Sleep well during a heat wave: 5 tips

A heat wave turns sleep into work. The body needs to lower its core temperature to fall asleep, and a 28°C bedroom makes that biologically harder. The good news: most heat-wave sleep advice focuses on either expensive solutions (air-con) or oversimplified ones (drink water, you'll be fine). The reality is somewhere in between. Here are five things that genuinely help — most of which cost nothing.

1. 1. Close blinds during the day
2. 2. Cool shower 60–90 min before bed
3. 3. Lighten the bedding
4. 4. Use a fan strategically
5. 5. Air out at the right time

1. Close blinds during the day

The single most underrated heat-wave habit. South- and west-facing windows turn your bedroom into a solar oven during the day, and that heat lingers well into the night. Close blinds, curtains and shutters in the morning before the sun hits — not in the evening when it's already warm. The temperature difference can be 4–6°C compared to a sun-baked bedroom. Make this a daily routine for the duration of any heat wave.

2. Cool shower 60–90 min before bed

A lukewarm shower (not freezing — that triggers a rebound warming response) about 60–90 minutes before bed lowers your body temperature gradually. By the time you're in bed, you're heading into sleep with a head start on the temperature drop your brain needs to switch off. Skip cold water immediately before bed — it can keep you alert.

3. Lighten the bedding

This is where most people lose sleep without realising. A heavy winter duvet under a tropical sky is a disaster. Switch to a summer duvet, ideally bamboo — lightweight, breathable, and designed to dissipate heat. If you find that's still too warm, sleep with just a top sheet or a thin duvet cover.

Bamboo bed sheets specifically help during heat waves because they wick moisture away from skin instead of trapping it. See why bamboo saves your sleep in summer.

4. Use a fan strategically

Don't just point a fan at yourself. Place a bowl of ice in front of it — the air passing over it cools by 2–4°C. Or position it to push hot air OUT of an open window, with another window open elsewhere drawing cool air in. This creates a cross-breeze. Standing fans aimed at the bed all night can also dry out airways and cause headaches; aim slightly above the bed if you can.

5. Air out at the right time

Open windows in the late evening (after 10pm in most heat waves) when the outdoor temperature has dropped below the indoor temperature. Close them again in the morning before the day heats up. This sounds obvious but most people leave windows open all day, which actively pumps hot air into the bedroom.

One more thing

Hydrate during the day, not right before bed. Drinking a litre of water at 11pm just means waking up at 4am. Aim to be well-hydrated by dinner time. And keep a small glass of water by the bed for those middle-of-the-night moments.

For more: sleeping tips for hot days and night sweats: what to do about them.