I moved at the end of April and my new place is much warmer and unfortunately for me this month, it does not have air conditioning. Seattle is having a bit of a heatwave right now. 
🥵
A friend of mine that knows health gadgets told me about the ColPac. It is a budget solution for dropping your body temperature to help initiate sleep. Of course, I had to buy one to try out.
I’ve now used the ColPac 3 nights and it is a game-changer. I put it on my bed and then cover it with a thin dish towel and then lie down on it. I place it so the target area is my upper back. For a few seconds, I feel a cold shock, but then it feels great.
Sleeping in a cool environment is a common sleep hygiene recommendation. Prior to getting the Oura Ring, I didn’t believe that I would benefit from sleeping in a cooler room. I felt I needed to be warmer. But this past winter I ran tests and could clearly see my sleep improved when I dropped the temperature and/or used fewer coverings.
Last night, even though my room was 83°F, I wasn’t hot thanks to the ColPac. I fell asleep in under 5 minutes. Thankfully, I always start my sleep on my back. I also have been using it for my mid-day Yoga Nidra. And it is only $30!
I bought the 12.5 x 18.5 Inch Chattanooga Colpac.
If it doesn’t help you sleep, you can always use it for injuries.
John
Jun 27, 2021 — 7:49 pm
This seems like something I’d like to try. I run hot to begin with. I too, fall asleep initially from my back. Sometimes I fall asleep quickly, but when I roll to my side I wake myself back up. I have a couple large sizes packs like this already, so maybe I’ll give it a try. Do you move it when you move off your back, or do you just try and ignore it as you shift around during sleep?
I also lay on one of those prickly yoga mats before I get in bed. Often for just between 2 and 5 minutes. I think it calms the body down.
MAS
Jun 28, 2021 — 7:53 am
@John – Great question. I do the same thing. Start on the back and then flip to the side.
The ColPac helps me initiate sleep. By the time I have flipped to my side the ColPac is no longer cold. But by then, I have enough sleep inertia to stay asleep. Except for last night, which was extremely hot. I have a 2nd cold pack (smaller) in my freezer. I swapped them out around midnight and continued sleeping.
I expect tonight will be rough as well due to the heatwave, but on normal nights, I don’t expect to need more than that initial cooling to trigger sleep.
Trevor
Jun 28, 2021 — 11:47 am
I have the same sleep-heat issue; common among dudes. In February, I took the plunge and financed a Chilipad Ooler, and went from sleeping well ~2x/ week to sleeping well ~6x/week. An expensive solution, but it’s not a noisy energy-sucking A/C unit, and the quality of life improvement has been huge.