It's the hottest month of the year and while you might be tempted to bare it all when you go to bed, there are a few reasons why that isn't a good idea.
Research confirms that when temperature rise, the amount of sleep we get drops. But experts say that sleeping nude might actually make you hotter.
Christabel Majendie, resident sleep expert at Naturalmat says “When you sleep naked sweat actually collects on the body and then remains there. The fabric of sleepware will wipe the moisture away from the body so sleeping naked doesn’t help you to cool down at all."
Dr Sophie Bostock, sleep expert (thesleepscientist.com) says "The reason we have such difficulty sleeping when it's hot is we rely on a cooling of the body temperature as a stimulus for sleep. The light evenings (not as dark outside) also encourage our body to stay awake, and stops us unwinding properly before bed."
How to get a better night's sleep when it's hot, according to Julius Patrick, Lead Sleep Physiologist at Bupa’s Cromwell Hospital in an interview with Cosmopolitan:
- Wear "light bedclothes" during warmer nights.
- Close curtains or blinds in your bedroom all day, to keep the sun out. "If it’s warmer inside than outside, open all of the windows before you get in bed, to get a breeze in the room. This should bring down the room temperature slightly to make it easier to fall asleep when you get in bed," Patrick suggests.
- Take a shower half an hour before bedtime. "A quick rinse before bed can help you cool down, and it doesn’t have to be a cold shower. Some people find a hot shower or bath can help as this drops the core body temperature, helping to promote faster and deeper sleep," says Patrick.
Photo by Raphael Lovaski on Unsplash