Sleep is a natural process that our body needs in order to repair itself. As children, we often didn’t want to sleep. There was so much to do—play, draw, walk—and so little time! But as we soon found out, sleeping is inevitable. We sleep because we need it. This naturally recurring process is needed to rejuvenate our cells, turn short-term memories into long-term ones and replenish our energy.
While sleep is natural and important, a lot of people find it difficult to sleep. There are a lot of factors that affect the quality and frequency of our sleep. One of these qualities is temperature.
Sleeping in very hot and humid environments can get pretty difficult. You’re sweating a lot, you’re uncomfortable, you can’t relax enough in order to sleep or your sleep may be interrupted because of the hot weather.
At Sleepy’s Express they try to find ways for you to sleep better. Apply these tips every night to sleep better and wake up feeling refreshed. You will surely combat this heat until the weather gets colder.
1. Turn on the air conditioner
This one’s pretty obvious. But we thought to include it here to get it out of the way. If your room is unbearably hot to make sleep possible, close the windows and turn on your air conditioner. An air-conditioned room is cool and relaxing, perfect for getting the body ready for sleep.
If the air conditioner is unavailable or non-existent, you may turn up the fan and place it at the foot of your bed. This way, you are cooled from the foot up. The body loses heat more easily through the head and the feet. By placing a fan near your feet, you are accelerating this heat loss. If you have the resources to use and purchase multiple fans, do it as they will help.
It is also a good idea to open up all windows and roll back the curtains to let the breeze in. However, only do this if the atmosphere outside your house is colder than the air inside.
2. Take a shower before going to bed
Showering before bed is actually a good habit that can help you sleep better, especially if the weather is hot. Take a cool (not too cold!) or lukewarm shower before laying down on your mattress to lower the internal temperature of your body and your skin. This is one of the best ways to prepare your body to sleep.
Don’t take an ice-cold bath as this can disrupt your circadian rhythm. Ice-cold water will stimulate your brain and tell the rest of your body to “wake up!” which is the opposite of what you want. Likewise, an extremely hot shower has the same effect. That’s why water at lukewarm temperature or water that leans to the colder end works best.
3. Wear less, sleep more
It’s the same reason why people tend to wear less in the summer. The more skin that is exposed, the cooler you feel. This applies to sleeping as well. Don’t make yourself too uncomfortable by bundling up in layers of clothes—it’s not wintertime! Let your skin breathe and be in contact with the air.
If you are a fan of sleeping naked, it’s actually a good way to sleep in the heat better. Sleeping without any clothes also brings a lot of health benefits: it makes your skin better, reduces stress, improves the quality of your sleep, and so much more.
4. Move your bed
A basic scientific concept is that hot air rises (this is what makes hot air balloons work!). Air is likely to be hotter on the second floor of your home, compared to the air downstairs.
If you have a spare bedroom downstairs, now is the best time to make use of that. Or you can move your mattress to your first-floor sofa. This way, you are utilising the best of what you have. Try sleeping downstairs for a night and compare your sleep quality when you are upstairs. Use this observation to decide if you should continue sleeping on the first floor.
5. Sleep alone
When trying to sleep during a heatwave, it’s much recommended to sleep on your bed alone, without anyone. If it’s possible to sleep in separate beds with the person you share the bed with, do so.
Shared body heat is helpful to warm up during the winter. The opposite happens when it’s extremely hot, however. You don’t need extra body heat right now.
6. Invest in a cooling mattress
If you want to get results fast, the best way is to invest in a cooling mattress. They’re basically mattresses with cooling systems to provide lower body temperatures so that you can sleep better. There are a variety of cooling mattresses that offer different cooling methods. Some are infused with TitaniumGel (a cooling liquid), others are constructed for better airflow, while some have electronic cooling systems installed inside.
When choosing your cooling mattress, you would want something that is comfortable and has a well-functioning cooling system.
7. Makeshift cooling packs
If you are tight in budget, however, you can make do with makeshift cooling packs that you can take with you to bed instead.
If you have a thermostat, you can fill it with water and freeze it all day long. Take it out before going to bed. You may even sleep with a soaked towel on top of you. Make sure to place a dry towel underneath your body so as to not soak your mattress.
You may apply ice packs or soaked towels or wristbands to the parts of your body where your pulses are. These include your wrist, ankles, groin and joints.
Or, you can wet your face with a mist to feel refreshed and rehydrated. The cold water and air from the fan will produce a cooling effect on your skin.
It has been scientifically proven that a lower body temperature results in a better sleep quality. While sleeping in the heat can get unbearable, there are certainly a lot of things you can do to make it more comfortable.
