10 ways to get a great night’s sleep during a heat wave

Ah, the summer is here at last – the barbeque is out, along with our pasty white legs under summer dresses and shorts.

However, as glorious as the sun’s heat is during the day, it is an altogether different beast at night.

Are you tossing and turning at night, unable to cope with the heat? Whether at home or abroad, we have all experienced those uncomfortable, sweaty, sticky nights where even finding the cold side of the pillow seems impossible.

Online retailer SleepyPeople.com has provided ten top tips to get yourself off to the land of nod…

1 Strip down

Pyjamas are almost certainly a terrible idea on a particularly warm evening. Shed your layers until you feel more comfortable and embrace sleeping naked if possible.

2 Open windows

Depending where you live, this isn’t always achievable, with noisy traffic only adding to the difficulty of sleeping. However, if you can get away with it, letting that cool evening air can help a bunch.

3 Use a summer duvet

It’s very sensible to have at least two types of duvet – a winter duvet with a high tog rating and a lighter summer duvet with a low tog rating.

4 Use air conditioning or a fan

Providing you can put up with the noise of either machine whirring away in the corner of your bedroom, these are the best way to get that much-needed cool breeze circulating.

But be aware, The National Sleep Foundation advises that using air conditioning in a motor home should be avoided. This can be very dangerous if a vehicle is not moving because it can cause a build-up of carbon monoxide.

5 Remember that heat rises

You’ll quickly discover that in an evening, the difference in temperature to a first or second-floor bedroom in comparison to a ground-floor living room can be huge.

If things become utterly unbearable, it is worth considering whether you can sleep downstairs.

6 Stay hydrated

You should do your best to keep as hydrated as possible over the summer anyway, but keeping an ice-cold glass of water close to your bed can keep you refreshed and help bring your core temperature down.

7 Close blinds and curtains

Although it goes against the original use for them, closing your curtains and blinds during the day while the sun is directly shining on those windows can make for a much cooler room in the evening.

8 Use an ice pack

If you have a cool box, take the ice pack from it, wrap it in a towel or pillowcase and use it much in the same way you would use a hot water bottle.

9 Create your own cool spray

Find yourself an old spray bottle and fill it with ice-cold water. Spray it on your face for quick relief if things get a little overwhelming during the night.

10 Take a shower before bed

While the obvious move would be to have a cold shower before bed, this is actually the wrong move. Having a cold shower means your body overcompensates, attempting to warm you up afterwards.

Instead, have a lukewarm shower, which will lower your temperature without the possibility of your body trying to warm you back up.