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Shopping: How to keep yourself cool at night

Beautiful woman sleeping seeing dreams wearing sleep mask in comfortable bed lying on soft white pillow orthopedic mattress under duvet blanket on white sheets in bedroom. Good night
(PHOTO: Getty Images)

In the warmer months sleeping at night becomes a task that is daunting - waking up multiple times throughout the night to feeling uncomfortable in what feels like damp pillows and bed sheet - I know, doesn’t sound pleasant but we all do it.

If this is a common issue you face, there are measures you can take before your bedtime routine to keep your body cool, that will help you sleep at night.

  • Sleep with your feet/foot out from under the duvet

When you’re feeling too hot, the blood vessels in your feet dilate, allowing more blood to reach the surface of the skin, this is where heat is lost, also called vasodilation. When you’re cool, on the other hand, the arteriovenous anastomoses become much narrower, reducing the act of vasodilation. So, when you place your foot in a cooler environment, in this case outside your duvet, this allows more heat to escape.

  • Open your window or put a fan on

Perhaps the most obvious adjustment would be to sleep with your window open. If you have issues with bugs or security, then opting for a fan would be a more viable option.

We recommend the practical three-in-one stand fan as the best option.

  • Take a hot bath or shower right before you tuck yourself to sleep.

A study found that you can regulate your body temperature by taking a hot bath an hour and a half before bed. Built into our human nature are signals that mean something to the brain; one of those signals is when the temperature begins to drop, it’s time to sleep. There is a misconception that this is a matter of light as opposed to temperature, but this has been debunked along with many myths in the book written by Matthew Walker called Why We Sleep. Also included in the book is a breakdown of the science behind sleep, dreaming and productiveness.

You can purchase this book at 30% off below.

By switching out your heavy duvet for a much thinner one, you’ll be reducing the insulation that is holding the heat inside the bed. If you purchase a thinner duvet, you can rotate between seasons to ensure you’re warm enough for the cold nights and cool enough for warmer nights.

  • Or switch to linen

Using linen in the heat is a lifesaver; it’s no wonder why those living on Greek islands are always seen in head-to-toe linen material. The main benefit of wearing linen is that when the weather is hot, the linen provides a cooler temperature due to the weave and fibre that allows for a constant airflow. It’s also extremely absorbent and the is the perfect conductor of heat.

Either get yourself some linen pyjamas to sleep in or change your sheets to linen.

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