Too Hot to Sleep? Here Are 4 Tips to Help You Stay Cool During the Night

We’ve all been there before. The summer is blazing hot, it makes our bedrooms stuffy, and when we sleep we wake up drenched in sweat. It’s too hot to use a blanket or comforter, but it’s also too cold to sleep naked without one and with the window open. So to help you get a better night’s sleep during these hot summer months, here are four useful tips that you need to keep in mind.

Buy a bug net

One of the main issues with leaving the window open is that invites a lot of nasty bugs and insects into the home. They’re attracted by your house and they want to invite themselves in. Unfortunately, the idea of sleeping while bugs are flying around your head and crawling into your home can be unsettling, but closing the window and not letting any fresh air in can also be terrifying. The solution? Get yourself a bug net or make one. Clip it over the window so that it lets air in but keeps the bugs out. Now you don’t have to worry about them ever crawling into your home during the night, thus giving you a much more comforting night of sleep.

Get thinner bed sheets

There are plenty of bed sheets, mattresses and even comforters that make it more comfortable to sleep at night. Batiste Tencel – a cool and light weight down proof fabric for a Summer comforter, is the perfect accompaniment to a hot summer’s night. You’ll be able to stay cool with it, but you can also stay warm and comfortable with its soft fabric. If you’re still using a memory foam mattress, then consider investing in a latex mattress instead. They’re much more breathable than memory foam, meaning they’re less prone to heating up and causing you to sweat during the night. However, if you still need the comfort of a memory foam mattress, then there are some hybrid mattresses that are breathable yet still mould to your body’s shape. These can be quite expensive, however, so it’s definitely an investment to think about. If you don’t want to buy an entire mattress, then you can always get gel-infused mattress toppers instead.

Ceiling fans instead of air conditioning

If you want to save money by skipping the air conditioning, then use your ceiling fan. It’s far more cost-effective and keeps your body nice and cool throughout the night. You have to make sure that it’s set to the “summer” setting so it blows air down instead of up. Leave it on a lower-power setting to ensure you get a nice breeze during the night that will keep your body at a comfortable level. The reason this is better than your air conditioner is because your body’s temperature will fluctuate wildly during the night. Air conditioners are usually set to keep the room at a certain temperature, so unless you have a smart home that is capable of adjusting this to the ambient temperature, you might find yourself freezing at night.

Cool down before bed

One of the biggest issues people tend to have when sleeping at night is they find it hard to actually fall asleep. Most people tend to be fine after they close their eyes and drift off, but some people can stay up for hours trying to fall asleep in the heat because it’s such a bother. If you find yourself in this situation, then consider cooling off as much as possible before you go to bed. If you can stand it, take a cold shower before you head to bed. If not, then run some cold water over your wrists for a few seconds to cool down your bloodstream. This will slowly lower your overall body temperature, making it more comfortable to fall asleep. You should also drink something cool before falling asleep, such as a glass of chilled water or milk. Try to avoid anything caffeinated so it doesn’t affect your sleeping pattern. The goal is to lower your overall body temperature before you go to bed. Even if it does slowly raise throughout the night, you’ll be fast asleep and it won’t affect you.

These four golden rules should be enough to get you to fall asleep at night even during the hottest days. You could always try a brute-force method such as stripping down to your underwear and blasting the air conditioning, but it’s costly and could even harm your health if you expose your entire body to a cold breeze—no one wants to catch a cold during the summer!