New Zealanders are getting hot and steamy under the sheets, but not in the amorous sense.
Photo: Pexels
Temperatures above 30°C have been felt across the country, and the hot weather is set to continue into next week.
Some Twitter users have offered their top tips on how to beat the summer heat.
If you've not fallen victim to the fan shortage, Nat Dudley recommends stripping off the duvet and using one of these:
Sheet/cotton cover only, and one of these babies pointed straight at bed. But it’s still struggle street. pic.twitter.com/E7SgidKPkl
— Natmate (@NatDudley) January 25, 2018
For those not caught in the rental trap, you could follow Archie's Mum's advice:
Install a heat pump in the bedroom, and make it a cool pump. Expensive, but take my word for it, very effective. Obviously much easier if you own your home.
— Archie's Mum (@AuntyFeeble) January 25, 2018
Meanwhile, Jo is dampening down:
Damp but well wrung out flannel or towel placed on your torso. Seems to cool me down enough to sleep.
— Jo (@IslandBayGirl) January 25, 2018
Turning to the experts, Massey University Sleep Wake Research Centre's Dr Karyn O'Keeffe said the heat makes it hard for the body's natural circadian rhythm to cool down before bed.
However, there are ways to trick the body.
"We have this natural cooling process that we can then mimic by increasing our body temperature slightly before bed. So a coolish, not too hot bath or shower can actually help with the initiation of sleep."
She said all that can be done once asleep, is to keep the bedroom as cool as possible.
She adds snuggling is also off the cards, although you may not feel like it anyway.
"What we know from missing out on sleep is our brain cells slow down, so we don't have the ability to communicate as effectively, make decisions and we can be short tempered, so our relationships can sometimes bear the brunt of it," she said.
She said the chances of injury and accident can also be increased as well.
