Heat and sleep: how to sleep better in summer when it's hot?

In summer, sunny days are back, even in Brittany where our Bdreams showroom is located. Who says sunny days says holidays, beach, aperitif... but also very hot and sweaty!

With global warming, summers are getting hotter and heat waves more and more frequent. As a result, we often have trouble sleeping at night. That's why we've put together an article explaining the common causes and solutions to bring some freshness to your nights.

I - Why does high heat interfere with sleep? Why do we have trouble sleeping when it's hot?

When it's hot, the body tries to cool itself naturally through perspiration. The objective is to evacuate the excess heat into the environment and maintain its normal temperature. However, this mechanism requires intense physiological activity that disrupts our sleep. Indeed, the increase in ambient temperature will greatly affect sleep. If you sleep too covered, or the temperature of your room is too high, your body temperature will not decrease and the sleep phase will be made more difficult, leading to frequent nocturnal awakenings, sometimes even severe insomnia. During a normal night, our body tries to lower its temperature to 36 degrees to make it easier to fall asleep. However, a hot sleeping environment will disrupt the quality of normal sleep cycles, notably with a decrease in deep sleep time and paradoxical sleep time. It is therefore not just falling asleep, but also all the phases of sleep that will be impacted and accompanied, such as during a night of insomnia, fatigue on waking, difficulty concentrating, and daytime mood disturbances.

In conclusion, the ideal for sleeping well is to manage to maintain a relatively low ambient temperature (23°C). For this, we give you some tips to refresh your summer nights.

II - OUR TIPS FOR SURVIVING SUMMER NIGHTS

1 - Favor a light diet and hydrate well before sleeping

Dehydration is one of the main causes of difficulty falling asleep. It is therefore important to drink at least 1.5 liters of water during the day to avoid nocturnal dehydration in the event of high heat. Keep a small bottle of cold water near your bed in case you wake up during the night. Alcohol and sugary drinks are obviously to be avoided. In addition, it is advisable to give preference to light meals before bedtime so that the stomach can digest more easily, without spending too much energy.

2 - Wear loose and light sleepwear

To make it easier to fall asleep and limit perspiration in case of strong heat in your room, it is advisable to choose soft, light and breathable clothes such as cotton, linen or bamboo. Indeed, these natural materials absorb perspiration and will allow the good thermal regulation of your skin. Conversely, some synthetic materials such as polyester or viscose are known to be very breathable and retain heat. Finally, you can obviously sleep naked for the less modest among you, but this requires the body to make an effort to regulate its temperature. It is therefore recommended to cover yourself with a sheet made of natural material which allows the air to circulate better.

3 - Take a lukewarm shower just before going to bed

As mentioned above, the body needs to lower its temperature to be able to sleep well. This is why it is recommended to take a lukewarm shower before going to bed. However, avoid water that is too cold, which will be counterproductive because it causes an increase in heart rate and generates heat production by the body.

4 - Ventilate your sleeping environment as much as possible

Preferably, keep windows and shutters closed during the day, especially for rooms exposed to the sun. Open them at night to create drafts, only if the air outside is cooler than the air inside. You can also sleep near a fan or air conditioner, but make sure not to direct it towards the bed to avoid catching cold at night. Try to limit the temperature difference and program it to stop some time after falling asleep to avoid catching a cold.

5 - Opt for breathable bedding

During periods of heat wave, of course, do away with duvets and winter blankets, opting instead for light and breathable bed linen. Indeed, sleeping with an accumulation of diapers on you intensifies your perspiration and therefore interferes with sleep. You can now find in bedding stores: refreshing pillows , mattresses and mattress toppers . The foams can contain cooling micro gel balls or envelopes produced with heat-regulating microcapsules. If you want to sleep with a duvet on when it's hot, also consider changing the weight of your duvet .

In addition, you can bring a little freshness to your bed with more breathable mattress toppers such as our Bdreams soft mattress topper with its ultra-breathable open cell foam or our shape memory pillow with its injections of micro gel beads. It maintains a cooler feeling than other foams.

Conclusion

Although we appreciate the good weather, the summer heat disrupts our sleep. You can therefore apply our advice and invest, for example, in bedding more suitable for summer.