This 10-minute hack will help you fall asleep in the heatwave – plus eight other ways to keep your cool during the night
HOT weather was great back when you could safely retreat to an air-conditioned hotel room abroad.
But at home - where you don't have the luxury of lounging around all day by the pool - it can be SO uncomfortable, especially at night.
And with the UK sizzling in 30C heat this weekend, many Brits will undoubtedly suffer from disrupted sleep.
But luckily, there are a number of steps you can take to minimise the discomfort, with one sleep expert revealing a very handy trick to cooling down at night.
Speaking to Pretty 52, sleep guru James Wilson - aka The Sleep Geek - explained that putting lukewarm water into a hot water bottle and placing at the bottom of the bed, at the soles of your feet, will help.
He recommended leaving under your feet for 10 minutes, or having a lukewarm bath or shower before bed to "encourage your temperature to drop".
It's not the only handy tip you can try to stay cool - in fact, there are loads of hacks to beating the heat - here are our favourites...
Don't eat too much protein
Scoffing down three chicken breasts and a steak might be a good for gains, but it's not going to do you any favours in the heat.
Sleep expert Dave Gibson recommends against it, explaining it can actually heat up your body by boosting your metabolic rate.
Added to that, it's best to eat small meals more often - the larger the meal, the more heat your body will produce while breaking it down.
Spritz water on your skin throughout the night
Fill up an old perfume bottle - or buy a travel-sized spray bottle - with ice cold water and spray onto your face, neck and legs to stay cool throughout the night.
Keep it by the side of your bed and spritz while you're drifting off or whenever you wake up.
Sleep downstairs
If it's possible, it's always better so sleep on the bottom floor during a heatwave.
This is because heat naturally rises, so it's likely to be a little cooler downstairs.
Keep calm
Aside from his hot water bottle tip, James also explained one of the best things you can do in the heatwave is try and relax.
The more you think, "I need to get to sleep" the harder it will be.
"My advice would be to suck it up, accept that you might not sleep quite as well, but that it will probably be over in a couple of days and your body will more than likely make up for the poor sleep by giving you better quality sleep once the temperature drops," he told Pretty 52.
Eat eggs for dinner
Brinner, anyone?
Dietitian Sharon Natoli told the Mail Online: "Something as simple as eating eggs at dinner time can be a natural sedative as egg whites help the body prepare for bedtime by producing melatonin – which brings on that sleepy feeling."
Freeze a damp flannel
Pop a damp cloth in the freezer for at least an hour before you go to bed and use it as a cold compress while you're drifting off.
Place a bowl of water in front of your fan
If you are lucky enough to have snapped up a fan for your bedroom, James recommends placing a bowl of cold water in front of it.
This cools down the stream of air that's circulating around the room.
Switch your sheets
Opting for breathable fabrics like organic cotton or bamboo is a much better option during the heatwave.
This is because they absorb moisture more easily. They are more expensive, but can you put a price on a good night's sleep?
MOST READ IN FABULOUS
In other heatwave news, we told you one mum warned parents about kids playing outside in the heatwave after baby suffers second-degree burns from scalding hose pipe water.
We also revealed you can now buy a bra liner that’ll save you from sweaty underboobs in the heatwave.
And we showed you how to keep cool in the heatwave – including putting your clothes in the freezer like Love Island’s Ovie Soko.