How to Keep Cool at Night

We all look forward to long summer days and hot weather. But the sweaty, sleepless nights? That’s another matter.

A key part of falling asleep is allowing your body temperature to drop. This regulation of your core temperature is also essential for avoiding broken sleep. And with 37% of the nation reporting disturbed sleep due to feeling too hot, we highly recommend exploring tips to stay cool at night. To help, we’ve identified 30 ways to do exactly that:

Freeze a damp washcloth or flannel and take it to bed. It’ll keep you cool as you fall asleep, particularly if you place it on your forehead. This is because blood vessels on your head sit very close to the surface of your skin. Cooling these blood vessels on your head using a frozen flannel can significantly affect how hot or cold you feel.

Even when wrapped warm in a duvet, your body’s core temperature can still drop quickly if you apply cold treatments to your head and face. That said, the old wives’ tale of losing around 80% of our heat through our heads isn’t accurate. In reality, it’s about 10%—not so surprising given that the head takes up around 7% of the body’s surface area.

If the idea of the frozen cloth isn’t appealing, you can also try neck cooling tubes—just freeze them and put them around the neck to help you chill down at night.

Fill a hot water bottle and pop it in the freezer for a bed-friendly icepack. Don’t forget that water expands when it freezes, so don’t fill your bottle to the brim to avoid bursting it. Once frozen, wrap it up in a towel and cuddle up to it like you would a hot water bottle. Alternatively, place it on the hottest body parts, notably your head, chest or legs.

The Egyptian sleeping method involves wrapping oneself in a damp sheet to lower one’s body temperature and provide a more comfortable environment.

Before bed, put your bed sheets on a quick spin cycle to ensure they are damp but not saturated. Then, make your bed as usual. The damp sheets will provide a pleasant cooling sensation, although the wet sensation isn’t for everyone.

Alternatively, you could use damp towels for a halfway approach. Legends say the ancient Egyptians used this technique to keep cool on hot nights, although the accuracy of this is debated.

Eating smaller meals more frequently will reduce the heat produced by your metabolism – keeping you more relaxed at night. Essentially, heavier meals packed with dense proteins and carbohydrates require more energy to break down and can increase body temperature.

However, getting the proper nutrients is still equally important. Instead of dense carbs or proteins, substitute for lighter alternatives such as salads, fish and rice. This is especially important in summer when light salads and high-water percentage meals also help keep you hydrated, as dehydration can lead to poorer sleep quality.

As well as optimising what’s included in your evening meal, it’s equally important to consider timing. Try to avoid eating at least an hour and a half before bed. This ensures your metabolism will have done most of its hard work digesting food before you aim for the land of nod. When your metabolism works hard, your heart rate and blood flow increase, and therefore, your body temperature too.

If you want to eat and have a snack before bed, a cooling snack such as yoghurt or cold fruit may help. These are not just fresh but are considered foods that help you sleep.

Make sure you stay hydrated throughout the day and into the evening. If you’re out in the sun on hot days, your body may be working harder to keep you cool, so drinking enough water can help. Before bed, you could also try drinking ice-cold water – it may help lower your body temperature from the inside.

Whilst we recommend using one fan to push hot air out, use a second fan positioned inwards to circulate cool air around the room. To ensure the fan blows cool air and isn’t just circulating existing warm air, place a bowl filled with ice cubes in front of the fan.

For the best effect, try propping up the bowl so as much air from the fan blows over the ice. Ice absorbs heat as it melts and the air will cool as the ice melts. This essentially creates a DIY air-conditioning unit as warm air goes out, and cold air comes out.

Mattresses are large, dense items that can easily trap your body heat, keeping your temperature sky-high. Swapping your heat-trapping mattress for a modest bamboo or straw mat could be a great summer option. These materials are breathable, moisture-wicking, and surprisingly soft on the skin, helping you stay cooler at night.

The downside is that they may not be as comfortable to lie on as your regular mattress, yet you won’t feel so hot. If that’s a concern, plenty of natural mattresses combine the cooling properties of eco-materials with the comfort of pocket springs.

Swap out your old mattress for a modern mattress with temperature-regulating technology. These are designed to promote breathability and temperature regulation to help you sleep easily. Gel and latex mattresses are ideal for keeping the temperature low. Memory foam, not so much. Look for a mattress with thermo-regulating properties like the TheraPur ActiGel range, which provides both aeration and comfort with its open-air structure—perfect for a cool night’s slumber.

Keeping the blinds shut during the day can help keep your bedroom cool. It’s important to note that this must be coupled with turning off your heating. Blinds keep sunlight out but can also contain heat. Consider opening your window beforehand for a while to allow any hot air out, then shut your blinds. If you can keep your window slightly open with the blinds closed, that’ll help, too.

A consistent exercise regimen does wonders for sleep, especially if it’s completed in the morning. This post from Johns Hopkins Medicine, which digs into recent scientific research, shows reduced sleep complaints when coupled with daily exercise. They go as far as saying that exercise shows similar results to sleeping pills!

The morning is better because anything that gets the blood pumping near bedtime is generally deemed counterintuitive to sleep. It’s also likely true that those who complete morning exercise are up earlier and, therefore, more tired at bedtime.

Heading out in the morning or planning a sunny day outdoors? Don’t forget to stick to the shade when you can, pop on a hat, and slather on some sun cream. No one enjoys getting sunburnt — not only is it painful, but it also makes it much harder to cool down and drift off when the night’s already hot and sticky. If you do end up a bit burnt, don’t worry. Aloe vera or a soothing after-sun can bring some much-needed relief.

Alongside freezing a damp cloth or hot-water bottle, freezing your socks aids sleep. As identified, part of the body’s natural rhythm before sleep centres around body temperature reduction, especially in the feet. This quick trick is a surefire way to kickstart that process.

Routine is essential to pretty much every aspect of human health. With sleep, it’s no different. The more you train your body to know when it’s bedtime, the more quickly you can fall asleep. And through that ease of falling asleep, you are less likely to have disrupted sleep and wake up hot in the middle of the night. The biological rhythm, which relates to sleep, is known as the circadian rhythm, and it’s only through a routine that you can keep it in check.

If you often wake up hot in the middle of the night or suffer from night sweats, a spray bottle with cool water can provide quick relief without getting out of bed. Infuse yours with a touch of lavender, which will help you fall asleep faster.

Put your pillow into a plastic bag and let it rest in the freezer for 30 minutes before you sleep. As mentioned earlier, your head and face are two key areas which help reduce your body temperature. This is why so many of us love the cold side of the pillow. You can also do this with your bedding or sheets to create a fabric cooling cocoon to keep you cool enough to fall asleep.

Your pulse points are places on your body where you can feel your heartbeat, such as your neck, wrists, and temple. These respond well to temperature change and can rapidly reduce how hot you feel. Apply your frozen hot water bottle or flannel to your pulse points to quickly cool your body down.

To help you sleep in the heat, consider adding a refreshing salad to your evening meal. Include hydrating fruits and vegetables like cucumber, celery, oranges, watermelon, peaches, and leafy greens like kale and lettuce. According to Chinese medicine, they are water-rich and can cool down your body.

On hot, sunny days, an evening walk once the temperature drops can be a great way to cool off, especially if your home stays warm. It gives you a chance to unwind, clear your head, and release any tension from the day. The cooler air and gentle movement can be just what you need to get ready for a restful night.

In the UK, most homes don’t have built-in air conditioning, which means many of us have to find other ways to stay cool at night. While it can be a bit of an investment, buying a portable air conditioning unit can really make a difference during a hot summer. It can quickly cool down your bedroom and help you get a better night’s sleep.

Whether you’re freezing a water bottle or sleeping like an Egyptian, use our tips to enjoy everything a cool and relaxed sleep offers. Before you go, take a look at our infographic on how to stay cool at night, which includes our favourite tips.