If you’re someone who already has trouble sleeping, trying to do it when it’s sweltering hot in Southern Maryland makes it all the more frustrating, and there’s a scientific explanation as to why.

It’s well known that temperature impacts your ability to sleep, but many underestimate just how much harder it can be to sleep well in hot, humid temperatures.

Hot temperatures prevent your body from cooling down as it should during sleep. The pace at which heat is released from the body can be greatly reduced when exposed to high heat loads at night, especially if there is considerable humidity. If it’s excessively hot, it may take you longer to fall asleep. High temperatures can also cause your body to go into a stress response, which can disrupt your sleep.

According to sleep specialists, the ideal bedroom temperature is between 60 and 67 degrees. This can be difficult to achieve if you don’t have air conditioning at home. If you must sweat it out for the rest of the summer, read on for some expert (and anecdotal) advice on how to keep your body cool at night.

Get a fan

Obviously, if you don’t have AC, you may want to buy a fan to keep you cool and provide some white noise. White noise can be helpful because it masks out the other sounds that might wake you up in the middle of the night. If you have a ceiling fan, try reversing the direction so it spins counterclockwise to push hot air out of the way. And if that’s not enough, try a bedside fan.

Sleep Alone

More bodies in bed equals more heat, so avoid sharing a bed on really warm nights. If your kids, pets or partner insist on sharing a bed, make sure that you have the right bedding and fan setup to keep everyone comfortable.
Take a shower before bed

Chances are, you’re probably drenched in sweat and already considering a rinse-off before you climb under your sheets, but showering before bed can actually help you sleep. And you don’t have to shock yourself with a freezing cold shower, unless you really feel like it since even warm showers and baths have been shown to increase slow wave sleep, which is the deepest stage of non-REM sleep.

Do some light exercise

If you can stand it, a little exercise before bed may actually help you sleep. The old logic used to be that exercising before bed will wake up your body, making it harder to sleep, but that’s not actually true. Just make sure you do a workout that’s not too vigorous, and won’t make your body so hot that it’s more uncomfortable to sleep. Not sure what to do? Try an easy walking video, a 30-minute yoga flow, or a quick ab routine.
 

Use ice packs or cold compresses

Cold compresses or ice packs wrapped in a towel on your pulse points, such as your wrist, ankles, and behind the knees can cool down your whole body. Another option is to slip ice packs inside your pillows to provide more of a chill, just make sure they don’t leak.

Do some breathing exercises

If you’re in bed and can only focus on the heat and humidity, it may be helpful to try doing a breathing exercise to take your mind off the temperature and calm you down. Not sure where to start? Consider the 4-7-8 breathing technique, which involves breathing in for four counts, holding your breath for seven, and exhaling for eight counts until you fall asleep.

Stay Hydrated

Avoid alcohol for four hours before bed, because it can dehydrate you in the middle of the night. Staying hydrated throughout the day and having a glass of water before bed are key for healthy, restful sleep.

Sleep in the coolest room

Heat rises, so if there’s any way to sleep in a lower-altitude room in your house, do it, because you’ll probably be cooler. If that’s not an option, keep your curtains drawn in the room during the day to reduce how hot it gets. Try to keep the room as dark as possible; light creeping in the window can disrupt sleep.

Avoid memory foam

Memory foam can be insulating, so it will trap heat in your body. If you can switch to a different type of mattress or remove your mattress pad for the season, that might make a big improvement. Consider switching to AirFoam, which is temperature neutral unlike memory foam, which traps heat. Nolah Mattress is one of the best for controlling temperature (and is currently on sale!)

Find a pillow with an always “cold side”

There are a few companies out there using heat technology to make their fabrics stay cold, so you won’t have to keep flipping your pill for the “cold side” phenomenon. Nolah’s AirFoam pillow is another good option to test out.