Catching ZZZs in a heatwave

OTO Wellbeing | 21 Jul, 2022

It’s getting hot out there! And while I’m definitely not complaining, I’m slightly concerned about our sleep schedules.

As a nation, the British are ill-equipped to deal with Mediterranean-style heat - and with temperatures looking to reach highs of 40°c, you’ll definitely find me lying awake longing for holiday aircon! The heat makes us feel lethargic throughout the day, yet makes it impossible to sleep at night. The result? A nation of grumpy, sleepless zombies... and that's where CBD comes in. ⁠

CBD & sleep

Anecdotally, hemp, the mother plant of CBD, has been used as a sleep aid for centuries. Gretchen Lidicker, author of CBD Oil: Everyday Secrets: A Lifestyle Guide to Hemp-Derived Health and Wellness, notes that sleep was positively affected by CBD thanks to its anti-anxiety properties and ability to promote relaxation.⁠

CBD may even help with chronic insomnia more than the typically prescribed melatonin. While melatonin signals to the body that it’s time to go to sleep, the sleep-wake system that promotes and drives healthy sleeping patterns is regulated by the presence of CBD in the body.

There’s no one size fits all solution for a better night’s sleep, especially when factors such as the heat are disrupting your space, but the NHS suggests a regular night time routine as one of the keys to getting a good sleep: a quiet mind, relaxed body and calm bedroom. With this in mind, we created our Balance range, combining our premium, high-strength CBD with carefully curated essential oils that are regarded for their ability to improve sleep; think lavender, chamomile and cajeput.⁠

The benefits of our Balance products - pillow mist, sleep drops and night skincare - are that they help your body reach the optimum conditions for a good night’s sleep, without making you actually drowsy. Our extensive consumer trials showed that the Balance range can help you fall asleep easily, but, more importantly, stay asleep and wake up refreshed.

To help complement our Balance products, I sat down with Gemma to discuss our top tips on how to beat the heat and stay cool all through the night.

Regulate your body temperature

Going to bed cool, calm and collected puts you in the best position to fall asleep, and stay asleep. CBD is an effective tool to help regulate your body temperature as it promotes homeostasis - or balance - within the body, restoring it to its optimal state. Try using our best-selling Sleep Drops about half an hour before bed.
Turn your hot water bottle into a cold water bottle

You’ve all heard of a hot water bottle, but what about trying a cold water bottle? Fill up your hot water bottle with cold water (not too full, frozen water expands and you don’t want it to burst) and put it in the freezer for a few hours. Then when frozen, put the cover back on and take it to bed with you - it’s like the cold side of the pillow, but it lasts longer.
Take a nap

When you don’t get enough sleep, you rack up a ‘sleep debt’ - this is the cumulative amount of sleep that you’ve missed out on and it can cause problems in the long-term. Try to squeeze in a little snooze when you can (it’s one of the perks of working from home).
Lavender, lavender, lavender

… or another sleep-promoting essential oil like chamomile or cajeput. Adding one or more of these scents to your nighttime environment will signal to your body to start winding down, helping to put you in the right frame of mind to get to sleep and stay asleep. Try our award-winning Pillow Mist, which blends lavender, chamomile and cajeput, or use our Balance Body Oil before bed, which is made with chamomile and fragonia, known for their powerful balancing and calming properties.
Avoid alcohol

Although alcohol allows you to fall asleep quickly, it disturbs the quality of your sleep, which is just as important. So make the switch to non-alcoholic drinks while the weather is hot or for a few hours before bedtime, as not only will this help keep you hydrated, your body will thank you later (and in the morning!). Our CBD Bitters and CBD Seltzers are an effective and functional alternative to alcohol, helping you to feel present in the moment and allowing you to enjoy a sophisticated drink while you’re not drinking.