How to Get the Best Night's Sleep in the Heat of the Summer

Summer always has plenty of things to look forward to: warm nights, outdoor fun, and holidays. Sleepless nights, however, aren’t as welcome. When it’s difficult drifting off or trying to stay asleep, hotter temperatures make it harder to get the rest you need.

You might have perfected your bedtime routine, but that can all change when the summer heat arrives. Here, we will delve into some top tips for helping you get a rejuvenating night of sleep despite the rising temperatures.

Are fans worth it?

When the air is sticky and sleep becomes difficult, the battle begins. Do you need to ditch your quilt? Sleep by a window? Leave a fan running all night long? The latter of these options may not be a good choice. Although using a fan does regulate room temperature and give a consistent airflow, one big downside is their tendency to aggravate allergic reactions due to dust and pollen being disrupted and dispersed around the room, so if you do suffer from hay fever or asthma, you may find yourself in more trouble! But if you like to sleep to the white noise produced by a fan, a great tip is to place four bottles of frozen saltwater on a tray in front of the fan so it can produce a cool breeze. Set a timer so your fan isn’t running all night too, and this will help lower the allergens being kicked up around the room.

Cotton on to better bedding

Many aspire for the most ‘Instagramable’ home, but sometimes, aesthetically pleasing items aren’t the most practical. Your silk bed sheets may look fantastic, but they aren’t the best for keeping you chilled in rising temperatures. Cotton has great breathable characteristics which will help keep you cool on hot summer nights, and for added freshness, always opt for a light colour scheme – the last thing you want is a dark colour absorbing more heat! The less heat trapped between sheets will make it easier for you to feel comfortable and cool to drift away.

It's all about sleepwear

Just like cotton sheets, cotton nightwear is loose, soft to the touch, and will help keep you comfortable on warm nights. For added chill, place your sleepwear into a plastic bag and pop them in the freezer while you go through your nightly skincare routine – when you put them on after, they’ll give you added relief as you settle into bed!

Still having issues after cooling down?

Even after cooling down and getting snug in bed, it can still be hard to drift off to a peaceful sleep. This is often due to your brainwave activity, which changes day to day depending on what you’re doing or feeling. When experiencing slower brainwaves, we feel more sluggish, slow, or tired, but when high frequencies take over, we feel hyper-alert and energised.

Rebecca Lockwood, a hypnotist and positive psychology trainer, shares her tips for helping you create a calm, relaxed state of mind to help you drift away easily.

• Focus on a spot on the wall in front of you, around 45 degrees from where you are.

• As you begin to focus, let your awareness spread out towards all corners of the room. You will be able to see the spot, the area around you, and right up to the corners of the room.

• Imagine then taking that awareness and wrapping it around you – notice how comforting that relaxing feeling is – and begin to bring your eyes down to eye level.

Whenever you are struggling to fall back to sleep at night, if you ever find your mind getting busier or you are worrying or feeling anxious, just allow yourself to fall into this state of being – you will instantly feel relaxation come over you.

With lots of things impacting sleep, from stress to longer days, don’t let the heat be the one thing keeping you from dreaming away! These tips should help you drift away in the balmy heat without the need to count sheep!

Sources

https://www.indy100.com/news/should-you-sleep-with-a-fan-on-why-bad-idea-uk-heatwave-sun-weather-8464436

https://www.goodto.com/wellbeing/how-to-sleep-in-heat-41658

https://www.resmed.com.au/blog/too-hot-to-sleep-16-tips-to-getting-sleep-on-a-hot-night

https://restonic.com/blog/10-ways-beat-heat-sleep-0716

https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep/long-summer-days-affecting-your-sleep-how-to-get-the-rest-you-need