How to Keep Yourself Cool While Sleeping
By Oktay Ozadam
Many of us struggle with our body temperature while sleeping, and when the temperature is soaring, it becomes increasingly difficult to cool down a room and stay cool in bed.
Check out our guide for hot sleepers and find out how to cool down your room, your bed and your body temperature so that you can wake up clear and refreshed the next morning.
How to Cool Down Your Bed
Your bed is the most important component of your bedroom, so if this is too hot, you are never going to sleep comfortably and keep cool. The good news is that there are some easy solutions that can help make your bed cooler without having the added expense of buying a new bed.
- Cooling Pillow
- Cooling Sheets
- Mattress Pads
- Mattress Toppers
- Get a Cooler Mattress
- Buckwheat Pillows
- Smart Bed Cooling Products
- The Total Protection Mattress Pad is constructed from Nano Cool Knit fabric that helps you stay cool by removing excess heat away from your body.
- The Moona Smart Pillow is a comfortable thermoregulated pad that you slip over your pillow.
- Customers describe the CUBE as life-changing, and if you are a hot sleeper, it will help you wake up cool and refreshed.
- Ooler Sleep System comes from the same company that produces the CUBE but is a more advanced and sophisticated bed cooling sleep system.
- Bedjet is an air-powered cooling system that you just fit your existing mattress, providing instant cooling or heating.
According to a study carried out in Japan, cooling your head reduces overall body temperature so is an effective way to stay cool.
A cooling pillow can be made from a range of materials, and they vary a lot in sophistication and price.
Some cooling pillows are made from memory foam or latex and utilize a cooling gel inside the pillow.
You can also find water pillows which feature inside chambers of cool water and pads that you chill in the fridge or the freezer.
Alternatively, a comfortable pad that slips over your pillow offers a convenient and easy option, especially if you can control the temperature via a built-in thermostat.
Most of us like to be covered while we sleep, but if you are a hot sleeper, even the thinnest sheet can feel too hot.
Cooling sheets can help you stay cool all night, so you don't overheat while you sleep.
Natural breathable fabrics such as linen, cotton, or bamboo all help the air circulate and keep you cool. But keep in mind to avoid a thick weave because this will trap moisture.
The ideal weave or thread count should be no higher than 300 because a thread count of any more than 500 will trap air and make you sweat.
You can also buy moisture-wicking fabrics that remove moisture from the skin, so you don't wake up drenched in sweat the next morning.
Is your mattress too hot? A mattress pad can be a simple way of cooling down your bed and is a much cheaper alternative to buying a new mattress.
A cooling mattress pad is a thin padded layer that you fix to your bed and typically contains a layer of cooling gel or latex.
Some cooling mattress pads also contain water pockets. Others are basic pads that you cool in the refrigerator before you put on your bed.
You can also find some interesting products that feature technology based on air or water. These types of bed cooling solutions regulate your body at the optimum temperature all night long and can be instantly controlled from your bed.
Although the terms mattress pad and mattress topper are often interchangeable, in general, mattress toppers are thicker and more cumbersome to use – similar to a smaller mattress that you place on the existing mattress.
You can find cooling mattress toppers in a range of materials. But in general, they contain a cooling gel or memory foam which will help reduce your body temperature while you sleep.
Cooling mattress toppers can also be made of natural materials such as wool or goose feathers, cotton or bamboo.
According to consumer experts, we should change our mattress every 10 years. So if you are a warm sleeper, and it is time to change; you may want to think about getting a cooler mattress.
The smart advice is to go for natural materials and construction such as pocket sprung with cotton filling.
There are also cooling mattresses on the market which feature breathable fabrics that draw the heat away from your body.
Changing your pillow from a cotton pillow to a buckwheat pillow may help you keep cooler at night. Buckwheat does not absorb heat in the same way as cotton, so you are unlikely to wake up stuck to your pillow and covered in sweat.
An added advantage of Buckwheat pillows is that you can find these infused with herbs such as lavender or chamomile which have an added sleepy effect.
Some great bed cooling options on the market employ smart technology. So if you are a hot sleeper, you can still ensure you get a comfortable and sound night's sleep.
You can choose between cool pillows, cool mattress pads or toppers or even replace the complete mattress.
According to statistics, we spend a whopping 33 years in bed over the average lifetime, so it makes sense to make sure that our bed is comfortable and at the correct temperature.
Easy to fix to the bed and machine washable it promises to give you a comfortable sleep experience and comes with a 10-year guarantee.
The Mattress Pad is also hypoallergenic, stain proof, and water-resistant, so it is easy to maintain.
It is controlled by a bedside unit and gently pumps water through the pad throughout the night, ensuring that the optimum temperature is maintained.
The smart pillow can be controlled via an App, and the pump is no louder than a whisper so you will not be disturbed by any noise.
The Chili PAD runs on water and has been scientifically designed to provide the optimum temperature, cooling down in the middle of the night, to ensure deep night time sleeping.
It is suitable for any bed and features climate control for one side of the bed or two.
It offers a powerful hydrothermal range between 55-115°F (13-46°C) so will satisfy a wide range of preferences.
Ooler comes with many extras and is suitable for use by two sleepers who can control and program the temperature independently.
It can be programmed for two settings, so it is ideal for couples and for maintaining harmony in the bedroom when all that tussling over the duvet can be an issue. One half of the bed can be as hot as Hawaii, the other side as cold as Alaska!
The Bedjet can be controlled and programmed via an App and is clinically proven to improve sleep.
It has been tested by doctors on menopausal women and found to improve symptoms in 85% of women suffering from hot flashes and night sweats.
How to Stay Cool While Sleeping
Finding ways to stay cool while sleeping can be an issue for many hot sleepers. However, there are some simple methods for reducing body temperature, which may help you get a better night's sleep.
- Don't Exercise Before Bed.
- Cool Down Your Pulse Points
- Don't Eat Too Much Before Bedtime.
- Avoid Alcohol
- Take A Cool Shower Before Bedtime.
- The Egyptian Method
Exercise raises heart rate and increases body temperature, and stimulant hormones adrenaline and cortisol as well as mood-boosting endorphins. Therefore it is more likely to keep you awake than help you sleep.
According to research, you should allow at least 90 minutes for your body to cool down before you go to bed.
That way, once you get into bed, your core temperature will have returned to normal.
You have 10 pulse points in your body. These are the areas where you can feel your heart beating because the blood vessels are close to the skin.
The best-known ones are the wrist, the neck, the temples, the back of the knees and the ankles.
Applying ice packs to these pulse points will help lower body temperature. The advice is to do this for no longer for 20 minutes and to cover the ice packs with a soft towel for comfort.
Alternatively, you can also try running cold water over these pulse points for 30 seconds or take a hot water bottle filled with cold water to bed for added relief.
Eating too late in the evening can make you hotter, so it is crucial to avoid this if you are struggling to stay cool.
Food raises body temperature, and when the digestion kicks in, your metabolic rate rises in an effect known as thermogenesis.
Also, some types of food, such as chili peppers naturally have a temperature boosting effect. If you eat a hot curry before bedtime, you will undoubtedly raise your body temperature, making it increasingly difficult to sleep.
Eating earlier in the day will help you stay cool at night.
Alcohol is well known for warming you up so if you drink too much close to bedtime, you will feel hotter once you get between the sheets.
Alcohol plays havoc with the body's system and interferes with the body's ability to gauge temperature accurately. Although you may not actually be any hotter, you may feel it.
If you suffer from hot flashes, drinking alcohol will make them worse.
To avoid night sweats, avoid drinking too much before bedtime, and stay within safe limits. Drinking plenty of water will also help dilute the heat raising effects of alcohol.
Cooling down with a lukewarm shower before bedtime will help you stay cool at night.
You should, however, avoid taking a cold shower because although it offers instant relief from the heat, it will have a stimulating effect that can keep you awake.
Your body will cool down as soon as you leave the shower, helping you reach the optimum core temperature for sleep, which is around a degree lower than it is over the day.
According to research, you should take your shower between 30 and 60 minutes before bedtime to allow time for this cooling effect to happen.
The Egyptian Method has become the latest bed cooling craze on the internet and is a low tech way to keep cool at night naturally.
According to its fans, the Egyptian Method is a traditional way to stay cool at high in hot weather.
It is extremely simple to do; mainly, you run a blanket or towel under the cold tap and sleep underneath it.
According to many people who have tried it, the experience is a strange one. The weight of the wet material is hefty, and it creates a clammy sensation that is very disturbing and uncomfortable.
The Egyptian Method does not have a good success rate, and after sticking it out for around half an hour, many people appear to have just given up!
How to Keep Your Room Cool - Even If You Don't Have Air Conditioning.
Cooling down your room may seem impossible if you don't have air conditioning. But there are some simple tricks you can do, which may help.
- Keep The Windows Open At Night.
- Turn Off Lights, Electrical Equipment And Computers
- Keep The Windows Closed And The Curtains Pulled Throughout The Day
- Use A Fan
- Hang A Wet Sheet Over Your Window.
- Avoid Using The Oven
- Give Up And Go Downstairs To Sleep!
Leave your windows open at night, so you can benefit from any cross breeze and get some cool night air into your room
If bugs or creepy crawlies are an issue, consider fixing a net to the open windows or simply pull the curtains or shutters and ensure your lights are off. That way, any bugs moths or mosquitoes will not be attracted to the light.
Keeping the lights off will also make your room feel cooler.
Light bulbs give off heat so if you are running a lot of lighting in your room, switching some of these off will make your room feel cooler.
Switching to LED bulbs will also reduce the temperature as well as decrease output and electricity bills.
Computer screens and laptops can also add to heat so switch them off once you have finished using them.
We all know that devices such as iPhones and tablets are not conducive to getting a good night's sleep. These may not make you feel hotter, but you will certainly sleep better if you turn them off.
Your room will feel much cooler at night if you keep the windows closed and the curtains pulled throughout the day.
Doing this will prevent the hot air from entering as well as shade your room from the sun.
This is common practice in hot countries and with the increase in climate temperature; it is something that most of us should be doing throughout the hot summer.
A fan can be a great ally in cooling down a room, and you can increase its cooling powers with some simple tricks so that it does more than just push the warm air around.
If you position a fan by the open window and another further inside the room, it will help push the cold air around, keeping you cooler in the cross breeze.
Another fan trick is to place a bowl of cool water or some ice cubes in front of the fan so that it generates cold air rather than just moving warm air around.
Hanging a wet sheet in front of your open window will cool down the exterior air entering your room, making it feel much colder.
The moisture cools down the air so provides a refreshing cooling temperature.
This may seem like low tech air conditioning, but it does work.
You are unlikely to be cooking in your bedroom, but minimizing the use of your oven in your kitchen will undoubtedly reduce the risk of overheating your home and will keep it feeling generally cooler.
Running the oven in hot weather adds to the ambient temperature of your house so is certainly something to be avoided in a heatwave.
We recommend a diet of salads and cold plates rather than hot roast dinners and spicy casseroles.
If you just can't cool down your room to a comfortable temperature, getting your bed lower may help cool you down instead.
Heat rises, so if you live in a house, sleeping downstairs may help reduce the temperature.
If you do not have this option, putting your mattress on the floor may also help.
It might be basic, but if you have struggled with hanging up sheets or using a fan without any improvement, sleeping lower down may provide a temporary cooling solution.