Unpacking a popular wellness trend
As an alternative to the damp towel, you may like to mist yourself. You could keep a spray bottle with water next to your bed.
Placing an ice pack under your neck or on your forehead is a great way to keep cool. You can find ice packs and cool packs in most grocery stores.
Place the towel in front of the fan, which should be positioned far away from you in the corner of the room. Place a container under the towel to catch the melting ice.
That way, if you wake up overheated in the middle of the night, you can spray some light water on your face and neck to cool yourself down.
Sources: (WikiHow)
Perhaps the oldest trick in the book: flip the pillow! If you wake up hot during the night, turn the pillow over and lie back down on the other side.
This is a great trick because the other side of the pillow is always cooler since it has not absorbed your body heat throughout the night.
You may even like to place an ice towel in front of the fan to create an old school AC effect. To do this, hang some ice cubes wrapped in a towel from two chairs.
Instead, you should leave your bedroom door open and place the fan in the corner of the room, facing toward your bed.
Keep a damp cloth by your bedside and use it to wipe your face and arms if you wake up hot during the night.
It is a good idea to use a fan to encourage air flow. However, the positioning of the fan is important. You don’t want it pointing at your face, as this can cause allergies or illness.
Avoid going back to sleep with a wet face or wet hands, however, since this can make you feel hotter. Dry yourself off quickly before going back to sleep.
Instead, you should opt for light sleepwear made of a fabric such as cotton. Nylon and silk are best avoided, as they are not at all breathable.
That said, it’s important to avoid taking anything wet into the bed with you. This will only trap humidity in your room and cause further discomfort.
An hour before bedtime, open the windows in your bedroom. This will allow the air to circulate around your room and cool it down. Be sure to close them before sleeping, however.
This might sound a little crazy, but you might like to put your bedding in the freezer for 30 minutes before you go to bed. Back on the bed, they should stay cool while you fall asleep.
Thick bedding such as mattress protectors or pads retain heat and should be avoided. You might even consider something like a bamboo mat as a cool alternative.
It is important to find the optimum sleeping spot. Bear in mind that cool, dark spaces are your best bet for a good night’s sleep on a hot night.
It goes without saying that heavy sheets are a no-go in the summer. However, it is a good idea to avoid heavy bedding in general.
Remember too that heat rises. Try and find a spot that is low to the ground, e.g. your bedroom floor, or, even better, low in your house, such as the basement.
Again, very cold showers are a bad idea, as these can have a rebound effect and leave you feeling even hotter. If you need to bathe, do it in tepid water.
You can also try soaking just your hands and feet in tepid water. Hands and feet heat up easily; cooling them down will help regulate your body temperature.
In the same way, it's a good idea to avoid spicy foods two or three hours before bed. Spicy foods will only leave you feeling hotter on an already hot night.
This is perhaps counterintuitive on a hot summer’s night, but it is best to avoid drinking cold water. On the one hand, cold water messes with your digestive system.
What's more, drinking cold water slows down your body’s metabolism by constricting blood vessels, and this messes with your body’s ability to self-regulate its temperature.
Exercise is great, but it heats up your body. Make sure you stop exercising a few hours before you go to bed, to allow your body time to cool back down.
Eating a large meal is great if you need energy. However, eating a large amount of food may cause you to feel hot, so try and avoid this in the two or three hours before bed.
It's also important that you drink plenty of water throughout the day, so that you stay hydrated. You may also want to keep a glass of water by your bedside.
While you may be tempted to sleep naked on a very hot night, this is best avoided. This can actually make you feel hotter, as moisture cannot evaporate between your body and the bed.
As anyone from a hot climate will tell you, trying to sleep in the heat is hard. Sure, going to bed in the freezing cold isn't great, but it's always possible to layer up. Going to bed in the boiling heat, however, can be a more difficult deal to handle.
Need some help? Check out this gallery for some tips on how to sleep comfortably while it's hot at night.
Tips for sleeping comfortably while it's hot at night
It's not for the fainthearted!
LIFESTYLE Summer
As anyone from a hot climate will tell you, trying to sleep in the heat is hard. Sure, going to bed in the freezing cold isn't great, but it's always possible to layer up. Going to bed in the boiling heat, however, can be a more difficult deal to handle.
Need some help? Check out this gallery for some tips on how to sleep comfortably while it's hot at night.