A cool bedroom: a simple way to sleep better with hot flashes
At night you are thrown into a heat, you kick off the duvet, then you get cold, then hot again — and so on until morning. If this sounds familiar, a cool bedroom is one of the simplest steps you can take today.
Why it works
In the transition the "thermal comfort zone" narrows: a very small amount of heat is enough to trigger a hot flash. And most night-time hot flashes coincide with waking up. A cool bedroom keeps your body further from that threshold.
To be honest: cooling does not restore the comfort zone and does not "cancel" hot flashes. But it noticeably reduces night-time awakenings and discomfort — and adds deep sleep.
How to do it
- Bedroom temperature around 16–19 °C. Air the room before bed, turn the heating down.
- Darkness. Blackout curtains or a sleep mask.
- Breathable fabrics. Bedding and nightwear in cotton, linen or other breathable fabrics.
- Layers instead of one warm duvet. A light duvet plus a throw — so you can easily take something off at night without fully waking.
- A cooling mattress topper or pillow — if your hot flashes are severe.
- Water by the bed and a spare T-shirt — in case of night sweats.
What can get in the way
- Your partner gets cold. Separate duvets help: one each.
- A hot summer. A fan, airing the room at night, a cool shower before bed.
- The habit of warm pyjamas. Switch to light ones, and keep warm socks — if your feet get cold.
What to expect
Look first of all at how many times you wake in the night. Log your sleep and hot flashes in VIA-L to compare the week before and the week after.
If it doesn't help
If severe hot flashes still break up the night, that is a reason to see a doctor. Treating the hot flashes themselves improves sleep too. More in the article "Hot flashes: why they happen and what really helps".
Who this step helps
Those with night-time hot flashes, night sweats and waking in the night.
What this is based on
This article is based on topics from the VIA-L knowledge base. These are the published studies behind them:
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- OSA in Women: Associations With Reproductive Aging and Screening Challenges — Chest, 2026 doi
- Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological Treatments for Chronic Insomnia in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis — Sleep Medicine, 2026 doi
- Reframing menopause and menopause hormone therapy as opportunities for healthy aging — Science, 2026 doi
- Real-World Safety Profile of Fezolinetant: A Disproportionality Analysis Based on the FAERS Database — Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology, 2026 doi
- Integrative Approaches to Perimenopause — The American Journal of Medicine, 2026 doi
- Effect of Lactobacillus-Based Probiotics on Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause in Post-Menopausal Women: A Systematic Review — Maturitas, 2026 doi
- Hepatic Adverse Event Signals of Fezolinetant in Real-World Use Based on Postmarketing Surveillance — Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2026 doi
- Integrative Medicine Approaches for Menopause — Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2026 doi
- Elinzanetant for the Treatment of Vasomotor Symptoms Associated With Menopause: A Phase 3 Randomized Clinical Trial — JAMA Internal Medicine, 2025 doi
- Fezolinetant and Elinzanetant Therapy for Menopausal Women Experiencing Vasomotor Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis — Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2025 doi
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- Menopause and Movement: Exercise for Better Sleep and Psychological Well-Being-a Systematic Review — Menopause (New York, N.Y.), 2025 doi
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Sleep: Recent Advances in Understanding Effects and Mechanisms — Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care, 2025 doi
- FDA Approves Nonhormonal Treatment for Menopausal Hot Flashes — JAMA, 2025 doi
- Nonhormonal Treatment of Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms — JAMA Internal Medicine, 2025 doi
- Self-Administered Hypnosis vs Sham Hypnosis for Hot Flashes — JAMA Network Open, 2025 doi
- Safety of Fezolinetant for Treatment of Moderate to Severe Vasomotor Symptoms Due to Menopause: Pooled Analysis of Three Randomized Phase 3 Studies — Advances in Therapy, 2025 doi
- Advances in Pharmacotherapy for Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms — Drugs, 2025 doi
- Effect of Soy Isoflavones on Measures of Estrogenicity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials — Advances in Nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 2025 doi
- Evidence-Based Guideline: Premature Ovarian Insufficiency — Fertility and Sterility, 2025 doi
- The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Menopausal Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials — Journal of Affective Disorders, 2025 doi
- The Role of Lifestyle Medicine in Menopausal Health: A Review of Non-Pharmacologic Interventions — Climacteric : The Journal of the International Menopause Society, 2025 doi
- European Society of Endocrinology Clinical Practice Guideline for Evaluation and Management of Menopause and the Perimenopause — European Journal of Endocrinology, 2025 doi
- Gut Microbiota Has the Potential to Improve Health of Menopausal Women by Regulating Estrogen — Frontiers in Endocrinology, 2025 doi
- Natural Strategies to Optimize Estrogen Levels in Aging Women: Mini Review — Frontiers in Aging, 2025 doi
- Effects of Soy Isoflavones on Menopausal Symptoms in Perimenopausal Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis — PeerJ, 2025 doi
- Components and Delivery Formats of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Insomnia in Adults — JAMA Psychiatry, 2024 doi
- Network Meta-Analysis Examining Efficacy of Components of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia — Clinical Psychology Review, 2024 doi
- Effects of Mind-Body Exercise on Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis — Menopause (New York, N.Y.), 2024 doi
- Stimulus control for insomnia: A systematic review and meta-analysis — J Sleep Res, 2024 doi
- Social jetlag and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis — Obes Rev, 2024 doi
- An Empowerment Model for Managing Menopause — Lancet (London, England), 2024 doi
- "Not feeling like myself" in perimenopause - what does it mean? Observations from the Women Living Better survey — Menopause, 2024 doi
- Mapping Global Prevalence of Menopausal Symptoms Among Middle-Aged Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis — BMC Public Health, 2024 doi
- GABA-ergic Modulators: New Therapeutic Approaches to Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder — CNS Drugs, 2023 doi
- The Effect of Caffeine on Subsequent Sleep: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis — Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2023 doi
- Clinical and cost-effectiveness of nurse-delivered sleep restriction therapy for insomnia in primary care (HABIT): a pragmatic, superiority, open-label, randomised controlled trial — Lancet, 2023 doi
- Oral Micronized Progesterone for Perimenopausal Night Sweats and Hot Flushes a Phase III Canada-Wide Randomized Placebo-Controlled 4 month Trial — Scientific Reports, 2023 doi
- Optimizing Sleep Across the Menopausal Transition — Climacteric : The Journal of the International Menopause Society, 2023 doi
- Relationship between daytime napping with the occurrence and development of diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis — BMJ Open, 2023 doi
- Management of Menopausal Symptoms: A Review — JAMA, 2023 doi
- Premenstrual Disorders, Timing of Menopause, and Severity of Vasomotor Symptoms — JAMA Network Open, 2023 doi
- Effects of transdermal versus oral hormone replacement therapy in postmenopause: a systematic review — Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 2023 doi
- Fezolinetant: First Approval — Drugs, 2023 doi
- EMAS Position Statement: Vitamin D and Menopausal Health — Maturitas, 2023 doi
- Resistance Training for Postmenopausal Women: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis — Menopause (New York, N.Y.), 2023 doi
- A Dietary Intervention for Vasomotor Symptoms of Menopause: A Randomized, Controlled Trial — Menopause (New York, N.Y.), 2023 doi
- Black Cohosh Extracts in Women With Menopausal Symptoms: An Updated Pairwise Meta-Analysis — Menopause (New York, N.Y.), 2023 doi
- The 2023 Nonhormone Therapy Position Statement of the North American Menopause Society — Menopause (New York, N.Y.), 2023 doi
- Rethinking Menopausal Hormone Therapy: For Whom, What, When and How long? — Circulation, 2023 doi
- Effect of hysterectomy on ovarian function: a systematic review and meta-analysis — J Ovarian Res, 2023 doi
- Systematic review and meta-analyses on the effects of afternoon napping on cognition — Sleep Med Rev, 2022 doi
- A Portrait of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Risk Factors in 27,210 Middle-Aged and Older Adults in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging — Scientific Reports, 2022 doi
- Disruption of Sleep Continuity During the Perimenopause: Associations With Female Reproductive Hormone Profiles — The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2022 doi
- Efficacy of Cognitive Therapy and Behavior Therapy for Menopausal Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis — Psychological Medicine, 2022 doi
- Effects of Exercise on Vasomotor Symptoms in Menopausal Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis — Climacteric : The Journal of the International Menopause Society, 2022 doi
- Results of a Pilot Study of a Cooling Mattress Pad to Reduce Vasomotor Symptoms and Improve Sleep — Menopause (New York, N.Y.), 2022 doi
- Resistance Training Reduced Luteinising Hormone Levels in Postmenopausal Women in a Substudy of a Randomised Controlled Clinical Trial: A Clue to How Resistance Training Reduced Vasomotor Symptoms — PloS One, 2022 doi
- Effect of Long-term Supplementation With Marine Omega-3 Fatty Acids vs Placebo on Risk of Depression or Clinically Relevant Depressive Symptoms and on Change in Mood Scores: A Randomized Clinical Trial — JAMA, 2021 doi
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Depression in Adults — The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2021 doi
- Omega-3 Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid and Sleep: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials and Longitudinal Studies — Nutrition Reviews, 2021 doi
- Sleep During Menopausal Transition: A 10-Year Follow-Up — Sleep, 2021 doi
- Effects of a Short Daytime Nap on the Cognitive Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis — Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2021 doi
- The Effect of Vitamin MK-7 on Bone Mineral Density and Microarchitecture in Postmenopausal Women With Osteopenia, a 3-Year Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial — Osteoporosis International : A Journal Established as Result of Cooperation Between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA, 2021 doi
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Menopausal Symptoms — Climacteric : The Journal of the International Menopause Society, 2021 doi
- The Allopregnanolone to Progesterone Ratio Across the Menstrual Cycle and in Menopause — Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2020 doi
- Hormone Therapy for Postmenopausal Women — The New England Journal of Medicine, 2020 doi
- The Effect of Oral Capsule of Curcumin and Vitamin E on the Hot Flashes and Anxiety in Postmenopausal Women: A Triple Blind Randomised Controlled Trial — Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2020 doi
- Altered Activity of Xenobiotic Detoxifying Enzymes at Menopause - A Cross-Sectional Study — Environmental Research, 2020 doi
- Calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, and Magnesium Supplementation and Skeletal Health — Maturitas, 2020 doi
- Menopause Transition and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Implications for Timing of Early Prevention: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association — Circulation, 2020 doi
- American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists/American College of Endocrinology Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis-2020 Update — Endocrine Practice : Official Journal of the American College of Endocrinology and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, 2020 doi
- Chronotype and Social Jetlag: A (Self-) Critical Review — Biology (Basel), 2019 doi
- Soy Intake and Vasomotor Menopausal Symptoms Among Midlife Women: A Pooled Analysis of Five Studies From the InterLACE Consortium — European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2019 doi
- Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma — The New England Journal of Medicine, 2019 doi
- Effect of Omega-3 Supplements on Vasomotor Symptoms in Menopausal Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis — European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, 2018 doi
- Symptoms of menopause — global prevalence, physiology and implications — Endocrinology, 2018 doi
- Effects of Pharmacologic and Nonpharmacologic Interventions on Insomnia Symptoms and Self-Reported Sleep Quality in Women With Hot Flashes: A Pooled Analysis of Individual Participant Data From Four MsFLASH Trials — Sleep, 2018 doi
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) or Psychoeducation for the Reduction of Menopausal Symptoms: A Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial — Scientific Reports, 2018 doi
- Omega-3 Versus Isoflavones in the Control of Vasomotor Symptoms in Postmenopausal Women — Gynecological Endocrinology : The Official Journal of the International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology, 2017 doi
- Effects of low‐to‐moderate alcohol supplementation on urinary estrogen metabolites in postmenopausal women in a controlled feeding study — Cancer Medicine, 2017 doi
- Use of Plant-Based Therapies and Menopausal Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis — JAMA, 2016 doi
- Duration of menopausal vasomotor symptoms over the menopause transition — JAMA Intern Med, 2015 doi
- Pooled Analysis of Six Pharmacologic and Nonpharmacologic Interventions for Vasomotor Symptoms — Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2015 doi
- Efficacy of Omega-3 for Vasomotor Symptoms Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Trial — Menopause (New York, N.Y.), 2014 doi
- Exercise for vasomotor menopausal symptoms — Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2014 doi
- Fruit, Mediterranean-Style, and High-Fat and -Sugar Diets Are Associated With the Risk of Night Sweats and Hot Flushes in Midlife: Results From a Prospective Cohort Study — The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2013 doi
- Perceived Control, Lifestyle, Health, Socio-Demographic Factors and Menopause: Impact on Hot Flashes and Night Sweats — Maturitas, 2011 doi
- Pathophysiology and Treatment of Menopausal Hot Flashes — Seminars in Reproductive Medicine, 2005 doi
- Is This Woman Perimenopausal? — JAMA, 2003 doi
- Diagnostic Role of Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) Measurements During the Menopausal Transition--an Analysis of FSH, Oestradiol and Inhibin — European Journal of Endocrinology, 1994 doi
- The Association Between Moderate Alcoholic Beverage Consumption and Serum Estradiol and Testosterone Levels in Normal Postmenopausal Women: Relationship to the Literature — Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research, 1992 doi
The strength of this evidence varies: some are large reviews and meta-analyses, some are small single studies. The steps in the article are simple, low-risk self-care measures, not treatment, and they may not suit everyone.
This is general information, not a prescription.