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Doctor urges anyone struggling to sleep to run socks under a tap before bed

Dr Deborah Lee has explained why the 'core temperature' method works

[A woman holding a pair of wet socks]

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Wet socks could be the answer

With hot weather set to continue in the days ahead and temperatures refusing to drop in the evenings, a doctor has explained how you can use simple tricks to get to sleep despite the conditions. Warmth is set to remain in parts of the country on Friday where highs of 28C are likely, the Met Office has said.

Temperatures remain above average for many, and despite cooler weather and rain coming, they will remain high enough in the days ahead to make people uncomfortable. T he UK is forecast to experience a warmer and drier summer overall in 2026, with above-average temperatures and heatwaves anticipated. Long-term climate models from the Met Office indicate that the year is tracking to be one of the warmest on record, heavily influenced by a developing El Nio

Sleep experts say our bodies struggle to drift off when it's warm because we need our core temperature to drop in order to fall asleep. GP and medical author Dr Deborah Lee, sleep expert from Doctor Fox working with Comfybedss , said there arer five ways of getting to sleep in the heat, without having to use a fan:

Tip 1: Try the "cold water bottle" trick

"The cold water bottle trick isnt just taking a cold bottle of water to bed to sip on, its a method many people do to cool down their bed before getting into it.

Fill your hot water bottle up with cold water and put it in the freezer for around 15-minutes before bed, and youll be getting into bed with cool linen rather than a dreaded heat trap. Its a simple swap that makes a genuinely big difference.

Tip 2: Sleep in damp socks

"This is an extremely strange one, but definitely hear me out. Wearing a pair of slightly damp cotton socks to bed can help us bring our core body temperature down through a process called evaporative cooling.

Our feet play a huge part in helping our bodys temperature regulate, so keeping them cool is vital and has a knock on effect on the whole body. Rinse the socks out under the tap, wring them up so theyre not dripping and pop them on before bedtime.

Tip 3: Keep everything closed

This is an absolute must-do throughout the day in all rooms but especially the bedrooms. Curtains, blinds and even windows are recommended to be kept closed as much as possible.

It may not seem like it, but more often than not inside your house will be the coolest place to be. Keep the warm air and sunlight out of your kids rooms at least until the sun goes down, then look to let some fresh air in.

Tip 4: Change when you shower

Ensure that you shower before bed, but around an hour and a half before bed rather than just before.

A lukewarm shower will help kickstart the natural temperature drop that your body needs to fall asleep.

Many people think a cold shower before bed is the key, but this can actually be counterproductive, causing your body to work harder to warm back up again.

Tip 5: Sleep like the Egyptians

This one has been used for centuries, and theres a good reason people are still doing this today.

The Egyptian method involves soaking a large towel in cool water, wringing it out and then hanging it either in your doorway or your bedroom window.

As the hot air passes through, the cold towel will change this to cold air, working in a similar way that air conditioning works but without the hefty electricity bill.

It wont drop the temperature a lot, but itll make enough of a difference to your body that itll finally drift off.

As Britain continues to see warmer summers, learning to sleep through the heat is becoming something of a necessary life skill.

The good news is that with a few clever tweaks to your evening routine, a good night's sleep doesn't have to go out of the window just because the temperature's gone up. Sweet dreams!

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