Britain is currently experiencing a scorching mid-summer heat wave that has resulted in many Brits flocking to the beaches to enjoy the rare sun.https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.472.0_ru.html#goog_86431699
Hot weather brings sunbathing and barbecues, but the soaring temperatures can often leave people feeling uncomfortable.
The heatwave has left many people despairing at the lack of air-con in British homes, and no one is more affected than sleepless parents and their restless babies.
In fact, new research has found that roughly 21% of parents have driven their babies up to 40 miles in air-conditioned cars – all in the hope that the cool temperatures will send their children to sleep.
How to cool kids down for bed
heycar have revealed that 26% of young parents are blasting their car’s air con for up to 20 miles, whilst 13% are travelling up to 50 miles – all in a desperate attempt to get their kids to sleep.
The study from the online car marketplace also discovered that motorways are the preferred option (28 per cent) for successfully getting under-ones to sleep.
Vik Barodia, chief operating and product officer at heycar, says “What better way to cool the kids down than to put them in the carseat and take them on a soothing air conditioned drive, soundtracked by lullabies.”
Another top tip for those who overheat at night is to fill up a hot water bottle with lukewarm water and place it at your feet.
Every year we see a plethora of advice around putting various objects in the freezer – from the duvet, to the bedding or pillow. This advice doesn’t work as the freezing temperatures will shock the body into alertness, and the frozen items will defrost to form a soggy mess.
Why can’t we sleep in heat?
A drop in evening temperature is part of the natural sleep cycle for humans.
Fading daylight and cooling air signifies time for sleep – this causes the brain to release melatonin, which in turn makes us relaxed and tired.
Reduction in temperature is key to a good night’s sleep, which makes dozing off particularly hard during a heatwave in Britain – a country with no infrastructure for rising temperatures.
