Sleeping Through Summer: Why Rest Gets Harder (and What You Can Do About It)

June 19, 2025

Summer brings longer days, warmer nights, and more freedom in your routine—but it can also quietly interfere with your sleep. If you’ve noticed that it’s harder to fall asleep, stay asleep, or wake up feeling rested during the summer months, you’re not imagining it.

Here’s why your sleep may be off—and what you can do about it.

Why Summer Can Disrupt Your Sleep

More daylight means delayed melatonin. Your body’s sleep-wake cycle is influenced by light. Longer evenings and late sunsets can delay melatonin production, making it harder to feel sleepy at your usual time. Counter this by creating your own wind down routine and limit screen time before bed.

Heat makes it harder to fall asleep. Cool temperatures help signal to your body that it’s time to rest. When your room is too warm at night, it can interfere with both how quickly you fall asleep and how deeply you sleep. Keep your sleep space cool and dark by using ac, fans, or blackout curtains. You can also try taking a cool shower before bed to help reduce your core temperature for better sleep.

Routine changes throw off your rhythm.
With fewer structured obligations, travel plans, and shifting work or class schedules, it’s easy to fall out of a consistent sleep routine, which makes it harder for your body to know when it’s time to rest. Even if your days look different over the summer, going to bed and waking up at consistent times helps anchor your internal clock.

Reset Your Sleep with Our Self-Paced Program

If your sleep feels out of sync, Lakehead’s Reset Sleep program can help you get back on track. This self-paced, 8-week course is built on evidence-based strategies to help improve your sleep hygiene and develop habits that support better rest.

You can start anytime, go at your own pace, and explore what works for you.

To sign up: 

  • Go to MyCourselink (https://mycourselink.lakeheadu.ca)
  • Log in using your Lakehead username and password
  • Click the "Self Registration: Academic Support and Training" near the top-right of the page
  • Select "Reset Sleep" from the list
  • Follow the steps presented until it confirms that you've been registered
  • Complete the modules

If you continue to struggle with sleep, reach out to your health care provider.

-Lindsey Wachter,  R.Kin, Health Promoter