Advice: How to sleep during hot weather

Sleeping in hot weather can be difficult, with indoor temperatures rising and the body recovering from the day's heat.

Professor Kevin Morgan, sleep expert at Loughborough University, gives us his top tips for sleeping in hot weather:

• Try to keep to your usual bedtime and routines – do the things you normally do before bed.

• Take sensible precautions to ensure your bedroom is as cool as it can be at night – draw the curtains against the sun during the day, and CLOSE the windows (on really hot days the outside air temperature can be hotter than the inside air temperature).

• Reduce your bedding – but remember that, however hot it is in your bedroom, your body temperature will fall during the night so keep covers handy.

• Use a fan - even modest fans can be an advantage in very hot weather, gently encouraging the evaporation of sweat and increasing thermal comfort before sleep.

• Drink sufficient water steadily throughout the day, but avoid drinking very large amounts before bed.

• Be very careful about drinking more of your favourite soft drinks. Many colas and all energy drinks contain large amounts of caffeine which can seriously disturb your sleep.

• If you really can’t sleep, get up and do something calming such as reading and writing (activities that don't over-stimulate the mind) and return to bed when you feel sleepy.

• Avoid napping during the day. During periods of sleep disturbance, sleepiness becomes precious – save it for bedtime.