Combat Night Sweats With These 12 Cooling Tips

We saw extreme temperatures plague the US this summer. While the season is coming to a close, you might still find it hard to get a good night’s sleep when you can’t get cool or comfortable. High temperatures can interfere with the body’s natural thermoregulation progress and make it feel like you’ll never be able to lower yours enough to drift off into a peaceful slumber.

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Don’t worry; you’re not doomed to sweaty sheets and a sky-high energy bill. There are things you can do (outside of your air conditioning) to beat the heat. Try these 12 recommendations to kick the night sweats and sleep through the night. Plus, how to sleep cooler when you share a bed with a human furnace.

1. Talk to your doctor about night sweats

First things first: Rule out an underlying health condition. Night sweats can happen in response to many medical conditions, including anxiety disorders, neuropathy, hyperthyroidism, Hodgkin’s lymphoma and tuberculosis, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Certain medications, such as those for diabetes and depression, may also cause night sweats. If you’re waking up hot and sweaty every night, it’s worth looking into with your doctor, regardless of the weather.

2. Add a window unit or box fan

This probably seems obvious but it works. If you don’t have central AC in your home, consider buying a window unit to keep you cool at night. This costs far less than installing a central AC unit and it saves on energy costs because you’re only cooling one room. Alternatively, a box fan in the window can push hot air out and circulate cooler air.

3. Try a floor fan or mini nightstand fan

No space for a window unit or box fan? Many companies make impressively powerful floor fans and mini fans these days. The Honeywell QuietSet Whole Room Tower Fan has served me well, as has the Honeywell Dreamweaver Sleep Fan, which doubles as a white noise machine.

4. Use fans to create a cross-breeze

Speaking of fans, grab two while you’re at the store. Placing two floor fans facing each other on opposite sides of your room creates a cross-breeze, keeping you cool all night long.

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Cooling blankets and pillows are created from a special fabric that stays cold to the touch.

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11. Turn down your thermostat

This probably seems obvious, but many people are hesitant to turn the thermostat down past a certain temperature. Turning your home into an arctic tundra via air conditioning jacks up your electricity bill, after all. If you feel like you’ve tried everything and you still wake up a sweaty mess, you might just need to nudge your nighttime temp down a few notches.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, most experts agree that 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 degrees Celsius) is the ideal sleeping temperature because it helps your body maintain its natural core temperature at night. The US Department of Energy suggests that the ideal temperature for your thermostat this summer is 82 F when sleeping and 85 F when out of the house to ensure maximum energy savings. Be prepared to spend a little extra this summer if you’re changing the thermostat each night.