The UK is experiencing unusually high temperatures and, unless you are lucky enough to have air-conditioning, you're going to feel it. One of the first things many people notice is the effect it has on their sleep. Our homes are designed to keep heat in not out, so when the temperature rises high (inside and out) we end up lying awake, sheets kicked off, wondering why we just can’t sleep during hot weather.
If that’s you right now, you are not alone. It's your body working hard to cool itself down, and that effort can make it much harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. And that fight is exhausting, especially the next day when you feel you've had very little sleep.
So what can we actually do to help? I've pulled together some practical tips and some more unusual ones, including how self-hypnosis can help, that I use with my clients.
Why does the heat disrupt our sleep during the heatwave?
Before the tips, I just want to help you understand what is going on with the body. Research shows that our core body temperature naturally falls before sleep, helping us drift off. When bedroom temperatures remain high, this natural cooling process becomes more difficult, making it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. Sleep experts generally recommend a bedroom temperature of around 16–18°C for the best quality sleep. During a UK heatwave this often isn't achievable, which is why cooling your body becomes more important than cooling the room alone.
Studies have also shown that relaxation techniques such as slow breathing and guided imagery can reduce physiological arousal, helping the nervous system switch from a state of alertness into one more conducive to sleep.
Let’s go for the more unusual tips first…
Unusual tips (using items you already have)
Ice cool socks (a twist on the Egyptian Sleep Method). Pop a pair of socks in a plastic bag and into the freezer about an hour before bed. By the time you climb in, they'll be perfectly cool without being uncomfortably cold. You can do the same with your pyjamas, pillowcase, or even your sheets, whatever you fancy putting on or climbing into cool that night.
Damp cloth on pulse points. A cool, damp flannel on your wrists, neck, or the inside of your elbows can offer surprisingly quick relief, because that's where blood vessels sit close to the skin.
Ditch the duvet, try a sarong. I've personally found that swapping a duvet for a sarong makes a real difference on hot nights. It gives you just enough covering to feel comfortable, without trapping heat the way a duvet does, and it's light enough to kick off or pull back over you without waking yourself up properly in the process.
The frozen water bottle trick. Fill a hot water bottle with cold water, or freeze one, and pop it at the foot of the bed. Cooling your feet specifically can help bring your core body temperature down faster than you'd expect, since your feet play a big role in temperature regulation.
Sleep downstairs if you can. Heat rises, meaning upstairs bedrooms can be several degrees warmer than downstairs rooms. Even moving to the sofa for one or two nights during a heatwave may give you a chance for a better night's sleep.
Self-hypnosis for a cooler mind
When we become frustrated that we can’t sleep, our brain often switches into problem-solving mode and becomes more alert:
“I’m going to be tired tomorrow.”
“Why can’t I sleep?”
“I’ll never function properly with this amount of sleep.”
These thoughts can trigger the body’s stress response, making sleep even harder.
Self-hypnosis can help by reducing mental stimulation rather than forcing sleep, giving your body the chance to do what it already knows how to do naturally.
Try this simple self-hypnosis technique
- Slow your breathing. Breathe in for 4 seconds, then slowly exhale for 8 seconds.
- Let your body settle. This stimulates your natural “rest and digest” response, also known as the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps to reduce the body’s stress reaction to not being able to get to sleep.
- Imagine somewhere cool. Perhaps picture yourself standing in fresh snow, feeling a cool shower running over you, or walking slowly along a shaded mountain path in the early evening.
- Notice the details. Feel the cool earth beneath your feet, the soft breeze moving across your skin, and the calming sound of water running over stones nearby.
- Breathe out the heat. With each slower breath, imagine coolness spreading gently over your body.
This can make falling asleep easier, even when the room itself hasn’t changed.
I’ve used this with several clients (and myself) who were struggling to switch off on hot nights, when it’s often the mental restlessness, not just the physical heat, that keeps them awake.
Now for the practical tips
Cool the room before you need it, not when you get into bed. Keep curtains or blinds closed during the day, especially on any windows that get direct sun. Once the heat is in the room, it's much harder to shift. Opening windows at night, once it's cooler outside than in, can help draw some of that trapped heat back out.
Rethink your hydration timing. Everyone tells you to drink more water in a heatwave, and you should, but timing matters. Front-load your hydration earlier in the evening rather than right before bed, so you're not up and down through the night.
Choose fabrics that breathe. Natural fibres like cotton or linen, for both bedding and nightwear, allow more airflow than synthetic materials. If you only make one change, this is a simple one.
What not to do?
Avoid heavy meals late at night. Sleeping on a full stomach is never a good idea.
Avoid very cold showers immediately before bed (they can stimulate the body in some people).
Go easy on the alcohol. It might feel like a cold drink helps you unwind on a hot evening, but alcohol actually interferes with your body's ability to regulate its own temperature, and it disrupts deep sleep patterns too. On a night when your body's already working hard to cool itself down, that's the last thing you want working against you.
Try not to check the clock if you're awake. This can stimulate your brain and thought patterns creating a negative spiral.
One final thought
We can't control the temperature outside, but we can influence how our mind and nervous system respond to it. Sometimes the kindest thing we can do is acknowledge that it's a hot night, allow ourselves to slow down, and trust that sleep will come when the body is ready. Even a less-than-perfect night's sleep is something your body can recover from.
When It's More Than Just a Bad Night
A few disrupted nights during a heatwave are normal and usually resolve once temperatures drop. But if sleep difficulties are a regular pattern for you, heatwave or not, it might be worth exploring what's behind that with some support. As a Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist, I regularly help clients who struggle with sleep difficulties, anxiety and racing thoughts, using evidence-based approaches including CBT, relaxation training and hypnosis.
A Quick Note on Vulnerable Groups
Heat affects some people more than others. Babies, older adults, and anyone with certain health conditions can struggle to regulate their body temperature as easily, so it's worth checking in on family members or neighbours who might need extra support during a heatwave, not just focusing on your own sleep. I even topped up the postman’s water bottle with fresh, iced water this morning.
If you feel unwell during a heatwave, develop confusion, dizziness, fainting or symptoms of heat exhaustion or heatstroke, seek medical advice promptly rather than simply trying to improve your sleep.
Stay cool, and here's hoping for some relief soon.
Lisa Lewisohn is a Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist and founder of Focus Forward Hypnotherapy. Trained with the UK College of Hypnosis & Hypnotherapy, she uses an evidence-informed approach Hypno-CBT®, a unique blend of Hypnotherapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), mindfulness and breathwork to help clients overcome stress, anxiety, overthinking and unhelpful habits. She regularly helps clients overcome insomnia, racing thoughts and anxiety, supporting them to build healthier sleep habits. Her approach is this: "Small steps make a big difference".
Lisa works with clients in person from her practice in Kingston upon Thames and online, supporting people across Richmond upon Thames, Wimbledon, Teddington, Surbiton, New Malden, Esher, Twickenham, South West London, and throughout the UK.
