It has been a trillion degrees lately (incase you haven’t noticed) and if you aren’t blessed with AC, sleeping can be pretty difficult.
Sleep is so essential and it affects pretty much everything when you don’t get enough. When you get a good sleep, you not only feel refreshed, but it plays a vital role in physical and mental health.
Sleep and body temp are BFFs and they are connected via something called ‘thermoregulation’. At night, our core temperature drops, making us sleepy, but when our body temp rises this is delayed.
So, how does one dose off in a heatwave?
Avoid hitting the gym late
While it’s important to squeeze in time for exercise on a regular basis, you should avoid exercising at night. Late night workouts increase your adrenaline levels, heart rate and body temperature, making it difficult to sleep.
If you just can’t go without your late night sesh, you can try getting your body temp down before bed by jumping into a cold shower or placing a wet cloth over your face.
Eat dinner early
Having an early dinner and not over-eating is key to getting a good sleep. It’s also important to be mindful of what you eat – heavy meals are a no go. Not only is being full and hot a bad combo, but heavy meals can trigger heartburn and make it hard to fall asleep.
Keep caffeine to a minimum
Skip the afternoon coffee kick. Caffeine can last in your system for up to 6 hours, so it’s best to limit yourself.
Get loose
We’re talking what your wear to bed, of course. Keep it light and breezy (natural fibres are nice and breathable) and use minimal bed clothing. It’s nice to have the bed sheet at the ready for when the temp drops at some point/when you hear a noise and freak out.
Freeze your sheets
If all else fails, stick your bed sheets in the freezer for half an hour. It’s desperate, but that’s where we’re all at.
Don’t freak out
When people realise they are going to lose sleep, they tend to worry and their anxiety increases, making it all a lot worse. It’s important to remember that a short term stint of sleep deprivation is not going to be detrimental long term.
