By Aminat Umar
You may feel hot when sleeping because your room is too warm, the bedding is too thick, or because of certain medications and underlying health conditions.
You’ll likely have trouble sleeping if your room is too hot or cold.
Even if your room is the perfect temperature for you, it’s still possible to feel too warm during the night. Your bedding, pre-sleep routine, some medications, and certain health conditions can all make you feel overheated.
This article examines seven reasons you may get hot when you sleep and possible solutions.
1. Room temperature and humidity
If you feel too hot when sleeping, your bedroom may simply be too warm.
You may stay awake and have less slow-wave or rapid-eye movement sleep if the room temperature is too high. Humidity can also magnify the effect of heat by reducing your sweat’s ability to evaporate.
What is the best room temperature for sleeping?
A 2019 research review of human and animal studies found that the optimal room temperature for sleep is about 66 to 70°F (19 to 21°C).
HEALTHLINE NEWSLETTER
Learn how to fall asleep faster with our free guide
If you have trouble falling asleep, the 4-7-8 method is a simple technique you can try to relax and get better rest. Join our sleep well newsletter for your free guide and expert guidance once a week.
2. Bedding and sleepwear
Your bedding acts as an insulator, much like the insulation in your home. Thicker bedding tends to trap more heat than thinner bedding. Wearing thick sleepwear can also lead to overheating.
Different fabrics have different heat-retaining properties and may influence your sleep quality too.
A small 2016 studyTrusted Sourcecompared the effects of cotton and wool sleepwear and polyester and wool bedding on sleep quality at temperatures of 63°F and 72°F (17°C and 22°C).
Researchers found wool sleepwear promoted sleep onset more than cotton sleepwear at 63°F (17°C), but cotton sleepwear promoted deeper sleep at 72°F (22°C).
Researchers found no difference between sleep onset or quality between polyester and wool bedding at either temperature.
3. Pre-sleep activities
Your activities before bedtime can potentially increase your body temperature and make it more difficult to fall asleep. For example:
- Exercise: A small 2018 research review found that evening exercise didn’t impair sleep and actually had the opposite effect. But sleep onset may be impaired if high intensity exercise finishes within 1 hour of bedtime.
- Caffeine: It’s well documented that consuming caffeine close to bedtime can make it difficult to fall asleep. Along with increasing mental alertness, caffeine is associated with higher core body temperature, according to a small 2014 study.
- Stressful activities: When you feel stressed, your blood vessels constrict. This action drops your skin temperature and increases your core body temperature, according to a 2015 animal studyTrusted Source.
- Sex: Sex can improve sleep quality by releasing hormones that promote relaxation. However, vigorous sex that raises your heart rate may have the same effect on sleep as high intensity exercise.
4. Who sleeps with you
If you sleep with other people or pets, the combined temperature of your bodies can raise the temperature under your bedding and in your room.
Bodies are constantly giving off heat as a byproduct of metabolism. The more bodies and the smaller the space, the quicker the area will heat up.
The average human body temperature is roughly 98.6°F (37°C). If the temperature of the room is warmer than this, your body will absorbTrusted Source heat and actually have a cooling effect on the room.
5. Medication
A long list of medications can potentially raise your body temperature or disrupt your body’s ability to regulate its temperature.
Some commonly used medications that affect thermoregulation include:
- anticholinergics
- beta-lactam antibiotics, including penicillin and cephalosporins
- carbamazepine
- diabetes medication
- diuretics (water pills), especially combined with angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers
- hormone therapy medications
- methyldopa
- pain relievers, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or aspirin
- phenytoin
- procainamide
- psychotropics
- quinidine
- selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or tricyclic antidepressants
- steroids, such as cortisone or prednisone
- recreational drugs, such as MDMA, ecstasy, cocaine
6. Hormones
Imbalances in your hormone levels can lead to night sweats or hot flashes.
Many people experience night sweats as part of their menstrual cycle, particularly with premenstrual syndrome, due to fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone levels.
Night sweats and hot flashes are also two of the most common symptoms of menopause. Reductions in estrogen and other hormonal changes that aren’t fully understood are thought to cause these symptoms.
Pregnancy also leads to hormonal changes that increase blood flow and raise your core body temperature.
Hyperthyroidism and obstructive sleep apnea (which can affect a variety of hormones) are two more potential causes of why you feel hot and sweaty at night.
7. Illness and infection
Many potential illnesses can lead to an increase in body temperature or cause night sweats. Infectious diseases that can cause elevated body temperature include:
Other conditions that can make you feel hot at night include:
How body temperature affects sleep
Your body temperature follows a natural cycle during a 24-hour period. Typically, your body temperature:
- drops in the evening
- rises in the morning
- peaks later in the day
If your body temperature doesn’t drop in the evening, it can impair your sleep.
A 2019 research reviewTrusted Source of human and animal studies found that people tend to self-select their bedtime at the point when their body temperatures drop the most.
Learn how to fall asleep faster with our free guide
If you have trouble falling asleep, the 4-7-8 method is a simple technique you can try to relax and get better rest. Join our sleep well newsletter for your free guide and expert guidance once a week.
Solutions to feeling overheated at night
Here are some ways you may be able to stop feeling overheated at night.
| Underlying cause | Treatment |
|---|---|
| Room temperature too high | • Open a window. • Use a dehumidifier. • Use a fan or air conditioning. • Move your mattress to the floor. • Have a cold shower before bed. |
| Bedding | • Use fewer blankets. • Choose lightweight and breathable fabrics. |
| Pre-sleep activities | • Finish exercising at least 1 hour before bed. • Avoid consuming caffeine in the late afternoon or evening. • Minimize stressful activities near bedtime. • Avoid vigorous sex before bed (non-vigorous sex may improve sleep quality). |
| Sleeping with other people or pets | • If sleeping with other people, consider using a separate blanket. • Consider opening a window or leaving the door open. |
| Medications | • Contact your doctor and see if you can adjust your medications. |
| Hormonal conditions | • Ask your doctor about the best treatment options for your particular condition. |
| Illness or infection | • Try to treat the underlying condition. |
Takeaway
Many potential factors can make you feel hot when trying to sleep. In some cases, you may feel hot because your room is too warm or your bedding is too thick. Certain medications or underlying health conditions can also contribute to feeling too hot.
If you find that changing your room’s temperature and pre-bedtime habits doesn’t fix the problem, it’s a good idea to make an appointment with a doctor to rule out an underlying medical condition.
Source: Healthline
For Advertisement, Event Coverage, Public Relations, Story/Article Publication, and other Media Services, kindly send an email to: thescopermedia58@gmail.com.
More importantly, to stay updated with the latest news, health updates, happenings, and interesting stories, click and visit www thescopermedia.com
