As climate change setting new records for summer temperatures, trying to get to sleep on hot, sticky nights will become an increasingly regular occurrence. As most of us do not live in air-conditioned environments, we have to improvise to keep cool in order to nod off and stay nodded off.

If you’re stuck for ideas, don’t worry, as Next Divan is here to help, with our guide to cool bedroom ideas.

Temperature and sleep

Sleeping at the right temperature is critical not only to the quality of sleep but also our overall health. According to the UK’s Sleep Council, an independent body which conducts research on ways to improve our sleeping behaviour and in turn our well-being, the perfect temperature for cool bedrooms is about 16-18°C for adults.

More importantly, sleeping in a bedroom above 24°C in the summer months will not only lead to restlessness throughout the night, it is considered as unhealthy.

Keeping your cool

When going to bed on a hot summer’s night, the temperature in the bedroom should be cool enough to prevent you from constantly waking up from sweating.

Buying bed sheets and sleepwear made from breathable fabrics such as organic cotton and linen is an obvious cool bedroom idea. That’s because synthetic materials are known to trap heat.

Provided you take all security considerations into account, open as many windows in your bedroom as much and as wide as possible. If you are not comfortable doing this, then one idea we love is to place an electric fan above a large container of ice, which will help to circulate cold air around your bedroom.

Although it might sound contradictory advice, experts recommend taking a warm bath or shower about an hour before you are ready to go to bed. Doing so will help your body temperature to cool down when you step out of the water. One piece of advice we were given by a local while holidaying in Ibiza was to shower immediately before retiring for the night and getting into bed without drying off.

While the UK rarely competes with Mediterranean temperatures, we can vouch for the fact that it does work in hot climates.

If you do wake up during the night, why not flip your pillow over to reveal what should be a cooler side? You should also think about placing a large drinking glass full of ice cubes next to your bed, ensuring that, as they melt, you will have something cold to drink during the night.

Time for a new mattress?

While mattress technology has made real advances in developing materials that keep body temperature while sleeping to a comfortable level, for a cool bedroom in the summer, we advise a pocket sprung mattress rather than one made from memory or another type of foam.

If you have had a mattress of any type for a few years, changing it could definitely help you to chill out on the hottest of nights. Check out the Next Divan website today to view our impressive range of mattresses.