Right, how the hell are you supposed to fall asleep fast in this heat?

Asking for a very sweaty friend

3 years ago

Hot sunny days. They’re perfect for tinnies in the park, working on your tan and for once, everyone is in a good mood. However one thing they are absolute hell for is your sleep. Seriously if you’ve managed to sleep through the night in the last few days then you are not from this world. Nights are filled with sweat, mosquitoes and if you sleep with someone then a general loathing of their existence for eight hours is to be expected. So how on earth do you sleep in the heat?

Getting to sleep in the first place is the real struggle as you just can’t relax fully. There’s the whole covers debate – I want covers because it feels weird not sleeping with something over me, but if I keep it on I will surely roast to death. Once you’ve drifted off you will inevitably wake up at multiple times. Either because of the heat or the amount of water you drank to cool down is sending you to the loo every hour. And then of course there’s the advice that sleeping with a fan is actually bad for you.

There must be a point at which one becomes so sleep deprived that it finally becomes possible to sleep through the heat…?

— Grace Blakeley (@graceblakeley) July 19, 2021

So how do you sleep in the heat? This is everything you should do:

Keep your curtains shut all day

The Sleep Foundation suggests keeping your curtains or blinds shut all day to keep out the sunlight. They suggest blackout blinds are particularly effective for keeping the heat out.

It also helps to keep the doors inside your house or flat open to circulate the air.

Don’t exercise before bed

Yeah that wasn’t happening anyway. The Sleep Foundation suggests working out earlier in the day as this will help you feel tired later, however exercising before bed will spike your temperature up. Therefore you’ll find it harder to sleep.

Have a hot bath

It sounds like hell but taking a bath is said to be very beneficial at cooling you down. The Sleep Foundation suggests taking a bath before but not immediately before you go to bed.

Leaving the hot bath, your body temperature will decrease as it reacts to the cooler environment.

Don’t nap

A hot day makes you constantly want to nap however it’s best to save it all for bedtime.

Avoid alcohol

Even though hot sunny days just call for pints, alcohol is going to disturb your sleep. You will also want to avoid drinks with caffeine as they will stimulate the nervous system and keep you more awake.

Sleep on the floor

Yes seriously. Sleeping lower to the ground is cooler so either take your mattress to the floor or invest in a futon.

Freeze a hot water bottle

Putting a frozen hot water bottle in your bed 10 minutes before you get in it will cool it down. Just make sure to remove it when you actually get into bed.

Freeze your sheets

Similar to the hot water bottle, putting your sheets and pillowcases in a bag in the freezer a few hours before you go to bed will also cool your room down.

Have sex

It sounds like the last thing you want to do when it’s boiling. However having sex can relax you and therefore you’re in a better condition to sleep.

Orgasms lead to the release of prolactin and oxytocin which makes us feel relaxed and calm. Sex also reduces your cortisol levels aka the stress hormone.