Well it has certainly been hot, hot hot and while staying cool during the day is fairly easy, sleeping at night has not been so simple! With summer not yet over here are a few ideas on how to keep cool and get a good night’s sleep.
It’s typical scenario, we head to bed feeling tired and ready for a good night’s sleep and what happens, you begin to toss and turn, start to sweat and generally get into a spiral of no sleep and tiredness the following day.
Simon Williams of the National Bed Federation (NBF) says “a baking bedroom can impact on your comfort, your body temperature needs to drop slightly before you go to bed, which is why you just can’t sleep when you’re too hot. An ideal temperature should be around 16-18c so it can be difficult to get comfortable in a hot, stuffy space. This leaves many people suffering from a disturbed night’s sleep”.
But don’t despair there are things you can do to improve you chances of a good night’s sleep even on the hottest of nights.
During the day try to keep the heat out of your bedroom, keep the curtains drawn and try black out blinds to block the light whilst still allowing air flow. Make sure all lights and appliances are switched off as these can generate heat.
Ensure there is plenty of air flow in your bedroom, open as many windows as possible to provide a slight draft that will pull warm air out and allow the room to cool. As hot air rises, opening an attic hatch will provide an escape route.
If you are lucky and have more than one bedroom try to sleep in a cooler room, north-facing rooms will naturally be cooler and even sleeping downstairs will be an improvement and less oppressive, a sofa bed in the sitting room would provide the perfect answer!
Ditch your duvet! Use cotton sheets or if you have to have a duvet go for the lowest tog rating. Possible most importantly ensure your mattress is made from natural fabrics. Man-made polycotton, acrylic and viscose are essentially made of plastic so they can’t absorb moisture or conduct heat away from you body. Hypnos beds Origins Collection is the most eco-friendly mattress range in the Hypnos range. They have been designed for comfort using the most responsibly sourced materials possible, including sustainable cotton and 100% British wool that's traceable right back to Red Tractor assured farms.
There are several “off the wall’ ideas too! These include filling a hot water bottle and place it in the freezer before heading to bed, cool your pillowcase in the fridge, or better still buy a cooling pillow which is filled with temperature reactive gel.
Wearing the right bed clothes sounds obviously, but natural fabrics will absorb perspiration and help lower your body temperature. If you have long hair tie it back. An electric fan will assist with air flow and a shallow bowl of iced water placed in front will increase its effectiveness also try having a cool shower before getting into bed.
Lastly, keep a cool head and sweet dreams!