for just
  your legs or torso. Their portability makes them ideal for moving between bedroom and living spaces as evening temperatures change throughout the summer.
• Sheets: You should never forget the rest of your bedding. Believe it or not, the sheets you use can also
  impact how hot or cool you feel at night. Sleeping with just a sheet is ideal for those who get hot and sweaty at night, but it might not be as comfortable as sleeping with a big blanket you can cuddle.

When it comes to finding the best lightweight summer blanket for you, it’s all a matter of preference. For example, some people prefer sleeping with fluffy comforters year-round but require a change to a lighter material in the summer. Meanwhile, others might prefer a lighter blanket like a quilt to help them stay cool at night.

What Features Should You Consider in a Summer Blanket?

The type of blanket you use in the summer is just one of the factors when selecting a cooling blanket to sleep with during the hotter months. After you’ve chosen your ideal blanket, consider the following features to improve your comfort on hot nights.

Breathability

One feature of all of the best blankets for summer is breathability. If your blanket isn’t breathable, it’s not going to keep you cool. Breathability ensures that your body heat doesn’t get trapped under the blanket with you. Instead, your blanket should release your body heat while also wicking moisture to keep your body cool and dry all night long.

Breathable bedding and blankets can ensure that the air around you is circulated while keeping moisture away from your skin. In addition, breathability can improve your sleep quality, so finding a quality material for your bedding is essential.

Lightweight design

The best lightweight blankets for summer provide just enough weight to satisfy your comfort needs without creating excess warmth. Heavy blankets naturally trap more body heat by creating a tighter seal around you. Even with breathable materials, too much weight can prevent proper air circulation.

Many lightweight blankets for summer feature specialized construction techniques like waffle weaves or open knits that further reduce weight. These designs create ventilation channels throughout the blanket that allow hot air to escape as you sleep.

Moisture-wicking properties

Night sweats can quickly ruin your sleep quality, which is why effective moisture management is essential when it comes to your summer bedding. Quality summer blankets incorporate technologies that actively draw moisture away from your skin and disperse it across a wider surface area for faster evaporation.

The best blankets for summer combine moisture-wicking with quick-drying capabilities, ensuring that any sweat is rapidly removed from both your body and the blanket itself.

Materials like bamboo and specialized cotton weaves excel at moisture wicking, which creates a continuously dry microclimate between your body and blanket throughout the night.

Temperature regulation

The best lightweight blankets for summer actively work to maintain your ideal sleeping temperature. Advanced temperature-regulating fabrics can absorb excess heat when your body temperature rises and release it when you cool down, creating a more consistent sleep environment.

Materials

Different materials can affect how hot a blanket is to sleep with. For example, bamboo is known to be cool, while flannel is warm. So, your chosen material will ultimately impact how hot you’ll get under the blanket. Cotton is another breathable fabric that can help keep you cool on warm nights.

Size

The best summer blanket is large enough to cover your entire body, whether you prefer to have it draped over you or snuggled tightly around your shoulders. As you already know, you can find a blanket in any size, but if you’re using it to sleep, it should be large enough to fit your bed and share with a partner or pet. Additionally, if you plan to wash your blanket at home, you’ll need to ensure it’s something that will fit in your washing machine.

Price

Typically, the better a blanket, the more you can expect to pay for it. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t find the perfect summer blanket within your budget. Luckily, summer blankets aren’t as thick and heavy as winter blankets, so they require less material, making them more affordable. But, of course, the higher the quality of the material, the more you’ll pay for it.

Washing instructions

Summer blankets should be easy to care for. No one wants to worry about taking their blanket to the dry cleaners, especially when they need it to sleep. Instead, look for blankets that are easier to care for and machine-washable. Of course, you should also aim to keep your blanket clean by keeping food and drinks away from it and using a sheet underneath.

Style

You want your blanket to be comfortable in hot weather, but that doesn’t mean you should forget how it looks in your home. The best summer blanket will not only feel great, but it will also look great no matter where it is in your home, including in your bedroom and on the couch. Luckily, there’s an ideal blanket out there for everyone based on their unique preferences and style.

For more information to help you choose the best summer blanket, check out our comforter buying guide.

What Is the Best Material for a Summer Blanket?

As we’ve already mentioned, the material from which your blanket is made will affect how cool and comfortable it is. When deciding between quilts or comforters for summer, consider the following materials.

Down alternative

Down alternative blankets are great all-season blankets because they provide warmth without being too warm at night. Down alternative comforters are insulating, so your blanket won’t release too much of your body heat. However, if your down alternative comforter is made with cotton or another breathable fabric for the shell, it can help keep you cooler on summer nights.

Cotton

Cotton is a preferred summer bedding fabric because it’s breathable yet affordable. It also wicks away moisture and is incredibly soft and gentle on the skin. It’s also easy to care for, and most cotton bedding can go right into the washing machine and dryer.

Linen

Linen is another popular choice for summer blankets because it’s breathable and soft. However, it’s typically more expensive than cotton, but it can also remove moisture from the body and produce a cooling effect.

Bamboo

Bamboo is a sustainable and breathable fabric that some might argue is softer and cooler than cotton. However, quality bamboo blankets typically cost more than cotton, but they might be worth it for those who want to sleep on something that feels softer than silk but more breathable. Bamboo is thermo-regulating, so it can help you stay cool on warm summer days and warm during cold nights.

Tencel

Tencel offers the perfect balance between natural and synthetic fibers for summer bedding. Made from sustainably harvested wood pulp, Tencel fabric provides exceptional softness with superior moisture wicking while maintaining a dry surface against your skin, making it ideal for humid summer nights when sweat control is essential for quality sleep.

How to Sleep Cool During the Summer

The blanket you use during the summer can impact your comfort and ability to get a quality night’s sleep. However, there are other ways you can sleep cooler this summer, so here are a few tips to beat the heat for better sleep.

• Invest in cooling bedding: Your top blanket is an important part of your bed, but you also need sheets. Sheets for hot sleepers can be made out of any material, but it’s typically best to look for materials that are breathable, just like your blanket. Cotton and bamboo sheets make ideal choices for hot summers to help wick away moisture and release your body heat to prevent you from getting too hot.

Layla’s bamboo sheets are made from 100% viscose from bamboo and run 3 degrees cooler than cotton sheets. Not only do our breathable and moisture-wicking sheets keep you cool, but they use 200x less water during production than cotton, helping to keep our planet cool, too.

• Sleep on a cooling mattress: Your mattress can also keep you cool. Cooling mattresses like Layla’s memory foam and hybrid mattresses are infused with copper-gel microbeads within the foam that pull heat away from your body to regulate your body temperature and keep you comfortable all night long.
• Wear lightweight clothing: What you wear to bed can also affect how hot you get at night, so it’s best to wear breathable fabrics to allow your body heat to escape. You may also choose to sleep nude so clothing will not prevent your body from staying cool under the covers.
• Turn on the AC: Everyone’s ideal sleep temperature is different, but you can make sleeping easier in the summer by turning the AC down at night to your ideal temperature and saving a few bucks by turning it up when you’re gone for the day. In general, the best AC temperature for sleeping in summer is between 60-67 degrees. You should also pay attention to humidity, as higher humidity can make it more challenging to cool down at night. While you might use a humidifier for sleep in the winter, consider using a dehumidifier if you experience hot and humid summers.
• Create a cross breeze: Letting airflow in your home is another great way to keep you cool because it
  can help circulate warm and cold air while evaporating sweat from the body.
• Use a fan: Sometimes, even with the AC on, you still can’t get cool enough to fall asleep in the
  summer. However, you can use a fan to help circulate cool air or point the fan towards your bed to help evaporate sweat off your body and keep you cooler at night.
• Freeze your pillowcase: If you’re able to stay asleep at night but falling asleep is hard when you’re hot, consider throwing your pillowcase in the freezer to keep your head cool for a few minutes, allowing you to fall asleep more easily in a warm bedroom.
• Shower before bed: Taking a shower before bed can help lower your body temperature to make it easier to fall asleep. While taking any type of shower can help because the water’s evaporation will help cool your body, it’s typically best to take a cold shower to help yourself stay cool in bed at night.
• Keep your bedroom cool during the day: The easiest way to make your bedroom and sleep environment cool at night is to keep it cool during the day by keeping your shades and blinds shut.
• Drink water: Keeping water close to you at night can help you stay cool, especially if it’s ice water. Sweating too much at night can lead to dehydration, making you feel warmer, so it’s always best to keep a glass of water on your nightstand.

The Layla Down Alternative Comforter

Down alternative comforters are a great, cruelty-free, allergy-free option if you’re looking for the best lightweight summer blanket. The Layla Down Alternative Comforter is an affordable 100% cotton blanket filled with down alternative material. Cotton is the most affordable, breathable material for bedding, making it ideal for summer blankets.

The Down Alternative Comforter is ideal for any time of year. So, whether you’re looking for something fluffy enough yet cooling for winter or warm enough for cold winter nights, we’ve got you covered. Not only that, but with a 300 thread count, the Layla Comforter is soft, fluffy, and cooling to ensure you get quality sleep every night this summer.

Best Summer Blanket FAQs

What type of blanket keeps you cool in the summer?

The best blankets for keeping cool in summer are those with minimal fill and maximum breathability. Quilts excel in hot weather because their thin, flat construction allows body heat to escape rather than becoming trapped while still providing comfortable coverage.

Bamboo and linen blankets also perform exceptionally well, thanks to their natural temperature-regulating properties and moisture-wicking capabilities. For extremely hot nights, an open-weave cotton blanket or even a single high-quality sheet might provide the perfect balance of coverage and coolness.

The ideal summer blanket creates enough air circulation to prevent overheating while still satisfying your need for tactile comfort during sleep.

What is the coolest fabric for a summer blanket?

Bamboo is one of the coolest natural fabrics for summer blankets because it has a unique hollow fiber structure that allows it to maintain lower temperatures than cotton in identical conditions. This plant-based fabric combines silky softness with exceptional moisture management, making it ideal for humid environments.

Linen follows closely behind, offering superior breathability through its naturally loose weave that creates microscopic air channels to dissipate body heat throughout the night.

How do I choose the right summer blanket?

Selecting the perfect summer blanket involves more than just picking the lightest option available. Begin by honestly assessing your personal temperature preferences. For instance, some naturally hot sleepers need specialized cooling features, while others simply need something lighter than their winter options.

Consider these practical steps when shopping for your ideal summer blanket:

1. Test the breathability by holding the blanket up to your face and trying to blow air through it. The easier this is, the better the air circulation will be while sleeping.
2. Match your blanket to your sleeping environment. Homes with powerful air conditioning can accommodate slightly heavier options than non-air-conditioned bedrooms in hot climates.
3. Look for seasonal versatility if you live in an area with variable summer temperatures. Blankets that can be folded or partially used allow adjustment throughout the night without purchasing multiple options.
4. Consider your washing routine and facilities. Summer blankets typically need more frequent washing due to increased perspiration, so machine-washable options that fit your home laundry setup are highly practical.
5. Balance your budget with quality. Investing a bit more in a premium summer blanket often pays dividends in durability and performance, especially for materials like bamboo and linen that actually improve with washing.

Wrapping Up: How to Choose the Best Summer Blanket

Many people get hot when they sleep because they’re sleeping with the wrong bedding and blankets for the season. While there are blankets ideal for all seasons, you may need to switch your bedding every now and then to ensure you’re not making yourself too warm at night. Of course, you can always choose not to sleep with a blanket, but most people prefer to sleep with a blanket at night because it’s comfortable and makes you feel safe and cozy.

However, sleeping with a blanket that’s too hot can leave you unable to get the quality sleep you deserve. Summer is a time when you need to get good sleep because there’s so much to do, and you need your energy. So find yourself a great summer blanket to ensure you get the quality sleep you deserve to help you feel energized the next day.