3 Reasons Your Sleep Is Thrown Off In The Summer + What To Do

To keep your bedroom as cool as possible, Troxel recommends firing up those air conditioners or fans at night if you have them. She adds that taking a shower or bath before bed can help, too: “Your body temperature will drop after getting out of the water, which can facilitate sleep onset.”

Of course, swapping out your thick flannel and jersey sheets for lighter ones made from percale or linen is a good idea during summer, as is wearing lightweight, moisture-wicking pajamas. (Just be sure to be extra diligent about washing all your fabrics this season.)

Jeff Kahn, the CEO and co-founder of Rise Science, which created a new app that monitors sleep and energy to make daily productivity recommendations, adds that—though controversial—wearing socks to bed might also help with temperature regulation. “An increase in blood to your feet helps reduce your core body temperature and thus helps the body prepare for sleep.” According to early data from the app, people get 20 minutes less sleep and carry around two hours more “sleep debt” in June/July as compared to January/February, in part because of these higher temperatures.

Finally, Troxel says that cooling pads or mattresses that have individual temperature controls can satisfy couples who have different nighttime temperature preferences.