Sleeping in a Hot Apartment

It’s the middle of the night and you are wide awake. A few hours ago, you were playing outside in the sunshine, feeling grateful for the return to warm weather. Now, you are laying hot in bed, wondering if you’ll ever fall asleep, and wishing you would have spent the extra money to live in an air conditioned apartment.
 
Sleeping in a warm apartment at night is uncomfortable and disruptive of our sleep cycles. It makes it harder to fall asleep and harder to stay asleep. 

Make this summer a little more comfortable and cool by trying some of these suggestions.

THE BASICS

• Keep your windows closed during the day and open at night. Surprisingly, an open window during the day can heat up your apartment more. In the evening and through the night, keep your bedroom window open to let the cool air in. Close your windows in the morning to keep the cool air inside.
• Sleep in loose, light, cotton clothing. Avoid wearing socks!
• Use a light, cotton sheet as a covering; put away your thick blankets and don’t cover yourself with multiple layers of bedding.
• Invest in a box or standing fan. Put it directly in front of you. You may want to place a bowl of ice in front of it to cool the air even more.
• Take a cool shower or bath before bed. (The humidity from a hot shower will heat up your apartment more.) Instead of drying your hair, sleep with it wet.
• Use a frozen, damp washcloth, icepack, or spray bottle to cool down.
• Stay hydrated! Make sure you drink enough water each day.

 
OTHER IDEAS

• Run cold water over your wrists for 10 seconds.
• Soak your feet in a bucket or tub of cold water.
• Sleep with your arms and legs spread out to reduce the collection of heat.
• Wet yourself with a damp washcloth before climbing in bed.
• Spray your sheet with a little bit of water.
• Fill a warm water bottle with cold water, freeze a water bottle, freeze a rice sock and put it by your pillow.
• Place your sheet or pillowcase in a Ziploc bag and keep it in the freezer until bed.
• Think cold thoughts. Tell yourself that you are comfortable and cool!

What do you do to stay cool during the hot summer months?

Sources:
"Having Trouble Sleeping in This Heat?" Caring Right at Home. Right at Home, Inc., n.d. Web. 13 May 2013.
"How to Cool Yourself Without Air Conditioning." WikiHow. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2013.
"Sleeping When It Is Blistering Hot." National Sleep Foundation. National Sleep Foundation, 2011. Web. 13 May 2013.
"Temperature and Sleep." Sleep Like the Dead. SLTD, Inc., n.d. Web. 13 May 2013.