How to Prevent Night Sweats
Excessive sweating can be the biggest hindrance to a good night’s sleep. Many of us have experience waking up with a drenched forehead after a sleep that has left us more drained than rested. Why does this happen?
Your body’s internal mechanisms cause your core temperature to drop an hour or so before bed. Once asleep, this should gradually drop until reaching its lowest point at around 3am. It’s important to stay accordingly warmed during sleep for this reason.
Switch Out Your Bedding
However, the quality of the material you are sleeping is a factor in overheating. Heavy pajamas and extra-warm blankets, as well as materials like memory foam, are known to trap heat. A lot of times our sleep can shift between stuffy and chilly. More a comfortable balance, opt for breathable bedding materials like natural latex toppers and pillows, and sheets made out of organic cotton, bamboo, or Tencel. It's worth noting that lower thread counts are less likely to trap heat than thicker sheets with higher thread counts. Essentially all of our bedding products here at MyOrganicSleep are breathable, regardless of their level of insulation.
Avoid Activity Before Bed
Exercising or eating too close to bedtime can fire up your metabolism, which increases heat production and may interfere with your body’s natural tendency to power down for sleep. That’s why it’s important the leave a buffer zone of activity after dinner to wind down in preparation for sleep. Additionally, spicy foods and hot drinks produce a similar effect.
Stress Relief
Being stressed out sends your nervous system into overdrive. This response raises your body temperature and keeps you alert to meet any perceived physical threats. Avoid being chronically stressed out throughout the day by incorporating mental health breaks into your schedule. A healthy diet and exercise routine earlier in the day, as well as meditation and deep breathing, can help relieve your stress levels.
Don’t Drink (Alcohol) Before Bed
Many drink alcohol at night to unwind and induce drowsiness to ease into rest. However, the effects of the alcohol wear off mid-sleep and the body responds with a quick increase in temperature. This may cause you to wake up earlier than expected and cause sweating.
Stay Cool
There are a number of ways to preemptively cool down your body in preparation for sleep. Wear light clothes when going to bed to prevent trapping heat. Keep a fan nearby, open the windows, or turn on the air conditioning to keep cool air circulating in the room. Run cool water over the wrists, where there are many blood vessels, as a way to cool your body quickly.
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