How to Sleep in Summer Heat

Summer is here, so take steps to make sure you get a good night’s sleep!

While summer heat is quite uncomfortable - here you can find some useful info and tips which can be followed to cool your body down. Read on to learn why you should make changes to your bedroom and how to make those changes.

Room and body temperature are closely related and have a significant impact on our quality of sleep. The temperature of our environment affects our core body temperature, meaning that how hot or cold your bedroom and home are can have more of an impact than you may know.

During sleep, you go through multiple stages. The first stage is where you drift from consciousness into light sleep. Then, over the following stages your body’s core temperature generally needs to drop by about two to three degrees before you can reach the state of deep sleep. If your core temperature is too high, however, it's hard for your brain to tell if you’re awake or asleep, which can directly affect the quality of your sleep.

The temperature of your room also affects your core body temperature. A lower temperature promotes more restful sleep by ensuring that your body does not warm up too early in the morning, helping you to transition gently out of the deep sleep stage.

Long story short: A bedroom that’s cool offers you far better conditions to get the best rest each night. So, with the hot nights upon us, what can you do to create the best environment for ideal sleep? Here are a few simple tricks that can help you sleep better in the hot summer heat.

All light bulbs give off some heat, even if it is minimal. Since it stays lighter much later during the summer months, take advantage and try to keep your light usage to a minimum. This will keep your room cooler.

While blankets are great during the colder nights and winter months, keeping them on the bed simply out of habit can make you sweat throughout the night. This can disrupt your sleep as your body struggles to drop its temperature. Store them away until it cools down again.

While it's comfortable to snuggle up to your partner on colder nights, when it's hot, getting too close will share body temperatures and hold the heat between you. So, it will be harder for your temperatures to drop to the optimal point for a better sleep. Trying to keep a bit further apart when you’re trying to keep cool! Need more tips for sleeping well with a partner? Read “Why Sleeping With Someone is Good for Your Health” and “How to Sleep Well as a Couple.”

Do you often wonder “how can I stop summer heat at night”? The obvious answer is to use a fan, right?

Fans are an inexpensive alternative to air conditioning. Using a fan throughout the night to keep the air circulating can draw heat out of the room and even push it out of an open window.

An even more creative way to fight the heat is to place a bowl full of ice cubes in front of the fan. The breeze will slowly distribute the melting cold vapor from the ice, releasing a cool mist.

Stay hydrated! According to the Mayo Clinic, you want to ensure you’re getting eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid per day, with the majority of it being water.

Do you find yourself asking how do people sleep in hot weather? Then you definitely need to increase your water intake.

Drink a small glass of cool water before bed to keep your body hydrated and cool. It will also replenish any loss of water due to sweating.

If you feel hot before bedtime, take a hot shower. It can help to drop your core body temperature and rinse off any lingering sweat before you hop into bed.

Is snoring keeping you up? Read “Declaring Your Independence From Snoring” to kick snoring out of your bed!