As a nation, there’s nothing we love more than discussing the weather, but usually, it’s about how cold or rainy it is.
Because it’s an acute kind of torture trying to sleep when temperatures linger in the mid to high-20s in the wee, early hours.
You know the score: sweaty hair sticking to the back of your neck, trying to stop your limbs touching, and venturing one, or two, hopeful legs out of the covers to catch any passing whisper of a breeze.
How to sleep in hot weather
Farah Arshad, Head of Design at DUSK, offers some stay-cool tips:
- Invest in the right fabrics: use cotton pyjamas and invest in 100 per cent cotton bed linen. Egyptian cotton bed linen is lightweight and breathable, helping to keep you cool throughout the night.
- Cold as ice: put a tray of ice in front of your fan. As it melts, the breeze will pick up the moisture and give off an icy cool mist.
- Keep it cool: the ideal room temperature to sleep is 16 -18°C. Having a cool shower before bed will help lower your temperature.
- Prepare your bedroom: close your windows in the daytime to avoid heat coming in. For a cooler breeze, open them after sunset.
DUSK
A duvet is one of the main obstacles in catching summer zzz’s. While lighter duvet togs work are comfortable in mild weather, in sweltering temperatures you may just want to do away with them altogether.
Do I need a blanket in a heatwave?
The trouble is, many of us simply can’t nod off without something covering us. There are many reasons why: for one, it’s a primitive instinct to protect ourselves when we’re at our most vulnerable.
Two, we’ve been conditioned since birth to sleep with a blanket, and it brings us comfort. It’s called a security blanket for a reason.
And finally, your core temperature drops as you nod off, so a covering or blanket is an extra investment in keeping warm – yep, even when it’s boiling – when you’re in that deep, dreamy REM state.
So if you’re looking for something to sleep under when even the lightest tog duvet is unbearable, we’ve rounded up the best, breathable light blankets and sheets for you to snooze under.
Hot tip: a fan seriously helps. Get one with a timer so you can set it without worrying about getting up to turn it off later.