DON’T LET COLD SWEATS AT NIGHT GET THE BETTER OF YOU
Ever wondered why you are sometimes hot and sometimes cold during the night? Night sweats can really decrease our sleep quality and sleep duration and as a result we wake up tired.
To be able to enjoy a good night's sleep we need to keep the right temperature. When we are feeling hot and cold at night, the very important deep sleep phases suffer and our sleep quality is reduced.
If we get too warm we start to sweat and afterwards we often become cold and start to shiver.
Many people are impacted by night sweats. A study in the UK has shown that a third of patients visiting their local doctor complained of night sweats.
WHY DO I WAKE UP SWEATING AT NIGHT?
Sweating is a perfectly normal physiological process; it helps regulate our temperature by cooling us down as the moisture evaporates from our skin.
Our body contains 60% water and we have 4 million sweat glands to be able to regulate our temperature.
We sweat all the time, even if we are sitting still, and lose up to 2.5 liters of fluid every day. On average we sweat one full cup of perspiration every night.
It’s not possible, nor desirable, to stop sweating while sleeping but we can alleviate the effects, in particular in the case of excessive sweating at night.
The amount we sweat at night is affected by a whole range of factors, such as our exercise habits, diet, dreams, choice of bedding or sleepwear, age and the temperature of our bedroom.
Our bedrooms are now about 5ºC warmer than in 1971 due to central heating and home insulation. This is comfortable during the day but can lower our sleep quality if we can’t release excess heat and start to sweat at night.
Sweating is also a common side-effect of some medications and is often experienced during the menopause, pregnancy or periods of anxiety.
In extreme cases night sweats can also be a sign of ill health so it is important to consult a doctor if excessive sweating at night is accompanied by other symptoms such as weight loss.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO SLEEP BETTER?
Luckily for most of us there are steps we can take to control night sweats and sweating at night while cold.
1. Diet and drinks
Avoid foods that are difficult to digest before sleep, including high-fat or protein-rich foods, such as red meat and fried foods. Strong spices can also lead to sweating at night and sleep problems.
Alcohol is also associated with both night sweats and poor sleep quality, so reducing late-night drinking could also be beneficial.
2. Smoking
Smoking and inhaling second hand smoke has also been linked with night sweats.
3. Exercise at the right time
Doing sports is a great way to improve your sleep, in particular if you do it outdoors and get the additional benefit of exposure to natural light during the day.
Avoid exercising 2 hours before going to bed however as you otherwise might be too energised or too warm to fall asleep.
4. Ice down
Keep a glass of ice water next to your bed and have a cold facecloth available in case you wake up feeling overheated.
5. Cooler room temperatures
A cooler temperature helps us to sleep better, as breathing in cold air helps to keep our core temperature low which supports a better sleep quality. We also reduce the risk of night sweats this way.
Aim to keep your room temperature below 18 C / 65 F.
6. Temperature and moisture regulating sleepwear
Use breathable and moisture wicking pajamas that help to regulate your temperature and that work as a complement to a cold bedroom.
It’s important that your clothing doesn’t become wet as you then will wake up cold instead.
DISCOVER THE BEST PAJAMAS FOR NIGHT SWEATS
By not feeling and cold at night and staying in the ideal climatic comfort zone we can enjoy a deeper and longer sleep.
If we get cold we start to shiver, this is our muscles contracting to build up heat. The unfortunate side effect is a disturbed sleep however. If we get too warm we start to sweat, if we are wearing the wrong sleepwear it can become wet and clingy which lowers our night comfort.
Dagsmejan sleep enhancing pajamas is developed to help you keep the best temperature for sleep, scientifically proven.
Dagsmejan works on 4 levels to help you to sleep better
6x more breathable than cotton, Dagsmejan temperature regulating sleepwear helps to ensure that you keep the ideal sleeping temperature. The trademarked natural material helps to keep your skin 1°C cooler than cotton when the ambient temperature rises.
Dagsmejan's moisture wicking pajamas is 4x better at drawing sweat away from the skin than cotton. Compared to other wicking pajamas Dagsmejan offer dual sweat management, not only wicking but also actively cooling you down through evaporative cooling.
Dagsmejan sleepwear is designed for sleep, there are not tags or buttons to disturb during the night. The seams are all flat and ergonomically placed. With comfort waistbands and cuffs to avoid it riding up during the night you can enjoy the most comfortable pajamas in the world.
2x softer than cotton Dagsmejan sleepwear feels like a second skin during the night. When we sleep the blood flow to our skin increases and as a result we are more sensitive to touch and disruption. The softest pajamas also sets us up for the deepest sleep.
