We’ve all been there. Tossing and turning in bed, late at night with no sheet, sweating through hot June and July summer nights. Unfortunately, us Brits aren’t blessed by air con or cool houses most of the time, so these sweltering nights can really get to us.
Doze spoke to Lisa Artis, the deputy CEO of The Sleep Charity, about different ways to fall asleep in the heat. I tried and tested a few for myself in the May heatwave and rated them.
Lisa said,”These are some simple, very effective steps to ensure that you stay cool and comfortable in bed.”
“While the tips below may sound like obvious advice to some, the majority of people do not take these measures.”
- “Creating a draught, opening windows and doors.”
A classic. As I sleep in an attic bedroom, I can’t really sleep in the heat without opening a window. Unfortunately, I do live on a relatively busy residential street and even that is noisy at times, so I can’t imagine what it’s like for hot sleepers in hot cities. Good in theory – but does depend on where you live. 7/10.
- “Put a hot water bottle filled with ice cold water in bed.”
I was wary of this one, but I do love a hot water bottle in winter, so I thought surely this will do the trick. Actually, I found this really good for about 20 minutes, and then my body temperature cooled down enough that I didn’t feel I needed it anymore. Only downside is you have to plan in advance for the ice, and it’s slightly inaccessible unless you’re at home. 8/10.
- “Cool a pillow case in the fridge before bedtime or try one of the new cooling pillows that are available to buy.”
Everyone loves the cool side of the pillow, especially in summer. When you just can’t sleep and you turn it over and for 5 beautiful minutes you’re comfortable. Unfortunately, humans are warm, and I found this to have the same effect in that it became my body temperature very quickly. Although, I haven’t tried a cooling pillow and would be interested to see what they are like. 5/10.
- “Cool socks in the fridge and put them on. Cooling your feet lowers the overall temperature of your skin and body.”
Ok, I nearly froze my socks for this one, and I did feel a bit silly doing it. But it was surprisingly nice. However, socks in bed to me are abominable, and I took them off anyway. So I’m maybe not the best candidate for this one. 6/10.
- “Avoid too much caffeine, alcohol or a big meal. They can all make you feel hot and steamy in the middle of the night through dehydration and overactive digestion.”
I really love all three of these things, so this was particularly hard. But I don’t drink coffee in the afternoon and I avoided the other two, as well as staying hydrated in the evening. Honestly, this did work the best. I was still hot, but it was noticeably more tolerable. Never underestimate the power of cutting out things you like (sorry). 8/10.
- “Have a cool (not cold) shower or bath before bedtime to lower your core body temperature plus it rinses off sweat so you feel cool and clean.”
I think this is a winner for me. On hot days, you want a cool shower anyway and it really does regulate your body temperature. 10/10.
Speaking of showers, when it’s warm I like to wash my hair and sleep with it wet. I know this offends a lot of hair stylists but having wet hair makes you feel so damn cold, and it really helps in summer.
There are plenty of other ways to keep cool, from wet t-shirts to purposely made cool sheets and beds with temperature-regulating technology. If you have any other suggestions about sleeping in the coming summer months, let us know on @dozemag on Instagram!
