3 Ways To Sleep Better In Summer
Do you find it harder to sleep when the long summer months roll in? With later evenings, it can be hard to tell your body that it’s time to wind down. And if the humidity creeps into your bedroom and makes you sweat, there’s no doubt you’ll struggle to get a good night’s rest.
However, it’s possible to still take full advantage of the summer while dealing with the later hours and hot weather. With these three tips, you’ll have more energy to go out and make the most of the sun.
1. Choose The Right Bedding
Choosing the right type of bedding is essential to making sure you get your full eight hours of sleep on a hot summer’s night. You’ll want your bed and bedding to be as cool and airy as possible to let your body manage the temperature. Look for natural materials, like:
- Cotton
- Linen
- Rayon
- Bamboo
These materials are breathable and allow the air to circulate.
What you sleep on is also important; a thick mattress made of foam will only trap the heat. The same can be said for pillows; take the Pillow Insider quiz to find the best ones for you based on your height, weight, and body shape. You can also look for pillows made of wool, latex, or ventilated foam, which help regulate the hot temperature.
Another tip: freeze your pillowcases before you go to sleep – this gives you a layer of extra cooling for those hot climates.
2. Stick To A Routine
Summertime can shift anybody’s regular sleeping habits. Once you start enjoying the later evenings, you may find it hard to wake up with your alarm in the morning.
We recommend sticking to a routine as much as possible. Try to limit most late nights to a certain hour, so you can still wake up when you need to.
If you can’t get up, open your curtains the night before to let the glorious sun stream in; it acts as a natural wake-up call that slowly eases you into the morning as opposed to a loud alarm that jolts you awake. After a few days, you will get used to its greeting and establish a healthier routine.
You should also keep artificial light to a minimum before going to bed to limit blue light exposure so your body falls asleep faster.
3. Shower Before Bed
After a long day, the last thing we want to do is drag ourselves in for a shower before we sleep. But, it may make you feel more comfortable about getting under the sheets if you take five minutes to rinse off the sunscreen, sweat, and bug spray from your day. Research shows that showering 1-2 hours before bed makes it easier to fall asleep.
Instead of a hot shower, opt for lukewarm water – this is still warm enough yet not too hot. A hot bath or shower can raise your core body temperature and make it harder to sleep once you get into bed if you skip a cooling-off period first.
You can make other modifications to your evening shower to signal to your body that it’s time for bed, such as putting eucalyptus in your shower or washing with a lavender shower gel. You can even buy sleep sprays to spray yourself and your sheets to help you snooze.
Start Making Changes Today to Improve Your Sleep!
Longer days, fun in the sun, beach weekends, and half-day Fridays – there are not many negatives to the warmer weather. Once you regain control of your sleeping schedule and quality, you’ll enjoy all the benefits of summer.
Switch up your routine by using one or more of our tips, and you’ll notice a drastic improvement in your summer snoozes!
