The UK is staring down the barrel of another sweltering heatwave, and if you’re anything like me, you’re dreading it. I love the sun during the day when I can get out and about and enjoy it but when it comes time to go to sleep I find the sticky humidity almost unbearable.
While I use my fan religiously, and often go to bed with a frozen bottle of water like a teddy bear there is one other trick I utilise that I think helps me drift off when the mercury is high and the streets are restless. This hack actually doesn’t happen in the evening – it’s a daily habit I developed years ago that makes my bed feel cleaner, cooler and more relaxing. It takes ten minutes every morning to achieve, and makes my bed feel fresh every night.
The moment I get out of bed after my alarm, I throw back all the covers on my bed and open a window.
After a hot, sticky night, this gives my mattress and bedding a chance to breathe, and because my bedroom gets a lot of morning sun, it also freshens up the linens.
I leave my covers thrown back as I brush my teeth, wash my face and make my coffee so that by the time I come back to my bedroom around 10 minutes have passed.
Once my bed has been aired, I always sprinkle a few drops of pure lavender essential oil onto the bottom sheet, and my pillows. This gives my bedding a lovely scent that makes my room smell delicious.
Although I have done this for years now, if you want to give it a try it’s a good idea to start with a specially made pillow spray with lavender in it.
If you are not used to it, or familiar with it, undiluted lavender oil may cause skin or eye irritation.
It’s something I’ve used ever since I was a child to relax me, and adding it on to my sheets means my bed feels like a calming oasis in the middle of a sweltering London summer.