How To Get A Good Night’s Sleep During The Heatwave
Summer is officially here, and we’re all sweating buckets as we battle the stifling heat. Now we’re never ones to complain when the sun comes out – why is it so many Brits whine all year long that we never get a summer then as soon as the mercury rises they fill Facebook with worries about how they’ll ever cool down?! – but we do find heat at nighttime a particular pain. On holiday you have aircon to cool the apartment during the day so you slip into a slumber soon after a hard days sunbathing, but here in Blighty we’re less used to such climes. Add kids to the mix and the sweaty little things might as well be used as radiators all night through.
With temperatures set to hit a whopping 37 degrees over the next few days, and pollen forecasts very high across most of the country for most of the week, discomfort and hayfever symptoms are most people’s worst enemies, so after years of battling a bad night’s sleep during summer months, we’ve learned several tricks for making it more bearable. Here are some tips and tricks for getting a good night’s sleep during the heatwave:
- Put your pillowcases in the fridge an hour before bedtime so that they’re cool when your head hits the pillow! Some people swear by chilling all of their sheets, but that can actually increase moisture in the air, making a room more humid.
- Take a hot water bottle filled with cold water to bed with you, and place between ankles, or near pulse points.
- Shower before bed. A cool shower will help to cool you down from a day in the sun. And it will help to remove pollen from your hair and body.
- Eat light. Make evening meals smaller, and lighter on the proteins and fats. Our bodies uses more energy to digest a large, rich or heavy supper which means we produce more metabolic heat.
- Remove all make-up before bedtime even if you don’t have time for a shower or bath. Leaving it on can cause build-ups of makeup and dirt, blocking your skin and making you sweat more.
- Sleep naked. It sounds obvious but us Brits still seem to have a hang-up about it. Kick off the covers and let your body breathe!
- Unplug. Lightbulbs and devices that are plugged in all give off heat. Not only will you benefit from a more comfortable room temperature if you switch devices off completely, but you’ll also improve the quality of your rest having removed all that stimulating blue light.
- Keep a drink of cool water next to the bed, and an atomiser filled with water to spray on your face and pulse points if you feel super flushed.
- Keep the house ventilated during the day. Even if it doesn’t create a huge breeze it can blow pollen out of the furniture and stop those sneezes that keep you awake!
- Apply an organic, drug-free allergen barrier balm to the nostrils and around the bones of the eyes before you go to bed, to block pollen before it enters the body.
Sleep well, Belles!
Do you have any tips or tricks to help get a good night’s sleep during the heatwave? Comment below or join the conversation on our Facebook page @belleabouttown.
