Too Hot to Sleep? Here Are 6 Tips for Staying Cool This Summer

Long, warm summer days and evenings relaxing on the patio or poolside are pure bliss, but transitioning to sleep time in the summer months is less wonderful when trying to fall asleep in hot weather. Partial as we may be to indulge in an ocean dip to cool off from the sweltering sun, we’re wholly opposed to waking up in a pool of sweat on summer mornings. Balmy nights can make for a restless sleep—humidity is high, mosquitos are thirsty and air conditioners are as expensive to run all evening as they are drying and dehydrating.

So, short of sleeping naked or taking an ice bath—because these will only go so far!—we’ve gathered some tried-and-tested tips to keep those forehead beads at bay and still secure your optimal six to eight.

1. Create a cool, dark environment

This may be easier said than done as temperatures soar in the summer months, but keep the environment you sleep in at the forefront of your mind. Shutters or blinds work double-time to promote a sense of relaxation, help you unwind, and block harsh sunlight simultaneously, so keep your curtains closed when readying for bed. Keep the wattages of the light bulbs in your bedside lamp low. In desperate times, exercise desperate measures: deploy a fan or air conditioner to cool the room initially, remembering to switch these off before bed.

2. Opt for linen that is lightweight and breathable

Thanks to its low GSM or grams per square metre—ranking in at an ideal score of 170—our Bed Threads sheets are the most breathable and lightweight solutions to sleep on. Whereas other bedding sets made of alternative materials are slaves to thread counts that determine their breathability, linen doesn’t have a thread count yet it doesn’t compromise breezy, sweat-free sleep throughout summer and beyond either.

3. Prepare your nightly elixir on the rocks

We’ve waxed poetic about cutting caffeine before lunchtime and sipping chamomile tea before bed, but no one can enjoy a hot cuppa in the blistering heat of a midsummer’s night. Consider drinking your herbal nightcap or chai latte on the rocks or alternate your lemongrass and ginger for an iced tea to cool off before bed. Make sure to keep a carafe of water on your bedside table to reach for when you wake up.

4. Avoid sleeping in fabrics that cause friction

Our Bed Threads are plant-derived from 100% pure flax, meaning they are entirely made of natural fabrics. The fine print? Unlike plastic-derived synthetics like polyester that can exacerbate heat-stricken sleepers, linen will never cause you to overheat. Combined with the softness of the fabric—which actually improves with every wash—linen will never produce excess friction, meaning you don’t have to worry about uncovering uncomfortable heat rashes come time to wake up.

5. Let your linen cool you down naturally

A critical differentiator from other low-tech fabrics, linen has an in-built temperature-regulating performance function to keep you cool in the summer and insulate your body in the winter. Come summer storms or sunshine, your linen will weather any change of the wind and adjust to the body accordingly, making it the obvious choice to sleep in all year round.

6. Choose your pillow wisely

While you are sleeping, your brain is a hum of activity, which means that your head could be sweating while you’re dreaming. The right pillow will keep your head cool, and it could be as simple as switching out from a soft, squishy, cocoon-y number for a low, flat one. The former might be cozy, but it wraps around your head keeping heat trapped there, whereas the latter allows for continual air motion to cool you down as you dream.