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Sleeping Naked Can Actually Make You Hotter, Expert Warns

Ciara Sheppard

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| Last updated 

Sleeping Naked Can Actually Make You Hotter, Expert Warns

Featured Image Credit: Unsplash/ Oleg Inanov

In heatwaves like we've been experiencing, getting a good night's sleep is near impossible.

You might have the best fan in the world, airy sheets or a partner that stays firmly on their side of the bed, but often the best way to stay cool in bed is by stripping off completely. Right?

Harking back to our caveman days, sleeping starkers might seem like the first logical way to ensure you stay as cool as possible - but it turns out going naked could actually be making us hotter.

Credit: Pexels
Credit: Pexels
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Sleep expert James Wilson, tells PRETTY 52 that sleeping in the buff on top of the covers is actually more likely to making our sweat heat up.

"Sleeping naked in top of the covers means that if we sweat then the moisture this creates could heat up and make us hotter," he says.

And James - AKA The Sleep Geek - says another problem with sleeping naked is a subconscious insecurity about feeling exposed, which could in turn leave you with a disrupted sleep.

He explains: "I think the bigger issue with sleeping naked is that if you don't do it normally it can leave you feeling physically insecure and less likely to get to sleep and stay asleep."

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Credit: Tracey Hocking Unsplash
Credit: Tracey Hocking Unsplash

In this case, he advises wearing summer pyjamas made of bamboo, linen, silk or low thread count cotton, "although these can feel not very soft," he warns.

The sleep expert recommends a cool gel pillow pad that you can buy from Argos for £19.99 and a cool mattress topper for £69.99. He's also an advocate for alpaca duvets (a good option is from Penrose) as their wool has evolved to deal with -40 degrees and +40 degrees temperatures. We also recommend Nanu's personalisable, totally breathable pillows.

"Our temperature is incredibly important to good quality sleep as a drop in heart rate and drop in core temperature are part of the process the body goes through when readying for sleep," says James. "The hot weather impacts on our ability to do both."

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Credit: Pexels
Credit: Pexels

James' tips for getting a good night's sleep in the heatwave include:

  • Ensure there is a good airflow through the house. Open windows on both side, and keep doors open to allow the air to pass through.
  • Close your blinds and curtains in rooms that are exposed to direct sunlight. The shade will help the room stay cooler.
  • Have a lukewarm bath or shower before bed to encourage your core temperature to drop, or alternatively put lukewarm water in a hot water bottle and place the soles of your feet on it.
  • If you're using a fan, place a bowl of chilled water in front of it to cool the stream of air it is pushing round the room.

Finally, James' biggest tip is to not worry too much about not getting to sleep. He says: "The biggest thing that prevent us sleeping in hot weather is the thought 'I am too hot to sleep'. My advice would be to suck it up, accept that you might not sleep quite as well, but that it will probably be over in a couple of days ad your body will more than likely make up for the poor sleep by giving you better quality sleep."

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Sounds like sound advice to us!

Topics: Life News, Life, Sleep

Ciara Sheppard
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