Struggling to sleep in the Aussie heat? Try these handy sleep tips for summer
Long days spent on the beach, evenings enjoying a backyard barbie with friends and plenty of fresh air… there’s a lot to love about summer days. But for many of us, summer nights mean a lot of time spent tossing and turning as temps stay high well into the night, leaving us desperately seeking sleep.
The good news? With some handy sleep tips for summer, you can beat the heat and get the rest your body needs - even on the hottest Aussie nights.
Why heat affects your sleep
Long, humid summer nights and trapped indoor heat can make getting a good night’s rest feel impossible. But understanding how temperature affects our sleep - and how to create the best room temperature for sleep - is the first step towards better quality rest.
“The way the body works is that we are at our lowest temperature at about 4am and highest temperature at around about 6pm or 7pm,” says sleep physician Dr Carmel Harrington, author of The Complete Guide to a Good Night’s Sleep. “Once we reach our peak body temperature and temperature starts to go down, that’s the time that we can sleep.”
Carmel says that best room temperature for sleep is around 18-21 degrees, which is often difficult to maintain during Aussie summers. When nightly temperatures can sit at 25-30 degrees, it’s hard for our bodies to cool down - so creating a cool sleep environment becomes essential.
If your bedroom feels more like a sauna than a sanctuary, it might be worth switching rooms if possible. Try setting up in a cooler part of the house, like a downstairs space or somewhere with better air circulation. Having air flowing over your body helps bring your body temperature down, so keep as much skin exposed as possible.
“Obviously a fan will help and if you’re lucky enough to have air conditioning, that’s really good,” says Carmel. “A wet towel in front of the fan can help as well, so it’s cooler air that is blowing through.”
You can also position a tray of ice cubes in front of the fan for an extra cooling boost or open windows and doors to create a cross-breeze.
How to sleep in hot weather: ways to prepare for a hot night
Poor sleep during hot summer nights can impact your mental health and overall wellbeing, so prioritising good sleep habits is essential for both body and mind. So before you hit the hay, there are plenty of steps you can take to improve your chances of sleeping well on a hot night:
1. Keep the sunlight out
During the day, draw the curtains to keep out sunlight and keep the windows closed if it’s hotter outside than in.
2. Avoid naps
Try to avoid napping during the day so you’re sleepy at bedtime. Make sure you drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
3. Exercise in the mornings
Avoid the midday heat — get your walk or workout done before 9am or after the sun dips. Aussie summers can see UV levels peak early, so mornings are often safest.
4. Watch what you eat
While hot, heavy and spicy foods are beautifully warming in winter, they can disrupt sleep on hot nights and are best avoided.
5. Have a lukewarm shower
No matter how tempting it might be to have a freezing cold shower before heading to bed, Carmel doesn’t advise it as this might alert the body rather than calming it down.
“But a lukewarm shower might work in summertime,” she says, explaining that this will enhance the body’s naturally falling temperature.
As heat is lost more quickly through your extremities, a 10-minute foot soak in cold water or wetting your hair before bed can help you keep you cool.
6. Use helpful apps designed to support your sleep
There are plenty of apps that can help you sleep better. For teens finding it tough to sleep during hot summer nights or heatwaves, the free Sleep Ninja app from the Black Dog Institute offers CBT-based tips to build better sleep habits and improve rest.
Your cooling bedtime routine: sleep tips for summer
Here are some practical bedtime tips to help you drift off - even if you're in Queensland, the NT or WA, where those warm summer nights tend to linger. If you've been wondering how to sleep in hot weather without air conditioning or sleep during a heatwave, these ideas are a great place to start:
Cool the air: If it’s cooler outside than in, open up the door or window to help air circulate (or hang a wet sheet in front of the open window for extra air-cooling benefits).
Ban pets from the bed: If your pets are in the habit of sleeping on the bed, it’s time to kick them off (sorry!) so you’re not affected by their body heat.
Switch to breathable fabrics: Replace your winter bedding with lightweight cotton options and sleep with only a sheet covering you, keeping a light blanket nearby in case the temperature drops during the night. If you’re a PJ wearer, choose lightweight, loose-fitting, breathable cotton or linen pieces.
Use water and ice: Applying cloths or wristbands soaked in cold water to your skin can help cool you down and, on particularly sweltering evenings, even ice packs held on the armpits and groin for short periods of time can help.
Let your feet breathe: If you wake up too hot during the night, Carmel suggests putting your feet out of the bed covers: “That will cool the body,” she says.
Spritz and flip: Flipping the pillow over to the ‘cold side’ helps and you may even like to keep a spray bottle of water by the bed to give your face and body a refreshing spritz if you wake up in the night.
For more tips and tricks on improving the quality (and quantity) of your sleep, check out our dedicated Sleep page on The Check Up.