Right now in New Zealand’s biggest city, the nights are hot and humid, and sleeping is far from a breeze. The study of heat pump prices in Auckland has become something of a city-wide obsession as a result. Heat pumps are an energy-efficient way to keep a bedroom cool at night, and because of the way modern inverter pumps operate, they reach the desired temperature sooner and maintain it very effectively.
Cooling your bedroom is just one of the things you can do to get a good night’s sleep – and it’s probably the most important thing. During sleep, you go through several stages. The first is where you drift from being awake and into a light sleep. Over the following stages, the body’s core temperature generally needs to drop by about two to three degrees to reach the state of deep sleep. But if your core temperature remains too high, your brain struggles to guide you through these different stages – it doesn’t recognise where you are in this transitional phase. As a result, getting to sleep can be difficult.
The temperature of our surrounding environment affects our core temperature. When it comes to reducing the core temperature so you can progress through the various sleep stages, how hot or cold your bedroom is, can have a profound influence. It’s widely accepted that 16 to 18 degrees Celsius is an ideal range as it is the most in sync with the cooler temperatures your core experiences during the middle of the night. These temperatures promote a more restful sleep because they prevent your body from warming up earlier than usual – when that happens you come out of the deep sleep stages before you’re supposed to.
An air conditioning unit as supplied and installed by these heat pump specialists is the easiest way to maintain that ideal temperature range. But on hot nights, there are other ways to help you sleep through the heat. They include:
- Drink a glass of chilled water before bed to hydrate and cool your body, and to help replenish any water you lose due to sweating.
- Having a cold shower just before bed can take the heat out of your skin and help drop your core body temperature.
- An old-fashioned way to bring your body temperature down is to simply moisten a towel or cloth, and place it on your forehead or body.
- Many of us keep our winter blankets and duvets on our beds during summer, and we use them out of habit. When we do this, our body temperature will take longer to decrease. The best thing to do is to store them away until winter – out of sight, out of mind.
- Use light-weight bed linen as it is breathable, and won’t trap your body heat by allowing it to disperse. Sheets made from synthetic materials, such as polyester, should be stored until winter.
- Invest in a good-quality mattress as it can dissipate your body heat more effectively than cheaper versions. This helps your core reach the ideal temperatures for the best sleep.
- Loose, soft cotton pyjamas can also dissipate heat, in the same way, cotton sheets do. They promote airflow and breathability while absorbing excess sweat from your skin.
- Stretching out across your bed with arms and legs wide to keep your temperature down by increasing air circulation around your limbs and reducing sweat. Upsizing your bed may be required!
These are just a few of the things you can do to help you sleep through the heat. But the foundation of a great night’s sleep in summer is an air conditioning unit that can maintain that magic 16 to 18-degree temperature range.
