Stay Cool on Hot Nights – Here are 10 Ways

Is it hot where you are at the moment? Need some respite from the heat in order to get some better sleep? This summer has been really hot. My sleep has been badly affected over the past few weeks, which doesn’t help my stress levels or my Weight Loss. So here are 10 ways to stay cool while sleeping on these hot summer nights.

10 Ways to Stay Cool While Sleeping on Hot Nights

The obvious solution would be getting an air-con unit. But these can cost a lot of money to buy. And they can use a lot of electricity, so cost even more to run. So here are some tips that don’t cost the earth.

1. Have a cool or lukewarm shower just before bed.

Don’t dry your body or hair. This will lower your body temperature just a little. Just enough to feel cooler and help you gain the first 2 hours of sleep, which is usually the most important as it is the deepest.

And if there is a fan on or a light breeze in the room, the air on your damp skin will cool you down further still. Bliss.

2. Use only Cotton Sheets.

Satin silk and polyester may be very chic and sexy, but nothing draws sweat away from the body and keeps you cooler than 100% egyptian cotton. The lighter colour and lightweight the better.

3. Place your sheets or pillow in the freezer for 10 minutes before bed.

Do put them in a plastic bag first though so that they don’t get wet or smell of fish fingers for the rest of the night.

4. Lightly spray your top sheet with water.

Or a blend of lavender cologne and water. The surface spray should cool you down nicely (though you may want to place a towel under the top sheet to protect your mattress) and the lavender aroma should sooth your sleep nicely. (Please note: essential oils may not be suitable during pregnancy)

5. Sleep alone.

Cuddling up on cold nights may be lovely, but the last thing you need to stay cool on hot nights is to be stuck to someone else when you wake up. Try and sleep as far apart in the bed as possible, yet spread out as much as possible.

Or even better sleep in separate beds. Your love life may suffer but your sleep won’t.

6. Sleep in your birthday suit.

Actually, this is a little contentious. Sleeping in the nude may be your thing, but there is actually good evidence that sleeping in very light cotton clothes is just as good.

The cotton wicks away from your body while you sleep, keeping you cooler than just being in your birthday suit. I’ll leave this up to you, obviously.

7. Put your mattress on the floor.

This is sometimes not practical or achievable, but hot air rises, so it follows that the coolest place in any room is the lowest.

So putting your mattress on the floor can be cooler, as can sleeping downstairs. If your spine can take it, maybe using a camping mat may help?

8. Use a hot water bottle.

But fill it with iced water or freeze it. I would lightly wrap it to prevent freezer burn. Or you could use a bag of frozen peas, but you won’t be able to eat them afterwards.

9. Use a fan.

But place a shallow bowl or pan of ice in front of the fan. The water will be taken up as the fan blows, cooling and humidifying the air. This stops the air in the room from drying out too much.

10. Open more than one window in the room.

If you have 2 windows that open, open both. Or if you have a sash window, open the top a little and the bottom a little. This provides a through current and can create a breeze even on the stillest of nights.

You can also hang a moist light bedsheet in front of the open window, any breeze will help cool the air further.

Need more tips? Do read my post on 8 ways to get better sleep. I do hope that you get some sleep tonight. I would love to hear your tips on how you stay cool while sleeping on these hot nights. Do comment below, or follow me on social media!

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