Polysleep’s Takeaway
A good night’s rest is one of the most important things that we can give ourselves each day, so why not spend a bit more time to ensure adequate sleep?
If you have found yourself tossing and turning, experiencing hot sleeping, or night sweats, it might be time to look into your sleeping surroundings. Ensure you are utilizing temperature-regulating bedding, a thinner comforter, and maintaining a cool bedroom temperature.
Have you found yourself tossing and turning at night wondering, "why do I get so hot when I sleep?".
Sleep specialists have emphasized for several years the important role sleep has in a person’s daily life. However, a hot body temperature while sleeping can significantly impact the ability to both falls asleep and staying asleep.
According to a 2019 study of the temperature dependence of sleep, experts found that the best temperature to sleep at is between 66 degrees to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, or about between 18 and 21 celsius.
The sleep specialists at Polysleep are here to help you better understand how sleeping hot can affect your ability to receive a good night’s rest.
Sleeping hot: why does my body get so hot at night?
As you lay down at night to prepare for sleep, your body undergoes many changes, including an increase in key sleep hormones, such as melatonin, and a slight drop in core body temperature.
While the body naturally decreases its core body temperature, the heat-dissipating from the body has to go somewhere. It inevitably ends up trapped in your bedding and mattress.
Do you ever wonder, "why does my body get so hot at night?" There are many reasons a person may experience excessively hot nights including:
Improper bedding:
Your comforter, sheets, and mattress act as an insulator — similar to the insulation found within a home. Bedding that is too thick is more prone to trapping heat than a thin sheet or comforter.
Pre-sleep activities:
It’s no secret that a brisk walk in the evening or light exercise can help you fall asleep and stay asleep. However, rigorous exercise can have the opposite effect on the body, particularly if you do it before bedtime.
While the quality of sleep itself is less likely to be impacted, rigorous exercise within one hour of bedtime has proven to decrease the ability to fall asleep faster. Similar to exercise, rigorous sexual activity can have the same effect on impaired sleep. As your resting heart rate is increased, brain activity is increased, and hormone production is altered.
Stress:
The body’s natural response to stress is to constrict blood vessels, which, in turn, diverts blood from the outer parts of your body and brings it to the center. In doing so, your skin temperature experiences a sudden decrease while core temperatures continually rise. This is why we may experience goosebumps on the arms during stress while also feeling flushed.
High body temperature at night: male and female specifications
No one is immune to sleep disturbances, regardless of age, ethnicity, or gender. Men and women experience sleeping hotly, however, high body temperatures at night in females are more common with age due to hormone imbalances. Humans alike may experience sleeping hot due to:
Hormonal changes
Nearly 40% percent of men aged 45 or older experience a decrease in testosterone levels leaving them subject to undesired side effects including night sweats. On the flip side, nearly 80 percent of women experiencing perimenopause or menopause experience night sweats or high body temperatures at night in females.
Stress and anxiety
Anxiety and stress make sweat glands more productive, meaning those with higher levels of stress or anxiety are at an increased risk of experiencing sleeping hot. Experts report women are two times more likely to experience anxiety, although men are much less likely to seek help for mental health issues, leaving an increased risk for high body temperature at night in females rather than males.
Medication
Nearly all prescription medications have less than desirable side effects, including excessive sweating. Have you recently started new medication and are wondering "why do I get so hot when I sleep?", certain medications, including the following, can increase the risk of night sweats:
- Tricyclic antidepressants
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
- Anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen
- Hypoglycemic treatment medications
- Corticosteroids
Sleeping hot: Our best tips to cool down!
At Polysleep, we understand the importance of a good night’s rest, which is why we have joined forces to provide you with our best tips to cool down as you sleep! If you have ever wondered, “why do I get so hot when I sleep?”, this is the place for you!
Choose the right mattress for a hot sleeper
Though many mattresses offer similar comfort and support properties, not all mattresses are built the same. Experts recommend choosing a mattress with cooling properties, such as temperature-regulating gel or an open-cell structured mattress.
The Zephyr mattress is designed with cooling and comfort in mind as it is equipped with a GelFlex Plus foam topper to warm you up when you are cold and cool you down if your body experiences higher temperatures.
Are you in need of a new mattress?
Our high-quality memory foam mattress is an affordable, central-zone support mattress designed to maintain adequate support to your back, hips, and midsection, allowing a better night of sleep.
Shop the Zephyr MattressAdd a cooling mattress topper
Many people who are hot sleepers are not sleeping on the right mattress, but, they cannot afford to purchase a new one — this is where a cooling mattress topper makes things easier.
While less expensive than a new mattress, The PolyCool mattress topper offers exceptional body temperature-regulating properties. Thanks to the new technology used by this cooling mattress pad, you can say goodbye to uncomfortable night sweats!
It offers continuous, adjustable cooling properties, allowing you to flip it for more or less cooling. Sleeping with a partner who prefers a different sleeping temperature than you? This exceptional cooling mattress topper can come in two separate sections, enabling each of you to choose your side.
