The spring and summer months can make sleep feel impossible, with everything from sweltering temperatures and noisy barbecues at night to the singing of noisy birds and early sunrises. Numerous studies have shown that our sleep gets worse when spring arrives. Being stressed about it will not help, although of course it is understandable to be concerned about the climate crisis that will cause our temperatures to reach extremes and make it even harder for us to sleep.
But on a sleepless night, try to relax. “It’s completely normal to have a bad night,” says Dr. Allie Hare, a sleep consultant at Royal Brompton Hospital in London. “Accept that if there’s a major heat wave, you could spend a couple of nights that aren’t so good, instead of worrying a lot about it and then trying to sleep. As soon as you try to sleep, you won’t sleep.” (If insomnia has “lasted more than a couple of weeks, it’s important for people to see your GP,” he adds.) Here, experts give their advice on how to sleep better in the summer months.
Note your circadian rhythm
“We all like these long nights, but being exposed to light late can change your circadian rhythm backwards, causing something called a delayed sleep phase and making you want to go to bed later than you would do it differently, “says Guy Leschziner, a professor of sleep neurology and medicine at Guy’s Hospital in London and author of The Nocturnal Brain. “Obviously a lot of people have a normal life and they don’t want to sit behind closed curtains.” One way to balance this is to expose yourself to bright light in the morning, “as soon as possible after waking up,” which should make you feel sleepy later in the day. Remember that the bright light on the screens, all year round, also has a negative effect on our sleep-wake rhythm.
Try to avoid excessive light intrusion. Photography: Marko Geber / Getty Images
The right light
Opaque blinds or curtains can be useful if your bedroom gets too much light in the early hours of the morning. An eye mask can also help, if it doesn’t make you feel too hot and sweaty. Your room, says Hare, “doesn’t have to be completely black. People may become a little obsessed with blocking every crack of light. It’s just a matter of dimming the lights at the beginning of sleep to raise melatonin levels [the hormone associated with sleep], and then reducing significant light intrusion in the morning. You are more likely to wake up if there is a lot of light intrusion. “
Reduce room temperature
For most of us, says Leschziner, “the best room temperature in the bedroom is 16-18 ° C (61-64.5 ° F).” In a heat wave, I recommend putting a damp cloth on a fan, “because basically the evaporation of water from the damp cloth will cool the air the fan blows on you.”
A warm or warm bath about an hour before bedtime can help you lose heat more effectively. Photography: Ed Bock / Getty Images
Take a warm shower or bath
“We know that our core body temperature and sleep onset are closely related,” says Leschziner. “In preparation for sleep, our core body temperature tends to drop. Before we wake up, it rises, so there are probably some important regulatory mechanisms that link our core body temperature and sleep.” A warm bath or shower about an hour before going to bed “causes the blood vessels in the skin to dilate, so that when you leave the bathroom, you can lose heat more effectively.” Others advise not to take a cold shower before going to bed, even if it is tempting when it is hot, because it can increase body temperature. “There’s a scientific reason, because a cold shower will make your blood vessels constrict and therefore make you less able to lower your core body temperature. So in theory, yes,” says Leschziner, but adds that he has no knowledge. of no good proof.
Keep your head cool
“The brain doesn’t like to warm up too much,” says Jim Horne, professor emeritus of psychophysiology at Loughborough University and author of Sleeplessness. It’s one of the reasons your cheeks turn red, especially when you’re tired, he says, because “your body is shedding heat”. You could open a window, but there is a risk of noise and light coming in (if a breeze bothers the curtains). Horne recommends a fan, which includes the advantage of white noise, something that many people find comforting. “A nearby fan with a gentle breeze over your head is, I think, the best method. It doesn’t matter if your body gets too hot while you sleep, as long as your brain stays cool.”
In addition to fresh air, a fan creates white noise, which can help some sleep. Photo: invizbk / Getty Images / iStockphoto
Cooling tricks
Leschziner has heard them all. “People try to put a pillow in the fridge or even in the freezer before going to bed. Wear clothes that keep sweat away from the skin, because it increases the surface from which sweat can evaporate. And things like natural materials for sheets “. It’s all anecdotal, he says, but “everything you can do to try to cool off a little is something that will probably make you sleep better.”
Follow a routine
In the summer, our schedules can change, from gardening to dusk, eating late, or hanging out with friends, and a light evening makes us think it’s still daylight, that is, we’re going to sleep later and later. “Time to go to bed and time to get up is, of all the things I recommend for a good night’s sleep, probably the most important thing,” Hare says. Our habits also change: we can drink more alcohol, for example. “Alcohol helps you fall asleep because it’s a sedative, but it alters your REM sleep,” says Hare. “You’re more likely to wake up early and struggle to go back to sleep.” We may also eat later, but Hare says we should try to avoid eating a heavy meal for two hours before bedtime “because your body can’t sleep and digest.” [at the same time]. You will often have problems with reflux, indigestion and bloating, and this can disturb your sleep. “A light salad is fine; a grilled party is not ideal. And don’t drink iced coffee in the afternoon.” There’s a big genetic variability in how quickly we process caffeine, but for most people it takes a long time, so the general rule I give is to avoid caffeine after lunch, ”says Hare.
Bedtime and getting up is probably the most important factor in getting a good night’s sleep. Photo: Cavan Images / Getty Images / Cavan Images RF
Avoid napping
Sleeping in the shade is a pleasure, but Hare says he doesn’t recommend taking a nap, and compares it to a snack between meals. “You’ll have to struggle to fall asleep, wake up a little early, or be unable to stay asleep because you’ve just reduced your appetite,” he says. The exception, she says, is “if you’ve had a very restricted sleep, especially if you have to drive somewhere or do something that involves significant concentration, then taking a nap is important because it improves your alertness and ability. “But I don’t recommend naps as a regular practice. There is evidence that it really disrupts your sleep instead of improving your sleep.”
Sleep alone (maybe)
You may sleep better without your partner turning and turning with their own sleep struggles or radiating heat. It’s “complicated,” says Hare, noting that sleeping with a partner is, for many people, an important part of their relationship. it’s often what people who see you at your clinic want to return to. “If you find that sharing a bed makes you both feel too hot, then yes, but in general I don’t like to advise sleeping separately,” she says. “It can be difficult to co-sleep again if you go into the sleep pattern separately.”
Don’t exercise too late
During the summer, you can try to adjust to your running at night, when the temperature has cooled down a bit, but this could make it difficult to sleep. Vigorous exercise will increase your body temperature and the excitement and motivation of trying to crush your personal memories will not help. Save it for the morning; in the evening Horne recommends “a relaxing walk, with not too bright light.” Although he also adds that, like most of these tips, this is for those vulnerable to fragmented sleep. “If you sleep well, do whatever you want.”