8 tips to help you sleep during a heatwave

But it can be trick to get a good nights sleep when it is so hot.

Here are The Sleep Council’s top tips to help stay cool and get your fourty winks this summer:

- Open windows – and doors – to create a cool draught through your bedroom, and keep curtains or blinds drawn during the day to keep the sun out and your room cooler at night.

- If you’ve got an attic, try opening the hatch. Hot air rises and this will give it somewhere to go. Get rid of the duvet and blankets and sleep with just a cotton sheet – or a duvet with a low tog rating. Wear light cotton nightwear – this is actually better than wearing nothing at all as natural fabric will absorb any perspiration. Have a cool shower or bath before bedtime to lower your core body temperature.

- Drink plenty of cold water during the evening and keep a glass by the bed.

Avoid too much caffeine, alcohol or a big meal before bedtime as this can make you feel hot in the middle of the night because of dehydration and overactive digestion.

- Pull out your hot water bottle, but fill it with ice cold water and have it in bed with you. Cool a pillow case in the fridge before bedtime or try one of the new cooling pillows that are available to buy – both will help you keep a cool head!

- If you share a bed, make sure it’s big enough for two people so you can sleep without disturbing each other – a 5ft wide bed should be your minimum.

- Also, try putting socks in the fridge and wear them in bed – cooling your feet lowers the overall temperature of your skin and body, ideal during a hot summer’s night. Use an electric fan to cool you down at night.

- If it’s really hot, put a tray of ice and a little water in front of the fan which will cool the air even more.