We all know a good night’s sleep is key to keeping healthy. Research has found the ideal temperature for falling and staying asleep is 18°C; yet achieving that optimum temperature can be tricky. Many of us know the frustration of trying to sleep on a warm night, as we try and find the cool side of the pillow, or kick the blankets off in an attempt to cool down.
And it’s not just warm nights that are a problem. For women, menopause can alter body temperatures and cause heat at night. Then there are others who simply find that they feel heat, which can affect sleep.
But don’t sweat it – a more restful sleep is achievable. Here are some hot tips for keeping cool at night, along with some helpful advice on how to choose the mattress that best suits your needs.
Getting a cooler night’s sleep begins long before you hop into bed – and a little preparation can go a long way towards sleeping at a more comfortable temperature.
Keeping the sun from your bedroom can help during warm nights. Closing curtains or drawing the blinds during the day can help keep your room cooler. Opening windows as the temperature drops off in the late afternoon or early evening can help too.
Electricity produces heat, so it’s useful to unplug items like TVs, tablets and mobile phones in the bedroom - long before bedtime. The same goes for overhead lights. Both incandescent and LED bulbs produce heat as well as light and can inadvertently heat up your bedroom if they’re left on for hours in the evening. Wherever possible, use lamps for light, as opposed to overhead lights.
If you’re living in an area that doesn’t have water restrictions, a brief lukewarm shower before bed can help bring your body temperature down in preparation for a more comfortable sleep. Be sure the water isn’t too cold, however. Shocking your body with freezing water can actually have the opposite effect and cause your body to heat up in response.
The bed you’re sleeping on night-after-night, plus what you choose to put on your bed, are important factors in achieving a cool night’s sleep.
Your mattress plays a major role in helping to moderate your temperature while sleeping. As the materials your mattress is made of can affect your temperature during the night. Your mattress plays a major role in helping to moderate your temperature while sleeping. As the materials your mattress is made of can affect your temperature during the night.
When selecting the best mattress for hot sleepers, it’s best to look for a mattress that’s designed for ventilation and air flow. Our Sealy mattresses are designed with this in mind and feature our SmarTex fabric treatment, which allows heat and moisture to disperse as temperatures rise. This smart fabric technology can be found in our Sealy Posturepedic: Crown Jewel, Exquisite, Premium and Performance product ranges.
It also pays to consider a mattress with a firmer comfort level; as a firmer mattress model will allow more airflow between the mattress and your body.
What you put on your mattress can also make for a cooler night. Hot sleepers should avoid polyester or satin bedding and instead opt for something lighter and more breathable. Cotton sheets are usually best, as they allow for better ventilation through the night. Opting for lighter coloured sheets and blankets can help as well.
As an extra tip, be sure to look for a good quality, breathable pillow, to help keep your head and neck cool.
There are a few extra things you can do as you hop into bed to make yourself more comfortable.
Much like your sheets, try to select sleepwear that is light and breezy, ideally cotton. Tight sleepwear decreases the airflow around your body through the night, increasing your temperature. The materials that usually make clothing fitting around the body are also not likely to be breathable, so it’s best to avoid these while sleeping.
If you have a pedestal fan in your bedroom, the best way to maximise air flow around you is to leave the bedroom door open and pop the fan in the corner of the room facing your bed. If you’ve got more than one fan, you can also think about creating a nice cross-breeze to get through those warm nights.
Finally, if you’re really struggling with heat at night, it might be time to break out the ice packs! Placing one of these on or near your head, neck, back or armpits should help cool your body down quickly.
Sweet dreams!Whether you run hot, cold or somewhere in between, Sealy has the perfect mattress for you. Check out our Sealy Bed Selector and answer a few quick questions so that we can help provide a mattress recommendation that meets your needs.
Try our Bed Selector to help find the best bed for you. Answer a few simple questions to discover the right mattress for your needs.
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