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How to sleep well in the summer heat

Good magazine spoke with certified sleep science coach Jane Wrigglesworth to find out how indoor air quality might be affecting our sleep. We also got her top tips for helping you get to sleep during those hot summer nights.

Getting a good night sleep can be hard enough without battling hot, humid temperature spikes.

But it’s not just the temperature that affects our sleep. Many people don’t realise that the air we breathe indoors can also affect the quality of our sleep too.

A survey by Dyson revealed that more than half (55 per cent) of Kiwis surveyed surveyed don’t believe that air quality has any effect on their sleep, with only a third (35 per cent) taking steps to ensure the air in their bedroom is clean to help get a good night’s sleep.

The survey found that Kiwis were more likely to sleep in a dark room, invest in quality sheets and bedding, and invest in quality pillows to improve their quality of sleep.

Here are Jane’s top tips to get a good night sleep

  • Minimise bright light before bed, especially from computers and cellphones as light stimulates alertness. It can be a good thing first thing in the morning, but at night it can cause sleep disruption.
  • Air out your bedding regularly (at least weekly). In summer it may be necessary to do this more often as you can be prone to sweating. The warm, moist environment of bedding, including pillows and mattresses is dust-mite central – another reason to wash those sheets. When cleaning your sheets, allow your mattress to air for a couple of hours before you put sheets back on – longer if you can – and vacuum them once a week too.
  • Make sure to minimise the use of burning candles in the bedroom before you sleep, as they can emit harmful VOCs in the air which can lead to sleep disordered breathing.
  • Keep your bedding clean by showering just before bed. A warm (not hot) shower is also a good way to bring your body temperature down, which helps sleep and minimises sweating. Shower at least 2-3 hours before bedtime so your body has time to cool down.
  • Increase clean air circulation by keeping windows closed and cleaning the air with an air purifier. Something with a HEPA filter, like the Dyson Pure Cool™ Purifying Fan, which will clean and recirculate purified air in your room. This is key for summer when there is an increased level of pollen in the air!

Jane Wrigglesworth, who was recently on the Dyson Clean Living Starts Indoors expert panel, has devoted her career to sleep health and wellness and spent the last 10 years studying the science of sleep. She now runs sleep clinic How to Sleep Well. For more visit howtosleepwell.org

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