If you have an air conditioning unit at home, you may not have a problem at all. But keeping it breezy all night long can be an expensive waste of energy, so you might want to get your bedroom comfortable with as little help from your AC as possible. Pro tip: Get some high-quality black-out curtains. Some claim to be able to deflect 90 percent more sunlight and heat than regular drapes, but that will depend on a variety of factors, such as color, thickness, and material. When it’s grossly hot outside, our body has a harder time getting our core temperature to drop as low as it needs to be, so we struggle to doze off. And even if we manage to fall asleep, we sleep poorly. To comfortably catch those coveted Z’s, try to keep your room temperature between 60 and 67 degrees (15 and 20 degrees Celsius)—or as close as you can with the tools that you have.
Keep the sunlight and heat out
Close drapes and windows (especially those not facing north) during the hottest and brightest hours of the day. In the summer, this generally means the hours between 12 and 4:30 p.m., depending on your location and other weather conditions like wind and cloud cover. This will prevent heat from entering and getting trapped in your home. To get an extra boost, you can turn on the fans around your home (including the ones in your bathroom and above your stove). If you have ceiling fans, set them to rotate counterclockwise to keep hot air up and create a cooling downdraft. Other appliances shouldn’t be raising the temperature either. Make sure the vents on all your electronics are clean and unobstructed, and if you need to dry some laundry, confirm your machine is not overheating due to lint accumulation. This kind of textile allows air to circulate more freely, and will prevent excess sweat from pooling on your body. That last point is why wearing light pajamas is actually better than sleeping naked when it comes to staying cool. When you choose your pajamas, go for a loose fit, and make yourself comfortable with a nice, soft fabric.
