How to fall asleep if it's hot at home: effective tips

In the summer, when it's hot outside, discomfort is not only a problem under the scorching sun. In hot weather, many people find it harder to fall asleep at night.

However, certain life hacks can help you cope with insomnia caused by excessive stuffiness. The Telegraph writes about them.

The publication cites the results of a study conducted at Waseda University in Japan in 2020: scientists have found that a person can experience insomnia when the room temperature rises above +24 degrees Celsius.

At the same time, researchers from Japan's Tohoku Fukushi University found back in 2012 that a 6-degree increase in bedroom temperature increases the time it takes to fall asleep by 6.8%, while sleep efficiency decreases by 7%.

Japanese scientists say that deep sleep is necessary for the body's recovery, and it is reduced in hot weather. As a result, a person will get tired more quickly the next day.

Experts who know everything about sleep have some effective tips on how to get enough sleep in the heat.

For example, they advise keeping your head cool, both literally and figuratively.

In particular, Dr. Guy Meadows, co-founder and clinical director of the Sleep School program, is convinced that anxiety and irritation from being too hot will not only not help, but also harm. After all, these emotions will only make the body release more heat, and therefore a person will not sleep longer.

Instead, Meadows advises "keeping cool" by lying still and taking in the heat. At the same time, according to the expert, it is important to analyze your discomfort and describe your feelings in your mind and objectively. This will help change your own attitude to the heat, reduce its impact, and improve sleep.

Another tip is to get ready for a comfortable sleep in the daylight. If you close the curtains on the bedroom window during the day, the room will heat up less, which will help you fall asleep easier at night. Meadows also advises avoiding a late dinner: eating before bedtime will raise your body temperature and make it harder to fall asleep. At least two hours should pass between dinner and bedtime, and you should also limit your alcohol consumption.

The choice of sleepwear also affects how quickly you fall asleep: it is better to give preference to cotton pajamas or sleep without clothes at all.

Natural fabrics such as cotton can help even more than sleeping in the nude because they absorb sweat. Synthetic fabrics, on the other hand, will only retain heat near the body.

The same principle should be followed when choosing bedding.

Another very effective way to fall asleep faster in the heat is to create a breeze in the room. It can be an open window or a fan, especially if you place a frozen bottle of water between it and the bed: this will help cool the room by a few degrees.

A bottle of cold water can also help you fall asleep if you use it in other ways. If you fill a bottle or a hot water bottle some time before bedtime and put it in the refrigerator or freezer, and either hold the container under the covers before you go to bed or take it to bed with you, it will be a great way to keep you cool at night.

Synthetic materials used in the manufacture of memory foam mattresses can also add discomfort on hot summer nights: they do not allow air to pass through and do not absorb moisture, so a person sleeping on such a mattress overheats and sweats.

A wool protective cover can help in this situation: it will help regulate about 75% of this heat, helping to keep you cool.

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