Top Tips For Sleeping Peacefully During A Heatwave

How Do You Keep Cool In A Heatwave At Night?

When the temperature starts to rise outside, sleep can prove to be elusive for many of us. After all, a cool environment is often a prerequisite to drift off. If you are struggling to sleep during a heatwave and you don’t have the luxury of air conditioning in your home, this article will provide you with a few useful top tips that should provide a helping hand.

1. Adjust Your Bedding

First, you need to make sure that you have the right bedding. Obviously, you want to put away thicker duvets and blankets. Focus on your sheet materials. Cotton is preferable to satin, silk, or polyester as it is breathable and facilitates good ventilation.

2. Take A Cool Shower Before Bed

The hours before bed can make such a big difference to whether or not you get a good night’s sleep. A cool bath or shower will get you nice and chilly before you crawl into bed. However, avoid having a freezing cold shower as this can end up stimulating your skin and having the opposite effect to the one that you were intending.

3. Turn Off Your Gadgets

While this tip isn’t directly linked to staying cool, it is good general advice that can help you to drift off at night. We live in a connected world that is full of devices, but they can prove to be highly stimulating rather than having the relaxing effect that you should be looking for, so turn them off before bedtime.

4. Invest In A Fan

If you don’t have the budget to put in air conditioning, a fan is the next best thing. There are all sorts of different options out there including oscillating fans and desk fans. If you are looking for an extra special technique, you could try freezing a bottle of water and putting it in front of the fan for an extra blast of cold air as you are going to sleep.

5. Invest In A Window Air Conditioner

Window air conditioners are an excellent addition to many rooms as they don’t take up any floor space, and you don’t need the long hose to connect to the floor. As well as this, they are often the quieter choice and tend to be the cheaper option too.

6. Use Your Windows Wisely

It may seem like the natural choice to simply open your windows when you are trying to keep cool. In fact, things are not that straightforward. If the outside is warmer than the inside, it is better to keep windows closed at night. Take the opposite measure in an alternate situation. If one side of your house is shadier in the morning, it can help to open your windows during these hours to cool down your space.

7. Watch What You Drink

When temperatures rise, it feels natural to turn to a cold drink to cool down. In fact, it is a hot drink that can have the best effect but avoid drinking anything with caffeine that can end up keeping you up into the early hours. Hot beverages will raise your core body temperature, leading to more sweating. Your body will then cool down as sweat evaporates. If you do prefer to have a cool drink, you should avoid anything alcoholic. Water is the best option or cool tea.

8. Go to Bed With A Cold-Water Bottle

While a hot-water bottle is great during the colder nights of the years, you can also use it during the warmer nights as a cold-water bottle. All you have to do is fill it with some cold water and put it in the freezer. Another nice option is to put some damp flannels in the freezer, which you can use on your face and body as you like.

9. Choose The Correct Sleeping Attire

During the warmer months, you don’t want to be wearing too much to bed. You could try some moisture-wicking pajamas that are specifically made to absorb sweat and keep you from waking up in a sweaty mess.

10. Pick A Different Sleeping Location

In more extreme situations of heat, you may even want to choose a different sleeping situation entirely. Remember that heat rises, so you could set up a mattress on the floor or perhaps a futon. Alternatively, why not set up a bedroom in another room of the house? If you have a basement or ground floor, this may prove to be the most appealing option.

By putting some of these techniques into practice, you should be able to drift off during a heatwave. You may have to mix and match until you find the right combination of techniques that work best for you but keep trying and you will get there in the end.

Sources:

1. Why Is It So Difficult to Sleep When It’s Hot? – Penn Today
2. How to Sleep When It’s Too Hot Outside – Sleep Foundation
3. Greener Ways to Keep Cool During a Heat Wave – State of the Planet
4. How to Keep Your House Cool in a Heatwave – QUT Housing Innovation