Over the past few months, I’ve been asked time after time how to sleep when it’s hot. When asked this question, I’m torn between giving some average tips that probably won’t help, and being honest. 

So here’s the truth… when it’s too hot, we don’t sleep well.

Of course there are obvious things you can do, like open your windows, have a cool shower before bed, or even putting your pillow case in the freezer! However, the annoying truth is that it’s actually just really hard to sleep if your core temperature is too high. 

So, what can you do when it’s too hot to sleep? The best advice I can give you is to accept that this is totally normal and that you are not alone. Of course, if you are already a poor sleeper then the hot weather will exacerbate your issue, which can be incredibly frustrating, but it is the battle with poor sleep which is really affecting you.

Instead of focussing on improving sleep, instead focus on learning not to worry about it.

So, here are three tips to help.

1. Set your alarm early and even if you slept badly, get up and about as soon as you can. Staying in bed until late will only contribute to low mood and make you feel more tired.
   

2. When your mind has wandered to thinking about sleep and how tired you are, simply acknowledge that you slept badly due to the heat and then try to disengage with any further negative thoughts. Note that you’re not ignoring these thoughts, simply choosing not to engage with them further as this only ends in more stress and less quality sleep.
   

3. Make plans. Enjoy the sun, get outside and limit focus on sleep in favour of being awake.

The less you think about sleep and shift your focus, the easier sleep will become. And remember, even sleep experts sleep badly when it’s too hot! So give yourself a break and stop the battle.