Sleep Like a Baby: 5 Tips to Beat the Nightly Summer Heat With No Air Conditioning

When summer comes to mind, we almost always focus on picnics, days lounging on the beach, and tasty iced drinks. But hot weather has a gnarly side too. We’re talking about the real dog days of summer, when intense heat and humidity make it impossible to sit comfortably, let alone sleep through the night.

Pool parties, barbecues and ice pops: Summer is a veritable festival of fun in the sun! But with summer months come steamy summer night… And for some, restless, sleepless nights due to the heat.

If you don’t have an air conditioning unit in your home, you don’t have to spend all summer sweltering in your sweaty sheets. With a little ingenuity and a fan or two, you can be sleeping like a cool, comfortable baby. Below, check out 5 simple tips to do just that:

1. Craft a Cross-Breeze
Loading up your home with fans can help boost airflow around your space, which will help you and your house cool down quicker. At nighttime, a fan positioned in front of a window can help draw in the cool night air and push it around your home.

2. Choose Cotton
Ditch the thick, clingy fabric for cotton everything—clothes, underwear, bedding—to keep cool, crisp and sweat-free! Lighter than most other fabrics, cotton will hep wick away sweat and moisture, keeping you feeling clean and cool.

3. Sleep Alone
Sorry, but cuddling up isn’t conducive to a comfy-cool rest in the depths of the summer heat. Body heat begets body heat. Instead, try snoozing alone with loose sheets instead of a heavy comforter.

4. Lights Out
Lights = heat. Duh! Keep your home cool (and conserve energy) by minimizing your light usage, especially during the daytime, when your home will already receive plenty of light from the sun.

5. Get Cold Feet
Your biggest winter pet peeve will become your summer best friend: cold feet! You can purchase cooling gel socks to wear at night, or even store some socks in the freezer to keep your feet, a sensitive spot which can affect the way the rest of your body feels, nice and cool at night. You can also try sleeping your feet outside the covers… and skip the slippers!