If you find yourself tossing and turning a bit more once the weather gets warmer or not feeling as rested as you did during winter months, you’re not alone. Many people simply don’t get as good of a night’s sleep once the temperature ticks up. Here’s a look at four factors that contribute to summertime insomnia, plus some tips on how to counteract it.

1. Higher temperatures. Being able to fall and stay asleep depends in part on our body’s ability to regulate its core temperature. We naturally experience a dip in body temperature as we get sleepier (this helps promote sleep), as well as subsequent dips in body temperature during non-rapid eye movement (REM) sleep stages. That changes a bit as brain temperature rises during REM phases due to increased brain blood flow, but on average, while we’re not awake, our core temperature is about 1-2 degrees colder. If your room’s too hot due to the heat of the summer months, this can interfere with your body’s thermoregulation and mess with a good night’s rest. A higher core temperature overnight reduces slow-wave sleep and is linked to waking up after........

© Psychology Today