3 Reasons You May Not Sleep As Well in the Summer (And What To Do About That)

Getting a good night’s sleep is critically important to regulating your mood, improving brain function, and easing any aches and pains you may be dealing with during the day. But during the summer months, you may have found that you have a considerably harder time getting a good night’s sleep.

There are a few reasons why that may be the case—here are some examples.

Longer Days, Harder Nights

Most of us have trained ourselves to go to bed and wake up around a certain time each day, but that isn’t necessarily natural. Your wakefulness is affected by many factors, and the amount of light outside is a big one.

When days start to get longer, you’re likely to be getting more and more sunlight as you approach bedtime. This can make it harder to get to sleep at the same time you usually do.

If you’re having trouble sleeping soundly at night, try closing the blinds or getting blackout curtains to block out excess sunlight as the days get longer.

Coming in Too Hot

When it’s hot in your bedroom, it can be a little bit difficult to get the rest that you need. In particular, the deepest stages of sleep can be hard to get to when temperatures start to rise.

You can cool down your bedroom by moving closer to a cooling unit, or by running a fan while you sleep. You may also try switching to lighter, more breathable sheets for the duration of the summer.

Pollen as a Common Culprit

While spring is the season when allergies are most intense, some people start to get seasonal allergy flare-ups in the summer. If you have sleep apnea, this may make the condition worse, preventing you from getting good sleep.

If you haven’t already, you could ask your doctor about taking anti-allergy medicine. You can even try antihistamines like Benadryl that tend to make people drowsy.

And if you think have sleep apnea, you could visit your local dentist for a screening. You could get a CPAP machine, or be fitted for an oral appliance that will help you breathe (and sleep) better at night.

About the Author

Over the last 25 years, the thing that has stuck with Dr. George Stoddard the most has been the look on his patients’ faces when they get the smiles they’ve always dreamed of. That motivates him to constantly improve his ability to help his patients completely revitalize their teeth. Dr. Stoddard received his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and got an AEGD from the LSU School of Dentistry.

If you have any questions about how to get better sleep, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (903) 753-9758.