Too Hot to Sleep? Lots of Cooling Tips Here

Last updated July 14, 2021.
Edited and medically reviewed by Patrick Alban, DC. Written by Deane Alban.

Quality sleep, a key brain health factor, is easier when you’re cool. Learn many low and high-tech tips for keeping cool when the weather, or you, turn hot.

The Ideal Temperature for Sleep

While everyone is different, the ideal sleeping temperature for most people is between 66° and 70°F (19° and 21°C). 

Here’s why you sleep better when it’s cool.

Right before you fall asleep, many changes take place in your body.

Your brainwave patterns change, your heart and breathing rates slow, and your body temperature starts to drop.

This temperature change can help you fall and stay asleep.

" Research shows that moderate sleep deprivation can affect your mental performance as much as being legally drunk.

Cool-Down Tips When You’re Too Hot to Sleep

There are three main concepts to remember in order to sleep better when you’re hot.

You want to keep your bedroom cool, keep your bed cool, and keep yourself cool.

Keeping Your Bedroom Cool

For many of us, attaining the relatively cool ideal bedroom temperature is unrealistic.

If you don’t have air conditioning, it’s not even possible.

But even if you do, keeping the temperature set this low would be energy-intensive and expensive.

This first set of tips is for those with central AC.

The rest of the tips in this article can be helpful for everyone.

If You Have Central Air Conditioning, Optimize It

If you have central AC, take good care of it.

This means getting it serviced every spring before the hottest months of the year.

Change the Filter

Change your air filter regularly.

According to my HVAC contractor, surprisingly few people actually do this.

A clogged, dirty filter will significantly decrease both the air flow and efficiency of your AC system.

Adjust the Air Vents

Adjust your vents to optimize air flow.

Don’t assume they are in the right position.

Your vents may be perfectly adjusted for winter, but not so great for summer.

Keep your bedroom vents fully open and close vents in rooms you rarely use.

Avoid Heat-Generating Electronics

Minimize heat-generating electronics in the bedroom.

Computers, televisions, laptops, and even light bulbs all add heat, making your bedroom hotter.

Switch from traditional incandescent bulbs to light emitting diode bulbs (LEDs).

A whopping 90% of incandescent bulb energy is given off as heat. 

Dehumidify

There really is something to the old adage that “it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.”

Putting a dehumidifier in the bedroom can make you feel much more comfortable at the same temperature.

You can see on the chart below that an 80°F bedroom can feel like 91°F or 73°F depending on the humidity!

Get a Portable Air Conditioner

At one time, if you didn’t have central air conditioning, the next best option was to install a window air conditioner unit in your bedroom.

But these have some disadvantages.

They can be difficult to install, noisy, and don’t fit in all types of windows.

Portable air conditioners, on the other hand, are a snap to set up and easily moved from room to room.

Move Down or Out

There’s no rule that says you have to sleep in your bedroom.

Heat rises, so upstairs bedrooms can be the hottest rooms in the house.

Temporarily move to the ground floor or, better yet, the basement (if you have one).

You can also move your mattress to the floor.

This can be a few degrees cooler than sleeping with the mattress on the bed frame.

Sleep in a Hammock

If it’s too hot inside your house and not too buggy outside, consider backyard camping or sleeping in a hammock.

There’s a growing number of proponents of hammock sleeping and you can even set up one indoors.

The swaying of a hammock can help adults fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply by synchronizing brain waves. 

If your schedule allows it, supplement your night’s sleep with an afternoon nap.

How to Keep Your Bed Cool

Now that you’ve done what you can to keep your bedroom cool, it’s time to address how to keep your bed cool.

Here’s some low-tech ways to make your bed feel cooler.

Waterbeds

Do you remember waterbeds?

One of their drawbacks is that they pull heat away from you and need to be heated when the surrounding air is cool.

But this makes them perfect for those times when you’re hot.

Bed Fans

Bed fans are an interesting way to cool your bed.

These units sit on the floor and blow a stream of air directly at the foot of your bed.

Cooling Pillows

The typical pillow absorbs the heat from your head and radiates it back at you.

If you haven’t shopped for pillows lately, you may be surprised at the number of cooling pillow options.

There are natural cooling pillows such as those made with dried buckwheat hulls or bamboo.

Buckwheat pillows don’t heat up like standard pillows, but if you aren’t used to them you may find them a little too crunchy to be comfortable.

Some bamboo pillows are bamboo all the way through, while others have a bamboo cover.

There are numerous cooling pillows that contain cooling gel.

Some you have to fill with water like a mini-waterbed, while others have a gel layer embedded in memory foam.

Cooling Sheets

It used to be that cotton sheets were the thing to stay cool.

But now there are cooling sheets including those made from CoolMax, a fiber scientifically designed to pull moisture away from you and evaporate it quickly to cool you down.

Sheets made of bamboo can be cooler as well.

Cooling Mattress Toppers

There’s a wide range of cooling mattress toppers to choose from — copper-infused, gel-infused memory foam, ventilated memory foam, CoolMax, bamboo, and even wool.

The idea of sleeping on top of wool may sound hot but, in fact, wool has impressive temperature-regulating properties.

It can help you feel warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

You’d better be quick because by the time you’ve made your bed, the sheets will no longer be cool and you’ll be hotter.

The other bad idea is the “Egyptian method” of wrapping yourself in a wet sheet to stay cool.

This is a good way to grow mold on your mattress, especially if you live in a humid climate.

Ways to Keep Yourself Cool

There’s sometimes only so much you can do to keep your external environment cool.

Here’s how to keep yourself cool with some tips that go right to the source.

Avoid Evening Exercise

Avoid strenuous exercise in the evening as it will elevate your core body temperature. 

Eat Light and Early

Digestion can raise your body temperature, so have a light dinner or eat earlier in the evening rather than closer to bedtime.

Use a Ceiling Fan

Use a ceiling fan if you have one.

The air movement won’t cool your room, but it will make you feel up to 8°F cooler.

Use a Portable Fan

If you get hot but your sleep partner doesn’t, put a small portable fan on your nightstand.

I have an old-fashioned hand fan that I use in a pinch to cool down silently (good if there’s a power outage too).

Keep It Light

Wear breathable lightweight sleepwear, or nothing at all!

Use Water Wisely to Keep Yourself Cool

When you want to stay cool, water is your best friend.

If you don’t have enough fluids to perspire, your core temperature will rise.

Use a Cooling Towel

Cooling towels are generally made of hyper-evaporative material that retains a lot of water while remaining dry to the touch.

They will help you stay cool for several hours.

Applying a cooling towel to your neck works amazingly well.

This low-tech cooling solution has a lot of great uses beyond the bedroom too.

Use it while exercising or for relief from hot flashes.

A hot shower will obviously make you feel hotter, but counterintuitively, so can a cold shower. 

Taking a truly chilly shower can have a rebound effect as your body’s thermostat revs up to counteract the cold.

Use Manual AC

Place ice packs, frozen water bottles, or a pan of ice in front of a fan to create a cool, rather than hot, breeze.

This is how people used to cool down before air conditioning.

Keep a Damp Cloth Nearby

Keep a damp washcloth by your bed to dampen your wrists, face, or neck as needed.

Use Peppermint Oil

Keep a spray bottle of water with a few drops of peppermint essential oil at your bedside.

Spritz all over as needed to cool yourself down.

This is especially refreshing on hot feet.

Go to Bed Damp

Go to bed with slightly damp hair.

The continual evaporation will keep your head cool.

Why Your Brain Needs Sleep

Getting enough high-quality sleep is critical for brain health and function.

It’s during sleep that your brain repairs itself, washes away metabolic debris, creates new brains cells, and consolidates memories. 

One night of poor sleep can affect your memory, concentration, coordination, mood, judgment, and ability to handle stress the following day.

Research shows that moderate sleep deprivation can affect your mental performance as much as being legally drunk. 

Chronic insomnia is linked to a long list of diseases, including mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, dementia, and Alzheimer’s. 

Inadequate sleep even disrupts your genes — just a single week of insufficient sleep can alter the activity of over 700 genes.