Originally published August 22 2005
Summer sleep plagued by overheating
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Women in particular find it hard to keep cool while trying to sleep in the summer.
Too bad you're in bed and supposed to be counting the cute little sheep from the Serta mattress commercial on your way to dreamland.
Staying cool while you sleep hasn't been particularly easy this summer, especially if you don't have an air conditioner.
For women, physical changes due to pregnancy and menopause can make a cool night's sleep even harder to come by.
"I slept on the floor (in the kitchen) curled up in the fetal position," says Crystal Garcia, 25, explaining how she kept cool while pregnant.
During pregnancy, the amount of blood and water in a woman's body increases and circulation is enhanced, making the mom-to-be warmer, says Sareena Fazili, an obstetrician-gynecologist.
About 75 percent to 85 percent of women eventually suffer from hot flashes that begin around the face and spread to the chest and last about three minutes, according to the nonprofit National Sleep Foundation.
If sleeping on kitchen tile doesn't bring dreams of ice cream and you're tired of moving the covers off and on all night, there are a few other alternatives.
"We recommend a warm bath about an hour before bedtime and exercise four to five hours before bedtime," says Dr. Donald Greenblatt, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y.
Greenblatt adds that some companies have started making bedsheets and pillowcases designed to help the body maintain a constant temperature.
There also are pajamas made from keep-cool fabrics similar to those in workout clothes.
Pajamas from HotCool Wear (www.hotcoolwear.com), based in Toronto, are made from an enhanced form of Coolmax fabric.
For Garcia, as long as she stayed focused on keeping her baby happy, she was able to make her hot spells livable.
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