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6 Best Fans for Sleeping To Keep You From Running Too Hot

Written by:
Unclutterer
Last Updated: February 24, 2021

Heat is the number one cause of poor quality sleep, closely followed by noise. This is due to the human body needing to cool down and be at the right temperature, so that all its vital organs calm down and prepare to go into an energy-saving mode of their own, throughout the night. Having a cool shower can help, but this is of no use if your bedroom itself is fairly hot. Therefore, you need a fan that will calmly and consistently disperse airflow throughout the room in which you're sleeping.

The Best Fan for Sleeping

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Best Choice
Honeywell QuietSet Whole Room Tower Fan
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Premium Pick
Dyson Air Multiplier AM06 Table Fan
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Best Value
Hunter Builder Elite Indoor Ceiling Fan
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Budget Pick
Hurricane Classic Series Floor Fan
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1. Honeywell QuietSet Whole Room Tower Fan - Best Choice

HIGHLIGHTS:

    8 speed tower fan

    Quiet cooling

    Touch button controls 

    Remote control that nests in the back

    oscillating motion for whole room cooling

    Honeywell carries a range of different fans

    Honeywell quality

    Fused safety plug

1.
Honeywell QuietSet Whole Room Tower Fan - Best Choice
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This Honeywell QuietSet Whole Room Tower Fan is ideal if you want the ability to engage eight separate levels of quietness, from 'whisper' to 'white noise'. It boasts a very useful digital display which shows you the temperature, as well as a remote control which allows you to operate it from a distance. There is a thermostat which can be set to whatever timing and temperature you'd like, and a shut-off timer which allows you to cool you apartment down for the day and return to a chilled apartment in the evening; a cool, comfortable night's sleep can also be achieved with this function. The alternative settings (1, 2, 4 & 8 Hour Auto Shut-Off Timer) can meet you need, if you don't need such a long sleep.

Unlike many fans, this tower fan is remarkably thin and yet surprisingly powerful, using QuietSet technology that enables you to vary your options both in terms of temperature and noise. The buttons are touch buttons, if you don't want to use the AAA battery-powered remote, while you can use the oscillating function or not, depending whether or not you want to target just one area or instead, cover a broader sweep. The lighting on this fan can be lowered, so that your night's sleep won't be ruined (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%). The good news is that it requires no tools to set it up, and the remote control conveniently nestles in the rear of the unit, for easy reach.

Honeywell actually offers a wider variety of fans, whether of the oscillating, floor or tower variety. The importance of a decent, efficient, quiet fan is that it dramatically enhances airflow in your apartment or house, and is far cheaper and more eco-friendly than an air-conditioning unit.

Learn more about Honeywell QuietSet Whole Room Tower Fan

2. iHome AIR Fan Compact Air Circulator Fan

HIGHLIGHTS:

    Dual-Speed Fan: Low/High

    12 Sound Programs

    Natural Soothing White Noise

    Cooling Sleep Aid

    Adjustable Airflow

    Easy-To-Adjust Pivoting Head

2.
iHome AIR Fan Compact Air Circulator Fan
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This iHome AIR Fan Compact Air Circulator Fan allows you to create air flow which can zoom in on your body; it operates at both high and low speeds. It has a whopping twelve separate audio programs which wonderfully calm your mind and enable you to get to sleep (Ocean, Storm, Focus, Quiet, Peace, Meditation, Dream, Drive, Zen, Nature, River, Air). It is also adept at creating white noise, which makes it an excellent fan for sleeping; able to be positioned in a vertical or horizontal position, so as to enhance the power of the white noise which is so helpful in terms of drifting off to sleep. White noise actually masks the regular room noise, allowing your brain to switch off rather than remain frazzled and distracted.

Not only does it function in both the closed and open position, it also pivots 90º, allowing you to move air though a variety of corridors simply by altering its flexible head. It boasts timers that can be set for anything up to eight hours, and has a smart plug preset, programmable with any Smart Plug. It includes a universal adapter, 100-240V, so will allow you to use it in a variety of locations.

Learn more about iHome AIR Fan Compact Air Circulator Fan

3. Vornado 460 Small Whole Room Air Circulator Fan

HIGHLIGHTS:

    Vornado's signature Vortex air circulation 

    User-friendly 3-speed manual control 

    Multi-directional airflow

    Optimum performance – deep-pitched blades 

    Customer satisfaction - 5 years warranty 

    US customer service – Andover, KS.

    Meets U.S. voltage requirements. 

    Certified, safety-tested, use in the U.S.

3.
Vornado 460 Small Whole Room Air Circulator Fan
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This smaller, 460 version works along similar lines to its 660 forebear, and boasts a lovely matte finish and dramatic gloss which gives it an aesthetic appeal. It can shift air 70 feet away, thanks to its special vortex action; it is also able to be tiled 90º due to a chrome glide bar, while a helpful knob enables you to activate 3 different speeds, as you wish. It is easy to maintain because there is a grill which can be detached, allowing you easy access to the blades. If anything goes wrong, there is a five-year guarantee, which is highly competitive in this sector.

Unlike a traditional oscillating fan, the Vornado Room Air Circulator Fan uses Vortex Action harnesses a much greater swath of air and so is able to cool everyone in the room; you don't need to be in the immediate trajectory to benefit from it. The 460 uses deep-pitched blades housed in a cylinder-shaped duct, so that a powerful column of air is harnessed to maximum effect. Due to the precise angle of the blades, the air is hitting them a exactly the correct angle to produce this unique effect. The five-year guarantee is supported by a customer service team situated in Andover, KS, so there's not awkward delay or talking to people the other side of the planet. It is constructed to suit U.S voltage requirements, and is safety-tested, certified and warrantied for use solely in the US.

Learn more about Vornado 460 Small Whole Room Air Circulator Fan

4. Hunter Builder Elite Indoor Ceiling Fan - Best Value

HIGHLIGHTS:

    Harvest mahogany reversible blades 

    Multi-speed – use all year round

    User-friendly pull chains

    Height adjustable – 3" & 2" downrods

    Ideal fan for larger spaces

4.
Hunter Builder Elite Indoor Ceiling Fan - Best Value
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The Hunter Builder Elite Traditional Ceiling Fan is as aesthetically appealing as it is functional and durable. It has a sleek, clean look that will help any room to look stylish and even a bit nautical. It incorprates LED bulbs that allow you total control over the lighting, while its 13º blade pitch is perfectly angled so as to provide the maximum amount of airflow and premium performance. It also uses 2" and 3" downrods which keep the correct distance between fan and ceiling and make sure the airflow is kept at an optimum. It also has the capacity to work in reverse, due to its nifty reverse rotation blades; this means you will feel warm in winter and cool in summer.

The mahogany effect blades have the following measurements: 52" x 52" x 11.27", and is ideal in a room with a 9 to 11 foot ceiling. The pull chain control helps you to control the fan's speed settings, as well as switching it on and off. It is ideal for a lounge, bedroom or living room and performs quietly and efficiently to create the desired effect.

Learn more about Hunter Builder Elite Indoor Ceiling Fan

5. Dyson Air Multiplier AM06 Table Fan - Premium Pick

HIGHLIGHTS:

    Patented Air Multiplier technology 

    2 year parts & labor warranty

    Quiet and powerful 

    Programmable sleep timer – 15 min to 9 hours

    Remote control – 10 airflow settings. 

    Remote – curved and magnetized

5.
Dyson Air Multiplier AM06 Table Fan - Premium Pick
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The Dyson Air Multiplier AM06 10-Inch Table Fan is different from the vast majority of regular fans, due to its Air Multiplier technology. This unique technology is able to inhale and exhale air fifteen times as strongly; not only that, it emits a powerful, quiet and high-speed airflow without any need for rotating blades. Some of the many benefits to having a bladeless fan is that it is perfectly safe for pets and children, and is so much easier to clean. Its remote control offers you ten different airflow settings, and is arched so as to fit exactly on the fan's body, and magnetized so that no annoying clips or fastenings are required. It is remarkably quiet, and also has a fully programmable timer to help you get to sleep; you can set it from anything between a quarter of an hour to nine hours. For extra peace of mind, there is a two-year warranty (parts and labor), assuming you buy it through an authorized, reputable reseller.

Learn more about Dyson Air Multiplier AM06 Table Fan

6. Hurricane Classic Series Floor Fan - Budget Pick

HIGHLIGHTS:

    Space-saving, portable design

    3 speeds

    Easy to store 

    ETL Certified: North American gold standard

6.
Hurricane Classic Series Floor Fan - Budget Pick
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The Hurricane® Classic 20 inch Portable Floor Fan boasts a compact, ergonomic design; ideal for professional or personal use. It might also be a real asset in a gym, workshop, garage or greenhouse. It has three distinct speed settings and can dramatically improve indoor airflow and rid a stuffy indoor space of its musty, moldy fumes. Its light but higly durable polymer blades are absolutely efficient when it comes to slicing through stagnant air, while its feet being adjustable and power cord tucking in un a special compartment make it perfect for storing away, maybe in winter months or when moving house. It runs at an impressive 1100 RPM and 2400 CFM, and has a 5 ft. 120 volt power cord as standard. Its dimensions are 20" x 20" x 3.5", and it is ETL Certified, which makes it fit in with North American quality and safety standards.

Learn more about Hurricane Classic Series Floor Fan

Features to Consider With Fans For Sleeping

Room Size

The airflow which your fan produces is crucial, in terms of how effective it's going to be. This tends to be measured in cubic meters per hour (m3/h) or cubic meters per minute (m3/min). If you're going to use a smaller fan on your bedside table then 15 m3/min should be sufficient, whereas if you have a larger bedroom and your box fan further from your bed then 30 m2 might be better, or a generously-sized master bedroom 150 m3/min.

Noise

By nature of its moving parts, a fan will always come with a degree of noise; however, blade rotating fans will tend to be the noisiest; column fans can therefore be a better option if you're highly sensitive to noise. All being equal, it is useful to scrutinize the technical descriptions of the fan you intend to purchase; it will tell you how many decibels (dB) the fan in question makes. You won't want to go over 40 dB, and hopefully can get significantly lower than that if you're willing to invest a little bit more in terms of purchase price.

Blade Length

The longer the blades of your fan are, the more movement they'll generate, so the more noise they're likely to make. However, if the build quality is sturdy enough then there is less likelihood of annoying extra rattling and rocking, so blade length is not always linked to noise. On the whole, though, for a small bedroom you don't need particularly long blades, whereas for a room that's bigger the extra blade length will come in really handy. For a bedroom a blade length of 29" to 36" should suffice.

Temperature Control

These days, there is the option of getting an automated fan control integrated into your model. This actually measures humidity and temperature at floor and ceiling level, so as to calculate heat index – what the temperature feels like, not just what it is in toto. The in-built software in your fan will then adjust its output to make for a more comfortable experience. It functions a little bit like a thermostat in that it regulates and maintains your desired temperature, either generate warmer air through reverse direction oscillation or reagular cooling through the fan's normal operation.

Advanced Features

These days, a decent room fan can cost several hundred dollars; this is mainly due to advanced features such as a dedicated controller app, smart home compatibility, air purification and heating functionality. These features are helping fans to be quieter, controllable to a greater degree than ever before, and connected to your home's various other smart apps. They also mean you are no longer fully dependent on air conditioning or central heating but can use your fan all year round.

Modern electric fan on wooden table

Different Types of Bedroom Fans

Box fans

Box fans are essentially pedestal fans sans the stand. They are placed straight on to your bedroom floor and are able to be tweaked up and down in order to aim the airflow in your favor. They're effective in terms of you being able to cool awkward or difficult to reach areas of your room, while their low-lying position means they'll never fall down and get broken, or at least it would be very hard for this to happen, so long as it is housed in its sturdy U-shaped formation structure.

Desk-top fans

This kind of fan sits snugly on a table or desk and is ideal for smaller spaces; they're really portable, generally smaller sized and take up far less space than a pedestal or tower fan. They're ideal in terms of cooling just one person, and could be an ideal addition to your bedroom at night, if one of you tends to have a higher body temperature than the other.

Pedestal fans

These are essentially floor fans which have the boost of a stand beneath them. The stand can be maneuvered up or down, and also aid you to adjust the angle or even incorporate an oscillating function. They're handy because you don't need to rest them on anything and the airflow can be positioned at a range of heights, trajectories and angles. They're easy to use and are ideal for a medium-sized bedroom.

Tower fans

Tower fans tend to be narrower and taller than a regular fan with fan blades. They tend to be known for their ease of use and their powerful cooling, as well as being really easy to clean. Due to their size and shape they can be easily stowed in an angle of a room, or up against a wall. They operate more quietly than regular fans and often a range of setting such as energy saving and air circulation.

Ceiling fans

A ceiling fan can be a useful addition to your bedroom, because it can circulate in one direction during summer to keep you cooler, and in the other direction during winter to keep you warmer. A ceiling fan is especially useful if you have a high ceiling; it can also incorporate various light fixures so can double up as a lighting as well as a cooling devies. Aesthetically, they come in a whole range of styles, finishes and sizes, so can help you fall asleep in conjunction with a good fan such by your bedside.

Window fans

Window fans are a great alternative to fully-fledged air-conditioning. They operate on a dual fan principle, whereby one fan expels old air while another sucks in fresh air. In this way, hot air is rejected whereas cooler air welcomed in. This should have a dramatic effect on the entire space of your bedroom; not only because it circulates the air but also because new, cooler air is continually being introduced.

Fan For Sleeping FAQ

Q: What does night mode on a fan do?

A:

Having a 'night mode', sometimes called 'sleep mode' located on your fan is a distinct advantage. It tends to be designed to have a star icon on the button on your remote control, and it gradually fine-tunes your fan so that it adapts to suit the best sleeping conditions possible. There will be a subtle shift in temperature, by about a few degrees, with each passing hour that you're asleep; this is due to the natural fall in temperature throughout the night, ie. you want to be cooled during the first part of the night but not overly chilled when temperatures sink. The goal is maintain an equilibrium. In many models, for every time you press the night mode button it adds an extra hour, so if you only want it to be activate for half the night, simply press the button four times, to get four hours of cooling.

Q: Is a fan good for white noise?

A:

You firstly might be scratching your head, wondering what on earth 'white noise' is. In a nutshell, it's an amalgamation of all the hearable frequencies of sound together, a bit like white light being the sum total of all the colors of the light spectrum combined. When it comes to sleeping, white noise can help to filter and block out various loud and unexpected bangs and clangs. Altenatively, unless you've grown up in an extremely silent environment it's likely that you will always have some sort of background or 'white noise' around you, so by strategically increasing it whilst struggling to get to sleep you can lull your brain into slumber.

An electric fan, therefore, isn't just a powerful tool to help your skin evaporate moisture and so cool you down; it also has the power to double up as a white noise machine, especially when on a low rather than high setting. The lowest setting will tend to give you just that right amount of hum in order to soothe you into sleep. Therefore, while a powerful fan can be useful in terms of shifting the amount of air around you, on its least powerful setting it can help your brain to glide into a stasis whereby isolated sounds can no longer stop you from getting a good night's sleep.

Panorama Ceiling fan with wood blades and built in lights

Q: Is it safe to sleep with a fan on all night?

A:

Obviously, with 'night mode' on, you can enjoy the benefits of a fan all night long; however, there are some disadvantages to this, such as:

  • Allergies

Fans happen to circulate not only air but microscopic particles of pollen, spores, and dust mites. These and other allergens can increase unwanted things such as runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, and an itchy throat. The symptoms of asthma are another thing that could be exacerbated if your fan is whirring around throughout your time asleep.

  • Congestion

Your throat and nose area is very sensitive to being dried out; a dry sleeping atmosphere can cause mucus to be produced excessively, resulting in a blocked up nose, headaches and even sinusitis. Yes, drinking more water is one option; however, this can interrupt your sleep, leaving you feeling more tired the next day.

  • Skin

Constant air being stirred up all around you may lead to you having drier skin, possibly irritated and blotchy. Moisturizer creams can help, to some extent, although you could also consider setting the fan on a timer so that it doesn't go on all night; just an hour or two.

  • Muscle Aches

Having cold air moving over you in the night can exacerbate muscle contractions; muscles tend to become more tense and cramped. Actually, this is something that air conditioning can cause, to, so you should ensure that your room does not sink below the 60º F mark, in order to prevent this.

  • Minimizing Negative Effects

There are ways, however, in which your fan can become less hazardous to your health during the night. You can consider altering its speed setting, and also the distance from it to your bed. You could also put a strict timer on, so that the above maladies won't have time to develop, but will cease after just a few hours' use.

  • Air Filters

To reduce the likelihood of succumbing to allergies, purchasing a fan that has a decent filter embedded in it can make a big difference when it comes to the spread of allergens, spores and dust mites.

  • Rotating

Fans that have the capability of rotating or oscillating help to spread out the airflow and avoid just one area of your body from being unduly target; this could lessen the chance of suffering from a sore neck, dry nose, or aching muscles. Oscillation could be the key.

  • Timer

Your fan can be used in conjunction with a timer, so as to prevent the coldest part of the night from becoming really cold. The temperature generally plummets in the early hours, so there is less need for your fan to be active between the hours of 2 to 6 am.

  • Benefits

With all of the caveats, having at your disposal the cooling power of a quiet fan throughout the night is a distinct benefit. In summer months, when humidity is high, you really need to circulate air as a matter of priority. Fan speeds, whether fast or moderate, will allow airflow to be maintained and will help your sweat to evaporate instantaneously, as your oscillating fan uses its fan blades effectively and at a moderate to minimal noise level.

  • Comfort

Hot sleepers tend to wake up sweating. Disturbed sleep leads to daytime drowsiness, affecting productivity. Sleeping with the fan on prevents overheating. Even if you sweat at night, the breeze dries away excess moisture, keeping you cool and comfortable while you sleep.

  • Circulation

Airflow is crucial, regardless of whether your windows are open or shut. Just one vornado or easy to control cooling device can make all the difference. It will help whatever air is in your home to be dynamic and lively, rather than static and stuffy. This also reduces the extent to which dust may build up in your home; if the air is more alive then, when windows are opened at various points in the day, dust particles will fly out and fresh air will fly in. In dust gets embedded onto furniture and carpets it is very hard to remove, other than serious deep cleaning.

  • Electricity

Even the best fans for sleeping, which use a variety of speed settings and are easy to clean still use up valuable electricity, thus adding to your monthly spend on this. You can consider an old-school trick, such as freezing some bottles of water throughout the day, then placing them tactically in front of your fan during the night. The air circulation will become tangibly colder, at least for a few hours, and those are the hours you need in order to drift off into a comfortable sleep. Thus, you don't need to be cranking up your fan to the higher of the three speed settings; nor do you need to engage the services of your trusty air conditioner.

  • SIDS

Certain studies have concluded that keeping a fan on all night can actually lower the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), due to the dispersal of dangerous levels of carbon dioxide which occur, and the lower air temperatures. SIDS is actually number three in terms of causes of infant mortality, so this really is a big deal.

Sources

    Does sleeping with a fan cause back or neck pain? - Sleepjunkies

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