Rest like a yogi
Ever wonder why every yoga class ends with shavasana? Lying on your back with your arms and legs away from your body allows air to circulate, cooling you down.
The importance of good sleep hygiene
Healthy sleep is important for our mental and physical health, and we can all benefit from better sleep. Learn how to imporve your sleep hygiene.
The relationship between alcohol and sleep
Many people believe that having a drink before bedtime will help them fall asleep more easily. But alcohol actually decreases sleep quality.
While summer is a great time to get outside to soak up that sunshine, the summer heat can affect our ability to fall asleep at night. It isn’t just that heat makes it harder to get comfortable-our body temperatures actually impact the quality of our sleep. Let’s discuss the link between body temperature and sleep, and how we can sleep cool in the heat this summer.
Temperature and sleep:
The temperature of both our bodies and our bedrooms has a big impact on how well we sleep, so addressing them both is worth the effort.
- Body temperature When we sleep, our bodies pass through several stages. In the first, we drift from consciousness into light sleep. During the following stages, our body’s core temperatures need to drop by about 2 or 3 degrees in order to reach deep sleep. (However, if our core temperature is too low, it becomes hard for our brains to tell if we are awake or asleep, which can affect sleep quality.) A lower temperature also ensures that our bodies don’t warm up too quickly in the morning, helping us transition gently out of deep sleep.
- Room temperature The temperature of our bedrooms also affects our core temperature. In general, the ideal room temperature for sleep is around 61 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit (or 16 to 18 degrees Celsius). This is the temperature range that best suits our core in the middle of the night.
Now that we understand the link between temperature and sleep, how can we lower our core temperature to sleep cool in the heat?
Don’t sweat it-tips to keep cool:
- Program the thermostat: The simplest solution may be to program our thermostats to a lower temperature at night. However, this is also a more expensive, less environmentally friendly option.
- Open the windows: If our bedrooms are warmer than the outside temperature, leaving them open will keep us cool and stop our bedrooms from feeling stuffy.
- Use a fan: Fans are usually less expensive to run than air conditioning, and can be used in a window to draw warm air out. For an added treat, place a bowl of ice cubes in front of the fan to create a pleasant cooling mist.
- Drink more water: Drinking a glass of cold water before bed hydrates and cools the body, and will replenish water loss due to sweating.
- Have a warm shower: It may seem like a cool shower would be better, but a warm shower will increase blood flow to your skin and increase heat loss from your body, leaving you feeling cool.
- Use breathable bed linen: Lightweight linens won’t trap body heat. Keep the polyester, silk, and satin for cool evenings and try cotton, linen, or bamboo instead.
- Freeze your sheets: Place your sheets in a plastic bag and pop them in the freezer while you get ready for bed. Slipping into them will feel like a little slice of heaven on a hot night.
- Invest in a good bed: Materials such as memory foam trap body heat, and this will cause them to break down over time. A high-quality mattress made from latex and natural fibers is the best method for dissipating body heat.
The only thing worse than tossing and turning on a hot night is the exhaustion it brings the next day. If you find yourself unable to get comfortable on a summer night, try these tips to sleep cool in the heat. A more restful sleep tonight will give you a more energized tomorrow.