Insomnia in summer develops in hot weather, when it is stuffy and humid around. At the same time, it is not necessary that a person has any health problems or stress – that is, those reasons that usually cause insomnia. Even absolutely healthy people in the summer heat sometimes cannot sleep or wake up at night.

Sleep disorders:

increased body temperature due to heat

lack of oxygen in the blood due to stuffiness

thirst

sweating, inability to take a comfortable position

buzzing and insect bites

There are psychological reasons as well. In summer, the daylight hours are long – dawn early in the morning, sunset late in the evening. A person’s activity increases, he plans to perform a large number of tasks. In addition, there are many activities in the summer that you want to participate in. Therefore, people go to bed late, and fatigue and an abundance of impressions make it difficult to fall asleep.

Effect of heat on sleep quality

Heat outdoors and indoors will impair sleep quality. Difficulty falling asleep, repeatedly waking up at night, and fatigue during the day can be caused by improper bedroom temperatures. Experts agree that the temperature in the place where we sleep has a significant effect on how long we sleep and whether our sleep will be of good quality.

The body reacts to the heat around it with heavy sweating. Wet, clammy and hot skin also prevents a person from falling asleep. A cool shower helps to cope with this, but the effect of it is short-lived if the room is hot.

Stuffiness leads to a decrease in the oxygen content in the blood. This condition is called hypoxia – it makes it difficult for the brain to work and can cause nightmares.

Heat not only damages sleep, it worsens the quality of life in general. In other words, temperatures that are unfavorable for rest causes our bodies to expend more energy to adapt to it, and this makes sleep exhausting.

The harm of insomnia

Insomnia can harm physical and psychological health. During proper sleep, the following happens:

the digestion process slows down, which makes it possible to recover the stomach and liver

breathing and heart rate slows down – this normalizes heart activity, blood pressure

the brain switches to another mode of operation – processes the information received during the day, restores the broken connections between nerve cells

the immune system is active

Lack of sleep disrupts all these processes, which leads to an exacerbation of chronic diseases. Immunity does not work at full strength, so a person often suffers from colds.

Lack of sleep makes a person irritable, inattentive, lethargic. Against this background, depression and neurosis often develop. Inattention is dangerous for people whose profession requires high precision and concentration.

Measures to combat insomnia in summer

A cool bath with lemon balm extract or a shower helps to fall asleep. You need to take water procedures just before going to bed. To relax and calm down, you should drink a glass of milk, a decoction of chamomile or green tea.

Breathing exercises are useful for falling asleep, they help saturate the body with oxygen, calm breathing and heartbeat. To facilitate falling asleep, techniques such as counting objects, slowly reciting verses to oneself are used.

If all the rules are followed, and you still cannot fall asleep, it makes sense to seek medical help from a specialist who will help you choose the right drug for the treatment of transient sleep disorders. Sleep therapist is the best way to deal with insomnia – this is a specialist who deals with sleep problems. But there are few such specialists, they are not in every city. Therefore, advice can be obtained from a therapist or neurologist. Your doctor will advise on safe medications to improve sleep.

Considering that insomnia is very harmful to health, it must be dealt with immediately. Sleep hygiene tips can help you fall asleep in the heat of the summer.

Provide sleeping comfort in the bedroom. The air in the room where the person sleeps should be no higher than 22-24 degrees. This can be achieved with an air conditioner. If there is no air conditioner, a regular fan will do. The windows in the room should be open to provide fresh air at all times. 

Don’t overeat. Fatty, heavy food makes the stomach and liver work harder. This leads to an increase in body temperature, a feeling of heaviness in the abdomen. In summer, the diet should be dominated by vegetables, lean meat, herbs and dairy products. Dinner should be at 7-8 pm, after that it is permissible only to drink water. 

To refuse from bad habits. Smoking increases hypoxia, interferes with the flow of oxygen to the brain, which negatively affects the quality of sleep. Alcohol should not be used as a sleeping pill, especially in the summer heat. Under the influence of alcohol, the blood vessels expand even more, and this is fraught with hypertensive crisis, heart attack or stroke. 

Refuse to watch movies, computer games, use gadgets before bedtime. Instead, you can listen to music or read classical literature. 

Establish a work and rest regime. No matter how tempting summer activities are, you need to give your body time to rest. In hot weather, it is especially dangerous to perform heavy physical activity, go in for active sports. All sporting events are best postponed until the evening, when the heat subsides a little. 

Close the windows with blackout curtains. Bright sunlight in the morning makes a person wake up too early. At night, curtains should be tightly curtained, without even leaving a crack. 

Arrange a comfortable sleeping place. You need to sleep on an orthopedic mattress, choosing the right pillow. 

Bed linen made of natural fabrics – cotton, linen, chintz, coarse calico – will help you to sleep comfortably . You should take cover with a thin sheet. 

Sleepwear should also be simple and comfortable. It is better to sleep in underwear or naked. 

Provide protection against insects. Mosquito nets should be placed on the windows to protect against mosquitoes and midges. In the room at night, turn on the fumigator or spread the zest of orange and lemon around the bed. Strong odors keep mosquitoes away. 

Summer insomnia is associated with increased human activity during this period or excessively hot weather. In most cases, it is easy and not harmful to health. The fight against sleep disorders is to provide a comfortable sleeping place, coolness in the room, and protection from insects. If a person realizes that insomnia still negatively affects the quality of his life, it makes sense to consult a doctor who can prescribe drugs that make it easier to fall asleep and ensure quality sleep.