Can’t sleep because of the heat? There are several simple and effective ways to make your room cooler and create a more comfortable sleeping environment. We cover essential tips you need to know to make your room cooler for sleep — even without air conditioning.
Prevent Daytime Heating
One of the simplest ways to beat the heat is to prevent it from building up in your home in the first place. A number of measures can be taken to prevent or lessen daytime heating during hot weather.
- Create shade: Prevent the sun from warming the air inside your house during the day by using blackout curtains, shades, or drapes to cover your windows. You can also consider investing in outdoor shutters or awnings to shade your home from the sun.
- Use the right light bulbs: Energy-efficient LED lights not only save energy, they also create less heat. Replacing incandescent bulbs with LED lights can help you keep your bedroom cooler.
- Choose cooler cooking methods: On hot days, cooking methods like grilling outdoors or microwaving will not heat your home as much as using the oven. If you must use the oven, turn on the vent above your stove to push hot air outside of your home.
- Limit the use of appliances: Using a washing machine, dryer, or dishwasher can add to indoor heat. While it may be impractical to avoid using these appliances every day, try to limit their use during warm weather.
Create a Cross Breeze
A time-honored way to cool your home is to capture colder nighttime air. Control air flow by shutting out hot air during the day and opening up windows at night. Opening multiple windows can help to create a cross breeze, which boosts the amount of cool outdoor air moving through your home. Window fans can also help you pull in cool night air.
Invest in a Cooling Mattress
The right mattress is essential for sleeping comfortably in hot and humid environments. Cooling mattresses are designed to help regulate body temperature and prevent you from overheating or sweating in bed.
Make sure your mattress is constructed with breathable components like cotton, latex, and coils to help you sleep cooler.
Choose the Right Sleepwear
Picking appropriate sleepwear for hot nights is critical to ensuring your body can cool down and maintain an optimal sleep environment. Look for loose-fitting garments that allow for airflow and don’t restrict movement. Avoid synthetic fabrics like polyester, as they can trap in heat and moisture.
Try a Swamp Cooler or Heat Pump
In low humidity areas, swamp coolers can help cool your living spaces. These devices draw in hot air and pass it over water. The passing air cools 15 to 40 degrees as the water evaporates. When running a swamp cooler, keep your windows slightly open so hot indoor air can flow out of the house.
A heat pump is another cost-effective way to cool your home’s interior. Heat pumps work by transferring heat from a warm space to a cool one, so it can both remove warm air from your home during hot weather and warm your house in cool weather.
About The Author
Staff Writer, Sleep Health
Janet is a freelance writer and editor who lives in Fancy Gap, Virginia. She has a bachelor’s degree in literature from Bennington College and has worked for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Janet particularly likes writing about sleep because it’s both mysterious and ordinary. She says it’s impossible for her to sleep without three pillows.
- POSITION: Side Sleeper
- TEMPERATURE: Cold Sleeper
- CHRONOTYPE: Dolphin
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