How to Keep Your Bed As Cool As Possible This Summer
It’s hard to get enough sleep when it’s too hot to sleep — and since we’ve already started seeing “all-time high temperature” news headlines, it’s time to figure out our nightly cooling strategies.
Earlier this year, we compiled a list of tips and tricks to help make your bed as warm and cozy as possible. Now that summer has arrived, here are our tips on how to cool your bed and yourself before turning off the lights.
If you have an air conditioner:
- If you haven’t turned on the air conditioner yet, turn it on a few hours before bed. Some of us run our air conditioner all day (or at least keep it on when we’re at home), which is great! However, if you are the type of person who prefers to sweat, do your sleep a favor by turning on the air conditioner a few hours before bed. This will cool your home and your body, preparing you to sleep better.
- Instead of raising the temperature a few degrees before bed, turn it off. According to the National Sleep Foundation , we sleep best when we are in a 65 degree room, so if you keep your AC thermostat at the mid / high 70, try turning it off before bed and see if your sleep improves. Yes, your electricity budget can go up, but the extra sleep is probably worth it.
- If your air conditioner has a “sleep mode”, use it. In sleep mode, you can set the air conditioner to a cool, sleep-inducing temperature before bed, and the air conditioner will slowly increase the maximum allowable temperature during the night (or, in some cases, shut down after a few hours). You will be sleeping so you won’t even notice!
If you don’t have an air conditioner:
- Your home will be cooler at night if it is as cool as possible during the day. Open your windows in the morning and evening to let the air flow through your home. In the afternoon (or before leaving for work if you work from 9 to 5), close the windows and lower the blinds so that cool air does not penetrate inside and the hot summer sun does not fall outside.
- Create a makeshift swamp cooler by spraying a sheet with cold water and hanging it in front of an open window. Make sure you choose a window that blows the breeze through!
- Create another makeshift swamp cooler by placing a bowl of ice in front of a box or swing fan.
- If you cannot cool your home, cool your body instead. A cold shower right before bed can help lower your body temperature just enough to keep you awake.
- If all else fails, soak the bandana in very cold water, wring it out to keep it from dripping onto the pillows, fold the rectangle and place it around your neck. Anything cool so close to your main blood vessels will help cool your entire body. (I don’t have a bandana? A cold wet sock was enough.)
Sheets, bedspreads and pajamas:
- We’ll assume you’ve put flannel sheets in your closet, but if you’re still sleeping on silk / satin / T-shirt material, it’s time to swap those sheets for 100% cotton. Cotton sheets absorb sweat without absorbing body heat – the perfect combination.
- You will also want to wash your sheets regularly (we mean every week, if not every few days). They will feel cooler on your skin and smell better!
- If you sleep under a blanket, you will need a heavier blanket for winter and a lighter blanket for summer. If it’s in your price range, you can always buy heavier, lighter duvet covers and swap them with the seasons.
- You may already know this tip, but you can also skip the duvet / comforter entirely and sleep under the sheet. (Some people can sleep without any cover for our bodies, but most of us need some kind of cover when we go to bed, firstly because it is “like sleeping time”, and secondly, because the temperature of our bodies fall as we fall asleep, and shelter prevents the drop in temperature from waking us up.)
- When it comes to pajamas, you want something light, loose, and preferably cotton. Or … you can always sleep naked!
Other tips:
- Memory foam mattresses often “heat up,” which is great in winter, but can interfere with quality sleep in summer. Try to buy a mattress topper or mattress topper specifically designed to cool your mattress.
- A room that is too humid can be just as stuffy as a room that is too warm. It may be time to purchase an air dryer.
- If you have a ceiling fan, make sure you switch it to summer setting. (Yes, many ceiling fans have two settings and are designed to keep your home warm or cool depending on the season!) Not sure if your fan has “summer” installed? Check the blades – in summer they should rotate counterclockwise.
- Switching from curled up sleep to starfish sleep can help cool your body, in part because air is trapped in your armpits and groin when fishing (both are notoriously warm and sweaty).
- Don’t forget to hydrate! One of the best ways to cool off is with a glass of cool, refreshing water – and even if you might have to wake up in the middle of the night to use the toilet, it’s much better than waking up with a headache and dehydration.
What other tips can you give to keep your bed cool during the hottest days of summer?