With a heatwave on the way across parts of the UK, a sleep expert has warned sweltering Brits to avoid a popular nighttime hack that may well make it even trickier to doze off
Many a love song has been dedicated to the long, hot nights of summer, but as bad sleepers will undoubtedly know, the reality can be less than dreamy.
Indeed, as welcome as a blast of sunshine is in the UK, we Brits all too often find ourselves struggling when the warmer weather threatens our precious sleep.
With a heatwave on the way across parts of the country, many will already be bracing themselves for hours of sticky, sweaty tossing and turning, likely followed by a grouchy start to the day.
With this in mind, it may be a good idea to look up a few tips and tricks to keep cool between the covers before tucking yourself in, ensuring you get enough rest to make the most of the balmy days ahead.
However, as warned by James Wilson, best known as The Sleep Geek, some popular heatwave ‘hacks’ could well be making you even hotter…
Some of the tricks people have shared include slipping on frozen bedsheets and pyjamas or even wearing wet socks to bed, but James said they will only “add moisture” to your environment and heat it up.
Speaking previously with the Mirror, Wilson said: “When hot weather comes around, there are some tips given out that may sound like they would work when actually they really, really don’t. An example of this may be putting your bedding/pyjamas in the fridge or freezer, or wearing wet socks to bed, but they both have the same problem.
“These approaches will add more moisture to your sleep environment, and that moisture will heat up during the night. This means that although it may cool you down as you go to bed during the night, this moisture will heat up and is likely to wake you as you come out of your sleep cycle.
“An alternative that works would be to have either a lukewarm bath or shower, or put lukewarm water in a hot water bottle and rest the soles of your feet on it.” Wilson continued: “This helps raise your core temperature slightly, which will then lead to a drop in core temperature.
“A drop in core temperature is an important part of the process of your body falling asleep, and this approach is basically tricking your body into thinking it is cooler than it is. The reason we use lukewarm water rather than ice cold is that ice cold will shock your body, making it feel more active and more than likely prolong the process of getting sleep.”
Offering a few more effective tips of his own, Wilson advises maintaining good airflow throughout your home by opening windows on both sides to allow air to pass through. He also suggested keeping blinds and curtains closed in rooms exposed to direct sunlight, with the shade helping to keep things cool.
If you have a fan, you could always position a bowl of chilled water in front of it to cool the air in your bedroom. Wilson continued, “If you are using a cotton sheet, ensure it has as low a thread count as possible, as the higher the thread count, the less breathable it is.
“Cotton is okay in hot weather, although it isn’t that great at wicking the moisture away; I would suggest using bamboo. It has longer fibres so breathes better and doesn’t lint, so people with skin conditions are not as aggravated – it is also lighter on the body.”
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