Useful tips for nurses and healthcare assistants sleeping at night with the warmer weather.

With the impending heat wave arriving this week we have some tips for our nurses and healthcare assistants staying as cool as a cucumber.

This is important if at night, or if you are resting in the day getting ready for a night shift.

When the air temperature is the same as that of your skin. ‘Your skin temperature is between 25-30C,’ he says. ‘And when the outside temperature is the same, it’s very hard to lose heat.’ Dr Michael de Podesta.

The thing is, our bodies are quite good at cooling us down but common sense prevails;

• Try and leave blinds shut and curtains closed to keep the sun out of your bedroom.
• Keep hydrated throughout the day.
• Heat rises, so try and let the air flow throughout your home by opening windows (if it is safe to do so). If you can leave windows open but find the noise intolerable, try investing in some ear plugs.
• If you have a loft hatch, open that up so the heat escapes that way.
• Take a bath or shower, some people find a warm bath helps, a cold one will only make you warmer on exiting as your body increases its temperature. Try and avoid too much humidity in the bathroom as it will defeat the purpose you had a shower in the first place.
• Light PJ’s or limited bedclothes to keep you cool.
• Try not to use a high tog duvet! Time to use a sheet, or lighter tog.
• Some people find a fan in the room may help. A fan will need to be on very fast to take the heat away. ‘If you use a fan and your skin is hotter than the air, it will eventually cool you down.’
• If you wake up a bit sweaty, don’t panic! it is the natural way of your body cooling you down. Sweat evaporates from our skin, it absorbs heat from our body and that’s what cools us down.
• Try and change the bed sheets. Grab some frozen peas, wrap it in a tea towel and cool yourself down. Some people swear by a damp face cloth to hand, or fill a spritz bottle to lightly spray your face.
• Try running cold water over your wrists, there are lots of little blood vessels on your wrist and these will keep the blood cool.

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