Have you ever woken up sweaty and exhausted, wishing there was a better way to sleep at night? You aren't alone. In a study from the National Library of Medicine 41% of people experience night sweats while they sleep.
And if you are a hot sleeper, you’re too familiar with the struggle of trying not to wake up in a pool of sweat and miss out on precious hours of sleep.
Below are a couple tips (that you might not have thought about) to regulate your body temperature and find the right bedding that will help keep you cool during the night.
1. Grab a fan. If you can stand the noise, a fan is a simple yet effective solution for any hot sleeper. Great air flow from a fan while keeping your door or window open can consistently push fresh cool air throughout your room helping you feel refreshed and your body at the right temperature.
2. Drink cool liquids before bed. One way to stay cool at night and regulate your body heat is by drinking cold liquids about an hour or two before bedtime. Staying properly hydrated to avoid dehydration, which can increase body temperature, might be the solution you’ve been looking for to sleep better.
3. Use a cold damp washcloth. In extreme situations a damp washcloth can be used to help regulate your body temperature quickly. Put it on key points of your body where your veins are close to the surface, such as your wrists, neck, chest and temples, to lower the temperature of your body down fast.
4. Wear lighter and breathable pajamas. One of the reasons why we wear clothes is to keep warm. But if you are a person who is always hot, wearing clothes during the night will probably feel sticky and uncomfortable. Try wearing a tank top, shorts or a breathable fabric like cotton or linen to release the warm air that gets trapped against your body when wearing heavy, bulky fabrics.
5. Chill your sheets. If you have any room in your freezer or refrigerator try cooling your sheets before you put them on your bed. While this is only a temporary solution and will only last an hour or two, it might be just enough to get your body to a certain temperature where it's sustainable throughout the night.
6. Layer up with different bedding. If you are the type of person that needs covers right when you get into bed but gets hotter and hotter as the night progresses, then we suggest grabbing a couple different layers. Try using a top sheet (included in our sheet sets), quilt and blanket or any combination of light bedding that suits your needs. That way when you start to feel hot during the night you can shed a layer and get the perfect medium temperature you need to sleep soundly.
7. Temperature regulating sheets with breathable features. Sheets are made with a variety of different materials to help you stay cool or warm throughout the night. If you are a hot sleeper, you'll need sheets that let the air escape and circulate. We suggest using linen, cotton percale sheets or tencel sheets. These three fabrics are lightweight and breathable which allow the heat to move through the fabric instead of trapping it against your natural body heat.
Resources: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12019054/