Sleeping in The Heat: How to Sleep Well Even on Summer Nights
Take off the blanket, open the window, run to the tap: On summer nights, heat and stagnant air often keep us from sleeping. These tips will help against the eternal tossing and turning.
1. Close the bulkheads
Keep your bedroom as cool as possible by keeping windows, curtains or blinds closed during the day – even if the sun is not shining directly into the room. A light protection outside the window keeps the room much cooler than curtains or a slatted blind. Only in the evening should you open all windows and ventilate the room with a draught.
2. Use fresh air at night
If you don’t live on a main street, leave your bedroom windows open overnight (not just tilted). Fresh air and a light breeze can work wonders. If you also leave the door open, the air can circulate. A fan can also be pleasant – at least if you don’t mind the whirring of the device. If it does, use earplugs. Make sure that neither the windows nor the ventilator cause drafts, otherwise you might catch a summer cold or a stiff neck.
3. Choose light fabrics
In summer, cover the blanket and pillow with jersey, percale, renforcé or seersucker bedding – these materials are light, breathable and have a climate-regulating effect. Linen or natural silk also have a cooling effect. Alternatively, you can do without the duvet completely and just cover yourself with the duvet cover. A light duvet cover is recommended, as this will protect you from draughts.
4. Get rid of moisture
Some people swear to put their pyjamas in the fridge during the day. However, the pleasant effect of putting them on does not last long, the fabric quickly becomes clammy and uncomfortable on the skin. Better: use functional underwear, it wicks moisture and heat away from the body. Cotton is less recommendable, because the sweat is absorbed by it – and we produce about half a litre of it at night.
5. Hot showers desired
Take a shower before going to bed – but not cold, as this causes the blood vessels to constrict and the heat is harder to transport out of the body. An alternating shower is most effective: first cool, then warm. Do not dry yourself off completely afterwards, but leave a pleasantly cooling, light film of moisture on your skin. Also good: a cooling body lotion, e.g. with citrus or mint oil.
6. Convert hot water bottle
Turn the hot-water bottle into a cooler bottle without further ado: put it in the fridge (not in the freezer!) during the day and take it to bed in the evening. Cools pleasantly in your neck, between your feet or wherever you need cooling most.
7. Train smart
Exercising (endurance sports are best) is healthier in the evening hours than in the midday heat, but you should not train too late. It is better to leave one or two hours between exercise and bedtime so that the body has enough time to rest.
8. Stay sober
Already during the day, remember to drink enough – preferably water or unsweetened tea. On the other hand, if you drink a large glass of water just before going to bed, the pressure on your bladder will probably wake you up again soon. You should avoid alcohol if possible, as it also increases the urge to urinate and ensures a good night’s sleep.
9. Avoid nicotine
Smoke your last cigarette an hour or two before bedtime. Nicotine stimulates and constricts the blood vessels, which makes it harder for the body to release the heat.
10. Eat light
The heat stresses the body anyway – so if possible, do not give your intestines any late, heavy meals, but rather eat something easily digestible in the evening. Bananas, sweet snacks such as waffles or honey milk and green leaf salads contain substances that have a calming effect on the nervous system.
Take enough magnesium, the mineral relaxes muscles and nerves. The daily requirement is 300 – 400 mg. Sour cherry juice contains the hormone melatonin and studies have shown that it helps to improve sleep. Almonds and cinnamon also promote the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. By the way, acids such as pickles or citrus fruits have the opposite effect. Avoid them as well as salty foods, because they not only make you thirsty at night, but the increased sodium content in the blood also makes it difficult to sleep through the night.
11. Exclude the sun
Depending on how sensitive you are to light, it may make sense to darken the bedroom overnight so that the first rays of light do not disturb your sleep.
12. Getting up instead of rolling around forever
Half an hour in bed already and still awake? Stop staring at the ceiling and get up and do something else that doesn’t bother you – like listening to soft music or reading a magazine. Do not go back to bed until you feel tired again.
13. Remain calm
Don’t get upset if you can’t get to sleep right away. In summer we need about one hour less sleep than in winter anyway, because our body inhibits the production of the sleep hormone melatonin somewhat due to the long and light-intensive days. Much more important than the length of sleep is the quality of sleep.
14. Hands off sleeping pills
Sleeping pills often disrupt the normal sleeping phases and can be addictive because the body gets used to them quickly. Take them only in exceptional situations and even then only temporarily.
15. Gentle sleep aids
If you cannot find your way to sleep despite a light dinner, try a herbal tea. Soothing extracts include lemon balm, valerian, hops, lavender or passion flower. Bach flower drops can also help. Many people have been relying on essences from the blossoms of wild plants and trees for decades to balance out mental imbalances.
16. Saying goodbye to the day
We often (even unconsciously) take the everyday stress home with us. Here a ritual can help to signal to the body that now is the time to switch off. Whether footbath, evening walk or the next chapter in the novel – choose something that will relax you. Just as important for a good night’s sleep is a regular sleep rhythm. So try to go to bed and get up at similar times.