I live in a building with no air conditioning — here's how I get a good night's sleep in summer

Tom's Guide

3 hours ago

Summer is officially here and the sun is out to brighten my day — and ruin my sleep at night.
While many people are turning to their air conditioning to keep their bedrooms cool and fresh at night, unfortunately I do not have that luxury.
During hot, humid weather, my apartment is like an oven which makes my bed, well, a literal hotbed for sleep troubles and discomfort.
However, I've now discovered five ways to make my bedroom cooler without the aid of air conditioning and these tips are so easy that you can start tonight.
From window tricks to the best mattress toppers, here's how to sleep better in summer when you can't seem to cool your bedroom down.
When trying to cool their bedroom, people almost automatically open a window to let some refreshing air inside. However, on a very warm day, you're actually increasing the room's temperature by allowing hot air to enter.
Instead, I keep my windows closed throughout the day if I know that the outdoor temperature is higher than the indoor temperature (typically 68°F-77°F). I also keep my room dark by keeping the blinds closed, too.
Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.
I know that this may be difficult when you want to let the cheerful sunshine in to brighten your room but darker is better during a heatwave.
Temperatures tend to drop in the early evening, so that's when I know it's time to open my blinds (luckily, the sun is often still out thanks to longer summer days) and windows.
I usually close the blinds when it's time to sleep due to light pollution, but I keep the window open throughout the night and close it a couple of hours after I wake up.
Opening your window throughout the evening, night, and early morning allows the cooler air to circulate the room, dropping the room temperature for a better sleep.
Yes, that's right, an eye pillow is indeed a thing. They are small weighted masks that act like hot and cold compresses, and they're often stuffed with lavender and flaxseed for a soothing scent.
While you can heat up these pillows in the microwave as a hot compress, you can also put them in the freezer and use them as a cooling weighted eye mask.
I put mine in a freezer-safe zip-lock bag and then place it in the freezer for about 30 minutes to an hour before I go to bed. It instantly cools me down and helps me to fall asleep. Plus, they're easy to find; you can buy two lavender eye pillows for $15.99 at Amazon.
There's plenty of bedding you can buy that is designed specifically to cool down your bed, from mattress toppers with heat-dissipating covers to pillows for those who sleep hot.
I love the Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Cooling Mattress Protector, and I rank it as one of the best mattress protectors for keeping your mattress cool.
It's made using heat-dissipating GlacioTex, a high-tech cooling fabric used in some of the best cooling mattresses on the market.
You probably already know this one, but it's worth mentioning as it really does work. Fans circulates air around the room during days (and even nights) when it's too warm to open a window, keeping you cooler and feeling less stuffy.
You can find out more about optimizing your fan use in hot weather with our 7 pro tips for cooling with fans, which includes ideal fan placements and how to create DIY aircon.
There are a lot of different fans to choose from, too, from floor fans to tabletop fans. You can even get app-controlled smart fans, such as the Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S for customized cooling that won't break the bank.