How To Stay Cool While Sleeping

One of the many things that can affect your sleep is your room temperature. You will find, that by tweaking it to be warmer or cooler, especially your REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, the stage in which your dream gets affected.

Your body follows it’s natural body clock, also known as the circadian rhythm. During the day, your body temperature is higher, and as you sleep your body cools down and releases the heat. The lowest point is typically near daybreak, at around 5 a.m.

If the temperature is too hot, some people experience so-called night sweats, which greatly lower sleep quality. Keep reading below what you can do to stop asking yourself why you are always feeling so hot during sleep and how to cool down.

What is the ideal sleep temperature?

Sleep scientists have provided us with a good range, however, as long as you feel comfortable and feel well rested after waking up, there is little reason to change your sleep environment. It is perfectly normal to go above or below the numbers you can see in the table below.

Keep in mind, to reap the full benefits of adjusting your surrounding temperature, keep the living room (or area you spend a lot of time in) at a similar temperature. 

If you have a baby or toddler sleeping with you, make sure it’s not too hot while also not too cold. Babies cannot regulate their temperature as easily as adults, so check their temperature regularly. Overheating an infant might increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Touch the back of your baby’s neck or stomach during sleep to see if the skin feels hot or sweaty. If that’s the case, remove a layer of clothing to help regulate their temperature. 

How to make you room cooler

• Turn off the lights and unplug any unused electronic devices
  Light bulbs, our phones, laptops, or other electronic devices give off heat. By turning them off and unplugging them, you can stop excess heat from forming in your home 
  
  
• Turn on a fan
  Sleeping with a fan on in your room will not only help air circulate and thereby prevent your room from becoming stuffy – you can also use it to blast icy air by just placing a bowl of ice in front of it. This can be an alternative to installing an AC without having to suffer in the heat.
  
  
• Consider changing your mattress 
  Some mattresses are more likely to retain heat than others. If you regularly wake up feeling hot, and you tried other ways of cooling down, the issue might be your mattress. Invest in a mattress that is engineered to be cooler.
  
  Hybrid mattresses or memory foam mattresses can both dissipate your body heat well. If you do not have the budget for a whole cooling mattress, but would like to enjoy the benefits of memory foam, you can also get a cooling mattress topper.
   
  
• Open your windows – at the right time
  Opening your windows is important to help circulate the air to prevent your room from getting too stuffy. Research shows, lower levels of carbon dioxide in the air encourages to sleep more deeply and efficiently. Open your windows early in the morning or at night to avoid the midday heat
  
  
• Cook and wash strategically
  Big appliances give off more heat due to their size. Cook and do your laundry in the morning or evening when it’s cooler, You can also avoid cooking with your stove completely in the summer months.
  
  
• Install a thermostat
  Using a thermostat will help you adjust and regulate your home environment. Not only will you be able to chip away a little at your electricity bill, but you can also monitor the temperature to stay constant.
  
  
• Invest in blackout curtains or just keep your blinds closed
  Blackout curtains not only keep out all light so that the rising sun does not disrupt your deep sleep phase, making sure you sleep in a dark bedroom. They also prevent heat from entering your bedroom in the morning and day
  
  
• Opt for a pillow that does not trap heat 
  The head is one of the main exit points of heat in our body. Consider investing in a bamboo pillow. A bamboo pillow is naturally breathable and absorbs moisture, ensuring a cool and dry sleep
  
  
• Use natural fibers for your sheets
  Avoid flannel or synthetic materials that trap heat. Instead, opt for natural fibers such as cotton, silk, or linen. You can also try putting your sheet into the freezer before bed
  
  
• Swap out bedding when seasons change
  Keep a lightweight comforter to use as a blanket during summer, then change it to a thicker blanket to add it on top in winter for more warmth
  
  

If there are no more changes you can make to your room, see what you can do to lower your body temperature.

• Wear cool or breathable clothing
  Wearing tight or synthetic materials will make your body heat up unnecessarily during summer. Invest in natural fibers and wear lighter colors. Darker colors retain heat making you feel hotter.
  
  Shorts and a top or t-shirt made of cotton are a good choice for sleeping in summer. Some people decide to do without clothes at all, claiming it helps their body naturally regulate their body temperature better
  
  
• Stay hydrated by drinking enough water
  Our bodies sweat a lot in the summer months to try and keep our body temperature lower. Make sure to drink enough water to not wake up dehydrated from all the sweating.
  
  
• Sleep like an Ancient Egyptian
  Dampen a sheet or towel in cold water, wring it out and use it as a blanket. Place a dry towel beneath you to avoid soaking your mattress. This method can help you cool down quickly  
  
  
• Get a hot water bottle
  In winter you can fill it with boiling water to get warm, whereas in summer you can keep it in the freezer before taking it to bed with you to cool down. Alternatively, just stick a regular bottle of water in the freezer 
  

Getting sleep during the summer months can be hard, and some of these tips and tricks might seem too small and insignificant at first glance. However insignificant they may seem though, you will be surprised by how effective they are.

If you found this helpful, keep reading about The Science Behind Getting Good Sleep.

Or check our new collection of mattress toppers. You can use the discount code SweetSleep15 to get a 15% discount on your next order.