How To Get A Good Night’s Sleep In Hot Weather

After the bike tour, a quick cool shower and a drink in the open air in the evening. But even though we enjoy the warm seasons, at night we often struggle to sleep.

We go round and round restlessly, we kick the sheets, we are bothered by the buzzing of mosquitoes, we feel our clothes stick to our bodies. And when we have finally fallen asleep, the first rays of the sun wake us up.

One in three people sleep poorly in hot weather. Apparently, women suffer more from the problem than men and young people more than older people.

7 tips for better sleep in hot weather

1. Air the room

Keep the bedroom as cool as possible. Lower the blind and close the windows during the day. Ventilate well before going to bed. If the light coming from outside doesn’t bother you, leave the blind and window open at night.

2. Sleep without weight on you

Instead of a duvet, however light it may be, use a thin cotton sheet. Loose natural linen or silk nightwear is more comfortable than synthetic, and also cools and absorbs sweat. But if you sleep without clothes, you run the risk of catching a cold.

3. Light dinner

Avoid hot, spicy, hard-to-digest foods after 6 p.m. Instead, dishes with vegetables, salads, fruits and yogurts are recommended.

4. Hydrate yourself well

Drink enough during the day, preferably mineral water, unsweetened infusions and juices diluted with water.

Before going to sleep, drink a warm infusion of lemon balm instead of cold water. Alcohol and drinks that contain caffeine will interfere with your sleep.

5. Take a warm shower

Take a quick shower with lukewarm water before going to bed. It is better warm than cold, as it constricts the blood vessels so that the body is less able to dissipate stored heat.

6. Surround yourself with darkness

In summer not only the heat bothers, the light, especially when we go to sleep, is also a problem. And we must bear in mind that summer nights are especially short.

As the day grows longer, the biological clock that governs sleep slows down and we fall asleep later than usual. This makes sleep of poorer quality and increases sensitivity to heat.

Darkness is important for a good sleep, because it allows your brain to secrete melatonin, the sleep hormone, therefore making the room as dark as possible.

When the sun rises, the production of melatonin is cut off and you can wake up rested.

7. Don’t exercise too late

There are some typical behavioral mistakes that can complicate our summer dreams:

If you take advantage of the good temperature at night to do sports, it is very likely that later it will be difficult for you to fall asleep.

Evenings with friends in the open air with a heavy meal and alcohol are not recommended to sleep soundly afterwards.

Some people believe that alcohol helps you sleep, but this is not true, as it increases the chances of waking up during the night.

The need for sleep varies from person to person

Do we need less sleep in hot weather? This is a controversial question among sleep specialists.

When there is light for a long time , the body produces less melatonin which promotes sleep. However, experts from the US National Sleep Foundation recommend that adults get at least seven hours of sleep even in summer.

However, each person’s need for sleep is different. The proof that we get enough sleep is that we are clear in the morning.

Quality not quantity

Actually, we should sleep better in the summer because we are more active and spend more time outdoors, which should make us fall asleep faster.

On the other hand, studies confirm that people who reach deep sleep easily spend less time in bed.

The emotional state is very important. Heat is more likely to upset a person with worries that make them sleep-deprived.