Clever tips to make you fall asleep well despite the heat

Falling asleep and sleeping through the night is not always easy due to the summer heat. Anyone who regularly takes part in sports should also ensure a regenerative sleep even in hot temperatures. In detail we are going to check, which conditions for a healthy sleep at high outside temperatures should be created and which could affect the sleep otherwise still negatively. Completely substantially thereby the temperature in the bedroom, a too strongly filled or too empty stomach is in addition, too much at stimulants such as alcohol or nicotine, which can affect the sleep quality negatively. Healthy, restful sleep is especially important for you as an athlete, as it has a positive effect on your training through comprehensive regeneration of the musculature.

Physiologically the own body temperature sinks at night for about 1°C. However, if the sleeping room is too hot, this effect does not occur. What then follows is unpleasant sweating, with which the organism tries to cool itself down. But sweating naturally also affects sleep. It is recommended to simply measure the room temperature in the bedroom, it should not exceed 24 °C. The first measure against a too high room temperature in the bedroom is optimal ventilation. To achieve a satisfactory result, the room should be well ventilated late in the evening, when it is already dark outside, and also in the morning after getting up. Ideally, a draft should be created and maintained for about 10-15 minutes. After you have aired in the morning, you should darken the room completely, for example with curtains. In this way the room can no longer be heated or only minimally heated by the sunlight from outside. In the summer, outdoor blinds are best suited because they repel the heat very effectively. But you could also move out of the bedroom during the hot season and simply convert a cooler room in your apartment into a bedroom.

After sports, you probably also feel the need for a nice, refreshing shower. However, a cold shower is not a good idea to fall asleep better in high outside temperatures. As an athlete, you know that if the water is too cold, the blood vessels contract, which means that the body can release less heat and this in turn leads to unpleasant sweating. Therefore try to take a lukewarm to warm shower immediately before going to bed. This causes the pores to open and the blood vessels to dilate, which makes it easier for the accumulated heat to escape through exercise. If you prefer, you can also simply lie down in the bathtub for a quarter of an hour at a water temperature of about 36-38 °C. The calming, toning and refreshing effect of the lukewarm water can be enhanced by essential oils of lemon balm, valerian, lavender or chamomile. Especially after a strenuous workout, overworked muscles can regenerate better. Afterwards, you will often have a pleasant, comfortably body feeling, which helps you sleep well. If you want to be fit, avoid major sports activities immediately before going to bed and try to free yourself from negative thought loops. Because brooding disturbs a healthy sleep considerably and can even lead to nightmares.

For a good exchange of air, the comforter or nightgown should be as thin and light as possible. Bedding made of natural silk or linen is particularly suitable to ensure a comfortable sleep even on hot nights. At particularly high temperatures, only the bed sheet is completely sufficient as body cover. Going to bed without clothes is not a good idea for reasons of hygiene alone. Light cotton clothing is therefore best suited, as it absorbs sweat effectively. Pillows, sheets or blankets can also be placed in the refrigerator or better in the freezer immediately before going to bed, which promises pure refreshment. In summer heat, sleep is also considerably disturbed by too much food intake. It is therefore advisable to completely avoid fatty foods, especially at least 3 hours before going to bed. In order to find sleep more easily, milk with a mashed banana is suitable as a light night meal. In this way the organism receives valuable minerals and vitamins and at the same time tryptophan, an amino acid which increases the body's own serotonin level and thus contributes to relaxation.

Drinking too late in the evening can disturb healthy sleep

At high temperatures, drinking a lot during the day is very important. After about 19:00 o'clock, however, excessive amounts of liquid should better be avoided. During the night, these causes an increased urge to visit the bathroom, which leads to sleep disorders when waking up at night. Therefore, an increased fluid intake on hot days is especially important during the day. Even with high outside temperatures, it is not advantageous to lie awake for long periods or to toss and turn in bed. If you can't get to sleep because of the heat, you should simply get up again and do something that relaxes you. This could be listening to music or reading, for example. Only when a certain tiredness has set in again, the sleeping place should be visited again. The use of sleeping pills is usually counterproductive and should always remain the exception. The organism gets used to these chemical sleep aids surprisingly quickly and soon cannot do without them. Herbal teas for calming, for example with hops, lemon balm, valerian or lavender, have proven to be effective. A few drops of essential oil from these medicinal plants drizzled on the pillow also help you to fall asleep.