Getting Sleep When It’s “Too Hot to Sleep”
We’ve all been there. The sweat, the agitation, the frustration… the HEAT!
Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to get better sleep when it is hot.
In this article, first I’ll tell you why it’s so hard to sleep in hot weather, and then I’ll give a you a few tips for what to do when it simply feels too hot to sleep.
Table of Contents:
- Why is it hard to sleep in hot weather?
- We have an ideal sleep temperature
- Hot weather makes it tough to reach that temperature
- 5 Tips for Sleeping in Hot Weather
Why is it Hard to Sleep in Hot Weather?
“Because it’s freakin’ HOT!” you might say.
But bear with me a minute. Once you understand the biology a bit, you can create a better environment to sleep in the heat.
Our bodies have an ideal sleep temperature that is lower than our waking temperature. So, one of the most important things your body does in preparation for sleep is cool itself down.
It does this by sending eat away from its core and into its extremities — your arms, legs, hands, and feet.
This is why you might experience hot hands or feet while sleeping, and feel tempted to stick a foot out of your sheets to cool down.*
*(No, you’re not the only one!)
The whole process begins about 2 hours before going to sleep, and continues while sleeping.
Getting good sleep in hot weather is tough because the heat makes it difficult for your body to reach and regulate this ideal temperature for sleeping.
The longer it takes to reach this temperature, the longer it will take to fall asleep.
The harder it is to maintain this temperature, the harder it is to stay asleep.
5 Tips for Sleeping in Hot Weather
The first of these few tips will be obvious. But, don’t simply dismiss them.
If you take ALL these tips together, you can combine them to create the ideal environment for sleeping in hot weather…
1. Cool Down Your Bedroom (not just with AC)
Yeah, I know. “DUH! Cool down my room when it’s hot? What an obvious tip!”
But don’t be so quick to think that air-conditioning is the only solution here.
There are a number of ways to lower the temperature of the bedroom for those of us that don’t have, or can’t afford having, an air-conditioner.
Even if you DO have an air-conditioner, these methods will help you maximize all that conditioned air by keeping the cool air from escaping, and heat from entering, your bedroom.
Here are two tricks:
Window Shades
Window treatments can have a big impact on cooling down your room.
Of course, any type of shades or curtains will reduce the amount of heat coming in with the light from the sun.
However, there are certain types of shades that are insulated to block out much more of the heat.
Look out for blackout shades or insulated window shades which have little chambers of air that help to significantly reduce solar heat coming into your room.
Speaking of insulation…
Weatherproofing
Gaps under doors or in window frames can result in a drafty room. These drafts bring the hot and humid air in, and let the cool air out, potentially defeating all the work your air-conditioner might be doing.
Filling in those gaps will go a long way toward regulating the temperature of your room.
You can use foam weatherstrips or plastic seals—even a towel at the drafty bottom of your door will do the job of keeping the hot air out, and the cool air in.
Read on for more on how to sleep in hot weather without AC…
2. Circulate the Air in Your Room
Contrary to popular belief, fans don’t bring the temperature of a room down.
The cool feeling you get from a fan (or any breeze) comes from increasing the airflow across the surface area of your body, which helps it to offload heat and evaporate sweat.
The fan doesn’t need to be blowing directly on you. (For some of us, that constant breeze can act as a stimulant and keep us from sleeping well.)
A simple inexpensive oscillating fan or “air circulator” can be enough to stir up the air in the room. Or, use two or more fans blowing in different directions to mix up the air-flow.
If the temperature outside is cooler at night, use a window fan to bring in that cool air.
Or, if you have an air-conditioner in another part of the house, like the living room, set up a fan or two to blow the conditioned air into your bedroom.
(NOTE: Yes, an AC also moves air around the room, but has the added advantage of removing humidity from the air, which makes it easier to evaporate sweat.)
Let’s add some tips on how to sleep in hot weather without a fan…
3. Use Lightweight Bedding
I know. It sounds crazy to have to put a sheet or blanket over you when it’s too hot to sleep.
However, a sheet or lightweight bedspread can act as a shield from the heat in your room—insulating your body and allowing it to create its own little environment where your body regulates the temperature.
Kind of like how a thermos keeps your cold drink cold in hot weather.
Make sure it’s a light sheet made of breathable material (like linen), or lightweight summer comforter. Also, be sure it’s loose, so that:
- You create a pocket of air with which your body can regulate its optimal sleeping temperature, and
- You can easily move around underneath it, in case you need to stick out an arm or a foot to help you cool down.*
*(This is what I was talking about earlier.)
4. Stay Hydrated
OK, this one is a bit of a balancing act.
Drinking too much water before bed can make you need to pee more, and mess with your sleep. So, in this case, we’re talking about keeping water handy at your bedside in case you need it.
As we know, sweating is one of your body’s ways of lowering its temperature. When it’s hot, we sweat more, losing water and becoming dehydrated in the process.
If we wake up hot and dehydrated after sweating too much in the night, having a bit of water at the ready will help us to quickly rehydrate and get back to sleeping without too much fuss.
Try one of those drinking containers with a lid and a straw. That way, you don’t have to worry about spilling water on yourself or your bed from an open glass. Or, have to sit upright and adjust too much from your comfy sleeping position.
5. Avoid a Cold Shower Right Before Bed
The key words here are “right before.”
Apparently, there are many benefits to taking a shower before bed. They include relaxing your muscles, boosting your immune system, and reducing depression.
And, considering what I’ve mentioned above about the body lowering its temperature to sleep, it seems to make sense that we should take a cold shower before bed.
However, cold water can also be a stimulant. One of the effects of a cold shower is that it wakes us up and makes us more alert.
If you take a cold shower right before bed, it could stimulate you right out of your sleepiness and sleep pattern, and take longer for you to fall asleep. That will shorten your sleeping time if you have to get up at a certain hour.
And, if you’re like my wife, you’ll get angry and stressed out that you’re lying there not able to go to sleep (which will just make it harder to sleep).
If you’re going to shower before bed, make sure you have some down time before going to bed. I haven’t found any research to suggest how much time would be best. Experiment a bit, and see how long the stimulating effect of a cold shower lasts on you.
Conclusion: How to Sleep in Hot Weather
As I’m always saying, finding good sleep seems to be all about removing or reducing the obstacles to sleep, and helping your body to do what it knows how to do.
In the case of sleeping in hot weather, it’s about
- Creating an environment that allows your body to regulate its ideal sleeping temperature, and
- Avoiding tempting stimulants like a cold shower or ice on your body.
I hope you’ve found this article helpful towards getting better sleep in hot weather.
If you have any other tips, suggestions, or even questions, please put them in the comments below.
Now, turn off your device and go get some damn sleep!
~ Scott