How To Get A Good Night's Sleep When It's Hot As Hell
We've all had sultry summer nights turn our beds into pits of sweaty tossing and turning. And that's with the AC cranked up! There's a reason for this: When temperatures rise, our bodies naturally start waking us up. It's science.
So what's a sleepy human to do if you don't have central air conditioning or beaucoups of cash to keep that A/C blasting? You've come to the right place, friend. We've partnered with the Sleep Masters at Lull Mattress to find the 23 best hacks for a good night's sleep when it's hella hot outside.
1. Go Straight to the Source
Surprise! What you're sleeping on has the greatest impact on how you're sleeping. But more than that, an innerspring, pillow-top mattress mattress can be the source of your sweaty tossing and turning. Well that, and, y'know, nature.
Ditch your old bed and invest in a highly-rated memory foam mattress to experience the seriously-miraculous cooling of Lull's gel-infused memory foam. It'll give you even weight distribution and that cool-side-of-the-pillow feel all over your body.
2. Choose Breathable Bedding
You may love the ooh-la-la feel of silk or satin sheets, but nah. Keep it simple. Making up your bed with light-colored cotton sheets will make your bedding nice and breathable, helping to cut down on that roasting-between-the-sheets feeling.
3. Stay Loose
And while you're at it, go ahead and ditch the jammies when you're making your bed up with light, airy cotton sheets. When it comes to sleepwear in the summer, less is best. Pick loose, comfortable PJs to wear to bed or, even better, go au naturale. There's research suggesting that sleeping in the nude is healthier and reduces stress levels.
4. Freshen Your Sheets in the Freezer
If you're looking for a quick and easy way to enjoy some cooling comfort, look to your freezer. Slip your sheets into a plastic bag and pop them into the freezer before leaving for work. By the time you're ready to turn in for the night, your bedding will be nice and cool.
5. Sleep Like The Egyptians
No, we're not talking about Egyptian cotton sheets (although, big fans!) This tip is all about using the "Egyptian method" for cool sleep, which involves dampening a towel or sheet with cold water before bedtime and using it as a blanket. Just be sure to lay down some dry towels to avoid soaking your bed.
6. Get the Most Out of Your Fans
Don't just use your fans to push hot air around your bedroom – get creative with your in-home cooling system by pointing box fans out of open windows (pushing the heat outside where it belongs) and setting your ceiling fans to run counter-clockwise (pulling hot air up, instead of just blowing it around.)
7. It's All About the Cross-Breeze
And while we're talking about fans, you can also keep yourself cool all night long by setting up multiple fans across from each other, all around your bedroom. Start by making sure that at least one is across from an open window, ensuring that the breeze that's coming in is nice and refreshing, and then keep going with the flow, setting up several more fans to create an ever-present cross-breeze cooling effect.
8. Go Old-School Cool
Way back when, refrigerators were just boxes that held big blocks of ice, allowing folks to chip away what they needed when they needed it. Take a tip from the icebox era by making your own DIY cooling unit with a shallow pan or bowl full of ice and then setting it in front of a fan. This will create a cooling mist as the breeze from the fan picks up the cold water as the ice melts.
9. Cool Down Quick with Pulse Point Pampering
If you're seriously feeling the burn and you can't wait for your A/C or fans to get you cooled down, head into the kitchen and grab some ice packs (or a couple of bags of frozen vegetables) and place them on the areas of your body where circulation rules – your pulse points. Try placing an ice pack behind your knees, on your ankles, the back of your neck, or at your elbows and wrists.
10. Skip the Spooning
Sorry lovers. Your best bet to stay cool while you sleep is to do it solo. While cuddling is a great way to lower your blood pressure, it's also a great way to turn up your internal thermostat. You should also think about removing stuffed animals from your kiddo's beds too – helping kids sleep in the summer is hard enough without that added fur and stuffing.
11. Take a Tip from Summer Camps
It's not just being frugal that makes summer camps use cots or hammocks for their campers – it's also about increasing the airflow and keeping the kids cool and happy. When you sleep in a hammock or a cot on those super-hot summer nights, you're allowing air to flow around every single side of your body, helping you to get a cooling breeze from all angles.
12. Hit the Shower
Taking a cold shower before you hit the hay can leave you feeling light and refreshed before slipping in between the sheets. Try not toweling off after your shower, and instead, letting yourself air-dry for an extra cooling boost.
13. Up Your H20
While drinking plenty of water is good advice any time of year, it becomes even more important during the summer months, thanks to the extra sweating that you do (both in and out of bed). Be sure to fill up your H20 tank throughout the day to cash in on a cooler night's rest.
14. Cut Down on Light Exposure
You've probably heard that dimming the lights right before bed will help you to get to sleep easier, thanks to reducing the effect that artificial lighting has on your body's sleep-wake cycle. But did you know that all light bulbs (yes, even the green CFL kinds) give off heat? Take advantage of the extra daylight hours during the summer months by keeping the lights off throughout the day, cutting back on the amount of heat that gets trapped in your home, and dropping the temp in your home pre-bedtime.
15. Keep It on the Low
We've all heard that warm air rises, so why not put this knowledge to work for you when you're trying to sleep better during the dog days of summer? Keep your bed, cot, or hammock as low to the ground as possible or if you live in a multi-floor dwelling, move it to the ground level to stay under that accumulated hot air, and revel in the cooling effects of staying low.
16. Hang Out to Cool Down
You can lower the temperature of an entire room by up to 20 degrees, simply by hanging a wet sheet in front on an open window, allowing the breeze to move through the cooling moisture, and quickly banishing the heat in your bedroom before turning in for the night.
17. Cold Feet, Cool Body
Thanks to the multiple pulse points in your feet, they are uber-sensitive to extreme temperature, which means that when you're feet are hot, your entire body feels it. Give yourself a quick, cooling blast before bedtime by dunking your feet in cold water and making sure to keep them exposed to the breeze from your fan or AC by keeping your toes uncovered throughout the night.
18. Step Away from the Stove
What are you doing turning on your oven in August? It's a sure-fire way to raise the temp of your entire home. Grilling al fresco is the way to, but if that's not an option, try swapping out big meals for smaller, easily digestible eats to help keep your body from producing extra heat while metabolizing your meals.
19. Pull the Plug on the Electronics
Much like artificial lighting, you've probably been advised to turn off your electronic devices when you're trying to get to sleep at night, in order to cut down on the negative impact that blue light has on your circadian rhythm. But did you know that they also give off extra heat, just like light bulbs do? To reduce the build-up of hot air in your home (not to mention your power bill!), pull the plugs on all appliances that are not being used at any given time.
20. Hog the Bed
As we mentioned in Tip 9 above, sleeping alone is a great way for cooler nights in the summer, but you should also give yourself permission to make full use of your sleeping space, as well, thanks to snoozing while spread-eagle being the best way to reduce body heat and allow air to circulate over your entire body. If you're sick of sweating in bed, sleeping sprawled out is an awesome way to stay cool! Pro tip: If you want to make the most of a cooling sleeping space, you might want to consider upgrading to a bigger mattress size – you just might be surprised how much cooler you can be in a Queen vs. a Full.
21. Consider Camping Out
If your home is just too hot to sleep in, due to a broken A/C or fans that are down for the count, you might want to consider sleeping outside, if you have a safe outdoor space to spread out your tent or sleeping bag. Why not make good use of your rooftop garden, screened-in porch, or even your own backyard? Sleeping under the stars can be a fun (and cooling) way to spend summer nights. Load up on that bug spray though.
22. Cool Down with Grains
Believe it or not, you most likely have some great DIY air conditioning units in your pantry right now. Both rice and buckwheat can be a great way to keep you cool as you sleep, if you pour some into a sock or small cloth bag, pop them into the freezer for an hour or so, and then use them as a cold compress at bedtime.
23. Shut Out the Heat
You can help keep your home cooler during the day (which means much cooler nights) by shutting off access to areas you don't use in the hottest part of the day. Once nighttime rolls around, open those rooms back up and let the cool air permeate the areas that were closed off, giving your home's bedrooms a cooling burst right before bed.
Ready for some cool-ass sleep in August? Lull mattresses have a 95% sleeper satisfaction rating and 4.9 out of 5 Google Trusted Store rating. Plus free shipping to your door and a free 100-night trial.
Sweet (and cool) dreams.
This piece is brought to you by Lull Mattress. Lull was created for one simple reason: for people to sleep better so they can live better. Lull offers their customers a premium sleeping solution at a fraction of the cost of a traditional mattress and provide a world-class customer experience that is hassle and stress free.