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Keep Your Cool!

Special Pajamas to Get You Through "Hot Flash" Nights

By Kelly Burgess

Karen Neuburger, already a well-known designer of comfortable, feminine sleepwear and products for the home, recently came out with her own line of moisture-wicking sleepwear, Cool Dry Comfort. Like McClung, Neuburger was inspired by her own journey through the temperature fluctuations of menopause. But she also had to be true to her company's commitment to comfort and beauty.

"We did a lot of research, and our biggest problem was getting the cotton commodity so the pajamas were not all synthetic," says Neuburger. "It took us a while to develop a cotton-rich fabric that would wick moisture away as effectively as synthetics but with the comfort and softness of cotton. I'm extremely pleased with the result and we've had wonderful feedback from customers as well. If you turn the fabric inside out, you can see the honeycomb effect that enhances the wicking nature, but the pajamas are as beautiful as any cotton product."

Neuberger's Cool Dry Comfort pajamas are beautiful, but sales have undoubtedly been helped by one of the most famous menopausal woman of them all: Oprah. She recently declared that they are her favorite jammies.

For the most part, buying a pair of these pajamas is pricier than going to your local department store and picking up a cute set imprinted with coffee cups or sheep, but in the long run the investment is probably worth it in mental health benefits. The problem with temperature fluctuations is not just the hassle of getting up and changing sheets, pillows and pajamas, but also the lasting effects of interrupted sleep and its accompanying fatigue.

The fatigue factor can make a stressful life even tougher for menopausal women who, as much research points out, are often also dealing with additional life stresses such as aging parents, children in college or in their teens, and worries about the future.

Want to see more?

• Here's a Hot Flash: How to Manage Menopause Naturally
• Take Charge of Your Health: 7 Tests for Every Woman
• Fearless Aging: Staying Fit and Beautiful in Your 50s and Beyond
• Talk about it!