Typically, families are excited about the arrival of the summer months. The days are longer, the kids are out of school, and there’s more room for family fun and activities. Like any perfect day, however, all good things come to an end. When the sun sets at night, many families feel the struggle of sleeping during the warm summer months.
The summer season shouldn’t be that much of a problem, especially if you live in a tropical country. You may already have gotten used to the heat. But for those in a four-seasoned country, they may not be acquainted with the hotter months.
For that reason, families need to be aware of the things they can do to sleep better during the summer months. When all members of the family have a good night’s sleep, you all can wake up to happier, positive, fun, and enjoyable summer days.
From smart gadgets to light-blocking blackout custom curtains, this blog brings you a comprehensive guide with all the hacks your family can use for better sleep during the hotter summer months.
Use A Cooling Pillow
Whether it’s the summer season or not, you may already be twisting or turning your pillow to find its ‘cooler’ side. Flipping your pillows can give you that refreshing feeling, but only briefly. When the temperature outside is too hot, this trick may not be as effective anymore.
If you haven’t heard about them yet, there are pillows known as ‘cooling pillows.’ As its name implies, it is made with cooling gel or natural materials that bring about its cooling effect to the body.
During the warm summer months, you may appreciate owning these types of pillows. They have the ability to reduce sweating and overheating at night, thereby drastically improving your sleep quality.
Cooling pillows are mostly made out of memory foam with cooling gel in them. Those are, however, made out of synthetic materials. A better alternative to cool gel pads is to choose a pillow made out of organic buckwheat hulls. It’s natural, hypoallergenic, and delivers the same cooling effect when you sleep, unlike an ordinary pillow.
A buckwheat pillow’s cooling ability is mainly brought about by its breathability. The unique shape of the buckwheat hulls allows air to move freely through the whole pillow. It enables all the humid and warm air your pillow absorbs from your body to quickly escape it before it even heats up.
To ensure that your chosen buckwheat cooling pillow is the best both for your health and sleep quality during the summer months, here are crucial factors to remember when choosing one:
- Assess the softness, make sure it conforms well to your body as you sleep to lessen the discomfort you may have during the uncomfortable and warm summer months. Remember that the more you move around when you sleep, the higher the chances you sweat, thereby making you feel even hotter than it already is.
- Choose a hypoallergenic pillow, especially if you suffer from allergies, so you won’t have to compromise your health in the name of a more comfortable sleep.
To learn more about Buckwheat cooling pillows, head on over here to watch this quick video:
Embrace A Later Bedtime
This second idea may cause a debate for many parents. Yes, routines are essential for families and children. So, the advice to embrace a later bedtime may start raising eyebrows. Before you do, however, this doesn’t mean setting that bedtime to as late as 11 p.m. or worse, at midnight. It simply means moving it off to at least an hour later than usual while still keeping your routine.
The rationale behind this is that sleeping later at night gives you time to allow the temperatures outside to get cooler. Give the sun enough time to set. Remember that during the summer months, the sun sets later. Although you may have an air conditioner at home, you may still be left facing an expensive electric bill at the end of the summer month.
To avoid this, give the outside temperature time to cool. Plus, it’s the summer months. The kids are off school. Take it easy and allow them that extra hour to watch TV or for all of you to gather as a family. If you love spending time outdoors, you can use that hour too for some outdoor family fun.
If those reasons are not enough, there’s another advantage to embracing a later bedtime, especially if you have young kids. That extra hour may be enough time to get them exhausted. Consequently, when they hop right into bed, it won’t be extra challenging for them to fall asleep even when the weather seems to be unforgivingly hot.
Serve Dinner Early
In connection with the second insight above on moving bedtime to a later hour, you may want to couple that with serving dinner early. It would be best not to eat dinner later at night as it may disrupt your sleep by feeling full.
It could be easier for the whole family to settle down to sleep when you set dinner earlier, such as at 5 p.m., for instance. It gives your family an hour or two to enjoy family time, play, or spend time in your yard before winding down for the day when the kids are tired. As a result, you can establish a nighttime routine without forcing the kids to go to bed immediately after dinner.
Darken Your Bedrooms
One of the struggles during the summer season is that the sun sets later at night. If you have see-through curtains, the light outside may make it through your room. It may make it even harder for your body to rest and fall asleep.
To avoid this from happening, set the mood in your room by darkening it up. You can start by switching your curtains to blackout curtains or darkening shades. It can prevent light from going through the room so it would be dark enough for you to fall asleep.
Learn How To Relax
The summer months can be busy, mainly because the kids are off school. They will be home more than usual, so there’s more to get done in a day. On top of that, the nice weather during the daytime may mean that you have to take advantage of it by going on outings.
With all the activities and chores to be done, parents may find it hard to relax. Your body may be screaming to put your feet up, but your mind is still preoccupied with the many things you think you have to do.
If you can relate, then it could easily be one of the reasons why you aren’t well-rested at night. Learning to relax is an underrated skill, but it has to be mastered. When you make it a habit to relax more at night, you may just notice that drastic improvement in your overall sleep quality.
Putting your body in that state of relaxation and calmness can get you in the right mood to sleep well at night. It will enable you to fall asleep faster, no matter what the season is. Even if it’s only a few minutes, take advantage of that quiet time, such as when the kids are finally asleep.
Perhaps, have a cup of decaffeinated tea, read a book, or soak in a nice bath. Whatever you like doing that helps you be more relaxed, do it.
Use White Noise
Just like your family, your neighbors may be excited about summer too. They may be making the most out of the day and the nice weather for some family fun. But, unlike your family, they may not have plans of calling it a day early. Each family has its own preferences, and your next-door neighbor might be that family who loves to have more friends and family in their backyard pool.
All that noise coming from kids playing and adults talking may be contributing to the challenge of getting your own family to fall asleep. The adults may have a million arguments and complaints about the noise, and the kids can be badgering the parents why the neighbor’s kids still get to play and have fun.
As you block out the light coming from the outside, you can block away from all that noise, too. You can do this by having a white noise machine. Yes, you should keep that white noise machine you used for your baby as you may be able to use it when the kids are older! The white noise can help soothe your family, especially your kids, and put them in a mood for sleep.
White noise can be anything that gives off frequencies that may contribute to better sleep. It’s made out of a collection of sounds like the rain, or ocean waves, to create that calming environment for sleep.
Limit Strenuous Physical Activity In The Evening
While you may want to get your family feeling tired so it would be easier for them to fall asleep, this doesn’t mean you should let them do strenuous physical activities late at night. Whatever entertainment the family does during that extra hour of staying up during the summer, keep it subdued.
The kids can run around the backyard, but perhaps not as long as they have been doing the whole afternoon. As for adults who exercise, do that late in the afternoon. Staying active later in the afternoon rather than late at night gives your body those three to four hours for the body temperature to drop. It would then be during your bedtime, making it easier to fall asleep.
With this, you can sleep better and be well-rested for a better morning.
Turn Off Screens Before Bed
Your family has that extra family time at night before going to bed during the summer months. The kids may be allowed to watch TV longer. However, all those shouldn’t change the rule of turning off screens at least half an hour before bedtime.
The light coming from those gadgets may only stimulate the brain more, making it even harder to fall asleep. To avoid such, you may use that half-hour for your family’s bedtime routine, such as tidying up the family area, bathing for bed, or reading a book.
Use Lightweight Fabrics
Many families make that conscious effort to shop for new clothing for the winter months to keep them warm. This effort should also be made during summer. Your shopping list may have swimwear in it, but don’t forget pajamas or sleepwear made out of lightweight fabric, too, perfect for the summer weather.
When summer starts to kick in, that should be a signal enough to ditch those warm, furry, fluffy pajamas for singlets, shorts, and pajamas. It is also best to use light yet cool fabrics. Choose from cotton, silk, or organic bamboo.
Use the same as well for your bed sheets and pillowcases. You may want to change your bed covers to thinner fabrics for a cooler night.
Avoid Napping
Lastly, you may want to forego napping for now. If the kids are still at a napping age, like toddlers, then they may need it. However, don’t schedule those naps late in the day. Otherwise, it may only interfere with their sleeping schedule.
For adults, avoid napping. You may enjoy this time with your family. It will be easier for you to fall asleep at night when you don’t take those afternoon naps.
Final Thoughts
Sleeping during the summer months can be difficult for many reasons. There’s the change in the temperature and the sun setting later than usual, hence the bright daylight shining through your windows. Because of this, families who prepare for all the fun activities during the summer season will also have to be ready with better sleep and a nighttime routine. If last summer was a struggle for your family, try embracing any or all of the tips above. This summer and the following may just be the best now for you and your family, with all the fun and good sleep to cap off a perfect summer day.
