From skipping exercise to freezing water bottles – here are 10 tips for sleeping through a heatwave, according to an expert
After months of disappointing weather and grey skies, most of us were ready to wave goodbye to any glimpse of summer once and for all.
However, the warmest weather of the year is on the cards for this week as a heatwave is set to bring temperatures of more than 30C to parts of the UK.
With hot days also come warmer nights and this can affect how well we sleep. In fact, over half of the UK (55%) gave heat as the most common reason for sleeplessness according to a study by And So To Bed.
Dr Lindsay Browning, psychologist and sleep expert at luxury bed retailer, And So To Bed explains the reason why we struggle to sleep in the heat in particular, is all to do with science: “As we fall asleep our body temperature naturally drops. When the room is too hot or your covers are too thick, you can struggle to reduce your body temperature, which makes falling asleep much harder.”
To help avoid restlessness and poor sleep over the coming days, Dr Lindsay Browning, has provided her top tips for sleeping in a heatwave below:
1. Wear PJs made of natural fibres
If you are someone that likes to sleep in cosy PJs all year round, to stay cool in bed you should stick to natural fibres such as cotton. Cotton pyjamas are great for the heat because they can help to wick away moisture, such as sweat. This helps lower your temperature because the vapour is free to transfer through the fibre, lowering the humidity between the fabric and the body, which provides you with a cool feeling.
If you do prefer to sleep without clothes on then this can also help to keep you cool, but only if the bedsheets are made of natural, rather than man-made, fibres. For example, polyester fabrics do not absorb sweat, which can make for a moist and clammy uncomfortable night.
2. Keep the room dark during the day
Keeping the curtains shut during the day will stop the sun from heating up the room. The sun beaming on your windows creates a greenhouse effect, keeping them closed means that when bedtime comes around the room is a lot cooler than what it would be otherwise.
3. Open the windows overnight
Generally, when it is really hot outside it’s a good idea to keep windows closed during the daytime, as you don’t want the hot external air to come into your house warming it up. However, after the sun goes down, the outside air will start to cool down.
At this point, it is a great idea to open the windows to let in a breeze of cool external air into the bedroom, helping cool the room and to provide needed air circulation. If you live by a noisy street this may not be advantageous as the noise may make it hard to sleep, but as long as you don’t live next door to a barking dog or a train station, it’s worth a try.
4. Use a water spray at night
One option to keep your bedding cool is to purchase a clean water spray gun or mister (similar to the ones used for plants or while ironing) and keep it next to your bed at night. Lightly misting your covers, mattress and pillow with water can help maintain their coolness.
Additionally, you can keep the spray bottle by your bed and use it as a refreshing spray for your face, neck and wrists during hot nights.
5. Take a cool shower
Right before you go to bed, reduce your body temperature by having a cool shower. Your body temperature needs to drop when you go to sleep, giving it a helping hand by cooling off in a cool shower should help you get to sleep faster.
Note, the shower should be cool or luke-warm. If it is too cold you might wake yourself up, and if too hot you might struggle to cool down in time to sleep.
6. Sleep alone
If the heat becomes unbearable, consider sleeping separately from your partner. Sharing a bed during hot weather can be quite uncomfortable as it increases body heat so it’ll take longer for you to fall asleep. If it’s an option, it could be worth one of you sleeping in the spare room or in the living room on a short-term basis.
7. Place a frozen water bottle in front of your fan
In the midst of a heatwave a fan generally pushes around warm air. To make the fan more effective, put a large bottle of water (1.5l or 2l plastic bottle) in the freezer until completely frozen.
When bedtime rolls around, place the frozen water bottle in front of the fan. This will cool the air the fan is blowing, making the room more comfortable during those unbearably hot nights.
8. Keep well hydrated throughout the day
In hot weather it is vital that you keep well hydrated throughout the day. Having a cool glass of water next to your bed at night can be a convenient and helpful way to ensure you can hydrate easily, especially if you tend to wake up feeling thirsty or dehydrated.
9. Ditch your duvet
If you are someone that needs to sleep under the covers at night, instead of your duvet (no matter how low the tog), try to use a straight cotton bedsheet or quilt cotton cover instead – and if there are two of you, have one each. This will ensure moisture wicks away from each individual and bed-sharers don’t end up sticking to each other.
If you can bear it, sleep with your feet outside of the covers as well. We lose heat from our head and feet, by covering them you are trapping the heat. Set those toes free and feel cooler as a result.
10. Avoid vigorous exercise too close before bedtime
Engaging in vigorous exercise too close to bedtime can impact your ability to cool down and potentially disrupt your sleep. When you exercise vigorously, your body temperature rises and it can take some time for it to return to normal levels.
This rise in body temperature can interfere with the natural cooling process that occurs during sleep and make it more challenging for you to fall asleep or maintain a restful sleep.
Ideally, it’s best to allow a sufficient cool-down period after vigorous exercise before going to bed. This will give your body enough time to lower its temperature and return to a more relaxed state. The specific duration needed for a cool-down period can vary from person to person, but a general guideline is to avoid exercising vigorously within two to three hours before bedtime.
