Excess heat is both uncomfortable and bad for your sleep.
The ideal sleeping temperature is between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Anything above 75 degrees interrupts the quality of your sleep.
In other words, keeping your cool at night is important to maintaining a healthy life.
But what if you don’t have the money for an air conditioner? Or live in a region that only gets truly hot weather a couple of weeks a year?
In this brief guide we’ll show you 14 ways to keep cooler at night that won’t cost you an arm and a leg.
So let’s dive in!
1. Switch out your pillow.
Even when you’re asleep, your brain generates a lot of heat.
It would help if you cooled off your head before going to bed. That means cooling your pillow. Here are a few ways to do this:
Use a buckwheat or foam pillow. These pillows do a better job of comfortably cradling your neck, head, and shoulders while also making you sleep more relaxed. Memory foam pillows provide excellent support mainly.
Look for models made with ventilated or gel-infused foam that offers optimal airflow.
Go even further by creating a pillow specifically designed for a cooler sleep.
Cooling pillows usually contain gel-infused memory foams or latex, which are then covered with a breathable cloth.
2. Invest in cooler sheets.
Just as you will often find cooling pillows, there are also cooling sheets. These sheets are made from breathable materials like bamboo and organic cotton.
They are designed to wick moisture away from your skin, so you won’t feel damp even if you sweat.
If you want the coziness of a blanket but don’t want the warmth, you can find a cooler comforter.
3. Create your own DIY AC.
It’s time to get creative.
Keep cold ice cubes in a large bowl and put them in front of an electric air conditioner. As the ice melts, the air will become cooler and blow a cool breeze around your room.
You may want to experiment with different placements based on the size of your fans. A small-sized fan placed near a bowl on your nightstand can help cool your head down.
4. Sleep like an Egyptian.
If anyone knew how they could stay cool while it was hot, it would be the Egyptians.
They devised an effective way to keep the heat from building up in their bedrooms at night.
Here’s their trick:
- Soak a large cloth in warm water.
- Take it out and put it in the washing machine on the spin cycle, or you can just wring it.
- After it dries, put the sheet or towel on you, then sleep.
- As long as you have a breeze blowing through a floor fan, ceiling fan, or an open window, you’ll feel yourself get cooler.
You can alternatively wear damp clothing to bed or hang a sheet in front of an opened window. However, you will need to place a towel underneath to catch any moisture from the procedure.
5. Sleep Naked.
Here’s a fiscally-friendly tip: Sleep naked and save on pajama sets.
Sleeping naked is excellent for sleep quality because it makes it easier for your body to regulate its temperature and stay cool.
6. Shut the blinds.
he sun emits a lot of light and a lot of heat. During the summer, the sun’s rays get stronger. Keep your home cool during the summer and your blinds closed and curtains drawn.
To protect yourself from the sun’s rays during the summer, buy some blackout curtains to keep out the light. These will keep the sunlight out all day, keep the house cooler and help you to sleep better at night.
7. Get a Cooler Mattress.
If you’re sleeping on a bed that traps heat, your mattress is another source of warmth in your sleep environment.
Memory foam mattresses are known for keeping you warm at night.
On the other hand: Innerspring, organic latex mattresses, and some other hybrid mattress types will be the most suitable for hot summer nights.
If you don’t want to spend much on a new mattress, you could buy a cooling mattress pad or a topper instead. They’re intended to provide extra padding while neutralizing the surface heat of your mattress.
For a cool new sleep experience, search for ones containing built-in water tanks, fans, or both.
8. Put your sheets in the freezer.
When following your sleep routine, put your sheets in the freezer for a few minutes.
You need to leave the ice cubes in the freezer long enough to be cool to the touch, yet not so long that they start to melt.
You’ll love how these feel once you’re ready for bed.
9. Fill a water bottle with ice water.
You may use hot-water bottles for warming up in winter, but it doesn’t mean you can not play. During summer nights, keep your bottles filled with ice water. Tuck it into bed down by your feet. Keeping your feet cool will help keep your whole body cooler.
10. Cool off your pulse points.
You’ll need more room for this one in your freezer. Put some wet washcloths in your freezer.
Before going to bed, lie down and place these on pulse points such as your wrists, neck, groins, elbows, ankles, and behind your knees.
Cooling these regions will cause a chain reaction that cools down the rest of the skin.
Additionally, you can dip your toes in a bowl of ice water.
11. Take a shower.
Not everybody can stand to take a cold shower when it’s hot outside.
You can even go as far as taking a warm bath. After you get out of the tub, the water will evaporate from your skin.
This helps your body cool down, bolsters your normal circadian rhythms, and signals your mind that it’s time for bed.
12. Move Your bed nearer to the ground.
We all know that hot air rises.
Lowering your bed means you’re farther away from hot bedroom air.
You might need to remove it from your bed frame during the summer.
Most mattresses are covered to be placed on a solid surface such as a floor, but first, double check your mattress warranty to see if you’re covered.
13. Change your sleep position.
It is difficult to train yourself to sleep in a new position, but it’s possible.
If you are desperate to cool down at all costs, try changing your sleep posture to your back in a spread eagle, having your legs and arms stretched out.
Maintaining your body parts away from each other keeps them from trapping heat and creating sweaty conditions.
Keeping a pillow can make this transition easier if you aren’t already a back sleeper.
14. Get hydrated.
Staying hydrated helps your body thermoregulate and also, it makes your sleep better.
Drink a glass of cool water before bed (but not more than that if you don’t like to awake in the middle of the night for a bathroom break).
If water bores you, change things up with a popsicle or crushed ice.
I’m a degreed ME (mechanical engineer) who is passionate about machines of all kinds. I created MachineWonders.com as a way to connect with others who love machines like me – or need help choosing one for their needs, application, or situation.
