With the UK currently experiencing one of its hottest summers, leading bedding specialist, Slumberdown has looked at Edinburgh folk’s summer sleeping habits and found that over half (53%) have trouble sleeping in the summer, with all of those surveyed (100%) revealing that they do not get their recommended eight hours.

The main reason given for the loss of sleep during the summer months was being too warm in bed (57%), with over half (61%) revealing that they had to change what they wear in bed.

The survey also revealed that 46% of Edinburgh folk blamed the lighter mornings and evenings for lack of sleep, along with spending too much time socialising outdoors, such as BBQ’s (19%) and eating too close to bedtime (19%).

And it seems holidays have quite a big impact on your sleep, with over two thirds (73%) of those surveyed in Edinburgh revealing that they find it difficult to sleep while they are away.

But surprisingly only 19% ditch their winter duvet for a lighter summer version as a means to beat the summer heat, with 81% choosing to sweat it out underneath their heavy duty winter duvets all year round.

Slumberdown sleep expert and Director of the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research, Professor Jason Ellis, said: “These figures are concerning, especially when 19% of those asked reported sleeping for less than four hours a night. Now, whilst we all need different amounts of sleep, very few of us can manage on just four hours. That lack of sleep, in the short term, is likely to impact on our mood and we are probably going to be a little snappier and irritable compared to normal. Even our ability to accomplish basic tasks suffers when our sleep is restricted to four hours and we have to put in a lot more effort just to keep up with our day-to-day routine.

“It’s also interesting that we are more likely to change what we wear in bed rather than change our bedding in the summer. Considering how many of us are still reporting trouble sleeping, perhaps it is time to change both what we wear and our bedding. Swapping for a lighter duvet and cotton sheets can make a difference in terms of getting off to sleep, and staying asleep, when the heat is the problem.”

Professor Jason continued: “The key thing for the summer, more so than any other time of year, is ensuring the bedroom is cool, dark, and quiet before bedtime. A fan in the bedroom is an excellent addition. Not only will it help circulate air and help keep you cool but it also produces white noise which helps mask additional noises from the outside. That way you can keep the windows open at night without too much interruption. Also, make sure your curtains or blinds don’t let in light, as that signals the brain to wake up, and if you keep your curtains or blinds closed during the day that will also help regulate the temperature in the bedroom so it will be easier to get off to sleep.

Among the more a-typical reasons survey respondents offered for why they find it so difficult to get to sleep in summer, were pets on the bed, birds tweeting and seasonal allergies, such as hay fever.

To help consumers get the best night’s sleep possible, Slumberdown provides a selection of summer bedding, including the 4.5 Summer Cool and Bouncy duvets (available in Tesco, from £12.00), the 4.5 tog Adjusts to You Climate Control duvet (stocked in Aldi and Matalan , from £12.99) and Anti-Allergy range (available from Asda, from £9.00).

Watch the Slumberdown summer togs ad here

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