How To Control A High Body Temperature At Night

Do you struggle with high body temperature or a fever in the evening? Here we look at the science behind body temperature control and some of the reasons why you might be overheating in bed. With our 30 and 60 night sleep trials available on selected bedding products, we have taken the risk out of your purchase, allowing you to try your products before committing. If they don't help with your quality of sleep and aren't performing as you expect then you can return your order for a full refund. Simple, convenient and completely risk free, and it will even be delivered in 1-2 days at no extra cost!
 

Why is your body temperature too high?

Did you know that temperature fluctuations at night are completely normal? So, if you’re finding that you have a high body temperature that’s disturbing your sleep, know that you’re not alone. In fact, it's part of your body's circadian rhythm or internal clock, helping to control your sleep cycle. Thanks to your body's natural hormones, your core temperature drops in the evening ready for sleep. This is what helps you to nod off. It then rises again in the morning preparing you to wake up. Some people can be particularly sensitive to this change, leading them to wake up feeling too hot during the early hours.
 

How to regulate body temperature

If you suffer from a fever in the evening or a high body temperature, what can you do to control it? Firstly, it’s important to know the science behind the problem. Your body temperature regulator is called the hypothalamus. It is located at the base of your brain and works like a thermostat, responding to internal and external factors to keep your body within a degree or two of 98.6°F. The hypothalamus releases chemicals and hormones and works together with other parts of your body that are responsible for body temperature control - such as your skin, sweat glands and blood vessels. Together they allow your body to warm up or cool down as needed to maintain a constant healthy temperature. The main two ways your body does this are through shivering and sweating.
 

Common issues with body temperature control

Sometimes, the hypothalamus struggles with body temperature control. This can lead you to warm up or even overheat. When this happens at night it can be particularly unpleasant, leading to broken sleep and even uncomfortable night sweats. There are a number of reasons this might happen...
 
 

Reasons you might experience high body temperature when sleeping

If you’re wondering how to control body temperature, it’s worth learning a bit more about what might be causing it in the first place to see if you can eradicate some of the problems naturally. Here are some of the reasons you might find you struggle with extremely high body temperature while sleeping:

• Female hormones have a lot to answer for. As a woman, you’ll notice that in the days leading up to your period, your temperature rises slightly. While it might not be much, this can affect sleep and leave you feeling hotter than normal under the covers.
• At a more extreme level, when you reach perimenopause and menopause you may find that erratic estrogen hormones lead to blood rushing to blood vessels under the surface of your skin. This will cause your skin to flush and can result in hot flashes at any time of the day or night. But many women find that these are more disruptive at night.
• Pregnancy can cause you to struggle with body temperature control, again because of the high levels of estrogen circulating around your body.
• A cold or fever may lead to high body temperature at night as your body fights to rid itself of infection.
• Certain drugs, such as prescribed antidepressants and other psychiatric medications, can lead to high body temperatures at night.
• Certain medical conditions such as thyroid disease and some cancers can disrupt the number of hormones that are released into your body to regulate metabolism and other processes. This might lead to unwanted symptoms such as sweating or an increased sensitivity to temperature. This can be worse at night as your body’s temperature naturally rises in the early hours.

Other factors that can affect high body temperature at night

While there’s not much you can do about the natural occurrences of your body, there are a few lifestyle changes you can make that will help with body temperature control. Your sleep environment can hugely affect your body temperature, causing you to wake if you become too warm or too cold. Here are some things to consider if you’re consistently waking with a high body temperature at night:

• Room temperature – a dip in temperature is useful to help your body ready itself for sleep. That’s why a cool room can be beneficial. Keep layers on hand though, so that if you awake feeling chilly later in the night you can pull another blanket over yourself.
• Mattress temperature regulation - some types of mattress can make body temperature control more difficult than others by trapping warm air between your body and the mattress itself. Memory foam in particular could cause you to experience high body temperature while sleeping. Why? Heat from your body is transferred into the foam to help make it warm and mold to the shape of your body. While this may make the mattress more supportive, this heat is reflected onto your body and can lead to overheating. Adding a wool mattress topper to your bedding is the way to go if you want something that acts as a body temperature regulator. With its temperature regulating capabilities, you’re much less likely to be woken up by a hot sweat or a fever in the evening
• Choice of comforters and bedding – non-breathable bedding (such as polyester) could exacerbate any problems of high body temperature while sleeping, as your body heat will be trapped inside the covers with nowhere to escape to. Instead opt for breathable wool bedding that will help with your body temperature control and reduce the likelihood of night time awakenings through being too hot. By choosing bedding that helps to keep you cool when you’re warm and warm when you’re cool, you’ll be much less affected by spiking temperatures overnight.

Is your body temperature too high while you’re trying to get some shut eye?, try creating a more cooling sleep environment by using some of the tips above. But if you continue to struggle, or you can’t pinpoint the cause, you should discuss your concerns with your physician.

Find more ideas to help you sleep better at night when you visit our Sleep Health & Advice hub.