By DJ, co-founder and co-inventor of Sleeping Dove · Updated September 2026
As summer ends and the weather starts to cool, you may be wondering if it’s time to pull out a heavier comforter. Here are a few answers that may help.
Do you need a different comforter for winter?
Only if your current comforter can’t change how much insulation is covering you. With most comforters, the fill is sewn in, so you either sleep under all of it or push it away. That’s why many people switch to a heavier comforter every fall. The Sleeping Dove Comforter lets you change the insulation over different areas of your body, so the same comforter can work across seasons.
What actually changes between September and January?
Often, less than we think. The Sleep Foundation recommends keeping bedrooms around 60 to 67 degrees for sleep, and many people stay within a similar range throughout the year. What changes more often is you. Your pajamas, your partner’s temperature and how warm you feel can vary from one night or even one hour to the next. Changing comforters twice a year doesn’t help with that. I’ve always been a cold sleeper, while James runs hot. During perimenopause, I could also feel cold everywhere except my core. I needed warmth and cooling at the same time.
How does the Sleeping Dove cooling comforter work for both warmer and colder nights?
With the panels closed, the insulated layer stays over you like a traditional winter comforter. If you become warm, you can lift a patented panel in about two seconds. The insulation moves aside so heat can escape, while a single layer of cotton keeps you covered. You can cool your midsection or feet while keeping your shoulders warm. Each sleeper controls their own side, so James can open a panel while I leave mine closed. The design is protected by U.S. Patent No. 12,557,926.
Which weight should I choose for winter?
The All-Season weight is the best choice for most bedrooms. Choose Lightweight if you sleep extra hot, keep your bedroom warmer or live in a warm climate. Both have an OEKO-TEX certified cotton sateen shell and baffle-box construction. Fill options include recycled down alternative and white duck down.
What can’t the Sleeping Dove Comforter do?
It can’t heat a cold room, and it isn’t a powered cooling system. There’s no thermostat, fan or temperature setting. It simply lets you change how much insulation is covering you. Keep the panels closed when you’re cold and lift one when your middle or feet become warm.
That means when November arrives, you may not need a second comforter—just one that can change with you.
Not sure how it compares? See how a comforter with liftable panels sits alongside the other kinds of cooling bedding on our comparison page, or shop the Sleeping Dove Comforter.
When you’re ready for cooler nights
If you’re waking up warm one hour and chilly the next, the Sleeping Dove Comforter was made for nights like yours. Lift one of its four patented panels — about two seconds — and trapped body heat releases while you stay covered, cozy, and close.
Shop the Sleeping Dove Comforter→
