# Bedroom checklist for hot nights · Midlife Nights > Source: https://midlifenights.com/articles/bedroom-checklist-for-hot-nights-tick-what-you-have-tried A cooler bedroom ## Bedroom checklist for hot nights Twelve things the NIA and the NHS suggest for a cooler night, on one list. Mark what you have tried and whether it helped, and get a printable sheet of what is left to try. By Claire Holloway, 1 November 2026 To keep cool at night during menopause, start with the bedroom: a lower temperature, a fan, and bedding in layers you can throw off. Then look at the evening, because alcohol, caffeine and spicy food can all make hot flashes worse. That is the advice of the [National Institute on Aging](https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/menopause/hot-flashes-what-can-i-do) and the [NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause-and-perimenopause/things-you-can-do/), and the checklist below puts every step they name in one place. Most women have tried some of these and not others, and few remember which. Go down the list once, mark each line, and the page sorts it into what helped, what made no difference and what you have not tried yet. ### Your hot-night checklist Mark each line: not tried yet, tried and it helped, tried but it made no difference, or not relevant to you. A line left blank counts as not tried yet. The room Bedroom kept cooler at night The first step the NIA gives when hot flashes keep you up. [NIA, hot flashes](https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/menopause/hot-flashes-what-can-i-do) Not yet It helped No difference Doesn't apply Curtains shut by day, windows open at night Shut out the sun while it is hot and let the cooler night air in once the outside temperature drops. [NHS, hot weather](https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/heatwave-how-to-cope-in-hot-weather/) Not yet It helped No difference Doesn't apply A fan running at night Recommended for night-time hot flashes. The NHS adds that a fan helps while the room is below 35°C (95°F). [NIA, hot flashes](https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/menopause/hot-flashes-what-can-i-do) Not yet It helped No difference Doesn't apply The bed and you Bedding in layers A sheet, a light blanket and a cover you can push off during a flush and pull back when the chill follows. [NIA, hot flashes](https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/menopause/hot-flashes-what-can-i-do) Not yet It helped No difference Doesn't apply Lightweight nightwear On the NHS list for easing hot flushes and night sweats. [NHS, things you can do](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause-and-perimenopause/things-you-can-do/) Not yet It helped No difference Doesn't apply A little cold water before bed The NIA says small amounts, and a full glass can send you to the bathroom at 3am instead. [NIA, hot flashes](https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/menopause/hot-flashes-what-can-i-do) Not yet It helped No difference Doesn't apply A cool shower before bed Listed next to a fan and a cold drink as a way to ease night sweats. [NHS, things you can do](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause-and-perimenopause/things-you-can-do/) Not yet It helped No difference Doesn't apply The evening No alcohol in the evening Named as a trigger that can make menopause symptoms worse, and it also makes it harder to stay asleep. [NIA, sleep](https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/menopause/sleep-problems-and-menopause-what-can-i-do) Not yet It helped No difference Doesn't apply No caffeine or hot drinks late in the day Caffeine is on both lists. The NHS puts hot drinks on its list of possible triggers too. [NHS, things you can do](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause-and-perimenopause/things-you-can-do/) Not yet It helped No difference Doesn't apply No spicy food or large meal late in the evening Spicy food can make symptoms worse, and a big meal close to bedtime is on the list of sleep habits to drop. [NIA, hot flashes](https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/menopause/hot-flashes-what-can-i-do) Not yet It helped No difference Doesn't apply Not smoking Smoking can make menopause symptoms worse, which both health bodies say plainly. [NHS, things you can do](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause-and-perimenopause/things-you-can-do/) Not yet It helped No difference Doesn't apply A regular bedtime and wake time Going to bed and getting up at the same times heads the NIA list of sleep habits for menopause. [NIA, sleep](https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/menopause/sleep-problems-and-menopause-what-can-i-do) Not yet It helped No difference Doesn't apply Show what is left to try Print my list Start again When you press the button, your ticks are sent to Midlife Nights without your name or any contact details, so we can see which steps readers find useful. Nothing you type identifies you. ### Where each line comes from Every line is a step a public health body names, with the page it comes from linked under it. Most come from two NIA pages, [Hot flashes: what can I do?](https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/menopause/hot-flashes-what-can-i-do) and [Sleep problems and menopause](https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/menopause/sleep-problems-and-menopause-what-can-i-do), and from the NHS page of things you can do for menopause symptoms. The curtains line comes from the NHS advice on [coping in hot weather](https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/heatwave-how-to-cope-in-hot-weather/), which is the clearest public guidance on cooling a home without air conditioning. The list leaves out supplements, herbal remedies and medicines on purpose. The NIA warns that black cohosh, DHEA and soy isoflavones are not proven to work and that some carry risks. Treatment is something to discuss with your doctor. The page counts your answers and sorts them. It does not score you or judge your nights. ### Cooling a bedroom without air conditioning The NHS hot weather advice works in any bedroom. Close the windows, curtains and blinds during the day, especially in a room that faces the sun, and open them at night once the air outside is cooler than the air inside. An electric fan helps while the room is below 35°C (95°F). A cool shower before bed, a cold drink, or cool water on your skin all bring your own temperature down. For night-time hot flashes the NIA adds a fan by the bed and layered bedding, so you can cool down in a few seconds without getting up and fully waking. A fan you can reach from the pillow, on a low setting all night, is the cheapest item on this page. ### What to wear to bed with night sweats Wear less, and wear light. The NHS lists lightweight clothing for hot flushes and night sweats, and the NIA suggests layers you can take off when a flash starts. Neither names a fabric, so this page does not either. What matters is whether you can strip off a layer half-asleep. The NHS describes night sweats as sweating so much that your night clothes and bedding are soaking wet, even though the room is cool. On nights like that, I'd keep a dry top and a towel within reach of the bed, so a change takes a minute in the dark and you are not standing at a drawer under the main light. ### A worked example Take a made-up reader. She keeps the bedroom cool and sleeps in a thin vest, and both help. She switched to layered bedding and noticed no difference. She does not smoke, so that line does not apply. She has not tried the other eight. Her summary tells her she has tried three of the eleven steps that apply to her, and that two of them helped. Below that come the eight still open, each with a link to its source. Printed, that is one page she can stick on the bedroom door. I'd have her take the evening lines next, one at a time, because cutting out the evening glass of wine or the late curry for a week costs nothing and gives a clear answer. ### My take I'd start with the two free steps on the room list: shut the curtains in the afternoon and open the window at bedtime. I'd skip buying new bedding until the evening lines have had a fair trial, because those cost nothing either. Change one thing at a time and give it a few nights. If you open the window, buy a fan and give up wine in the same week, you will sleep better and never learn which of the three did it. Our [printable night diary](/articles/printable-night-diary-for-hot-flashes-night-sweats-and-sleep) is the place to note what you changed each night, with your flushes graded mild, moderate or severe on the same row. ### When the list is not enough Some women work through every line and still wake soaked. The [NHS night sweats page](https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/night-sweats/) advises seeing a GP if night sweats come regularly and wake or worry you, if you also have a high temperature, a cough or diarrhoea, or if you are losing weight without trying. The NHS also says cognitive behavioural therapy can help manage hot flushes and sleep problems, and your doctor can talk you through that and the treatment options. For more on the room itself, our [cooler bedroom](/topics/a-cooler-bedroom) section gathers every article on bedding, nightwear and cooling. Our [night sweats](/topics/night-sweats) section covers the causes other than menopause. ### Questions about the checklist Do I have to answer every line? No. Any line you leave blank is counted as not tried yet, so it shows up on your list of things to try next. Will my ticks still be here tomorrow? Yes, on the same browser and device. They are kept there so you can come back and change "not yet" to "tried" after a week. The "Start again" button wipes them. What is sent when I press the button? Only your twelve answers and three totals, with no name, email or anything else that identifies you. We use them to see which steps readers report as useful. Which line should I start with? Pick one from the "still to try" list that costs nothing tonight, such as opening the window once it is cooler outside or swapping the duvet for layers, and give it a few nights before you judge it. Is this a test for menopause? No. It is a list of comfort steps from public health advice. It cannot tell you why you are sweating or whether you need treatment. --- [ ](/) The night side of perimenopause and menopause: hot flashes, night sweats and 3am waking, with every health fact linked to its source. [Send us a correction or a question we should answer](/contact) ### Read * [All articles](/articles) * [Hot flashes at night](/topics/hot-flashes-at-night) * [Night sweats](/topics/night-sweats) * [Insomnia and 3am waking](/topics/insomnia-and-3am-waking) * [A cooler bedroom](/topics/a-cooler-bedroom) * [Tracking and your doctor](/topics/tracking-and-your-doctor) * [All topics](/topics) ### About us * [About](/about) * [Authors](/authors) * [Editorial policy](/editorial-policy) * [How we make money](/how-we-make-money) ### Legal * [Terms](/terms) * [Privacy](/privacy) * [Contact](/contact) © 2026 Midlife Nights. General information from the sources each page links, not advice for your own health. Talk to your doctor about yours. No paid placements and no affiliate links. [How we make money](/how-we-make-money)