How to Sleep in Hot Weather

There are two main reasons sleep can become more difficult in hot weather.

The first is simple: heat is uncomfortable. If you feel too warm, sweaty or restless, it can be harder to relax and drift off.

The second is linked to your body’s internal clock, known as your circadian rhythm. As you move from wakefulness into sleep, your core body temperature naturally starts to drop. This drop in temperature helps signal to the body that it is time to sleep. When your bedroom is too warm, that cooling process can be disrupted, making it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.

The good news is that small changes can make a real difference. Below are some practical ways to improve the quality and quantity of your sleep when summer temperatures rise.

Keep your home cool during the day

Try to start cooling your home long before bedtime.

If one side of your house or flat gets a lot of direct sun, keep the curtains or blinds closed during the hottest parts of the day. This can help reduce the “greenhouse effect”, where sunlight warms the room and the heat becomes trapped inside.

It can also help to keep lights and unnecessary electrical items switched off where possible, as these can add extra warmth to the room.

If the air outside is hotter than the air inside, keep windows closed during the day. Then, once the temperature drops in the evening, open windows to let cooler air circulate.

Use windows and fans effectively

When you come to sleep, opening a window can help exchange warm, stuffy bedroom air for cooler outside air, particularly later in the evening or overnight.

If you have a fan, this can also help by keeping air moving around the room. Some people find it useful to place a bowl of ice or cold water in front of the fan, although the main benefit is usually the movement of air rather than dramatically cooling the whole room.

If possible, try to create a cross-breeze by opening windows on different sides of the home. Even a small amount of airflow can make a bedroom feel less heavy and uncomfortable.

Change your bed covers

Your usual duvet may be far too warm during a heatwave.

Sleeping with no cover at all can feel unnatural for many people, so a good compromise is to remove the duvet and use just the duvet cover, a thin cotton sheet, or a light blanket. This keeps some of the familiar feeling of being covered, without trapping as much heat.

Natural, breathable fabrics such as cotton or linen are usually better than heavy synthetic materials, which can trap warmth and moisture.

Some people advise slightly dampening a sheet. This can help transfer heat away from the body, particularly during the first part of the night. However, avoid making the sheet too wet, as this can make the room feel humid and clammy.

Wear light, breathable sleepwear

It can be tempting to sleep in very little clothing during hot weather, and for some people that works well. Others sleep better in loose, lightweight pyjamas made from breathable fabrics.

The key is to avoid tight clothing or synthetic materials that trap heat. Cotton, linen or moisture-wicking fabrics can help you feel cooler and more comfortable.

Have a short warm shower before bed

Some people try to cool themselves down with a cold shower before getting into bed. However, a short warm shower may be more helpful.

A cold shower can feel quite bracing and alerting, which is not ideal when you are trying to wind down. A warm shower, on the other hand, can encourage blood flow to the skin. This is part of your body’s natural cooling process and can help you lose heat after you get out of the shower.

Keep it short and warm rather than very hot. The aim is to help the body cool afterwards, not to make yourself feel overheated.

Be careful with naps

Hot weather can make you feel tired and lethargic during the day, especially if you have slept badly the night before.

However, try to avoid long or late naps if you can. While you are awake, your body builds something called sleep pressure. This is one of the things that helps you feel sleepy at bedtime.

If you nap for too long, or too late in the day, you reduce that sleep pressure. This can make it harder to fall asleep at night, even if you still feel tired.

If you really need a nap, try to keep it short and earlier in the day.

Stay hydrated, but time your fluids sensibly

Dehydration can make it harder to sleep well. It can contribute to headaches, dry mouth, restlessness and feeling generally uncomfortable.

Try to drink enough water throughout the day, especially if you have been sweating more than usual. However, avoid drinking large amounts right before bed, as this may mean you wake in the night needing the toilet.

It is also sensible to avoid too much sun during the day. Trying to sleep when you are dehydrated, overheated or have symptoms of heat exhaustion will be much harder.

Go easy on alcohol

A drink in the sunshine can be enjoyable, but alcohol can make sleep worse.

Although alcohol may make you feel sleepy at first, it tends to fragment sleep later in the night. This means you may wake more often, have poorer-quality sleep, and feel less refreshed in the morning.

Alcohol can also contribute to dehydration, which is particularly unhelpful during hot weather.

Don’t force sleep if it isn’t happening

This is one of the most important pieces of advice.

If you can’t sleep, don’t lie in bed trying to force it. This can make you feel frustrated and can train your brain to associate bed with wakefulness rather than sleep.

Instead, get up, leave the bedroom, and do something quiet, relaxing and distracting. Reading, listening to calm music, or doing a simple breathing exercise can all work well.

Keep the lights low and avoid anything too stimulating. Then, when you feel sleepy again, return to bed.

When poor sleep is more than just the heat

It is normal to have the occasional bad night during hot weather. Most people will find that their sleep improves again once the temperature drops.

However, if you are regularly struggling to fall asleep, waking frequently, snoring heavily, waking up choking or gasping, or feeling very tired during the day, there may be something else affecting your sleep.

Sleep problems such as insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea are common, and they can have a real impact on health, mood, energy and day-to-day life.

If poor sleep is becoming a pattern, it may be worth seeking advice.

For more support, visit our sleep hygiene page for practical advice on building healthy sleep habits.