The arrival of summer means that nights have already started to get warmer. This can be a problem for sleep quality. We sleep best when temperatures are lower, generally between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. 

So summer nights can bring with them sleep difficulties like insomnia, sleep disruption, lack of deep sleep, and sleep deprivation. It’s even worse if there are heat waves, which are happening more and more due to climate change. 

Below are 5 tips on how to maintain your sleep quality when it’s hot. 

1. Consider Switching to Summer Bedding

Your bedding has the greatest effect on your sleep comfort. So the first step is to evaluate your bedding including your mattress, sheets and comforter or duvet. 

What may have kept you warm and cozy in the winter, may not be so suited to the hot nights of summer. 

Replace polyester sheets with more breathable cotton, bamboo, linen or hemp sheets. These feel a lot cooler and also do a great job wicking away sweat. If you are on a budget, poly-cotton sheets have decent cooling performance. 

Next, check your comforter or duvet. If you are still using your thick cozy comforter that kept you warm in the winter and spring, consider switching to a lightweight summer comforter. 

An all-season duvet can also help you sleep cool in the summer, though it may not be enough if temperatures start seriously rising such as during a heat wave. 

For the best cooling performance, get a comforter that’s made with natural materials like cotton, wool or bamboo. For additional comfort, make sure that your duvet cover is also breathable. Cotton, linen, bamboo and other natural fabric covers are the best. 

As for the mattress, innerspring, hybrid (springs + foam) and latex mattresses have the best cooling performance. Memory foam mattresses, even those with built-in cooling technology, can make you too hot at night. 

Changing your memory foam mattress to a cooler one is obviously not as cheap as getting new sheets or a new comforter. If you are not able to get a new mattress right now, see below for a few ways you can make your current mattress cooler.  

2. Buy Cooling Products For Your Bed

There are two types of bed cooling products: passive and active. 

Passive cooling products are cheaper. They work by making your bed more breathable and improving heat radiation away from the bed. Cooling mattress toppers and pads are the most common passive cooling products. 

We recommend getting a topper or pad made from latex, wool, cotton, bamboo or some other natural or semi-natural material. Memory foam toppers will make your bed more comfortable, but they don't help much with cooling. Yes, even gel memory foam toppers are not cooling enough when heat waves hit.   

Active bed cooling products are more expensive but they are the best when you need serious cooling power such as during a heat wave or if you get hot flashes at night. They actively pull heat away from your body. 

Some active cooling systems like BedJet use air to keep you cool and sweat-free while others like Sleepme use chilled water that circulates inside a mattress pad.  

Water-based cooling systems have more cooling power, making them ideal for places with heat waves. Air-based systems are great if you sweat a lot at night or you get hot flashes and need instant cooling. 

3. Choose Your Sleepwear Carefully 

Summer is the perfect season to sleep with nothing on. It’s the best way to stay cool on warm nights. 

If that’s not possible or it’s not your thing, get some lightweight and breathable pajamas. We recommend PJs made from wool, cotton and other natural materials. Polyester and synthetic blend sleepwear is also good but only if it is light. 

4. Cool the Bedroom 

It’s harder to keep your bed cool if your bedroom is hot. A cool bedroom environment actively sucks heat away from your bed, which keeps you comfortable. 

Air conditioning of any kind is the most effective way to cool your bedroom at night. If you have central AC, you can adjust the thermostat to 70 degrees or lower. But this is inefficient since you are only cooling one room. 

A mini-split or window AC is much more efficient for targeted cooling. A portable air conditioner is not as efficient as a window unit, but it’s still better than central AC. 

If you are in a place that gets dry heat (low humidity), get an evaporative cooler, also called a swamp cooler. It cools the room with very little energy while also adding some much-needed humidity to the air. 

Other cooling options include turning on a fan, cracking open a window and keeping blinds closed during the day to prevent the bedroom from overheating. 

5. Avoid Anything That Worsens Your Sleep Quality 

With night temperatures rising, your sleep quality is already at risk. So don't do anything to further worsen it like taking caffeine in the evening, drinking too much alcohol or staying up late browsing on your phone. 

Instead, double down on habits that are good for sleep such as working out during the day, having a regular sleep routine, turning off electronics early and keeping your bedroom quiet and dark.