Summer brings lots of benefits, but as the nights get warmer, many of us struggle to cool down and get to sleep – here are a few tips to help you along as the weather warms up.
1. Switch to summer bed linen
You could invest in an all-season duvet – something like a 10.5 tog + 4.5 tog. Use just the thinner duvet in summer, in autumn you can switch to the 10.5 and in the middle of winter use both together. For easy access, you can store them in a stylish wooden blanket box at the foot of your bed.
2. Is your bed big enough?
If you share a bed and are often hot it may be time to look for a bigger bed. This will give you more space and make you more able to escape your partner’s body heat! If you have a king-size bed consider upgrading to a super king solid wood bed. This will also give you more space to move pillows out the way – just have the most essential bedding items on your bed to let air flow around you freely.
3. Cool colours
As in the cool Mediterranean style, use light colours in your bedroom – dark walls will absorb heat whereas pale colours and white will reflect the heat. If you are investing in new bedroom furniture then consider pale or white painted reclaimed wood furniture – a white wardrobe and a white painted wooden chest of drawers will help your room feel cool and airy.
4. Control the sunlight in your room
Our friends in warmer countries are experts at this! If the sun is shining in to your bedroom window make sure you pull the blinds down, use a blackout blind for particularly sunny rooms….and close your window! Just as double or triple glazed windows keep the cold out in winter they keep heat out in summer so keep them closed during the hottest parts of the day. Open windows on the shady side of the house, early in the morning and definitely during the evening before you go up to bed to let cooler breezes through.
5. Get a good fan
At present, here in the UK, it is probably not worth investing in air conditioning for your home, but for those nights when it is warmer than we’re used to it’s lovely to have a fan for the bedrooms. A ceiling fan / light combo is great – they are out of the way and can really cool a room down. Floor standing fans or one that stands on a unit are also great for summertime cooling.
6. Stay hydrated
Make a point of taking a glass of water to bed with you – there’s nothing worse than waking up in the early hours desperate for a glass of water! A rustic bedside table provides the perfect space to keep a glass nearby and will save you from having to get up in the night.
7. Cool down before bed
Even if you had a shower in the morning it really is worth having a quick cooling freshener before bed. If it is particularly hot, take a slightly wet face flannel to bed with you. Just dabbing this on your forehead and the back of your neck really helps you cool down ready for sleep.
8. Indoor plants can help
Bring an indoor plant up to the bedroom – did you know they help to cool a room down? They consume hot air for their natural processes and add humidity to the room by releasing moisture into the air through the process of transpiration, which is when moisture evaporates from the leaves.