Let’s be honest – getting to sleep in the UK right now is basically impossible.
Between the 5 AM sunrises and the stifling heat, nodding off is trickier than usual – and to top it all off, your dreams might actually be much more intense when you finally do catch some Zzzs.
That’s because aside from waking you up more often, disrupting your circadian rhythm, and generally turning you into a sweaty, uncomfortable mess, there’s also reason to believe that heat waves can affect your dreams (oh good).
Here’s what we know:
The heat raises your anxiety levels in general
When you’re overheated – even for as little as half an hour – your body can go into panic mode, says Healthline.
Your body can react to extreme heat by raising your heart rate, activating your HPA axis (basically your stress control centre), and reducing your blood flow and pressure.
This could mean that by the time you go to drop off, your body’s already up for a tussle with something – and once you’re asleep, that “something” can quickly become your own dreams.
“Quality of sleep is affected when temperatures are high because heat puts the body in a naturally anxious state. You may find that your dreams become more vivid and more uneasy simply because your body is overheated,” say Healthline.
Hot temperatures could keep you in the more stressful stage of sleep for longer
You’re probably heard that there are different phases to sleep, including a transition phase and deep slumber.
Christine Blume, a sleep scientist at the University of Basel in Switzerland, told Wired that “We know that cooler temperatures support deep sleep.”
In fact, a 2020 study suggests that higher temperatures and a lack of ventilation can interrupt REM, or deep, sleep pretty noticeably.
This is a problem partly because the deepest stage of sleep might well be the most restorative, but also because this is the stage in which it seems we have the most vivid dreams. So when you have to stop and start the REM cycle multiple times, your mind might keep you in the more stressful, vivid stage of your sleep for longer.
Ah, lovely.
You’re more likely to remember your dreams when it’s hot, too
You don’t just wake up more often at the start of your REM cycle when it’s hot. Doctors reckon that while re-starting the process might reboot your dreams, ending the cycle too soon can make them stick in your head that little bit longer.
Alex Dimitriu, MD, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, told Healthline that “warmer temperatures can result in more awakenings from sleep, during which dreams may be remembered.”
Don’t mind me, just off to buy an entire roomful of extremely strong fans...