Science Says Sleeping Naked In A Heatwave Is A Terrible Idea

The UK just saw its hottest May day on record, and we’ve had some unusually hot “tropical nights” (over 20C) too.

That can ruin your sleep. One paper found that heatwaves are especially ruinous, causing us to lose crucial minutes of shut-eye.

But if you’ve been sleeping in the nip for a cooler night, Natalie Pennicotte-Collier, a resident sleep expert at MattressNextDay, says you might want to reconsider.

It has to do with how sweat, which needs to evaporate to cool us off, behaves.

You might think that water wicks away faster when we’re naked. But the sleep expert said that’s not always true,

The move “feels logical, but without breathable natural fibre bedding to wick sweat away, moisture simply sits on the skin and creates a clammy humid ‘microclimate’ that is more likely to wake you up in the middle of the night.” Pennicotte-Collier explained.

The same logic applies to your bedsheets – we “should replace [our duvet] with a lightweight breathable layer instead of sleeping completely uncovered,” she said.

Research has her (pyjamaed) back. One paper from the University of Birmingham found that linen bedding was linked to fewer wake-ups among younger participants in hot weather.

Sleeping on a lower level in your home might help, the Red Cross said, as heat rises.

And paradoxical as it might sound, taking a warm shower might help, too.

Speaking to HuffPost UK previously, Dr Seeta Shah from PANDA London said: “Many take a cold shower before bed in hot weather, but a shockingly cold shower can actually raise core body temperature as your body works to counteract the sudden cold.

“A lukewarm to slightly cool shower is better. It gently reduces body temperature and triggers the parasympathetic nervous system, helping your body wind down and enter a sleep-conducive state.”