Prevent night sweats during a heat wave with these simple tricks
As extreme temperatures continue to plague many people in the U.S., it can become increasingly difficult to get a good night’s sleep if you can’t get cool or comfortable. Rising temperatures can make the the body’s natural thermoregulation takes place and feel like you can never get your heart rate down enough to fall into a peaceful sleep.
Don’t worry; you’re not doomed to sweaty sheets and sky-high energy bills. There are things you can do (outside your air conditioning) to beat the heat. Try these 12 recommendations to unlearning night sweats and sleep through the night. Besides, how to sleep cooler when you share a bed with a human oven.
Also read: How to Regulate Your Circadian Rhythm for Better Sleep
1. Talk to your doctor about night sweats
Most importantly, rule out an underlying health condition. Night sweats can occur in response to many medical conditions, including anxiety disorders, neuropathy, hyperthyroidism, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and tuberculosis. according to the Mayo Clinic.
Certain medications, such as those for diabetes and depression, can also cause night sweats. If you wake up hot and sweaty every night, it’s worth discussing it with your doctor, regardless of the weather.
Read more: How to Stop Night Sweats
2. Add a window unit or box fan
This may seem obvious, but it works. If you don’t have central air conditioning in your home, consider getting a window unit to keep you cool at night. It costs a lot less than installing a central air conditioning unit and it saves on energy costs because you are only cooling one room. Alternatively, a box fan in the window can push warm air out and circulate cooler air.
3. Try a standing fan or a mini bedside fan
No room for a window unit or box fan? Many companies now make impressively powerful floor fans and mini fans. Honeywell QuietSet Whole Room Tower Fan has served me well, as has the Honeywell Dreamweaver Sleep Fanwhich also serves as white noise machine.
4. Use fans to create a cross breeze
Speaking of fans, bring two with you when you’re at the store. Placing two standing fans facing each other on opposite sides of your room will create a cross breeze, keeping you cool all night long.
This little Honeywell fan is surprisingly powerful.
5. Take a warm bath a few hours before bed
Your body temperature fluctuates in a cycle. Every evening, as the sun begins to set and your eyes sense darkness, your body begins to produce melatonin, triggering your brain to prepare for sleep. At the same time, your body temperature begins to drop and continues to drop throughout your first two sleep stages.
Taking a warm bath 1 to 2 hours before bedtime can simulate this natural process and promote a good night’s sleepWhen you sleep, your body temperature is about 2 degrees lower than the daytime temperature. Shortly before you wake up, it gradually rises back to normal values.
It may sound like the opposite of what you want to do, but it might just work.
6. Try natural fiber bedding
Synthetic sheets tend to cost less than natural sheets, but investing in some natural cotton, linen, silk, or bamboo sheets could be your ticket to staying cooler while you sleep. These fabrics promote breathability and, as a bonus, they won’t make you volatile organic compounds as many synthetics do (we could all use less volatile organic compounds in our homes).
7. Choose natural fibers and loose fits for pajamas
If you don’t feel comfortable sleeping naked, be smart about your pajamas. Just as natural fiber bedding can keep you cool, so can clothing. Loose-fitting pajamas made from cotton, silk, or bamboo offer more breathability than those made from synthetic fibers.
A pair of natural fiber pajamas, like this bamboo fabric set from Cozy Earth, can help keep you cooler at night.
8. Use blackout or thermal curtains during the day
It’s always nice to have sunlight in your home during the day, especially in the winter when the days are short and many people suffer from seasonal affective disorder. The curtains — specifically black out or thermal curtains, which you can close in your bedroom during the day, keep your room cooler so you can sleep well in the evening.
9. Don’t leave electronics running in your bedroom
Electronics such as televisions, radios, and video game consoles give off heat when they are on. Avoid using electronics in your bedroom at night if you really have trouble staying cool while you sleep.
read more: Dim or turn off the bright LED lights of your devices
10. Try a cooling blanket or pillow
You may have tried putting your bedding in the freezer to make it a little cold when you finally get to sleep. While this may work for some, it is also a potential way to get mold in your bed due to moisture that can get trapped under your sheets.
Instead, invest in a cooling blanket, sheet, or pillow. These affordable accessories are made from a special fabric and stay cool all night long. While they may warm up slightly with your body temperature, they’ll be ice cold again in minutes. They’re a great alternative to lugging potentially wet sheets into the bedroom, and they come in a variety of shapes, prints, and colors for low prices at retailers like Amazon.
Cooling blankets and pillows are made of a special fabric that feels cold.
11. Turn down your thermostat
This may seem obvious, but many people are hesitant to thermostat below a certain temperature. Turning your home into an arctic tundra with air conditioning will send your electric bill through the roof. If you feel like you’ve tried everything and you’re still waking up a sweaty mess, you may just need to dial down your nighttime temperature a notch or two.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, most experts agree that 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 degrees Celsius) is the ideal sleeping temperature because it helps your body maintain its natural core temperature at night. The United States Department of Energy suggests that the ideal temperature for your thermostat This summer it will be 82 F when you are sleeping and 85 F when you are away to ensure maximum energy savings. Be prepared to spend a little more this summer if you change the thermostat every night.
Here Are 23 Ways to Save on Your Electric Bill Now
View all photos12. Switch to technology
Okay, so what if none of the above has worked for you in the past? There are plenty of products out there specifically designed to help people avoid the dreaded night sweats. The products below all use some form of cooling technology that should help promote uninterrupted rest for those who get hot easily.
The Eight Sleep Pod 3 mattress cover is a solution for people who get hot easily and suffer from heat waves. It tracks your health and sleep, reports on your sleep quality and adjusts the temperature to keep you cool and comfortable all night long. Each side of the bed is fully adjustable.
Read our review of the Eight Sleep Pod.
This mattress topper uses Reactex technology, which draws heat away from your body and dissipates it through memory foam cubes and fibre filling.
The ChiliBlanket features hydroponic cooling. The control unit cools the water and directs it through channels in the weighted blanket, so you get all the anxiety-relieving comfort of a weighted blanket without the feeling of drowning in sweat.
Purple products have a gel grid design that allows air to flow through internal channels, preventing warm air from accumulating under your body.
The BedJet system works with existing bedding. Simply place the fan arm under your fitted sheet for almost instant cooling.
Read our preview of BedJet v2.
