[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I'm a summer baby, born during the glorious stretch of months when life slows down. As a kid, I was always off from school to celebrate my birthday, and merriment was on either side of my big day because of summer vacation. Days were long enough to play kickball after dinner, and nights were warm enough to linger outside in a light shirt.
Decades later I moved to the South. First to Florida’s Gulf Coast, then to South Florida, which is basically the tropics. Sometime after that I moved to swampy Tennessee, the part positioned at the cusp of the central time zone — Chattanooga — which means daylight brims close to 10 p.m. at the summer solstice. So three months every year I’m awash in blistering heat and humidity, plus punishing sunlight, well into evening wind-down hours. Summer took on new meaning.
In order to sleep here, you need a strategy. Even if your circumstances aren't as dire as mine, my lessons learned will serve. General
sleep tips can help, so let's start there. You know, the ones that advise you to stick to a sleep schedule and exercise early in the day. I consistently fail at achieving many stock sleep guidelines, so don't beat yourself up if you do too (though it's worth noting that they can — can; they don't always — help).
When it comes to summer specifically, here's what I can tell you about how to sleep in the heat and more.
How to Sleep in the Heat & More Summer Sleep Tips
Eat light, fresh dinners — early
I love
soup, mostly because it's so easy to make; throw whatever you've got hanging around into a pot with some semblance of
broth, and it tastes great. I invite you to join me in this easy meal maker.
Except during summer — unless your soup avoids stuff like potatoes and cheese and you let it cool down a lot, or it's
gazpacho. Even better is a mix of room-temp
pasta with
beans, freshly cut veggies and swirls of red wine vinegar and olive oil. The heavier your meal is the more difficult it is to sleep, especially during summer, when your body is working to cool you down.
Finish dinner at least two hours before bed, three if you can manage, especially if you wound up eating a fatty meal. This lag sounds extreme, but it lets you sleep better. I can't tell you how many times I've finished dinner too close to hitting the sack and paid for it with restless sleep because I'm still digesting, summer or not.
Darken your space (or your screen)
Sometimes we fool ourselves. This is one case where it helps. Summer goes hand-in-hand with longer days (even if you’re not in sun-sets-late Chattanooga), so you might have to draw the shades early. You need to get your
melatonin going. And when you finally lie down to sleep, if your bedroom isn't dark enough, cover your eyes. Eye masks are uncomfortable for me, so sometimes I drape a dark sock over my peepers instead.
If you want to watch videos or shows, use a screen that adjusts to night settings. No matter how many times I'm advised to stop before-bed viewing, I resist. I love watching elite gymnastics while the voice of BBC commentators lulls me. I keep my screen one click from going black, and the volume is as low as it goes. My habit hasn't affected my sleep in any noticeable way compared with the nights I’ve skipped a World Cup. That said, if you're going to watch a raucous action series you might have different results.
Use LED bulbs
LED bulbs are a straightforward fix that makes a huge difference, especially in your bedroom, because they don't emit heat. If you read before bed, get a little light you can clip to your book, and make sure it has LED bulbs (choose warm-tone bulbs, of course). I don't even turn on my bedroom light before sleep. I walk around with my little reading light instead. I can see what I'm doing, yet the room is dark enough to make me feel drowsy.
Outwit heat, with a customized method
You might not have A/C, but if you do it's the easiest way to keep your bedroom cool on summer nights. Let's say you don't have A/C or that you'd like alternatives. Better yet, let's say you share a bed with someone who likes it warmer than you do to sleep.
First, use a fan, but not an overhead fan. Use a standing fan angled at you and only you. A fan makes the air feel four degrees cooler,
according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Standing fans have the added bonus of masking noise with their whir.
Next, dress the bed with your own sheets, as in: Divide the bed in half by letting your partner use their own cover while you use your own cover. You've now customized your bed. I've done this many times using a sheet and very thin blanket on my side. It works wonders, not just for fine-turning how cool I am but also for leaving my husband undisturbed when I tug on my covers.
Warm up right before bed
This sounds wacko for summer, but apparently it helps: Take a warm bath or shower before bed, or soak your feet in warm water. Doing so helps lower your core temperature, which makes sleep more sound, according to
a review of sleep studies.
Mitra Malek has also lived at the foot of Colorado mountains. Sleeping was generally easier, but incessant snow wiped away that benefit.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title="Featured Products" border_width="2"][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width="2/12"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="3/12"][vc_single_image image="167887" img_size="full" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" link="https://www.vitacost.com/the-functional-chocolate-company-sleepy-chocolate"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="2/12"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="3/12"][vc_single_image image="167886" img_size="full" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" link="https://www.vitacost.com/megafood-melatonin-berry-good-sleep-gummies"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="2/12"][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]
