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We’ve all been there, it’s been a lovely warm summer day but you get in bed and find you can’t fall asleep. Your skin feels sticky, the covers are suffocating and suddenly your bedroom feels hotter than an oven. You spend the night tossing and turning and wake up tired and grumpy only to see it’s another beautiful day and you fear the same thing happening again. So is it possible to get a good night’s sleep when it’s warm? Yes! With a few changes to your routine, here’s how to get better sleep in summer.
Why Is It Difficult to Sleep In Summer?
Sleeping in the summer can be challenging due to several factors that disrupt our ability to achieve better sleep. High temperatures and humidity levels make it difficult for the body to cool down, which is essential for falling and staying asleep. Long daylight hours can interfere with our natural circadian rhythms, making it harder to wind down in the evening.
Additionally, increased noise from outdoor activities and allergens like pollen can contribute to a restless night. All these elements combine to create an environment that’s less conducive to restful sleep, which is why we need strategies to improve sleep quality during the hotter months.
How To Get Better Sleep In Summer
To get better sleep in the summer, the key is to create a cool and comfortable environment. Use fans or air conditioning to lower the room temperature and consider lightweight, breathable bedding to stay cool. Keeping curtains or blinds closed during the day can help block out the heat. Establishing a relaxing bedtime routine, such as taking a lukewarm shower and avoiding electronic devices, can also signal to your body that it’s time to wind down. Finally, staying hydrated and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule can further enhance your ability to sleep well despite the summer heat.
Let’s take a look at these factors in better detail to help you create the best summer bedtime routine.
Create A Cooling Bedtime Routine
Taking a shower before bed can really help to signal to your body that it’s time to relax. As tempting as it is to take a cold shower in summer, the most effective temperature before bed is lukewarm. This is because you’re aiding the natural cooling process. When you get out of a lukewarm shower, your body temperature starts to drop in the same way as it would when you’re falling asleep.
Stepping from a warm shower into your cool bedroom tells your body it’s time to rest. Aside from washing away the day’s sweat leaving you fresher and more comfortable for bed, a lukewarm shower can make it easier to fall asleep.
Choose The Right Mattress and Bedding
It makes sense that the place where you’re going to be sleeping should be the comfiest and coolest place to help you get a good night’s rest. Having the right mattress, pillows, bedding and duvet are all important factors in regulating your temperature while you sleep.
Lots of mattresses have cooling technology now with breathable fabrics, moisture management and layers to encourage air flow. But it’s no good investing in a mattress like that if what you put on top of it is still wrong.
For bedding you need to stick to light cotton fabric. Cotton is soft and breathable put highly absorbent so has good moisture wicking properties. Try out silk or satin pillow cases for a cooling affect. They also have the added benefit of being great for your skin and hair too.
While it might be tempting to kick off the covers in the summer heat, this can make it harder to regulate your body temperature. Instead, opting for something like the Summer Hybrid Duvet from Simba can help to keep you comfortable. The 4.5 tog duvet has down-like comfort but with their Stratos cool-touch technology to ensure better sleep in the warmer months. We’ve recently made the switch to this summer duvet after loving the normal 10.5 tog Simba duvet and its been great for keeping comfortable in our very warm house!
Keep Your Bedroom Cool
Keeping your bedroom cool is the easiest way to ensure better sleep in the summer. However, it’s easier said then done because homes in the UK are designed to keep heat in and we don’t have air conditioning which is why so many of us find our homes stifling hot when the temperatures rise.
As tempting as it is to let in fresh air you should actually keep windown and curtains or blinds closed at least until the sun starts to go down. This is to stop sunlight and warm air entering your room. Once evening hits you can open the windows to create cross-ventilation by opening windows on opposite sides of your home.
When you go to bed, using fans to help air circulate can be a big help but also try and limit any heat sources in your room such as electronics and even pets laying on your bed.
Stick To A Routine
The power of a bedtime routine for better sleep is not something to be overlooked. In summer it can be easy to fall out of that routine by staying up late during family BBQs or enjoying a few drinks in the gardnen. However, where possible you should try and stick to your routine as it what signals to your body that it’s time to relax.
Doing all of the things you would normally do at bedtime will prepare your body and brain for sleep. A bedtime routine seperates the day from the night and we’re all creatures of habit so if you normally have a solid bedtime routine then sticking to it as much as possible can really help you to switch off.
Stay Hydrated During The Day
Staying hydrated during the day is crucial for better sleep because it helps regulate your body’s temperature and overall function. Proper hydration ensures that your body’s systems, including those responsible for cooling you down, work efficiently. When you are well-hydrated, your body can better manage its internal temperature, which is especially important during hot summer nights.
Dehydration can lead to discomfort, dry mouth, and leg cramps, all of which can disrupt your sleep. Additionally, staying hydrated supports the body’s natural detoxification processes, which occur during sleep, contributing to more restful and restorative sleep. We lose more water during summer through sweat so it’s important to make sure you’re drinking plenty of water.
Be Mindful of Exercise
Finding time to exercise in summer can be tricky and first thing in morning or in an evening are usually the best times as this is when it’s cooler. However, if you are opting for evening workouts in summer you still need to be mindful of the kind of exercise you are doing. Anything that raises your body temperature too much is going to have a negative effect on your sleep.
Where possible, try and exercise in the morning but if the evening is your only option then try low-impact exercises like swimming, walking, yoga or pilates. All of these will keep you cooler than high-intensity work outs but will still keep you active.
Add Lavender and Chamomile To Your Routine
Lavender and chamomile are renowned for their calming properties, making them excellent natural aids for better sleep. If you’ve never tried natural rememdies for sleep then can be great if you struggle at any time of the year, but during summer they can be a big help when it’s harder to get to sleep.
Lavender
- Aromatherapy Benefits: The scent of lavender has been shown to reduce anxiety and stress, which can help relax the mind and body before bedtime.
- Sleep Quality: Inhaling lavender essential oil can improve sleep quality, increasing the duration of deep sleep and reducing restlessness.
- Relaxation: Lavender’s soothing fragrance promotes relaxation by lowering heart rate and blood pressure, creating an optimal environment for sleep.
Chamomile
- Herbal Tea: Drinking chamomile tea before bed is a common practice for promoting sleep. It contains an antioxidant called apigenin, which binds to receptors in the brain that help induce sleep and reduce insomnia.
- Calming Effects: Chamomile has mild sedative properties that help relax the nerves and muscles, easing the transition into sleep.
- Stress Reduction: Its calming effects can reduce anxiety and stress. When teamed with lavender you could get a more peaceful night’s rest.
How Does Lack of Sleep Affect the Body?
One or two bad night’s sleep won’t have a long term affect on your body. However, if you consistently struggle to sleep then it’s definitely time to look at ways that you can get better sleep but it can have a huge affect on your physical and mental health.
Pysically a consistant lack of sleep can weaken your immune system, lead to weight gain, increase your risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease, cause a decline in physical performace (slower reaction times, reduced strength etc), cause hormonal imbalances and lead to premature aging.
Mentally a consistant lack of sleep can impact your concentrations, your memory, decision making, cause irritability and increased stress or lead to anxiety and depression.
Overall, better sleep is crucial for maintaining your health and well-being.
Do you have any tips for getting a better night’s sleep in summer? Share them in the comments below!
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