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There are a multitude of reasons for which people experience sleep issues. However, if you’ve recently found yourself struggling to maintain a decent quality of slumber, there’s a good chance the weather is a contributing factor. This is particularly true during the balmy summer months, when temperatures are at their highest. Fortunately, getting a good night’s sleep during periods of extreme heat doesn’t have to be an arduous undertaking. By making a few convenient additions and upgrades to your bedroom, you set the stage for a season of peaceful slumber.
Reliable Ceiling Fans
A reliable ceiling fan can be an invaluable nighttime cooling aid. For starters, a good fan can effectively circulate cool air from outdoors or your home’s AC system. You can also enable your fan to produce a cooling breeze of its own by setting its blades to rotate counterclockwise. When seeking out the right ceiling fan for your sleeping space, look for models that feature a wide variety of rotating speeds, are easy to install and adjust and come with manufacturer guarantees. Furthermore, if you wish to have your ceiling fan double as a light fixture, limit your options to ceiling fans with lights.
Blackout Curtains
The sun rises a lot earlier during the summer months than any other time of year. While this is often viewed as a positive by people who are natural early risers, it can be quite the opposite for those of us who don’t enjoy getting up at the crack of dawn. Needless to say, if your bedroom is in area that receives a fair amount of sunlight, you’re liable to have a difficult time sleeping through the wee hours of the morning. Anyone looking to get a handle on excessive sunlight in their sleeping space would be wise to invest in high-quality blackout curtains.
As the name indicates, these curtains are designed to minimize the amount of natural light that finds its way into your bedroom. As an added bonus, many varieties of blackout curtain are able to seal in cool air, thus preventing it from escaping through your window. In addition to helping you save on home cooling costs throughout the summer season, these curtains can also prove useful during the frosty winter months, when they can effectively seal in warm air.
If you don’t crazy about the idea of replacing your bedroom curtains, consider outfitting your windows with blackout screens. These screens are affordable on even the tightest budget and are very easy to install. However, since most of them are of the stick-on variety, they’re virtually impossible to reapply after they’ve been detached from their respective windows. Still, given how inexpensive they are, replacing them shouldn’t prove financially strenuous.
Adjustable Bedframes
During periods of warm weather, sleeping closer to the ground can be an effective way to stay cool overnight. As such, a bedframe with adjustable height is likely to serve you well throughout the summer. If your current bedframe’s height isn’t adjustable, you may want to consider purchasing a much shorter one to use during the summertime. Granted, this will entail finding a place to safely store your regular frame. You may also want to seek out alternative bedding solutions for warm weather slumber, such as Japanese style futons.
Energy-Efficient Windows
Regardless of whether or not they’re open, cool air can escape through your windows throughout the summer. In addition to making your sleeping space less comfortable, this can put a strain on both your AC and your monthly cooling costs. While blackout curtains can help with this problem, energy-efficient windows are among the most effective ways to prevent indoor air from escaping and outdoor air from entering. With the multiple panes, energy-efficient windows make it very difficult for cool air to make a break for it and can be a boon to your monthly utility bills.
Seasonal sleep issues can turn your nightly respite into an exhausting, uncomfortable ordeal. The overnight hours are supposed to be a period of peaceful rejuvenation, not sleeplessness and persistent discomfort. If you experience troubled sleep throughout the summer months, the sweltering temperatures this season brings are likely to blame. Even people who vastly prefer summertime to winter have their limits when it comes to heat. Luckily, fighting back against nighttime heat is much easier than you may think. Anyone looking for ways to sleep comfortably during periods of excessively warm weather should consider the measures discussed above.
