Healthy Summer Sleep Habits

By Dr. Trina Ting

Summer in Ontario is filled with late nights, with the sun setting from 8-9 pm (around 9 pm in July, getting closer to 8 pm by August). It’s great for walks after dinner, bbqs with friends, or just hanging out on your porch and watching the sun go down with a cold drink in hand.

However, those late nights and later social gatherings can still wreak havoc on our sleep. Getting good quality sleep is important for optimal brain health and immune system function. In addition, optimal sleep requires consistent routines, and this can be disrupted in the summertime. What are some things we can do to improve our sleep in the summer?

Keep Cool: The ideal temperature to sleep is on the cooler side, between 15.6 deg C to 19.4 deg C. There are many physiological reasons for this, one being that our body temperature naturally drops in the evening to signal that it’s time for sleep. It also promotes melatonin production, which is a key hormone to regulate sleep cycles.

Set your thermostat or AC to these lower temperatures: if you don’t have AC, you can ensure you have good blinds on your windows to keep the sun out of the bedroom, use a fan, and also use cooler, breathable fabrics on your bed.

Women may be experiencing temperature swings (ie hot flashes) due to hormonal changes: consult a specialist to see if this pertains to you. We all know how hard it is to sleep when it’s hot outside, so if you are experiencing unusual night sweats or hot flashes that are significantly different from your usual pattern, please ensure you discuss this with your family doctor.

Limit Exposure to Sunlight in the Evening Hours: While going for that after dinner walk may be ok once in a while, if you have difficulty with sleep, the extra light may be prompting your brain to stay up longer. In addition, the exercise before bed will raise your internal temperature and also prolong your body’s transition to sleep. It also may help to make sure you step into the sun first thing in the morning, resetting your internal clock and signaling to your body that it’s time to be active. This combined with limiting night time exposure to light, will help to prompt your sleep cycle at more consistent times.

Exercise at the Right Time: From the previous point, the latest time to exercise is late afternoon, or rather, 3-4 hours before your bed time. Your body needs about 3 to 4 hours to naturally lower your body temperature and optimize your sleep. As an aside, there have been studies showing that exercising in the morning, before your first meal, is ideal for metabolism and regulating blood sugars.

Prepare for Vacations: Trips can disrupt the regular sleep routine, and you may also be crossing time zones. Even one hour change in time zones, may be enough to disrupt one’s regular sleep cycle. Try to ensure you get good rest before you leave.

If you are going to another time zone, adjust your sleep cycle based on schedules you can find online (Search, “Jet Lag Calculator”, and you can plug in your destination, and it will give you a sleep schedule that will work for destination.

Reduce Aches and Pains: Sometimes heat waves produce intense summer storms, which can often increase arthritic aches and pains. Chiropractic care can help to reduce this pain, which will aid in waking up easier and producing quality sleep.

Summer in Ontario is short, and we should make the most of our beautiful summer days. With the tips above, you can still ensure you get good quality sleep while enjoying the summer days and nights with friends (occasionally!).