Sleep on it: Is the heat keeping you up at night?

Tag : Heat And Cool

It’s midsummer in Alaska in the 2002 movie Insomnia , and Detective Will Dormer can’t sleep. Thepoliceman’s battle with sleeplessness bathes thepsychological thriller in a palpable anxiety.
A lot of Texans understand only too well the 3 a.m. anxiety thatthe insomniac detective felt, though it’s sweltering heat,not 24-hour daylight, that’s keeping local folks awake. Inthese difficult economic times, many people are easing off on theair conditioning, and when the bedroom is hotter, it’s simplyharder to sleep.
"Sleeping and waking is intimately related to the natural 24-hourrhythm and cycle of body temperature. As body temperature drops, webecome increasingly less active, less mentally alert and moresleepy," says Dr. William Orr, clinical professor of medicine atthe University of Oklahoma and a specialist in the neurobiology ofsleep. "Individuals who have insomnia have an alteration in theirtemperature cycle. Between 4 and 8 a.m., body temperature graduallyrises, and we wake up. This whole cycle of mental alertness,sleepiness and wakefulness is very intimately connected with bodytemperature."
No wonder so many people toss and turn in bed when the temperaturesclimb.
If you’re one of those folks, read on for 10 terrific ideasfor cooler summer sleep.
Forget the pillow, get a Chillow
The Chillow is a pillow topper (you lay it atop your regularpillow) that, even though it’s room temperature, feels coolto the touch, much like a tile or stone floor feels cool on barefeet. The half-inch high Chillow is filled with a hydrophyllicfoam. Add water before using it the first time, then sweep out allthe air, and that’s all you ever need to do. Flocked fabricon the back grips to your regular pillow cover. Company spokeswomanHeather Clifford says the Chillow feels cool to the touch, notcold. You’re not supposed to put it in the freezer, butit’s OK to put it in the refrigerator for a bit before youuse it. Another product, the Chillow Plus, doesn’t have theflocked backing and is more flexible. Some people like to wrap thisproduct around their stomach or around a sore leg, Clifford says.The Chillow retails for around $29.95.
Down an icy drink in a restaurant that felt comfortable, and youmight suddenly feel chilly. Too bad there isn’t an icy drinkwaiting beside your bed when you wake up at 1 a.m. But wait —there can be. Pop a bottle of water in the freezer two to threehours before you go to bed and then place the partially frozenbottle on your nightstand just before you go to sleep. It shouldstill be cold a couple hours later when you wake up and want a colddrink. (Just be sure you don’t let the bottle freezecompletely; it might crack and cause a mess when it thaws.)
Bedfan plan
An oscillating room fan helps when it’s hot. An overhead fanis even better. Better still is the Bedfan, a fan that’sdesigned to blow a constant layer of air across your body betweenthe sheets. The Bedfan installs at the foot of the bed. You makethe bed with the top sheet and the comforter on top of thefan’s "breeze bar." It’s designed to blow air acrossone person, not two, so this works best when one partner suffersmore from the heat than the other. The Bedfan retails for about$80-$90.
What’s worse than being hot? Waking up in the middle of thenight hot and sweaty. Several manufacturers make sleepwear thatwicks away moisture, including Wicking J’s Sleepwear, a lineof women’s nightwear that’s designed to be stylish andfunctional. Find Wicking J’s sleepwear at the LingerieCollection, 520 Preston Royal Shopping Center, Dallas.