Wet-fabric contact prolongs conductive cooling

This proposed hypothesis asks whether wet clothing or bedding can prolong cooling after a hot flash and help trigger a cold rebound that wakes a sleeper again. The proposed mechanism is physical contact: liquid bridges between wet fabric and skin could replace air gaps with pathways that carry body heat outward, even after sweating stops. The decisive test would preserve water, sweat secretion and blood-vessel state while measured evaporation stays near zero. Researchers would compare a spacer that separates wet fabric from skin with a pressure-matched sham condition. If separation immediately lowers outward heat flow and later reduces cold rebound without drying, that pattern would support wet-contact geometry over an evaporation-dependent explanation.