Summer sleeping tips that are sure to bring you sweet dreams all summer long!
Summer is here and the days are sunny and long. Perfect for relaxing hours at the beach or hosting backyard barbecues! So, what could possibly be the downside? It turns out these long, sunny days can have a huge impact on the quality of our sleep.
But, “the early bird gets the worm,” doesn’t it? Longer days allow us to get up earlier and get more done! That’s a good thing, right? Wrong! Believe it or not, if you don’t adjust your bedtime, you’re doing more harm than good.
Since the early 1900’s we have slowly been decreasing the amount of hours we sleep, from 9 hours to 6.8 hours, with a third of population getting even less. This sleep deficit can be attributed to the installation of lightbulbs, light pollution, and to our modern day frantic pace.
So, why does it matter if we get a little less sleep? Studies show that this lack of sleep can have huge impact on your health. Did you know, just by sleeping 7 hours a night for a month, you can lose 2 pounds? That’s because sleep deprivation affects many areas of your body. It distributes your hormones, and creates undo stress, which in turn causes inflammation in the body. Long term sleep deprivation can also cause obesity, heart disease, depression and high blood pressure. Even eating a healthy diet and regular exercising doesn’t override the negative effects of lack of sleep. Sounds a bit like a nightmare!
Sleeping in the summer months can be a bit tricky, with longer daylight hours and higher temperatures ( the ideal sleep temperature is in between 60-69 degrees). Here are a few tips to help you get the summer sleep you need so you can enjoy all that those longer days have to offer:
Before bedtime
Put up light blocking window coverings and keep them closed during the day to keep the room cool and deflect the heat.
Take a cool shower or put your feet in cool water before going to bed to help bring down your body temperature. Don’t forget to use your bathroom fan while talking a shower. Using your bathroom fan will help remove the humid moisture from the room.
Cool yourself off by wetting your face and body with a mister and go stand in front of a fan.
Take a cool, damp wash cloth and put it over your head, or better yet, wet your hair.
If it’s cool enough, open up the windows and place a fan in front of it to move some of the cooler air inside. If it’s too warm to open your window, bring two fans into the room at least a half hour before bed to move the still air around. If you have a ceiling fan make sure it is running counter-clock wise when you look up to blow air straight down.
Eat a light meal at dinner filled with fruits and vegetables. Your body generates heat to digest heavy meals. As well, preparing heavier meals will heat up your house.
Bedtime:
Circulate the air in the room with a fan. Adding a bowl of ice cubes in front of the fan will help bring down the temperature of the room. Leaving the door open will help with cross ventilation.
Remove excess bedding. Use a cooling sheet and spritzit with cool water. Keep the sprayer bottle near your bed so you can spritz your face or sheets in the middle of the night if you wake up hot.
Wear lose fitting, moisturizer wicking pajamas and keep your feet out from your sheets.
Wear a sleep mask. Look for contoured or molded mask.
Do your best to go to bed by 10pm. Going to bed by 10pm helps with your circadian rhythm and ensures better quality sleep.