Sleep experts put a lot of emphasis on what they call sleep hygiene. This includes having a clean, fresh and airy sleeping environment but also practices which calm the body and mind before turning in for the night. Many people find it difficult to sleep on these warm nights, so here is some advice on how best to get a good night’s sleep.
1. Keep your bedroom cool throughout the day and the night. Some people like to keep their curtains, blinds and windows closed during the day to keep the room cool. However, if you do this, it’s important to open the windows and let the air circulate for about half an hour before bedtime. It’s a personal choice whether windows remain open at night as others factors such as noise can disrupt sleep.
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2. Ditch the duvet and sleep in cotton or, better still, linen sheets. Both cotton and linen are breathable fabrics and are therefore the best materials for sleeping in and on. Some people like to have one sheet under them and another over them while others prefer to have a lightweight duvet with a cotton/linen cover on top. Sleep naked if you are comfortable with that. If not, wear lightweight cotton or linen pyjamas or a nightshirt. Keeping bed linen fresh and clean also makes for a more comfortable sleeping environment.
3. Have a cool (not cold) drink beside your bed in case you need to rehydrate during the night, but try not to drink too much in the evening as this may mean you’ll wake up to go to the toilet during the night. Some people enjoy chamomile tea at bedtime as it can help to calm the body, but avoid caffeine drinks or alcohol for a couple of hours before bedtime. “Try to avoid over-hydration in the evening. Drink sufficiently and evenly during the day and only sip drinks in the evening,” says sleep physiologist Motty Varghese who runs the Sleep Therapy Clinic in Dublin.
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4. Don’t eat too close to bedtime either as the process of digesting your food can disrupt your sleep. “Digesting food increases body temperature which is the opposite to what you want to happen before bedtime,” says Varghese. Basically, you shouldn’t go to bed too hungry or too full but try to eat at least two hours before bedtime.
5. Avoid vigorous exercise for two to three hours before bedtime. Exercising earlier in the day and having some daytime access to daylight are keys to regulating your sleep patterns. A gentle walk suits some people but on these bright summer evenings, the exposure to light can give the body mixed messages. “People who have difficulty falling asleep need to protect the sleep hormone melatonin by avoiding exposure to bright lights in the evenings,” says Varghese. This also means avoiding use of smartphones or tablets for about two hours before bedtime.
6. While many people opt to shower or have a bath before turning in for the night, it’s important to do so about two hours before bedtime. “A hot shower or hot baths about two hours before bedtime causes an initial rise in temperature and then a drop which facilitates sleep,” says Varghese.
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7. Try not to worry about getting enough sleep as being anxious about sleep can in fact make matters worse. Varghese recommends activities such as doing some relaxation or journaling which he describes as “putting your day to bed before going to bed yourself”. “People need to accept that sleep – like hunger and thirst – is a natural process and will happen by itself. Try not to force it. Have good sleep habits and then let it go. Be more process-oriented than outcome-oriented,” he suggests.
8. Parents should encourage their children to stay in their own beds on warm nights because not only will they sleep better with space around them, you will too. Those who share a bed with a partner already know that the heat of someone else’s body next to you can make it more difficult to sleep well on warm nights. So, tell your partner (if you need too!) that when you create your own sleep zone in the bed, they shouldn’t take it personally.
