How to sleep when it's hot
Although there’s a lot to love about summer, trying to sleep when the nights are warm is not one of them. It can be tough to wake up feeling refreshed when you’ve been tossing and turning all night - heat doesn’t just make it hard to sleep, it can also affect the quality of your sleep.We’ve popped together some handy tips on how to drift into dreamland even on the hottest of nights.
Our sleep is comprised of multiple stages, the first is drifting from consciousness into a light sleep. Your body’s core temperature generally needs to drop a couple of degrees before you hit the deep sleep stage. If your body temperature is too warm to begin with, it may be difficult to transition from the conscious to light sleep stage and beyond.
Get your sleep space sorted
Make sure that your bedroom isn’t too hot at bedtime. Science suggests that the ideal room temperature is between 16 and 18 degrees. A lower room temperature also affects how you wake up too, as this promotes a more restful sleep ensuring your body doesn’t warm up too early, helping you transition from your peaceful slumber.
Cool your bedroom
To cool your room down at night, open up the windows and doors in the evenings, letting the cooler temperatures seep into your space. If you prefer the cooling of a heat pump, crank that before bedtime to give a blast of cool air to your sleep space.
You can also grab a fan to keep the air circulating, drawing heat out of the room or pushing it towards an open window. For an extra icy blast, pop a bowl of ice cubes in front of your fan creating a delightful cooling mist as you drift off.
Stay hydrated
Staying hydrated is also key. Drink a glass of chilled water before bedtime to replenish water loss, keeping your body hydrated and cool.
Cool down quickly
For a quick cool down, grab an icepack or cold flannel and place on pulse points on your wrists, neck, elbows, groin, ankles and even behind your knees. The cold will travel quickly around your body, and you'll notice the difference almost immediately. Or try out the by Natalie Cooling Memory Foam Pillow paired with the Deluxe Goose Down Pillow Topper.
Dim the lights
Lights emit heat, so switch off any bedside lamps that you don’t need to use. Similar to turning off the lights, it's a good idea to part with your electronics right before bedtime too. Devices like your smart phone give off heat and light that aren't conducive to a good night's sleep. So put them away at least an hour before bed and let yourself drift off more peacefully.
Pets also pack a bit of heat in their compact frames, the added heat can make it harder for you to cool to the right temperature for the best sleep. The fewer bodies in the bedroom to heat it up, the better, that’s if you can bear to kick them off the bed.
Accessorise!
Picking the right sleepwear is another handy tip! The by Natalie range is created using Tencel, a super soft fabric that is naturally moisture wicking, providing optimum cooling and comfort.
Read more about Tencel here.