Struggling to sleep in the heat? You're not alone. As temperatures soar, many of us find it harder to get a good night’s rest. Hot, sticky nights can make sleep feel almost impossible, unless you know how to handle the heat. Fortunately, we turned to our resident sleep expert, Christabel, for her top tips and insights on staying cool and sleeping well when it’s warm outside.
How can heat affect our sleep? How can bad sleep affect our day/life?
Temperature is a big influence on sleep. If the room is too hot, people often have trouble dropping off and get more fragmented sleep. To get to sleep, your core body temperature has to drop and this coincides with a release of melatonin, the hormone that indicates to the body it's time for sleep. If the room is too hot, this process is interrupted.
Sleep is an essential biological process, like breathing. Sleep deprivation and disturbance leads to a number of daytime issues, especially with cognitive processing - memory and learning are affected, decision making and reaction times are impaired so you are more likely to make mistakes, be less efficient, have accidents (be careful about driving). You will be more emotionally reactive as sleep plays a role in emotion regulation, more snappy, irritable, less resilient to stress, and experience low mood. Poor sleep disrupts the hormones that regulate appetite and hunger so you are more likely to choose unhealthy foods and eat more calories. Sleep also is important for maintaining long term health so over time there is a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, obesity, type 2 diabetes, dementia and mental health problems.
What are the best ways to keep cool (at night) during a heatwave?
To prevent the bedroom getting too hot, in the early morning and evening open windows to allow cool air in but during the day close the windows and curtains/ blinds. Sleep with windows open if safe and if noise is not an issue. Open the bedroom door to increase airflow. Reduce bedding and bedclothes. You could even move your mattress to a cooler room. Sleeping downstairs and closer to the floor is generally cooler. Don't exercise or eat a meal in the last few hours before bed as these activities increase body temperature.
What bedding is best to get and what’s best to wear to bed, if anything?
Bedding and bedclothes made from natural fibres are best as these will regulate body temperature far better than man-made fibres. This includes your bedclothes, bedding, pillows and mattress. In hot weather, you may need very little, possibly just a sheet to cover you and minimal bedclothes such as underwear or nothing at all.
Are fans a good idea or do they circulate too much hot heat around? Is AC better?
Some people find fans help, other people don't like the noise or find fans uncomfortable. Ensure the fan is clean from dust as if not this can cause allergy issues. AC can be helpful - generally a temperature of 16-20 degrees is optimal for sleep.
If sharing a bed, would separate duvets help?
With another body in the bed, the temperature will increase. If you are struggling to sleep in hot weather, separate duvets could help, or a bigger bed! Also having a gap between you.
Showering before bed (should it be hot or cold?), having a lighter evening meal, exercising in the evening, and freezing sheets – would you recommend any of these?
A tepid (not excessively hot or cold) shower or bath can help as your body will warm up slightly in the water, then when you come out body temperature will dip, mimicking the natural process that happens before sleep.
A lighter evening meal and eating earlier can help as mentioned above, but don't go to bed hungry as this can interfere with sleep.
Exercise is generally helpful for sleep at any time, including the evening, but avoid vigorous, intense exercise in the last couple of hours before sleep, as mentioned above.
I'm not sure about freezing the sheets! If you have space in your freezer, you could give it a go but by the time you've made the bed again I'm not sure if it will make much difference!
Does extra hydration throughout the day keep you cooler?
In hot weather, hydration during the day is essential. Since you will be sweating more to cool the body, extra fluid is vital. Dehydration can lead to sleep disturbance, so avoid excess alcohol and have a glass of water by the bed in case you wake thirsty.
