Sleep expert Lisa Artis has shared three practical cooling hacks to help people stay comfortable in bed during a heatwave. With hotter summers becoming the new normal, she says breathable bedding, lighter duvets and temperature-regulating mattresses are now as important as high tog ratings once were.
Three Cooling Hacks Worth Trying
According to Artis, there is no single miracle solution to sleeping through a heatwave, but combining simple cooling tricks with sleep technology designed to disperse heat offers the best chance of staying comfortable until morning.
Her first tip is to skip the freezing shower. An ice-cold shower can trigger the body to conserve heat, potentially leaving you feeling warmer afterwards. A lukewarm shower is more effective because it allows body temperature to fall naturally as you cool after stepping out.
Fridge Socks and Chilled Pillowcases
Artis also recommends cooling your feet, which are packed with blood vessels close to the skin's surface, making them one of the quickest places for the body to release heat. Placing a clean pair of socks in the fridge for around 30 minutes before bed can help the body switch into sleep mode.
For the head and neck, which are major heat-loss zones, she suggests chilling just the pillowcase in a sealed bag in the fridge for about 20 minutes. This provides an instant cooling sensation without leaving a damp pillow later in the night.
Choose Clever Bedding
While these hacks help with falling asleep, Artis warns they won't keep you cool if your mattress and bedding trap heat for the next eight hours. She recommends treating your summer sleep set-up like cooling technology rather than simply bedding, choosing lightweight, breathable fabrics that allow air to circulate and moisture to escape.
For those investing in a mattress, she advises looking for one specifically engineered to promote airflow rather than trap heat. Simba's Hybrid mattresses combine patented Aerocoil springs with Simbatex, an open-structured, graphite-infused foam with thousands of tiny perforations, delivering more than five times the airflow of standard memory foam.
