Your Summer Bedroom: How to Keep Your Cool on Steamy Nights
Don't let tossing, turning and tangled sheets spoil your sleep this summer
It’s official – the chill of winter is just a memory and we can emerge from our warm, stuffy burrows to sniff the air and greet the sun. Although summer brings an invigorating feeling of freedom from bundling up in woolly layers and hogging the heater, clammy summer nights frequently impair effective sleep. Here’s how to be a cool cat in a bedroom that lowers your temperature and increases your all-important rest time.
Open wide
It’s been proven that a cool bedroom, around 18 to 20°C, promotes restful sleep, even in winter. A well-ventilated room is essential to prevent a stuffy atmosphere that gets warmer during the night. Without resorting to power-hungry air-con, try opening windows to take advantage of lower night temperatures and fresh air.
Tip: If bedroom windows are exposed to full sun during the day, keep them closed and curtains and blinds drawn to stop heat build-up. Open them when the sun goes down and temperatures drop.
It’s been proven that a cool bedroom, around 18 to 20°C, promotes restful sleep, even in winter. A well-ventilated room is essential to prevent a stuffy atmosphere that gets warmer during the night. Without resorting to power-hungry air-con, try opening windows to take advantage of lower night temperatures and fresh air.
Tip: If bedroom windows are exposed to full sun during the day, keep them closed and curtains and blinds drawn to stop heat build-up. Open them when the sun goes down and temperatures drop.
Green your space
Indoor plants are useful for reasons other than their charm. Some plants have a positive effect on air quality, removing toxins and increasing oxygen and moisture content. The snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata), also known as mother-in-law’s tongue, is one of only a few plants that release oxygen into the air at night; it’s the perfect plant to have in your bedroom as you sleep.
Browse more beautifully designed, restful bedrooms to inspire your own
Indoor plants are useful for reasons other than their charm. Some plants have a positive effect on air quality, removing toxins and increasing oxygen and moisture content. The snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata), also known as mother-in-law’s tongue, is one of only a few plants that release oxygen into the air at night; it’s the perfect plant to have in your bedroom as you sleep.
Browse more beautifully designed, restful bedrooms to inspire your own
Areca palm (Dypsis lutescens), also known as butterfly or golden cane palm, is a natural humidifier, ideal for an arid climate with hot dry, air. Also consider placing therapeutic plants such as lavender and jasmine within two square metres of your sleeping zone.
Did you know…?
In India, vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides) grass roots are woven into window blinds and curtains. They are sprinkled with water and become a natural coolant when hot air passes through them. Sleeping nets are sometimes wrung out in vetiver water and draped over beds and windows for cooling, fragrant sleep. Vetiver grass plants are available from some organic herb farms and nurseries.
In India, vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides) grass roots are woven into window blinds and curtains. They are sprinkled with water and become a natural coolant when hot air passes through them. Sleeping nets are sometimes wrung out in vetiver water and draped over beds and windows for cooling, fragrant sleep. Vetiver grass plants are available from some organic herb farms and nurseries.
Lower the lights
All lights, including light from our technology, exude some heat, so keep reading lights low and turn off other appliances in the room, especially in a small bedroom. Low-wattage lighting is visually comfortable for bedrooms (unless you’re a bedtime reader), so change globes if yours are overly bright.
All lights, including light from our technology, exude some heat, so keep reading lights low and turn off other appliances in the room, especially in a small bedroom. Low-wattage lighting is visually comfortable for bedrooms (unless you’re a bedtime reader), so change globes if yours are overly bright.
Colour for cool
Practise chromatherapy, the use of colour to create changes in mood. It’s well known that we react to different colours in unique ways. Colour consultant Jacquelene Symond says colour is one of the strongest stimuli we receive and one of the first things we see in any design, no matter how subtle.
“Keep in mind the primary use of your space before choosing a colour palette,” says Symond. “Fire-engine red, for example, can be arousing and exciting, while light blue can be cooling and relaxing.” Paler blues heading towards grey are particularly soothing.
Practise chromatherapy, the use of colour to create changes in mood. It’s well known that we react to different colours in unique ways. Colour consultant Jacquelene Symond says colour is one of the strongest stimuli we receive and one of the first things we see in any design, no matter how subtle.
“Keep in mind the primary use of your space before choosing a colour palette,” says Symond. “Fire-engine red, for example, can be arousing and exciting, while light blue can be cooling and relaxing.” Paler blues heading towards grey are particularly soothing.
Don’t overlook the soothing, cooling response that green evokes. Greens are having an extended moment and have appeared in the latest colour trend predictions in various shades for several years running.
A timeless shade, Eau de Nil (’Water of the Nile’) is getting a look-in and is a great hue to introduce to your summer bedroom, while deeper moss and forest greens have amassed quite a following. So put away the warm-toned throws and cushions and get some green going. Other cool-green options are frosty mint, pale and chalky sage or clean and intense emerald.
A timeless shade, Eau de Nil (’Water of the Nile’) is getting a look-in and is a great hue to introduce to your summer bedroom, while deeper moss and forest greens have amassed quite a following. So put away the warm-toned throws and cushions and get some green going. Other cool-green options are frosty mint, pale and chalky sage or clean and intense emerald.
White is a classic cool colour. Our summer clothes often tend towards pale and floaty, so you could continue this tactic in the bedroom. A complete white-out may verge on sterile, so perk it up with touches of crisp, fresh accent colours – the beauty of white is its unmatched ability to fraternise with so many colours.
Say nightie-night
Sleepers have strong opinions about what to wear to bed, and a survey by mattress company Ergoflex showed only 18 percent of Australians sleep au naturel. With nothing between you and the sheets, your body temperature regulates itself naturally.
If nocturnal nudity isn’t for you, wear night attire that helps keep you cool. Lightweight cotton is breathable, but not as effective at wicking moisture away from the skin as bamboo or silk. Loose nightwear is good, but not loose enough to wake you up in a tangle.
Sleepers have strong opinions about what to wear to bed, and a survey by mattress company Ergoflex showed only 18 percent of Australians sleep au naturel. With nothing between you and the sheets, your body temperature regulates itself naturally.
If nocturnal nudity isn’t for you, wear night attire that helps keep you cool. Lightweight cotton is breathable, but not as effective at wicking moisture away from the skin as bamboo or silk. Loose nightwear is good, but not loose enough to wake you up in a tangle.
Go to the net
A bedroom ventilated with unscreened open windows is an invitation to critters that whine and flap, and worse, bite. Mozzie nets allow sleepers to wear as little as they like – sometimes a sheet is too much and all that hot skin attracts unwanted attention from insects. Hang ready-made nets from a ceiling hook, or consider building a timber frame or cane hoop over the bed to drape several metres of muslin or netting. Nets allow you to throw open the windows, and they look breezy and summery.
A bedroom ventilated with unscreened open windows is an invitation to critters that whine and flap, and worse, bite. Mozzie nets allow sleepers to wear as little as they like – sometimes a sheet is too much and all that hot skin attracts unwanted attention from insects. Hang ready-made nets from a ceiling hook, or consider building a timber frame or cane hoop over the bed to drape several metres of muslin or netting. Nets allow you to throw open the windows, and they look breezy and summery.
Join the fan club
Modern fans are becoming more and more efficient – quiet, stylish and brilliant at moving air around. Positioned where a sleeping body enjoys maximum cooling air movement, a fan is a good investment in comfort. A cheaper option is a small standing bedside fan – there are some very cute ones out there that add a hint of retro to your decor.
Tip: Direct a fan at damp muslin fabric laid over you as you sleep – it’s deliciously cool!
Modern fans are becoming more and more efficient – quiet, stylish and brilliant at moving air around. Positioned where a sleeping body enjoys maximum cooling air movement, a fan is a good investment in comfort. A cheaper option is a small standing bedside fan – there are some very cute ones out there that add a hint of retro to your decor.
Tip: Direct a fan at damp muslin fabric laid over you as you sleep – it’s deliciously cool!
Picture yourself cool
It’s all in the mind, but images can help create an ambience of cool, even if they fail to reduce the temperature. Try staring at a picture of leaping flames or a bushfire and see how it makes you feel. Hang water-themed artwork in your bedroom that brings to mind cool ocean depths, translucent glaciers or tranquil lakes. Audio tracks of rain, surf and waterfalls are another way of harnessing water’s cooling influence, even if just mentally.
Browse more blue bedroom photos
It’s all in the mind, but images can help create an ambience of cool, even if they fail to reduce the temperature. Try staring at a picture of leaping flames or a bushfire and see how it makes you feel. Hang water-themed artwork in your bedroom that brings to mind cool ocean depths, translucent glaciers or tranquil lakes. Audio tracks of rain, surf and waterfalls are another way of harnessing water’s cooling influence, even if just mentally.
Browse more blue bedroom photos
Cut the clutter
Mess causes stress, stress releases chemicals that make you feel hot, and that in turn affects comfortable sleep. A few minutes spent tidying the bedroom, putting away clothes and clearing unnecessary items from bedside tables can help you feel a little more cool, calm and collected come bedtime. You may not want to go as far as this scantily furnished bedroom, but declutter to your own personal idea of ‘tidy’.
Mess causes stress, stress releases chemicals that make you feel hot, and that in turn affects comfortable sleep. A few minutes spent tidying the bedroom, putting away clothes and clearing unnecessary items from bedside tables can help you feel a little more cool, calm and collected come bedtime. You may not want to go as far as this scantily furnished bedroom, but declutter to your own personal idea of ‘tidy’.
Splash ’n‘ sleep
One of the most pleasant ways to hit the sheets with cool skin is a two-minute, just-tepid shower immediately before bedtime. Give extra attention to feet and give them a cold swoosh before you dry off.
Tip: Finish your shower with an after-bath body mist of lightly perfumed cologne that has been chilling in the fridge – citrus, green tea or rose are particularly tranquil.
One of the most pleasant ways to hit the sheets with cool skin is a two-minute, just-tepid shower immediately before bedtime. Give extra attention to feet and give them a cold swoosh before you dry off.
Tip: Finish your shower with an after-bath body mist of lightly perfumed cologne that has been chilling in the fridge – citrus, green tea or rose are particularly tranquil.
Stay hydrated
Our bodies lose moisture during hot nights, and waking up parched and having to get out of bed for water steals precious sleep time. Instead of drinking lots just before bed, sip water constantly during the day and keep a carafe or jug of iced water within easy reach of the bed.
Our bodies lose moisture during hot nights, and waking up parched and having to get out of bed for water steals precious sleep time. Instead of drinking lots just before bed, sip water constantly during the day and keep a carafe or jug of iced water within easy reach of the bed.
Play musical beds
Check out other bedrooms or spaces in your house for cooler night-time temperatures. You may be sleeping – or attempting to – in the hottest room in the house. Swapping sleeping spaces could be the solution to a more relaxing summer.
Check out other bedrooms or spaces in your house for cooler night-time temperatures. You may be sleeping – or attempting to – in the hottest room in the house. Swapping sleeping spaces could be the solution to a more relaxing summer.
Be a kid again
Do you have childhood memories of being allowed to sleep outside on hot summer nights? A tent, a torch and a bag of midnight snacks, tucked up under a tree in the garden, was a treat for me and my siblings, and I feel quite nostalgic for those cool nocturnal adventures, snug behind a mozzie net within a reassuring ‘cooee’ of our parents. Recreate a childhood ‘camping-out’ occasion in the garden, a screened verandah, or on a deck or balcony.
Do you have childhood memories of being allowed to sleep outside on hot summer nights? A tent, a torch and a bag of midnight snacks, tucked up under a tree in the garden, was a treat for me and my siblings, and I feel quite nostalgic for those cool nocturnal adventures, snug behind a mozzie net within a reassuring ‘cooee’ of our parents. Recreate a childhood ‘camping-out’ occasion in the garden, a screened verandah, or on a deck or balcony.
Your turn
How do you cope with hot summer nights at your house? Share your ideas in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the conversation.
More
Keen to delve deeper into the science of what’s needed for a restful slumber? Read How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep (According to Science)
How do you cope with hot summer nights at your house? Share your ideas in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the conversation.
More
Keen to delve deeper into the science of what’s needed for a restful slumber? Read How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep (According to Science)
Bed linen has a significant effect on sleep quality. In hot weather, the prime factors are breathability and moisture-wicking, the ability of fabric to draw moisture from skin to outer layers of clothing or release it into the air. Natural fabrics are more effective at this than blends containing polyester or other synthetics. Cotton and linen are superb for breathability, and bamboo has superior moisture-wicking abilities.