A good night’s sleep is one of the driving forces in my life. When I am well-rested, the world looks bright, the flowers sparkle, my husband’s idiosyncrasies are charming, and anything is possible. Wake me up several times during the night with a wave of unrelenting heat, hose me down until I’m soaking wet, and force me to get up and change nightgowns… and the world takes on a grayish tinge.

Everyone in my family understands that to wake me up and deprive me of my much-needed sleep is grounds for some serious grumbling. Why, then, when Menopause decided to move in with me did it miss that important family rule? Menopause blatantly flaunted the “don’t disrupt sleep” rule and pushed me to my limits. 

During this somewhat groggy disoriented sleep-deprived time of my life, I was researching products for my new web-based store which would sell – you guessed it – comfortable sleepwear that eased the process of relaxation and sleep. As I wandered showrooms and trade shows searching for comfort, I stumbled across wicking sleepwear! Being a natural fiber gal, I turned up my nose at the thought of wearing a garment made from polyester, especially to bed! But I was pleasantly surprised that the fabric was soft and felt like a cotton tee. Better yet, I tried it and found that although I might still wake up, I wasn’t as hot and my nightgown wasn’t soaked because the “wicking” fabric was drawing the moisture off of me, through the nightgown, and ultimately into the air -- in the process cooling me off!

Being better rested and able to make good decisions, I decided to try selling a couple of menopause pajamas and nightgowns from Wicking J. Sleepwear in my comfort sleepwear store – Serene Comfort. I was pleasantly surprised when women who had purchased the sleepwear starting sending me emails raving about their experiences. The first email I received shortly after starting to sell hot flash pjs and nightgowns inspired me to offer even more options for women “Elizabeth, I am dumbfounded by the pajamas.  How do they work?  I can sweat all night, the pajamas are not wet and neither am I.  Wow, I love them!!!!!  ?? SB, Maple Valley, WA.

Since that first email, I have done lots of research on moisture-management fabrics, sent thousands of hot flash pjs off to exhausted women, and talked to hundreds on the phone and by email who have discussed their night sweats miseries, appreciation for a better night’s sleep, and requested specific sleepwear styles. 

So, how do they work? There are two major categories of wicking fabrics – ones that have the wicking properties woven into the construction of the fabric and ones which take a fabric and apply a topical coating which has wicking properties. In my opinion, the best moisture management fabrics for sleepwear applications are those that have been created with wicking properties woven into them. The fabrics with the wicking finish applied to them tend to lose effectiveness fairly rapidly as the sleepwear is washed. There are different “feels” to the fabric as well… the sleepwear can feel silky, like a pointelle jersey knit, a cotton tee, or various weights of cotton knits.   All of the moisture management garments that we offer in our store have been woven in such a way that the fabric actually draws the moisture from the skin through the garment for rapid evaporation and dispersing into the air.  And for the woman who loves having a dry nightgown but finds that her pillowcases and sheets are still getting damp… there are wicking sheets and pillowcases!  They both work the same way… pulling the moisture away and dispersing it into the air.

Serene Comfort (www.serenecomfort.com)  now carries menopause sleepwear  sheets, and pillowcases from four of the top proven manufacturers of night sweats sleepwear. From slip nightgowns to shorty pajamas, from ballet nightgowns to full length pajamas, we have 80 choices… a style to suit any woman. Whether they are called wicking sleepwear, hot flash pjs, menopause sleepwear, night sweats pajamas or wicking nightgowns… they all are descriptions for the same thing - sleepwear made from fabrics which are moisture-wicking.  The moisture management fabrics may differ but the end result is the same - dry comfortable sleep! At SereneComfort.com, you can find the following top performance brands of wicking sleepwear: WildBleu, Wicking J. Sleepwear, Karen Neuburger KN Cool, HotCoolWear,  and our own Serene Comfort Coolmax Sleepshirt!  We also carry a complete line of cotton nightgowns, bed jackets, and Acorn Slippers. 

Elizabeth Kelly
Owner, Serene Comfort