How To Stay Cool At Night Without An Air Conditioner

With summer temperatures hitting record highs year after year, getting a cool and relaxing night’s sleep has become more challenging than ever. The cool evenings we once enjoyed are now hot, wet, and intolerable. While air conditioning has become more available, there are many regions where air conditioning is rare, or unaffordable. This is why it’s always good to know different ways to stay cool at night without air conditioning.

To stay cool on hot nights without an air conditioner, take a cool shower before bed, angle fans in your direction, and place a box fan in the window. You can use a dehumidifier to suck out extra moisture, use cooling essential oils, or even freeze your sheets. You can wear pyjamas made from wicking fabrics to keep you dry at night and consider investing in a cooling mattress.

Sleeping on a hot, humid and stagnant night can feel like a brutal form of torture. There are, however, some easy and effective ways to make sleeping in hot weather a much cooler, more comfortable experience. Some methods involve investing a bit of money, but others are cheap, or even free. Keep reading to learn about the various top ways to stay cool at night in bed without an air conditioner.

11 Ways To Stay Cool In Bed At Night Without Air Conditioning

1. Use Your Dehumidifier

If you have a dehumidifier, you’ll be happy to know that it can do more than prevent your home from getting moldy. Dehumidifiers have many uses you might not know about, including helping keep your home cool without air conditioning.

Dehumidifiers don’t lower the temperature in your home, but they suck out all the extra moisture. Usually, it is the combination of humidity and high heat that makes sleeping uncomfortable. By removing extra humidity from the air, you are less likely to feel sticky, and your bedroom can feel five to 10 degrees cooler than it would without air conditioning.

2. Direct Fans Towards The Bed

If you don’t want to spend a fortune to purchase and run an air conditioning unit, strong and well-positioned fans are the next best thing. To stay cool at night, use one or multiple fans in your bedroom. 

Oscillating fans and ceiling fans work great to circulate air in the room. Try to position a fan so it reaches your bed but is not offensive. The goal is to feel a nice breeze on your skin that will help lull you to sleep. Fans also offer a bit of white noise, which can help mitigate irritating outside noises.

3. Rub Cooling Essential Oils On Your Skin

If you have a nighttime cosmetic routine, consider adding one additional step to keep your skin cooler at night. If you don’t have an air conditioner, you’ll be happy to know using certain essential oils on your skin can help make your body feel much cooler.

Both peppermint and spearmint essential oils are incredible at making your body feel cooler. Other oils that work well to keep your skin cool include lavender and eucalyptus. Lavender oil is also calming and is said to help induce a restful sleep. Some of these oils are also natural mosquito repellents, which is a great benefit in the summertime.

4. Keep The Sun Out Of Your Bedroom During The Day

To ensure your home is as cool as possible in the evening, you need to take certain steps during the day. The sun is like nature’s oven, and it can heat your home significantly during the day. 

To mitigate the sun’s effects on your home during the day, keep direct sunlight out of the home as much as possible. Use curtains or blinds to block sunlight, and only open them once the sun is down. This will help keep your bedroom cooler at night.

5. Take A Cool Shower Before Bed

Another way to keep cool at night in the summer without air conditioning is by showering before you go to bed. Any shower will make you feel refreshed before bed, but a cool shower will make you feel cooler on hot summer nights. A cold shower is a great way to combat the sticky summer heat, and many people without air conditioning swear by this frigid evening ritual.

 If you are a morning shower person, try adding a quick cool rinse in the evening. It will help wash the sweat and filth of the day off, and it will also cool your body down. 

6. Invest In A Cooling Mattress Or Pillows

If you have a little bit of money to spend on keeping yourself cool without air conditioning, consider spending it on a self-cooling mattress. Cooling mattresses use phase change materials (also known as PCM). These materials gather and disperse your body’s heat, effectively removing it like a vacuum. Other mattress materials, including memory foam, hold on to heat.

Mattresses must be replaced periodically. If you need a new bed, you may want to spend the extra money on a mattress that will help keep you cool, rather than heat you. After all, a good night’s sleep is priceless.

7. Switch To LED Light Bulbs

If you have old fluorescent bulbs in your bedroom and don’t have air conditioning, then it’s time to make the switch to LED. Did you know that many classic light bulbs can slowly heat your home? LED bulbs, on the other hand, are much cooler. They also help you save money on your electric bill.

8. Use A Box Fan As An Exhaust Fan

Facing a fan far away from you can sometimes keep you cooler than facing it directly at you. This is certainly the case with window box fans, especially on higher floors. Box fans often fit perfectly in windows, and can be used as an exhaust fan, effectively blowing out hot air from the day.

The effect of this makeshift exhaust system is the removal of hot air and the arrival of fresh cool evening air. You can still place other fans in your direction, but having one designated box fan is a great way to circulate in some cool fresh air.

9. Freeze Your Bed Sheets

After washing your sheets, instead of placing them back on the bed, let them take a quick detour in the freezer. You can freeze sheets and pillowcases, and then place them on your bed right before you settle in. These effects are temporary, but it is an amazing and refreshing way to start a hot night without air conditioning. 

10. Exercise More During The Day

Another way to help stay cool at night that you can achieve during the day is exercise. In general, exercise is a great way to help you get a good night’s sleep. But if you exercise later in the day, your body temperature may remain high.

Instead, try to work out earlier in the day. A solid workout with plenty of sweat will help you sleep great while keeping your body cool — even when you have no air conditioning. 

11. Wear Wicking Fabrics For Pyjamas

Many believe that sleeping naked is the best way to stay cool. Less clothing does tend to keep you cool, but sometimes it’s all about the fabric. If you don’t have air conditioning, instead of sleeping naked or in random pyjamas, choose materials that are known for their water-absorpting abilities.

Cotton has great wicking ability. It can suck up your sweat, leaving your skin dry and cool. Avoid synthetic blends or materials that insulate you, like wool or fleece. 

Summing Up How To Stay Cool At Night Without Air Conditioning

Sleeping at night in the summertime can be brutal without air conditioning, which is why so many people spend hundreds of dollars per month to keep their homes cool in the summer. Still, there are ways to keep yourself cool at night without air conditioning. Use your dehumidifier if you have one, and make sure your fans are angled towards you while you sleep. You can also place a box fan in your window and use it as an exhaust fan. Try freezing your bed sheets, rubbing cooling essential oils on yourself, or using pyjamas made from fabric that absorbs moisture.

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