Sleeping in the heat isn’t easy. Bearing in mind how drowsy it makes us feel during the day, you’d think we’d be dropping off left, right and centre, but that’s not what happens. At least not at night.
According to Lisa Artis of The Sleep Council. “Your body temperature needs to drop slightly before you go to sleep, which is why it’s difficult to drop off when you’re too hot. Ideally, bedrooms should be around 16-18°C (60-65°F) but, if at night-time, temperatures remain higher, it can be difficult to achieve that.”
Short of banishing hubby to the spare room (apparently sharing your bed with a partner is like sharing it with a 100w electric fire), what can you do to help drop off?
- Cool the bedroom with a fan, or by opening windows and trying to create a cross-breeze. This helps keep the air moving, producing a nice, cooling draft over your skin.
- Spritz yourself with cooling mists. Some are ready-chilled in the can – ideal for a hot flush or nightsweat – but mineral-rich spring or spa waters, such as Avene may contain natural anti-inflammatory ingredients that take heat out of your skin and make you feel a lot more comfortable.
- If hot flushes and nightsweats add to your difficulties, look for water-filled pillows (such as the Chillow) and mattress toppers which basically work like giant cooling gel pads to absorb heat from your body. Alternatively, spritz your sheets with water – a plant mister bottle will do the trick. It’s effective because water conducts heat away from the body 25 times faster than air and is why we feel cold when we get out of a swimming pool.
- Choose pure cotton sheets and pillowcases as they’ll wick away perspiration, whereas synthetic fabrics tend to trap the heat. Choose low 200-300 thread counts since higher numbers, especially, those above 400, are too tightly woven and can trap the heat.
- Try a 15-minute tepid (24C-29C) bath before bed. It’s one of the absolute best body coolers because it enables your circulation to slowly release all its excess heat into the water and the cooling effect then lasts up to six hours. Don’t be tempted to cool the water further. It may seem more refreshing initially but, once your skin surface feels cool, the pores close and you stop releasing residual inner heat. That’s why you feel hot again soon afterwards.
- Put a pair of socks in the fridge and wear them when you first get into bed. Cooling your feet lowers your overall temperature, so another trick is to put a hot water bottle filled with ice cold water in the bed with you.
- Finally, fight restlessness and insomnia with a sleep-inducing pillow mist. Jo Foster, founder of Kiss The Moon aromatherapy sleep range, says, “Spray a pillow mist containing calming, soothing essential oils onto your pillow and into the air around you. Look for one containing lavender, a herb that’s renowned as a remedy for insomnia, especially when you breathe in its scent.” Other ingredients that help you relax and drift off include jasmine, chamomile, ylang ylang and sandalwood.
Happy snoozing!
Does anyone else have any fab tips for coping with the heat at bed time?
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