Ben & Jerry’s is now making pillowcases – this is why the weirdest launch of the summer actually makes sense

As Ideal Home's Sleep Editor, I've seen a lot of weird and wonderful product launches in my time. But one thing I certainly never expected to see was ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's suddenly launching a pillowcase collection.

Better known for their frozen dessert, bedding seems a (very) strange new direction for the brand, but, actually, once I understood the logic, I have to admit that it makes sense. Kind of!

What's more, when it comes to where to buy bedding, you usually won't encounter any way to dress your bed that's *free*. But this new Ben & Jerry's pillowcase range is.

There are three pillowcases in Ben & Jerry's unconventional collection, and, of course, they're inspired by the brand's most popular ice cream flavours. There are Cookie Dough, Phish Food, and Half Baked pillowcase designs, and all come served rolled up in a limited-edition Ben & Jerry's ice cream tub.

Weird? Definitely, but this is also part of their ingenuity. The collection has been launched to coincide with the upcoming warm September weather, and to offer a solution to what sleep experts are dubbing 'cranium cooling.'

The idea is you stick your Ben & Jerry's pillowcase straight into your freezer in its freezer-ready tub, and when a too-warm bedtime arrives, you pop your chilled pillowcase onto your pillow to cool down your head.

Is it a marketing gimmick? Absolutely. But it's also a gimmick that sleep experts say can actually work to help us sleep better in warm weather.

As Ben & Jerry's reveals, new research commissioned via OnePoll found that over half of Brits say flipping to the cool side of the pillow is crucial for a decent night’s sleep, with 56% agreeing that flipping to the cool side helps them fall asleep.

Ben & Jerry’s also found that a further 42% of those polled admitted they are already officially fed up with the summer heat, and 72% are now desperately craving 'cosy season'.

Had I been polled, I would definitely have been one of those cosy season cravers, and a large part of that is how badly I've slept during this summer's heatwaves.

I imagine none of us enjoy tossing and turning in bed when it's too hot and humid to drift off, and an overly warm pillow definitely adds to that misery.

Plus, as sleep expert and clinical psychologist Dr. Zoe Gotts explains, there's a scientific reason why a hot head makes it harder to fall asleep, and why cooling our cranium (otherwise known as head cooling or brain cooling) can help us sleep better.

'When you cool the head and neck area directly, you’re doing more than simply making yourself comfortable,' explains Zoe, 'you’re tapping into one of the body’s key signals for sleep: temperature.

'Cooling the head can help with heat dissipation and thermal comfort, particularly when you’re too warm to sleep, potentially making it easier to settle and stay asleep.

'Rather than forcing the brain to switch off, you’re creating the right thermal conditions for the body’s natural sleep system to take over. Think of it as helping your body press the sleep button,' Zoe explains.

Do you need a Ben & Jerry's pillowcase to make the most of this cooling hack? No. But the brand's pillowcases are free, and they do come in a freezer-ready tub. Plus, they're kinda fun!

To get your hands on one, you simply need to enter the Ben & Jerry's giveaway before it ends on Sunday 14 September at 11:59 pm.

And if you're not a lucky winner, you can, of course, use one of your existing pillowcases to try out this cooling trick instead.

Or, if you really want to create the ultimate cranium-cooling sleep setup, I recommend investing in one of the best silk pillowcases. They're not cheap, but the silky fabric is much cooler than any other fabric I've slept on, and they've certainly made a big difference to this hot-sleeper's shut-eye over the summer.