No matter how you turn and turn – at 25 degrees in the bedroom just falling asleep is a real challenge. In an interview with the stern an expert explains what happens above and under the duvet in tropical temperatures – and how to stay cool on hot nights.
It’s getting hot in Germany. The first real high of summer brings temperatures of 30 degrees and more in the next few days. It doesn’t cool down properly at night either. Frequent consequence: sleepless nights. stern hat With Professor Martin Scherer, Director of the Polyclinic for General Medicine at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, talked about what temperatures of 25 degrees and more in the bedroom do to us.
Professor Scherer, many Germans sleep rather badly than well because of the hot nights. Does this phenomenon belong in the sleep disorder category?
I would put it in the ‘not restful sleep’ drawer. When you wake up in the morning totally exhausted, the question is always what the reason was. If it was worries in everyday life, if it was the heat, if you lay awake longer at night. One should try to find out first.
There are many figures floating around on social media about how warm or cold it should be in a bedroom for a good night’s sleep. Do you have a tip?
First of all, it has to be said that there is no uniform sleeping temperature. People’s habits are just too different for that. Let’s put it this way: It should be perceived as pleasant. One could therefore also speak of an individual feel-good temperature. Usually it fluctuates around 20 degrees Celsius.
How do night temperatures of 25 degrees and more specifically affect sleep?
Sleep is generally more restless, which is due to the fact that the circulation has to work significantly more at higher temperatures. Because he tries to keep the core body temperature stable. In a warm environment, the peripheral vessels initially widen. In addition, there is sweating, a kind of air conditioning for the body. All of this is very cardiovascular and does not necessarily contribute to a restful sleep. Then maybe there is an unpleasant breeze, many get thirsty because of sweating at night. It’s all a change in habits. In other words: temperature fluctuations mean a certain change for the whole body, which also affects sleep.
What advice do you have for people who cannot cope with these temperatures, especially at night?
I recommend taking a shower from time to time. Not just in the evening before going to bed – also during the day. Take a quick shower if it gets too hot. Then you can hold out for another hour. The water should cool, but still be perceived as pleasant. This relieves the circulation, sweats less and accordingly loses less fluid.
How else can you create a comfortable sleeping environment?
Window open! Ventilate properly in the morning and in the evening. If available, use the air conditioning or a fan to lower the room temperature. In countries that are more exposed to heat, the windows are closed during the day and the rooms are darkened. It is also helpful to take the duvet out of the duvet cover and just cover yourself with the sheet.
How do people deal with nighttime heat who are confronted with such high temperatures almost every day?
You just cover yourself with a sheet. Wherever possible and where people can afford it, the air conditioning systems run at full speed. They are also adapted. You don’t know it any other way and have developed a completely different heat tolerance. What you also see very often is that they are constantly fanning themselves. That is rather unusual for us.
What is that supposed to help?
The air circulates. Due to the turbulence, the heat insulation layer, i.e. the warm air directly on the skin, is blown away for a moment. That is why one perceives this turbulence as pleasant.
Back to Germany. The heat also causes beads of sweat to appear on parents’ foreheads for other reasons. What to Wear to Infants and Young Children on Tropical Nights
Many tend to dress babies too warmly. Light and airy things are sufficient. You should also watch whether the child is sweating. Some children sweat a lot and the pillows are soaking wet. This can be a sign that the bedroom is too warm. If you can, you might put the children in a cooler room instead of letting them sleep under the roof.
