This Swap Could Improve Sleep Quality, Skin Health & Even Odor

When you hear that a simple swap could improve your overall health (including skin and sleep!), perhaps your mind goes to food choices or mental health practices like mediation. Valid guesses, for sure. 

But what if we told you that fabric choices play a role in your well-being too? That’s right: what you cradle your body with can actually have a notable impact on how you look and feel. 

Want proof? We have it and it’s wool. 

Sure, you know wool is a fabric often used in clothing or home goods—but how familiar are you with this fiber?

Sleep is the foundation for a healthy body. It’s our body’s primary recovery time, in which it regenerates cells1, ignites muscle protein synthesis2, improves our cognitive function3, rebuilds your skin barrier4, eases inflammation5 throughout the body, relaxes our stress response6, and so much more.  

There’s no doubt about it: Without getting adequate, high-quality sleep, our health suffers. 

But getting sleep is easier said than done, and often is influenced by a variety of factors. Including what fabric you sleep in and on. 

A recent report from the International Wool Textile Organisation found that Merino wool sleepwear encourages better sleep quality. Merino wool comes from the Merino sheep, and is one of the softest and most comfortable wool types in the world.

Specifically, the report found it reduces the amount of time it takes to fall asleep and fragmentation of sleep compared to other fibers. Interestingly, this effect was more pronounced for groups that already have reduced sleep quality, such as older adults and self-reported poor sleepers. 

Another benefit: Sleeping on wool might help temperature control. The report found that wool bedding appears to support thermophysiological comfort better compared to bedding made from synthetic fibers. 

Wool seems to support sleep quality by creating the ideal “sleep microclimate.” The ideal temperature for sleep varies by person, but most sleep experts recommend keeping the thermostat between 65–68°F, strive for a skin temperature of 88-95°F7, and maintain low humidity. 

It does so by buffering humidity from the skin and temperature changes. In fact, the report found that wool fiber is approximately twice as effective as cotton at moving moisture vapor through fabric and 10 times better than polyester.

This skin is your body’s shield against the outside world. In doing so, it comes into contact with a lot of different materials and substances. Sometimes that’s beneficial, while other times it’s damaging. 

Often, poor quality fabrics can irritate the skin—leading to inflammation and even skin conditions like atopic dermatitis. But did you know that high quality materials can actually improve skin health? 

Recent findings from the International Wool Textile Organisation shows that superfine Merino wool clothing, when worn next to the skin, reduces the symptoms of atopic dermatitis (AD), commonly known as eczema. Research shows that wearing Merino wool with a diameter of less than 17.5 µm for at least 6 hours a day for 6 weeks lessens the severity and symptoms of eczema. For context, µm means micrometer (commonly called micron) and is used for grading wool fibers—the finer the micron, the softer the fabric. 

Eczema8 is a chronic skin condition characterized by red, itchy, inflamed skin. While the root cause is not fully understood, it seems to be an inflammatory skin condition that’s triggered by a variety of internal and external stressors.

Children and infants tend to experience eczema at higher rates9, but the disease can carry on throughout a lifetime. The exciting news is that the benefits of Merino wool for eczema extend for folks of all ages, including infants10, children, and adults11. 

In addition, individuals with healthy skin can also benefit from fine Merino wool. Research suggests that skin hydration and barrier function experienced improvements when Merino wool is worn next to the skin compared to other fiber types. 

Skin barrier function12 is vital for overall skin health, as it protects us from mechanical injury, environmental stressors, chemical exposure, and pathogens. In addition, a strong barrier helps ensure the skin is healthy, smooth, and hydrated. It even improves overall appearance, helping ease the appearance of rudeness, fine lines, and dullness.  

It’s important to keep active, move your body, and enjoy the great outdoors. Time and again, research shows that these habits improve mental health13 and physical longevity14. 

To do that, folks need the right clothing—garments that feel good on the skin, are durable, long-lasting, and quite critically, are odor resistant.

A report from the Woolmark looked at extensive research15 around odor prevention and found that wool was more effective than any other clothing textile in suppressing and preventing odor buildup. 

Here’s why: Merino wool is extremely effective at capturing and binding odor volaties16 within the fabric. This renders the smell neutral, eliminating buildup. It’s also breathable, so things like perspiration and moisture are moved away from the body and into the surrounding air, so sweat doesn’t have a chance to come into contact with your body’s bacteria and start stinking.