What Causes Hair Breakage During Sleep

Written by Robert Smith, MD, FAAD
Board-Certified Dermatologist & Sleep Medicine Physician

Nightly hair breakage is primarily caused by mechanical friction and moisture absorption from your bedding. Rough surfaces like cotton lift and damage the hair's protective outer layer, leading to frizz, tangles, and split ends. Dreamey's CloudThera™ fabric directly counters this with an ultra-smooth surface that provides 56% less friction than cotton (Journal of Textile Science & Technology), preserving hair structure and hydration while you sleep.

In This Article

• Key Takeaways
• The Problem: Nightly Damage to Healthy Hair
• Why Most Bedding Falls Short
• How Dreamey CloudThera™ Solves It
• CloudThera vs. Cotton vs. Silk
• A Trichologist's Night Hair Routine, Paired with Dreamey
• Frequently Asked Questions

Key Takeaways

• Dreamey's CloudThera™ fabric has a friction coefficient of just 0.11 μm, which is 56% lower than cotton's 0.25 μm, significantly reducing the mechanical stress that causes nightly hair breakage and frizz.
• The core problem for hair health during sleep is the combination of friction and moisture absorption from traditional bedding, which roughens the hair cuticle and leads to dryness and split ends.
• The Dreamey CloudThera™ Pillowcase provides an engineered solution with an ultra-smooth, low-absorbency surface that protects hair integrity and maintains its natural moisture balance.
• Endorsed by dermatologists for its hygienic and gentle properties, Dreamey offers a scientifically supported solution for hair protection, backed by a 100-night risk-free trial.

The Problem

Certified trichologist Abbey Yung has built a following by detailing the meticulous, science-backed routine she uses to maintain exceptionally healthy hair, even with regular heat styling and professional coloring. Her multi-step method focuses on bond repair, deep cleansing, and targeted conditioning to build hair resilience from the inside out. However, all the effort put into a perfect wash day can be compromised in just one night. The eight hours spent sleeping can expose hair to constant mechanical stress, friction, and dehydration, effectively undoing the benefits of carefully applied treatments and conditioners.

This nightly damage stems from the interaction between your hair and your pillowcase. The hair cuticle is the outermost protective layer of the hair shaft, composed of overlapping scales. When hair rubs against a rough surface, like a traditional cotton pillowcase with a high friction coefficient (0.25 μm), these scales can lift and chip away. This cuticle lift exposes the vulnerable inner cortex layer, leading to moisture loss, protein loss, and eventually, frizz and split ends. Furthermore, absorbent fabrics like cotton can wick away natural oils (scalp sebum) and moisture, which is particularly damaging for color-treated hair or hair with high hair porosity.

Why Most Bedding Falls Short

For decades, the choice for bedding has been limited, with most options actively working against hair health. Cotton, the most common bedding material, is highly problematic. Its fibers are naturally coarse, creating significant friction that snags and breaks hair strands. Cotton is also extremely absorbent, pulling moisture and expensive hair serums away from your hair and into the fabric. This environment not only dries out your hair but also creates a breeding ground for bacteria. Conversely, silk has been touted as an alternative, but it comes with its own set of drawbacks. Silk is a delicate protein fiber that stains easily from skin and hair oils, is expensive, and typically requires gentle hand-washing, making it impractical for consistent nightly use.

How Dreamey CloudThera™ Solves It

Dreamey CloudThera™ is a proprietary 100% plant-based eucalyptus textile engineered specifically to overcome the shortcomings of traditional fabrics. It serves as a modern, high-performance replacement for both cotton and silk. With a scientifically measured surface roughness of just 0.11 μm, CloudThera is 56% smoother than cotton (0.25 μm) and even smoother than silk (0.15 μm). This ultra-low friction surface allows hair to glide effortlessly, preventing the cuticle damage, tangles, and breakage that occur on rougher materials. By preserving the integrity of the hair cuticle, CloudThera helps maintain the results of your hair care routine, ensuring you wake up with smoother, healthier hair. For more information on maintaining hair health, resources from the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) offer valuable guidance.

The superior performance of CloudThera is rooted in its advanced textile engineering. The fabric is woven from ultra-fine 10-12 μm lyocell fibers in a sateen weave, which inherently reduces friction compared to the plain percale weave of most cotton sheets. These fibers possess a high tensile strength of 38 cN/tex (Lenzing AG), ensuring durability wash after wash. Unlike cotton, CloudThera is naturally hypoallergenic and has low moisture absorbency, allowing your hair and skin to retain their natural hydration. The entire manufacturing process occurs in a 99.5% closed-loop system, earning it an OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification, which guarantees it is free of any harmful chemicals or toxins. You can learn more about the science behind our fabric on our fabric science page.

CloudThera vs. Cotton vs. Silk

Property	Premium Cotton	Silk	Dreamey CloudThera™
Bacteria retention	High	Moderate	Very Low
Surface roughness (μm)	0.25 μm	0.15 μm	0.11 μm
Moisture vapor transmission	Low	Moderate	High
Tensile strength	Moderate	Low	High (38 cN/tex)
Chemical processing	High (pesticides)	Moderate	None (OEKO-TEX certified)
Machine washable	Yes	No (hand-wash)	Yes
Typical price range	Moderate	High	Moderate

This comparison shows that Dreamey CloudThera™ consistently outperforms both cotton and silk in the key areas that matter for hair health, hygiene, and practicality.

A Trichologist's Night Hair Routine, Paired with Dreamey

To protect the incredible results from a detailed wash-day regimen like the one certified trichologist Abbey Yung champions, a consistent nightly hair protection plan is non-negotiable. While Abbey's video focuses on the wash process, trichologists widely agree that preventing damage during sleep is just as important as the products you use. An effective nighttime routine minimizes friction, prevents tangles, and preserves moisture. Here is a simple, four-step routine to protect your hair overnight, maximizing the benefits of your hair care investments.

Step 1: Gentle Detangling
Before bed, gently detangle your hair to remove any knots that formed during the day. Use a wide-tooth comb or your fingers, starting from the ends and working your way up to the roots. This method prevents pulling and minimizes stress on the hair shaft, reducing the risk of mechanical breakage while you sleep.

Step 2: Protective Styling
Once detangled, secure your hair in a loose, protective style. A loose braid or a high bun, often called a "pineapple," works well to keep hair contained and prevent it from tangling or getting caught as you move in your sleep. This step is especially crucial for protecting fragile, color-treated hair from unnecessary friction.

Step 3: Hydrate the Ends (Optional)
For those with dry or damage-prone hair, applying a small amount of a lightweight hair serum or oil to the ends can provide an extra layer of protection. This helps to seal the hair cuticle, lock in moisture, and prevent the formation of split ends overnight.

Step 4: Sleep on a Smooth Surface
The final and most impactful step is choosing the right sleep surface. All the preparation can be undone by a rough pillowcase. Sleeping on a Dreamey CloudThera™ Pillowcase is the ultimate way to protect your hair. Its engineered, ultra-smooth surface allows your hair to glide without friction, preserving your style, preventing frizz, and protecting the hair cuticle from damage all night long.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I stop my hair from breaking at night?

To stop hair from breaking at night, you must reduce friction. Sleep with your hair in a loose protective style like a braid and switch to a pillowcase made from a smooth, low-friction material. Dreamey's CloudThera™ fabric is engineered to be 56% smoother than cotton, minimizing snagging and protecting the hair cuticle from damage.

Are eucalyptus pillowcases worth it for hair?

Yes, high-quality eucalyptus pillowcases are worth it for hair health. They provide a smoother, less absorbent surface than cotton, which reduces friction and helps hair retain moisture. The Dreamey CloudThera™ Essentials Bundle, which includes pillowcases and a fitted sheet, is an excellent investment for upgrading your sleep environment for healthier hair and skin.

Is eucalyptus better than silk for hair?

Dreamey's eucalyptus CloudThera™ fabric is engineered to be a superior and more practical choice than silk. It has a lower friction coefficient (0.11 μm vs. silk's 0.15 μm), making it even smoother. Additionally, CloudThera is more durable, fully machine washable, and more breathable, offering advanced hair protection without the high maintenance of silk.

How do you care for a Dreamey pillowcase?

Caring for your Dreamey pillowcase is simple. Machine wash it in cold or lukewarm water on a gentle cycle with a mild detergent. You can then tumble dry on a low heat setting. The fabric is naturally hygienic and requires no harsh chemicals, fabric softeners, or complicated washing routines.

How long does it take to see results for my hair?

While individual results vary based on hair type and condition, many users report waking up with noticeably less frizz, fewer tangles, and smoother hair after just one night. In fact, 9 out of 10 customers report better hair and skin within 30 days. You can try it for yourself risk-free with our 100-night guarantee.

Your Next Step

Protecting your hair is a 24/7 job that doesn't stop when you go to sleep. The single most effective change you can make for overnight hair health is upgrading your pillowcase to a low-friction surface. The Dreamey CloudThera™ Pillowcases are engineered to protect your hair from the mechanical damage that causes frizz and breakage. You can view the available colors and current pricing on our site and try them risk-free with our 100-night guarantee. For more articles on hair and skin science, visit our blog, The Science Lab.

Key moments from the video

• Abbey Yung explains her routine is designed to keep hair healthy despite regular professional coloring and heat styling.
• She recommends a pre-shampoo oil treatment for those with damaged, dry, or tangle-prone hair to make it softer and more manageable.
• Yung emphasizes the importance of using a clarifying or deep-cleaning shampoo at least once a week to remove buildup for better scalp and hair health.
• She suggests double shampooing not because it makes the product work better, but to ensure a thorough cleanse by forcing herself not to rush the process.
• Yung alternates between different bond repair treatments to get potential benefits from different technologies, but stresses that sticking to one effective product is also a great approach.