With the weather heating up, this summer is looking set to be a scorcher. That means happy days ahead but potentially some restless nights for those of us not blessed with central air conditioning. According to experts sleeping in temperatures above 24°C means you’re likely to wake up during the night or only have a light, fragmented sleep, preventing you from getting the restful night you need.
Silentnight’s sleep expert, Dr Nerina Ramlakhan says: “We all love summer and the long evenings, but the increased temperatures can make it harder to sleep well, which can have a detrimental effect on our health, relationships and work.
She added: “A good night’s sleep is important in order to process information throughout the day as well as to repair and rebalance the body physically and mentally. Ideally, in order for us to sleep well, there needs to be a fractional temperature difference between our body and our brain – a warm body and a cool head!”
Dr Nerina has taken it upon herself to create a list of 4 top tips to help the nation keep cool and get the best rest when the weather is hot and humid:
- Stop your bedroom over-heating during the day by keeping curtains and blinds closed
- Wash your feet with cold water before getting into bed, and run your wrists under cold water
- Use light bed sheets and a summer duvet – 4.5 Tog recommended
- Finally, it is essential to stay well hydrated during the day and most importantly, don’t fret too much if you can’t sleep. Use the time to rest and think positive thoughts, then you will be extra productive the day after
The guys over at Sleepnight also came up with some slightly more unconventional methods to try to and help you cool down at night. We at Men’s Running suggest you take these with a pinch of salt, especially point 4 which digital writer Tom Bristow thinks is a serious risk to your health! Without further ado:
- Use a fan and place it so that it is blowing the air over a tray of ice – this will cool the room down as the ice melts
- Keep a plant mister containing water by your bed to spray on your face during the night
- Place a wet flannel in the fridge for an hour or so before getting into bed and lay it on your forehead to help you drift off
- Sleep in cool wet socks or even a damp T-shirt
- Chill your pillow case in the freezer before getting into bed
For more sleep tips from sleep expert, Dr Nerina visit Silentnight Sleep Toolkit.
