Summer Sleep Tips
Sleeping in the summer is challenging these days and especially if you don’t have state-of-the-art air conditioning. As we prepare to fall asleep, our body temperature naturally goes down by a full degree or so, and it stays lower all night long. In the morning it begins to rise again (reaching its highest around 2pm). This is part of our circadian system (the 24-hour clock followed by all organs and cells in the body, which controls sleep).
When you’re too hot, though, it’s difficult for your body to lower your temperature. This makes the process of falling asleep harder and it can also make you toss and turn in the night. If you don’t have AC, or are trying to minimize its use like many of us, for environmental reasons,
here are tips for sleeping in the heat:
Don’t assume that blowing hot air around is going to cool the room. If the day starts out cool but the temperature is predicted to rise a lot, close the windows and pull the shades down early in the morning. This will trap the cool air inside and keep the hotter outside air from coming in. It can feel counterintuitive to keep windows closed, but with temps outside rising, it’s better to keep that air out. Use fans to keep the air moving. If the air cools down at night, open as many windows as you can after the temp has dropped.
If the temperature drops a lot in the evening, another option is to pull the hot air out and the cool air in, by creating a vacuum effect with your fans. This works well if you live in a desert climate (like in Los Angeles), where the air temperature really falls when the sun goes down. If this is the case, read here about how to use one fan and two windows to pull the cool air in. This is physics, people!
Take a warm shower or bath 1 hour before bed. As mentioned, the body naturally cools off when you’re falling asleep. You can trigger this to happen by warming yourself up in a bath or shower, then letting the cooling process occur. Essentially, this tricks your body into cooling down and initiating sleep.
Remember that babies do not need layers, blankets, or even PJ’s when it’s hot. You can put your baby to bed in a onesie, and for the most part, it’s better to air on the side of fewer layers and more freedom anyway.
We know you know this, but make sure your sheets are breathable. Cotton percale works well. If you still feel too warm in the night, there are pillows that create a cooling effect when you lay your head on them. Other obvious tricks are to keep ice water and a facecloth near your bed or use icepacks to cool yourself down.
Everyone in the family needs to drink extra water throughout the day in hot weather. This helps our bodies stay hydrated and regulates our temperature. Starting at about 6 months, babies can have up to 6-8 ounces of water on a hot day, spaced out 1-2 ounces at a time.
We hope these tips lead to happier sleep for you during these hot summer nights!