Struggling with insomnia? Arizona summer heat may be to blame, sleep expert says
Jul 24, 2024, 4:35 AM | Updated: 9:43 am
(Photo by Anne Cusack/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
PHOENIX — Struggling with insomnia in the summer? Blame the Arizona summer heat, according to a sleep psychologist with Banner Health.
A warm bedroom can make it harder to get rest, according to Denise Rodriguez Esquivel, a clinical psychologist at Banner University Medical Center South in Tucson.
“Our body cools down as we start to approach sleep, and typically our environment cools down, too,” Rodriguez Esquivel told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday. “In Arizona, we don’t always get down to that low temperature point.”
Rodriguez Esquivel, who has lived and worked in the state for five years, said every summer she sees an uptick in patients reporting insomnia. They say it’s hard to both fall and stay asleep due to the heat.
“If that bedroom temperature isn’t low enough, it can pull you out of sleep, so you get less sleep overall,” Rodriguez Esquivel said. “You get less sleep overall or breaks in your sleep in ways that normally we would not be experiencing.”
People with these sleep issues won’t feel well throughout the day. They engage in less activity and struggle to concentrate on work and school, Rodriguez Esquivel said.
How does the climate give Arizonans sleep problems during summer?
There are various ways the summer weather can give people more sleep problems. Aside from the discomfort, the hot summer sun also brings bright light early in the morning.
“We can’t sleep in quite as well because as soon as the sun comes up, it’s starting to warm up by 7 or 8 a.m.,” Rodriguez Esquivel said.
The fact that Arizona doesn’t observe daylight savings time can also contribute to the issue, she said. However, a person’s window location can also have a hugely detrimental effect.
“During the summer months, the sun comes up very early, so if you happen to have, for example, an eastern-facing bedroom window, you’re going to get that double whammy of heat and light coming into your bedroom and both of those are going to have an effect on sleep,” Rodriguez Esquivel said.
What can Arizonans do to fight insomnia in the summer?
Arizona’s summer has been especially hot, with temperatures reaching record highs with no end in sight.
People who are struggling to sleep can get a blackout curtain to block the heat and light from soaking into their rooms.
If it’s not possible to run an air conditioning unit throughout the night, there are other tricks to try:
- Put an ice pack under your pillow and as it starts to warm up in the bedroom, flip the pillow so the cool side is on your face.
- Have an extra set of clothes you can change into if you sweat a lot during the night.
- Use a big box fan to concentrate air to the bedroom or onto your bed.
“Unfortunately, as Arizonans, we do have to struggle with this. It’s universal,” Rodriguez Esquivel said. “Keep that bedroom cool, cold, dark. That’s what we have to try to do.”
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Kate Ourada contributed to this report.