6 Tips for Sleeping in the Heat

It’s summer! The sunny season comes with so many perks: barbecues and time outdoors, longer days, suntans, and so much more. It does, however, come with a couple of downsides, and one of those downsides is that it can be tricky to fall asleep when the weather is warm.

It’s said that the optimal temperature for sleeping is around 18.3°C, but it does depend on people’s personal preferences. It goes without saying that one of the best ways to keep yourself cool enough to sleep well in the heat is to get air conditioning but, if that isn’t an option for you, we have 6 simple tips for getting to sleep in the warm summer weather. 

Block out the light

While it’s great to have natural lighting indoors, it can really heat up your home in the summer. Blocking out natural light by drawing your curtains or closing your blinds during the day is a surefire way to reduce the temperature in your bedroom at night, especially the windows which are south-, west-, and east-facing, as these get the most sun.

Get closer to the ground

Heat rises. So, the closer to the floor you are when you sleep, the cooler you’ll be. Moving your mattress from the bed frame to the floor or simply setting up camp on the floor could help you keep cool throughout the night.

Consider when you exercise

If your exercise routine takes place in the evening, it could be worth changing it up during the summer. Exercise gets you warmed up and you can stay warm for a while, so why not try exercising in the mornings if you can fit that into your routine?

Practice good sleep hygiene

Your sleep hygiene is important all year round if you want to get a good night’s sleep consistently. But, it’s all the more important in the summer if you struggle to sleep in the heat. Sleep hygiene refers to your sleep habits and we have a whole blog post full of pointers on how to improve your sleep hygiene. Read our blog post on sleep hygiene by clicking here.

Take a bath/shower before bed

This may seem counterintuitive, but having a warm bath or shower before you go to bed can help your bedroom feel cooler. This trick of the mind can actually be really effective and is also really good for helping you relax before bed. Win, win!

Use ice

There are a number of ways you can use ice to cool down for bed. Firstly, you can fill a hot water bottle with water, freeze it during the day, and take it to bed with you to cool down. Paired with a soft covering, this can be really cozy.

Another way is to place a large bowl of ice under a fan. This will cool the air as it blows onto you. You can also use cold compresses on your pressure points (wrists, behind your knees, the back of your neck, and the insides of your elbows) to cool yourself down quickly and effectively.