How to sleep well despite the heat

THE weather may be wonderful while we’re awake, but when it comes to drifting off the stifling conditions can make sleep near impossible. Sleep consultant, Lucy Wolfe shared her top tips to make sure you get enough sleep this summer.

1) KEEP THE ROOM COOL

‘It’s really important that the bedroom temperature is lower than everywhere else in the house to achieve sleep easily,’ Lucy explained. ‘Early on in the day it’s important that you have your blinds down and your curtains pulled so that you’re not allowing the intense heat to enter the bedroom.’ Lucy recommends placing a frozen bottle of water in front of a fan to blow cold air around the room.

2) REGULATE YOUR BODY TEMPERATURE

‘The body temperature needs to drop for sleep to happen, and so having a cool shower or a bath 35 to 45 minutes before your bedtime is a good idea to help that process along.’

3) REMOVE UNNECESSARY BEDDING

‘You need to remove any unnecessary bedding so you don’t want any waterproof sheets or cot bumpers,’ she said. She recommends light cotton bedding to promote a healthy sleep environment.

4) ALLERGIES

Lucy said that allergies present a significant problem when it comes to sleep, and it’s best to control symptoms earlier in the day. ‘It’s very important that when you come in from the outside that you shower so you wash the pollen off,’ she added.

5) ROUTINE

Lucy recommends getting into a sleep routine and changing into light pyjamas when it’s time to sleep. ‘Obviously this time of year you’re going to want to wear nothing, or really cool breathable cotton pyjamas, or a nightshirt,’ she said.