Most people love the summer heat during the day, but when night falls and it’s time to get to sleep, that same heat takes on a more sinister role. If you don’t have adequate air conditioning in your home (and sometimes even if you do), restful sleep may be replaced by tossing and turning, trying to cool down and get comfortable.
The average person spends around one-third of their lives sleeping, and there have been countless studies performed that connect adequate sleep with a range of health benefits. These include better immune function, higher cognitive ability, disease prevention, increased energy levels and better overall health.
If you’ve been having trouble sleeping comfortably through the hot summer, keep reading to find out the role temperature plays in quality sleep and how you can sleep more soundly.
Sleep Quality and Temperature
In the natural process of falling asleep, temperature plays a significant role. As day turns to night and it gets closer to bedtime, the pineal gland releases melatonin in an attempt to help your body reduce heat. When you get into bed, your body temperature continues to decrease, until it is one or two degrees cooler than during the day. That temperature change helps you get to sleep faster to facilitate a good night’s rest. Naturally, if your room is hot and humid, it will be more difficult to cool down and start the sleep process.
Quest for the Ideal Sleeping Temperature
Comfort is the main ingredient to healthy sleep, and that’s going to vary depending on the person. Many experts suggest keeping your bedroom cool, in the 60-68 degree range, for the best chance at finding that ideal temperature for you. If you are able to fall asleep relatively quickly and remain sleeping comfortably throughout the night, you’ve likely found the right temperature for your body. Another tip for keeping your room at the right temperature is minimizing the light and keeping it as quiet as possible. This may include installing coverings for your windows to block out street lights and turning off LED lights from any devices in your room.
The more you can make your room like a cave, the more relaxed you’ll be and the easier it will be to regulate your temperature.
If you experience high humidity in your bedroom, a dehumidifier that’s set to around 30-50% humidity should keep it right where you need it for maximum comfort.
Useful Tips to Follow to Stay Cool
There are a number of different things you can do to stay cool enough at night and sleep well during those hot summer nights. Here are some useful tips to keep in mind:
- Take a cool shower before bed. This will help to lower your core body temperature so you’re not overheated right from the start.
- Keep your blinds or shutter closed during the day to prevent the sun from shining into the room.
- Choose sheets and bedding made from breathable fabrics like cotton, linen, or bamboo.
- Use multiple fans in the room to create a cross-breeze to lower the temperature, making sure to position one by an open window to draw in the cooler air from outside. This will also create a “white noise” situation so you won’t be disrupted by outside noises.
- Try applying ice packs to pulse points on your neck, wrist, ankles or behind your knees to cool things down.
- Sleep on your own in the bed, if possible. Trying to cool down your own body temperature is one thing, but having another in there with you can make it even more challenging.
- Try eating dinner and exercising earlier, so you still have some time before bed to cool down. Digestion requires energy, which can raise your temperature and cause trouble trying to cool down.
- Temporarily move to a different part of the house to sleep that may be cooler, like a basement.
Temperature and quality sleep are closely related, so just trying to tough it out and make the most of it probably isn’t the way to go.
As you can see, you can have a say in controlling the temperature in your sleeping space, even if you don’t have a high-powered AC system working for you.
At SAMINA, we offer world-class sleep products and accessories that will help you have a quality sleep under any conditions. With luxury mattresses and complete holistic sleep systems, you can count on a natural sleep every time. Request more information on the SAMINA sleep system here.