How to sleep well and keep cool at night during the summer

Night time temperatures are rising!

Most of us love the sunshine and crave the heady warm days of summer. But when the temperature starts to soar and it begins to get humid, getting a good night’s sleep for most of us becomes a problem; especially if we have to work the next day. Our bedrooms turn into temporary saunas which means a sleepless night of tossing and turning and waking up groggy in the morning.

To get a good night’s sleep, you need to drop our body temperature to get sleepy; here are a few tips to help you still get your quality shut eye during those hot and humid nights.

Keep your windows and curtains closed during the day to keep the heat out, and if security and/or noise isn’t a problem, then have the windows open at night to let the air circulate around your home.
Switch on a fan or couple of fans to keep your home and bedroom cool. Putting ice or ice packs in something like a shallow roasting dish in front of the fan will help waft cooler air around your room.
If your fan is noisy or there is too much external noise outside your home with the windows open, play some white noise to lull you to sleep; try something like the soothing, cooling sounds of ocean waves or rain. There is a free white noise app you can get for your phone or tablet; even though I’m not a fan of using tech in the bedroom, if flight mode and do not disturb are switched on, it’s okay for a few nights. Otherwise use ear plugs.
Try having a tepid shower before bed to relax you, rather than shocking the body with a cold shower, as you will sweat less.
Most bedding is going to be too hot. For the first part of the night, you may not want anything on you, or you could use a spare sheet or duvet cover, but have a thin blanket or duvet close by in case you get cold in the night. Fold up the sheet or duvet cover and put it in a plastic bag in the freezer to cool it down before bed time.
Put damp face cloths folded in plastic bags in the freezer. Use them on your head, face, neck or shoulders to help cool you down.
If you have a hot water bottle, fill it with ice cubes to keep your feet cool or any other parts of you cool!
Wear lighter, thinner night wear or better still go commando to keep you cooler.
Even though it’s tempting to have a few glasses of wine, beer or whatever your favourite tipple is during the hot summer evenings; try and avoid too much alcohol. Not only will you dehydrate more quickly, but it will disturb your sleep as well. Keep well hydrated with lots of water.
Air your bed before bed time and change your bedding regularly during the hot weather to keep your everything fresh for your slumbers.

Here are few investments to ensure you always have a great night’s sleep during the summer:

A good fan – I love Dysons, they are pricey, but they are super cool and quiet. Dyson
Nice quality bed linen, pure cotton or bamboo is best, Egyptian cotton is the best. Go to John Lewis or Sleepy People to see their selections.
A thinner summer duvet with a lower tog. Wool duvets are excellent for regulating body temperature. I bought one a few months ago and I love it. Go to Urban Wool to find out more, they also do wool pillows too! (Please mention Wake Up With Zest).

Do let me know how you get on! Email me [email protected]

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