The Splurgy Cooling Sheets That Help Me Sleep Comfortably Through the Summer Heat Wave

I’m from Texas, so I thought when I moved to New York City, I’d be leaving the unbearable heat behind me. I learned the hard way that even though it rarely hits triple digits in the Northeast, it’s nearly as bad due to the lack of central air conditioning. In my first apartment, I installed a window unit that did a decent job, but I quickly realized that leaving it at full blast all the time was not kind on my wallet. These days, I try to keep the AC off for as long as I can stand it.

Needless to say, it’s a struggle, but I’ve purchased some items that make the heat a little easier to bear. My tower fan is a lifesaver — it stays on the highest setting right next to my bed — but I’ve found that cooling bedding is even more important to have during the summer. A few weeks ago, I landed a winning combination: my breathable Coop blanket and Naturepedic’s cotton percale sheets. With the heatwave that’s swept over NYC recently, I’m so glad I already found it. Sure, the sheets are a bit of a splurge, but the comfort they provide is worth it.

I’ve tried a lot of different sheet fabrics and weaves: bamboo, jersey, sateen, linen, and even a nylon-spandex hybrid. Cotton percale might just be my favorite out of them all. The simple, one-over-one-under weave of percale results in a matte finish and crisp texture. It’s lighter in weight than most other fabrics, so it’s especially good for keeping you cool in the summer months. Naturepedic’s 300-thread-count option, in particular, is designed to promote airflow and get softer and softer with every wash, transforming your bed into one straight out of a five-star hotel.

The set is made from long-staple certified organic cotton — you always should keep an eye out for certifications, so you can be sure you’re getting the purest, highest quality bedding on the market. These sheets have several, which makes sense given that they come from Naturepedic, which prioritizes protecting the environment, eliminating toxic chemicals from its products, and keeping things organic. They’re certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), MADE SAFE (which means experts analyzed them to help eliminate harmful ingredients), and UL/GREENGUARD (labs tested them for low chemical emissions).

While these sheets aren’t necessarily the softest I’ve tried — though I really did notice a difference after a couple of washes — they are by far the lightest, which has become the first quality that I look for since I moved to NYC. In fact, they are so breezy that it hardly seems like there’s any layer there at all, which is perfect for my situation. The set leaves me feeling refreshed when I wake up, which is something that I never thought I would be able to say during the summer (let alone a heatwave).

I’d grown used to having to kick off my sheets in the middle of the night, feeling suffocated, but I haven’t had that experience with these so far and I don’t anticipate anything changing. After all, Naturepedic uses top-tier materials that’ll hold up and feel even better as time goes on. That’s something worth paying a bit more for, as is getting full nights of sleep throughout the warmer months. If you’re having a hard time with the heat like I was, do yourself a favor and grab these pronto!

Buy: Naturepedic Organic Cotton Percale Sheets, Queen, $259