How to Sleep in a Heatwave: 13 Clever Tips and Cooling Essentials
Too hot to sleep? From temperature-regulating mattress toppers to a fan quiet enough for the bedroom, here are our best buys for sweaty nights – and what to avoid.
The Problem with Hot Nights
If there’s anything more uncomfortable than enduring a heatwave in Britain, it’s sleeping through one. But hot nights are only going to get more common if the climate crisis continues its long march. While Britons are already accustomed to poor sleep – with the average adult getting just three days a week of good kip, according to the Mental Health Foundation – heat doesn’t help. Dr Allie Hare, consultant in sleep medicine and co-president of the British Sleep Society, says: “Being too hot during sleep can significantly reduce sleep quality and duration. In particular, it can reduce slow wave (deep) sleep, the stage of sleep that helps us awaken feeling rested.”
The Sleep Charity offers this guidance on its website: “An ideal bedroom temperature is around 16-18C … Temperatures over 24C are likely to cause restlessness, while a cold room of about 12C will make it difficult to drop off.” But all hope is not lost for those who want to beat the heatwave in their sleep. “Your brain is very smart about sleep,” Hare says, “and it will eventually ensure that you do [drop off], even if it remains warm at night.”
13 Tips and Essentials to Help You Sleep in a Heatwave
A Natural-Fibre Mattress
Lay the foundations with a decent mattress that allows air to flow, keeps sweat off your skin and does not trap heat. Jane Hoskyn reviewed the Millbrook pocket-spring wool mattress for a test during one heatwave and was amazed by how it kept her cool. “The Millbrook doesn’t retain heat in the way that foam can,” she concluded, “and its wool layers can help regulate your body’s temperature through the sweaty and shivery excesses of summer and winter.” The Millbrook Wool Luxury 4000 mattress (double) is available from £604 at Mattress Online or £759 at B&Q.
A Cooling Bamboo Topper
If you don’t have a suitable mattress, then consider this memory foam/bamboo hybrid topper from Panda. Jane Hoskyn tried it for her test of the best mattress toppers, and was impressed by the “temperature-regulating hydro foam” that provided a cooling sensation, while the bamboo cover helped avoid overheating. The bamboo topper is also breathable and moisture-wicking, helping sweat evaporate more easily and reducing the chance of overheating on hot nights. The Panda bamboo topper (double) costs £139.95.
Breathable Linen Bedding
With breathable, moisture-wicking properties that mean it won’t cling to your skin, linen is generally considered the best fabric for the summer months. Piglet in Bed offers a range of linen pillowcases, duvets and sheets that not only make for a pleasant night’s sleep, but are also free from harmful chemicals and dyes. Among its fans is London-based interior designer Eva Sonaike, who told us it was the top choice for her son, who has allergies. The Piglet in Bed linen bedding (double) is available from £199 at John Lewis.
Freeze Your Bedding
Freeze your pillowcases and dry pyjamas in a bag for 15 to 20 minutes before bedtime. The brief burst of coolness makes it much easier to fall asleep during particularly sticky weather. Ravi Meah discovered this tip a few years ago and now uses it whenever temperatures start climbing.
A Cotton-Cover Duvet
The Fogarty Cool Sleep has a cooling cotton cover, treated with a special “phase change material” to prevent overheating. It was Jane Hoskyn’s top pick for “anyone who tends to overheat at night” in her roundup of the best duvets. The Fogarty Cool Sleep 10.5-tog duvet starts from £62 at Dunelm.
Our Favourite Fan for Cooling
Caramel Quin tested the Dreo TurboCool misting fan 765S “on the hottest day of 2026 so far” and chose it as her favourite pick for cooling in her guide to the best fans. It has a six-litre water tank to add a fine mist to the air, which lowered temperatures by 3C in her tests. “I felt the occasional, pleasant cool drop of water,” she wrote. “But the floor didn’t get wet, and neither did the anemometer, placed between me and the fan.” The fan costs £199.99 at Amazon.
Take a Shower
Ravi Meah takes a lukewarm shower about half an hour before he plans to sleep. It can be tempting to stand under freezing cold water, but a cooler wash helps lower your body temperature without making you shiver afterwards. He also avoids drying his hair completely, as the remaining moisture feels refreshing when he drifts off.
Help Kids Sleep
It’s important to take steps to ensure children don’t have sleepless nights during the summer. To maintain a cool room, “keep blinds or curtains closed during the day to block out direct sunlight, and dress babies in just a nappy or a super-light layer,” said Rosey Davidson, sleep consultant and CEO of Just Chill Baby Sleep. She recommends the Tommee Tippee portable blind (£21.99) for early bedtime routines, as well as a light muslin sleeping bag (from £31.05 at Natural Baby Shower or £34.50 at Amazon).
A Cooling Face Mist
Once you have your bed prepped, your fan ready to blow and the blackout blinds draped, you may still feel the need to cool your face. Lily Smith suggests Avène’s thermal mist spray, which is suitable for sensitive skin and provides a tingling sensation that feels like pleasantly cooling sea mist. The 50ml bottle costs £5.75 at Lookfantastic or £5.95 at Cult Beauty.
Block Out the Midsummer Light
A blackout sleep mask can also help ease you into slumber. In her review of the best sleep aids, Jane Hoskyn raved about the MyHalos sleep mask: “On my first attempt, I didn’t fall asleep much faster than usual, but I woke up in joyous disbelief at the nine (yes, nine!) hours of shut-eye I’d achieved.” The mask costs £9.99 at Amazon.
Sleep with a Frozen Hot-Water Bottle
The winter staple has proven to be a life-saver during suffocating summers. Ravi Meah half-filled a hot-water bottle and left it overnight (to allow the ice to expand) before hugging it to sleep the next night. The cooling sensation made all the difference. (Just don’t use the same bottle for hot water this winter, as it may not be safe.)
Stay Hydrated
And if you’re feeling parched before you go to bed, try adding an Ocean Go bottle to your nightstand instead of a glass of water. It’s lightweight and, as Zoë Phillimore discovered in her roundup of the best water bottles, keeps your water cold, with ice lasting for up to 90 minutes thanks to superb insulation. The bottle costs £38 at Ocean Bottle or Ryman.
Something to Avoid …
With all the top tips for sleeping in a heatwave covered, what’s the one item to swerve? “Using alcohol to help with sleep in the summer!” says Hare, “although it can feel as though it helps you to fall asleep, alcohol significantly disrupts your REM sleep and can cause you to wake up later in the night. Stay hydrated with water or dilute fruit juices instead.”
