Getting a good night’s sleep can be tricky at the best of times, so, when the mercury rises, the changing of winter to summer bedding is something of a landmark event in our seasonal housekeeping calendar.
Body temperature is a key factor in getting a good night’s sleep, so investing in a cooling summer duvet is a foolproof way to improve your slumber during the warmer months. And, aside from the obvious benefits of having a light duvet as the nights warm up – staying snug without overheating – there is a science to back up changing your duvet to match the seasons.
“Our core body temperature is crucial to determining how we are able to fall asleep and this is why it is often really important to get bedding right, including how thick your duvet is,” says Dr Maja Schaedel, Clinical Psychologist at the Sleep Disorder Centre at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital, and founder of The Good Sleep Clinic.
“In order for our body to get ‘ready’ for sleep, we need several physiological changes to occur.” They add. “We need our core body temperature to drop by 1-2C, we need our breathing to slow down and for our muscles to relax. If our body temperature is too high, it signals to us that we need to stay alert and awake and we are not yet in a safe place to go to sleep.”
Science aside, there are two main types of duvetto look for – natural and man-made fibre. The former can be made from plant-based products such as bamboo, or from animal products such as sheep’s wool, and are often thought to be better temperature regulators. However, man-made fibres are often more budget-friendly, but can include less environmentally friendly fillings. The best summer duvet for you should be breathable and lightweight, but provide a bit more of a snuggle factor than a simple sheet.
How we tested
We laid down on the job on this one, testing numerous summer duvets during some warm spring evenings. We were on the hunt for ones that were breathable and lightweight, but also good value for money too. What makes for a good duvet can be slightly subjective, so we recruited a highly fussy co-tester to help us and these are the undisputed best summer duvets.
The best summer duvets for 2023 are:
- Best overall – Simba hybrid 3-in-1 duvet: £249, Simbasleep.com
- Best lightweight wool duvet – Devon Duvets lightweight wool duvet: £170, Devonduvets.com
- Best budget buy – Dunelm fogarty 4.5 hollowfibre duvet: £18, Dunelm.com
- Best cotton duvet – Dusk 100 per cent cotton duvet: £35, Dusk.com
- Best cooling duvet – Next active cooling duvet: £90, Next.co.uk