Summer is on its way and the Met Office has warned of a mini heat wave set to sweep the UK. Temperatures could soar to above 23C this weekend and dozens of counties will enjoy above-average weather conditions.
Although heatwaves can be lovely during the day, when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep it can be a real pain. To try and help Brits maximise their chances of sleeping through the hot nights, Emma Sleep has teamed up with Dr Allie Hare, President of the British Sleep Society and sleep consultant, to get her top tips on staying cool. Dr Allie said: “Overheating during sleep can significantly reduce sleep quality and duration. In particular, being too hot at night can reduce slow wave (deep) sleep, the stage of sleep that helps us awaken feeling rested.”
One of her tips is to try and keep your feet cool. Your feet are heat regulators, so one way to secure a better night’s rest is to keep them cool. Dr Allie recommends putting a pair of lightly damp socks in the freezer around 10 minutes before you go to bed, and put them on before you sleep.
Showering before bed can also help you sleep. You might think that a cold shower would be the best way to ensure a good night’s rest by cooling yourself down but this isn’t actually the case.
Dr Allie said “A lukewarm (not cold!) shower an hour or so before bed can help keep you cool because it causes dilation of the blood vessels in your skin so that when you get out of the shower, you can lose heat more effectively.”
To try and lower your temperature before bed, avoid heavy meals, drinking alcohol and intense exercise as all of these can increase your body temperature.
Adopting a Mediterranean diet can also help you sleep better in the heat. Dr Allie said: “Evidence has shown that diets low in fibre and high in saturated fat and sugar can impact our sleep, making it lighter, less restorative sleep and increasing the likelihood of sleep disruption.
“The available evidence indicates that greater adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet is associated with increased sleep duration and with better sleep quality.”