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Summer's almost out but a heat wave continues to sweep Korea with the mercury rising above 30 degrees Celcius in most part of the nation during the day. The seasonal tropical nights, with nighttime temperatures staying above 25 degrees, also make it difficult to sleep at night. And prolonged sleep deprivation causes fatigue, spelling trouble for your daily life. Here, the Chosun Ilbo shares some tips with its readers for a sound sleep in hot summer nights.
◆ Keep your bedroom cool
The environment and temperature in the bedroom are important for quality and quantity of sleep. Keep the temperature in your room at 25 to 28 degrees Celsius and the humidity at 50 percent. The higher the temperature and humidity, the longer it takes to fall asleep, and heat and humidity can disturb your sleep and reduce the time your body spends in deep sleep. In summer, the walls, furniture and bedclothes get hot during the day. When you come home, open windows and let the trapped heat out of room. Turn on the air-conditioner an hour before going to bed.
◆ Cool head, warm feet
Sleep is a physiological process that cools down the brain, which works hard in daytime. To make your exhausted brain relax, you need to cool it down. When you feel sleepy, you often find your hands and feet are getting hot. That is because your body lowers the temperature in your brain by sending blood to the tips of hands and feet. In other words, cold hands and feet mean a hot brain. It is not easy to fall asleep in such circumstances. Taking a bath two hours before going to sleep in warm water helps blood circulation and cools down your brain.
◆ Put on light and airy clothes
Due to hot weather, you might want to be less dressed at home. Many people go to bed half naked as they think it helps them sleep. However, experts say that is wrong. The body controls its temperature by perspiring in deep sleep. When you are undressed at this moment, it makes the temperature more difficult to control. Wear light and airy pajamas that absorb sweat well.
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Seoulites flock to the banks of the Cheonggye Stream to cool down during tropical nights.
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◆ Products
There are many products that help you sleep. Online store Imongs (www.imongs.com) sells various products such as cushions, pillows, masks, tea, aromatherapy oils and diffusers. Those products are made of natural materials and come with scents like lavender, rose and cranberry that help you sleep or recover from fatigue. Lavender is particularly good as a sleep aid.
◆ 10 hot tips
1. Go to bed only when you feel sleepy.
2. Don’t use the bed for other purposes such as reading or watching TV.
3. Don’t struggle to sleep. When you aren’t sleepy, do other things.
4. Make the bedroom quiet and dark, creating an environment where you can easily fall asleep.
5. Regardless of when you go to bed, get up at a fixed time in the morning
6. Don’t nap for more than 30 minutes
7. Don’t use the air conditioner much, and keep the temperature in the bedroom at 25 to 28 degrees Celsius
8. Limit intake of food that contains a lot of water such as watermelon and beer late at night
9. Don’t go hungry by skipping dinner
10. Seek treatment for ailments that prevent you from sleeping such as snoring, sleep apnea syndrome and rhinitis from too much air-conditioning.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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