Sleeping on cold pillows?

[Drakeburn]

Has anybody here ever preferred to sleep on cold pillows?

I do like cold pillows, and I have one set of bedsheets that feel the greatest, especially if the pillows get cold.

Do you think it is weird that there are people who enjoy sleeping on cold pillows, or not?

[Roland St. Jude]

I think that's pretty much assumed to be the norm. There are a variety of "stay cold" or "heat wicking" pillows (and other bedding) on the market, and I heard one advert bemoaning the need to flip one's pillow all night just to keep finding the "cool side" as part of their pitch for some kind of "space age" stay-cool technology.

[razorback]

Along with a cold toilet seat, yes. Even in cold winters there is something to be said about having cold streets and pillow.

[Aedilred]

"Cold" might be stretching it. I wouldn't want it straight out of the fridge or anything, but slightly cooler than the ambient temperature, certainly.


Along with a cold toilet seat, yes.
Not so sure about that though.

[Asta Kask]

"Cool" might a better word, but yes. Definitely.

[Drakeburn]

Now that I think about it, I do actually keep flipping the pillow, or rolling over to one side to another side where it is cooler.

I have to agree with you guys. Cooler doesn't sound as harsh as cold.


Along with a cold toilet seat, yes.

Cold toilet seats? :smallconfused:

[razorback]

Something about a warm toilet seat, to me, implies someone just vacated it.

[BannedInSchool]

Hmm, I regulate sleeping temperature by sticking my feet out of the covers, even into the air off the edge of the bed, but not so fixated on pillow temperature. Head, hands, and feet are the big heat radiators, IIRC. My head isn't so insulated these days anyway.

[Duck999]

I heard one advert bemoaning the need to flip one's pillow all night just to keep finding the "cool side" as part of their pitch for some kind of "space age" stay-cool technology.
Ah yes, I have seen those. I do that all the time. I enjoy having a cold pillow.

"Cold" might be stretching it. I wouldn't want it straight out of the fridge or anything, but slightly cooler than the ambient temperature, certainly.

I would sleep on a pillow straight out of the fridge anytime!

Seriously, I would.

Edit: Now that I think about it, I also tend to keep all of my body warm under covers except my head. I will have 2 layers of thick blankets to warm my body while a fan blows by head with a wet washcloth to keep cold. Wet washcloth+fan=another great way to stay cold.

[BannedInSchool]

Oh, and on the flip side, if you don't have sufficient blankets a cap on your head helps a lot to keep warm. Ye Olde pointy cap people wore with their pajamas wasn't a fashion statement.

[Elemental]

As an Australian, I can assure one of the necessity of one's pillow being cool. Otherwise it's just too uncomfortable for Summer, Spring or Autumn.

[Duck999]

As an Australian, I can assure one of the necessity of one's pillow being cool. Otherwise it's just too uncomfortable for Summer, Spring or Autumn.

I need a cold pillow for winter too.:smalltongue:
I am fine with cold. I lie in the snow in shorts and a t-shirt. I enjoy the cold much more than heat. But when I go to bed, I bundle my body up all nice and warm while I freeze my face off.

[Jay R]

Do you think it is weird that there are people who enjoy sleeping on cold pillows, or not?

Who cares if it's weird or not?

Playing role-playing games is weird (especially when I started in 1975). Having a Ph.D. is weird. Having patents is weird. Fencing is weird.

Most of what I enjoy is weird. So what?

Pick your pillow to suit yourself, not anybody else.

[Traab]

I need a cold pillow for winter too.:smalltongue:
I am fine with cold. I lie in the snow in shorts and a t-shirt. I enjoy the cold much more than heat. But when I go to bed, I bundle my body up all nice and warm while I freeze my face off.

My ac is on all year long in my bedroom. Nowhere else. I LOVE my room being freezing cold while I am under the covers. I used to be really into the cool pillow and sheets thing, but not as much anymore. I just love being toasty under my blankets as ice crystals form in my windows. :p

[Duck999]

My ac is on all year long in my bedroom. Nowhere else. I LOVE my room being freezing cold while I am under the covers. I used to be really into the cool pillow and sheets thing, but not as much anymore. I just love being toasty under my blankets as ice crystals form in my windows. :p

Do you actually get cold? My face getsmcold, but my body warm, which I find nice. Though I know it is bad to get used to having a fan on while you sleep. If you do, you need sound to help you sleep, even when you don't want it.

[Elemental]

I need a cold pillow for winter too.:smalltongue:
I am fine with cold. I lie in the snow in shorts and a t-shirt. I enjoy the cold much more than heat. But when I go to bed, I bundle my body up all nice and warm while I freeze my face off.

As an Australian from Queensland I can't handle too much cold with even our own Winter being beyond my tolerance level. All my temperature resistance is focussed on withstanding the heat of Summer.

[Zrak]

My middle school Latin teacher told me ancient Egyptians used metal "pillows" because metal would stay cooler than cloth. I have never put any effort into determining the veracity of any part of this statement, but if it's true, it would indicate this is a time-honored tradition.

[Drakeburn]

Who cares if it's weird or not?

Playing role-playing games is weird (especially when I started in 1975). Having a Ph.D. is weird. Having patents is weird. Fencing is weird.

Most of what I enjoy is weird. So what?

Pick your pillow to suit yourself, not anybody else.

Actually, I'm just curious if other people prefer cool pillows, or if it is just me.

Edit: I don't see how any of those things qualify as "weird". Japanese crackers definitely qualify as weird (seriously, what kind of crackers have tiny finish that have their heads and eyeballs? And I still cannot believe I ate those things. :smalleek::smallredface:). Fencing, role-playing games, PH.Ds and patients don't seem as weird as that.

[Zrak]

I think it really depends on what the patents are. What if he had the patent on those crackers?

[factotum]

My middle school Latin teacher told me ancient Egyptians used metal "pillows" because metal would stay cooler than cloth.

Well, the physics work out--metal tends to feel colder because it conducts heat away from the contact point very rapidly. I can't imagine using a metal pillow would be very comfortable, though!

[Asta Kask]

Pick your pillow to suit yourself, not anybody else.

Unless you have a cat, in which case you should pick a pillow for said cat.

[Feytalist]

Depends entirely on the ambient temperature, I'd say. Over here, in Winter, the absolute last thing I want is cold bedding.

Of course, by the time I go to bed I'm usually so tired, the temperature of my bed is a luxurious extra. If my belly flop lands me in the rough direction of the pillows, that's a happy bonus.

[Mauve Shirt]

The questions people make threads for on this forum just keep getting weirder and weirder.

[Asta Kask]

Well, the non-weird questions have all been asked.

Either that, or we're slowly scaring away the non-weird people! HUZZAH!

Not that we're trying to do that.

[Duck999]

The questions people make threads for on this forum just keep getting weirder and weirder.

Can I sig that?

Also, I might try a metal pillow sometime. Or maybe I'll just sleep in my refrigerator...

[Mauve Shirt]

Yes, yes you may.

[Traab]

Do you actually get cold? My face getsmcold, but my body warm, which I find nice. Though I know it is bad to get used to having a fan on while you sleep. If you do, you need sound to help you sleep, even when you don't want it.

Meh, it doesnt happen often but I do sometimes sleep in places without background noise, it never really bothered em much, and my room always has the fan and/or ac on. Its been years since I did otherwise. I sleep in an attic re purposed into bedrooms. It gets mind bendingly hot in summer so my ac and fan go on as soon as I intend to go to bed. And, as I said, I like the cold so it stays on in winter.

[AdmiralCheez]

I prefer to be cold when I sleep. I actually took the extra layers of sheets off my bed, so it's just the fitted sheet on the mattress and a blanket. And a pillow, I guess. Unfortunately for me, my room is somehow the warmest in the house, being a constant 5-10 degrees warmer than every other room. In the summer, the AC is running, so everything's fine, but in fall/winter, if someone turns the heater on, I have to shut the vent and cover it in a towel to limit the amount of heat getting in. If I don't, the room gets to be 80+ Fahrenheit, even with all the lights turned out, and all the electronics unplugged. It's weird.

[EmeraldRose]

Something about a warm toilet seat, to me, implies someone just vacated it.
This.


Well, the non-weird questions have all been asked.

Either that, or we're slowly scaring away the non-weird people! HUZZAH!

Not that we're trying to do that.

We can try harder! For both...


I think it is nice to have a cool pillow if I wake up and I'm trying to get back to sleep. I don't really like the pillow to be cool when I first lay down, at least in winter when I've already been freezing all day long. I need some space-age tech that decides my pillow temp based on my mood/head pain/unspoken wants or something...

[SarahV]

Something about a warm toilet seat, to me, implies someone just vacated it.

Last winter I went on an overnight trip and stayed in a hotel. I got it on Hotwire so I didn't know anything about the place except the location. I walked to the hotel from the train station and checked into my room. I really had to pee so I dropped my bags and made a beeline for the bathroom. Sat down and... the toilet seat was VERY WARM. :smalleek: :smallyuk:

It turned out that the hotel had fancy futuristic Japanese toilets with heated seats and a bidet function and etc. etc. Someone had left the heat on. It is an incredibly unsettling feeling to sit on a hot toilet seat when you think you're in a room that no one has been in for hours...

[SiuiS]

Hmm, I regulate sleeping temperature by sticking my feet out of the covers, even into the air off the edge of the bed, but not so fixated on pillow temperature. Head, hands, and feet are the big heat radiators, IIRC. My head isn't so insulated these days anyway.

But then you're vulnerable to bogey man attack! :smalleek:


My ac is on all year long in my bedroom. Nowhere else. I LOVE my room being freezing cold while I am under the covers. I used to be really into the cool pillow and sheets thing, but not as much anymore. I just love being toasty under my blankets as ice crystals form in my windows. :p

I do this nowadays. It's a side effect of baby, really.

[TheThan]

Related topic:

Have you ever been out camping, be very warm in your sleeping bag one night and then freezing in the next?
If that’s ever happened to you, and you want to know why here’s the answer:

The sleeping bag is too warm, and you’re starting to sweat, that sweat gets absorbed into your sleeping bag and makes it damp. Then when you crawl back into it the next night it’s cold because of the dampness.

You can fight this by opening up your sleeping back and hanging it up to air out in the morning. Unless its winter camping in the snow or raining or some such it should dry out and be fine when you crawl into it that night. You can also strip down if you’re so inclined (and haven’t already done that).

The reason why you’re sweating is because it’s too warm for you. You should be comfortable; not so hot that you start sweating, or too cold to be uncomfortable. Blankets and sleeping bags (and clothing too come to think of it) work by insulating your own body heat. The better the material and greater the loft (thickness of the bag/blanket) the better it insulates.

With blankets you can regulate the amount of heat they trap by removing or adding more blankets as necessary. However you can’t do that with sleeping bags (you can add to them, but not subtract). So you have to keep trying different sleeping bags until you find one you’re happy with. All sleeping bags have an EN rating. This is supposed to tell you how cold it can be and keep you comfortable. Your mileage may vary on that; I’d use them to give you a rough idea. There’s a lot of information on the net if you’re interested.

[Duck999]

I once was out it a make do shelter while it snowed. The outdoors felt so nice in the morning. The where snow covering my sleeping back, which I had slept completely under. I opened it, and the cold air was so refreshing.

[Bulldog Psion]

Cold pillows are a must. In particular, in summer, when they get hot and you can't fix it by flipping them because you just did it -- ugh. :smallyuk: One of life's small tortures.