Who does not love summer? Summer is filled with family holidays, days out, pimms and ice cream but with summer come restless nights as you try to find the cool side of the pillow. Kicking the duvet off the bed and cursing the weather all sounds to familiar, not knowing how to beat the heat.
With the right summer bedding you can forget about the temperature and sleep soundly through the night. Here are our top 6 summer bedding ideas and tricks to aid a restful night sleep as well as make your bed look and feel a little cooler.
Use a lighter top layer and choose breathable materials
When the summer temperature start to rise the last thing you need is heavy bedding. Make a seasonal switch to a lighter option such as a duvet, blanket or throw made from cotton, silk, linen or any other lightweight fabric. Choose a lightweight duvet with more feathers than down, feathers are more breathable.
Top Tip: Look out for open weave texture which makes for much more breathable bedding than synthetic options or tightly woven blankets which trap in heat.
Switch to light cotton sheets
Summer is the perfect time to treat yourself to some new sheets. You may not have given your sheets a second thought as they’re already thin and lightweight, right? But the actual fabric makes all the difference as our sheets are in direct contact with the skin, certain fabrics are not breathable and trap in hot air. Stick to light fabric sheets such as linen, cotton and even bamboo, any of these will make your bed feel breezier during the night.
Top Tip: Contrary to popular belief, you do not need a high thread count for a comfortable night’s rest. 400 thread count works best.
Brighten up your bedding and stick to lighter colours
Re-fresh your bedding colour palette to channel the breeze. Opt for lighter, softer and cheerful colours such as white, yellows, cool greys, blush and sky blues to add freshness and a light summery feel. The added benefit is sheets and bedding in lighter colours absorb less heat during the day, so they’ll remain nice and cool. This dotty bedding set available in both cool grey and blush is reversible. It will suit any interior style from monochrome to scandi.
Cool down your pillow
We’ve all been there at night tossing and turning, looking for that little piece of the pillow which is cooler than the rest. Why not try adding a gel-filled cooling mat on top of your pillow for an always cool and comfortable spot to rest your head. You can even place these types of gel-filled mats in the fridge just before bedtime for an extra cool blast.
Invest in a bedside fan or humidifier
Don’t waste time craving a cool summer breeze, instead invest in a small bedside fan or wall mount fan. A portable fan will direct the breeze right where you need it and ensure you get a good night sleep on a warm night.
Top Tip: Place a bowl of ice-cold water (or ice cubes) in front of the fan to help stop the constant air flow from drying out your skin, throat and nose so you can avoid that blocked up feeling in the morning.
You could also invest in an air humidifier like this Black+Decker Portable USB Digital Mini Air Cooler to help add moisture to the air to keep you cool and comfortable as well as prevent dryness that can cause irritation to the skin, nose and throat.
Turn a hot water bottle into a cold water bottle
Who says you must fill a hot water bottle with hot water? There’s no rule, right? Try adding cold water to your hot water bottle instead and keep it in the fridge for a few hours before bedtime. Then slip it under your sheets and use it under your feet, place between the knees, between your legs or under your neck to cool you down in an instant.
Getting a good night’s sleep is vital to both our physical health and emotional well-being. So, maximising your snooze time is important because it enables the body to repair. Take a look at out top 10 Benefits of Getting a Good Night’s Sleep from reducing stress and lowering blood pressure.
Also why not take a look at out 6 quick, easy and affordable ways to Update Your Home for Under £30 from bedding and cushions to candles and storage.