Lighter Nighties For Lighter Nights

The long winter nights can be a bit of an ordeal for many. Whether or not you get the blues (sometimes known as seasonally affective disorder, or SAD) from the lack of daylight in winter, there is no doubt the combination of cold and dark can be a bit of a challenge in the bedroom.

That means wearing warm night clothes and being tucked up under a thick duvet and blankets, perhaps with a hot water bottle or, better still, someone warm to snuggle up to. This may also make the challenge of crawling out of bed on a dark morning a bit more bearable.

However, all that is now changing. The days are now longer than the nights, the clocks have gone forward and, while April can still bring lots of showers, biting winds and occasional snow and sleet as reminders that winter is not so far behind us, conditions will still be warmer, both indoors and out.

Indeed, as well as being generally warmer there may be some very hot days and nights to come. As the sunsets get later and sunrises earlier, the heat of the day will persist longer into the night and occasionally bring some very warm, sticky nights indeed.

All this means the night-time attire must change. Those lovely warm thermal pyjamas and dressing gowns can be put on the wardrobe for a few months. Instead, it’s time for boxers for the men and a nightie for women.

Of course, one concern could be just how hot it actually is and it is worth considering ways you can keep your bedroom cool on humid summer nights, which does not just mean opening a window to let a bit of breeze in at night, but moves such as eating more cold foods to avoid the heat from cooking and warming yourself up too much.

However, a nightie can also make things hotter in a slightly different way, so this is a chance to choose something that is not just comfortable to slip into on a warm summer evening, but perhaps to slip out of too.

All this is a reminder that you might want to completely change your evening routine as the days get lighter. If winter is all about maximising warmth and light in artificial ways, summer is about embracing what is there anyway.

That may mean more open windows, longer hours spent outside in the garden or outdoors on a night out. But the extra light can also alter how we behave even when back indoors.

Just as SAD can be a weight on people in winter, some find themselves more alert in the summer. This can be good news at times if you feel happier and more energetic. But it can also lead to difficulty sleeping, as the extra sunlight stimulates us to stay awake for longer.

Solutions to this can include blackout blinds to tackle bright early mornings and less time spent online being stimulated by bright screens. But this is also why it is important to wear the right clothing at night, to avoid getting too hot and giving yourself the best chance to enjoy some great midsummer night dreams.