You’re lying there, sweating on your pillow, blanket kicked off, wondering if it’s even worth trying to fall asleep again. Welcome to summer nights, where the heat somehow triples at bedtime and your body acts like it missed the memo that the sun went down.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. For some, the nighttime struggle gets even spicier because of hormonal shifts, and that’s where something like MENO menopause supplements can help. After all, if your body’s already running hot, summer doesn’t exactly help.
Why does sleeping through a heatwave feel impossible — and what can actually help? Read on to learn more.
Why Can Summer Heat Mess With Your Sleep?
Your body runs on a circadian rhythm — a built-in clock that tells it when to wake up, eat, and go to sleep. One of the key signals that it’s time for bed is a drop in core body temperature. In the evening, your internal thermostat starts to cool down naturally to help you drift off to sleep. But when it’s hot outside, that cooling process gets interrupted.
The ideal sleep environment is quite cool — experts say somewhere around 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit. When your bedroom is warmer than that, it’s hard for your body to lower its temperature, which can delay the onset of sleep, reduce deep sleep, and cause more frequent wake-ups throughout the night.
And it’s not just about falling asleep! Staying asleep also depends on maintaining a lower core temperature. If you’re overheating, you’re more likely to bounce between sleep stages or wake up in the middle of a sleep cycle, which leaves you feeling groggy the next day.
So yeah, temperature matters a lot. Too warm, and your body can’t get the deep, restful sleep it needs.
What Can You Do To Sleep Cooler?
This article has already discussed how summer heat can mess with your sleep, but does that mean you’re doomed to toss and turn until fall? Fortunately, no. There are simple and smart things you can do to cool things down and make your bed feel a little less like a furnace.
Here are just a few:
1. Freeze Your Sheets
Toss your top sheet or pillowcase in a plastic bag and stick it in the freezer for 30 minutes before bed. It won’t stay cold all night, but it can cool you down just enough for you to fall asleep faster. It’s weird, but it works.
2. Make a Cross-Breeze With a Fan
Point one fan out the window to push hot air out, and another facing your bed to pull cooler air in. This setup creates a cross-breeze that can lower the room temperature naturally. No blasting the AC required!
3. Keep Your Feet Cool
Fun fact: Your feet are sensitive to temperature shifts. Sleeping with your feet uncovered or using a cold compress on your ankles can help lower your overall body temperature and ease you into sleep. Bonus: It also helps with swollen feet from long, hot days.
4. Kick the Pets (and Kids) Out
You love ‘em, but snuggling up with warm little bodies (furry or otherwise) is like adding a portable heater to your bed. If you wake up sweaty, try sleeping solo for a night or two and see if it helps.
5. Ditch the Memory Foam
If your mattress is made of memory foam, it could be trapping heat and making things worse. These types of beds tend to hold onto body heat, so if you can, try using a cooling mattress pad or switch to breathable bedding made with natural fibers like cotton or linen.
6. Shut Things Down Early
Lastly, electronics give off heat, even your phone. Try unplugging and powering down devices an hour before bed. Not only does it cool the room slightly, but it also helps your brain wind down without blue light stimulation.
Start Staying Cool
And there you have it — some surprisingly simple ways to beat the heat and get some sleep without turning into a puddle. Whether you’re freezing your sheets, building fan forts, or finally reclaiming your bed from the dog, little changes can go a long way.
If you’ve already tried every trick in the book and still find yourself wide awake and overheating, it might be time to chat with your doctor. Extra support could help your body cool off from the inside out, especially if your hormones are doing their own thing behind the scenes.
Summer nights don’t have to be a sweaty struggle. With a few smart swaps and some trial and error, better sleep is within reach.
