Tropical Nights

[Anchor Lead]

South Korea has been sweltering under a summer heat wave. Even when the sun goes down, there’s little relief for people around the country who have a hard time getting a good night’s sleep on tropical nights. In today’s Close Up, we bring you some tips on sleeping through those uncomfortable summer nights.

[Pkg]

South Korea is suffering from a brutal heat wave this summer. Heat advisories are issued every day. The hot air doesn't cool off even at night. Tropical nights continue with the temperature hovering over 25 degrees Celsius, leaving many people feeling exhausted.

[Soundbite] Moon Seo-jin (Seoul Resident) : "The extremely hot weather makes me toss and turn frequently and prevents a good night's sleep."

A test was conducted to find how tropical nights affect sleeping. Brainwaves remain stable and low when the temperature stands at 25 degrees Celsius, an optimal temperature for sleeping. The brainwaves are low and regular. Now, the air conditioner was turned off and the temperature rose to 28 degrees. The person tosses and turns a lot, and her brainwaves are high, fast and unstable.

[Soundbite] Han Jin-kyu 9Sleep Expert Doctor) : "Sleep brainwaves are quite thick when the temperature is high, like on tropical nights. This indicates that the brain remains awake while you sleep."

The brain remains awake throughout the night so people feel tired in the morning. It is well known that keeping the room cool or doing some simple exercise helps induce sleep. But today, we introduce a new, different method to fall asleep easily. It is about cooling pillows.

[Soundbite] Kim Eun-young (Incheon Resident) : "This is an ice barley pillow. Despite its strange look, it helps make summer cooler."

All it takes is old stockings and unpeeled barley. First, the stockings are spread out and cut to make an opening. And they are filled with unpeeled barley. Barley's cool to the touch, and that is good for summer. Stuffed with a heap of barley, it feels comfy and cushy. The barley pillow will help you stay cool on hot summer nights. It is even better to keep the pillow in a freezer during the daytime and take it out shortly before you go to bed. It will help you easily fall asleep even on tropical nights. A glass of fruit juice is also helpful. bananas and kiwi fruit are the best ingredients.

[Soundbite] Prof. Jeon Hyung-joo (Jangan University) : "A substance called tryptophan, which is abundant in bananas, promotes the secretion of the biorhythm hormone melatonin and helps induce sound sleep. Magnesium and pottasium, contained in kiwi fruit, are minerals that help stabilize the nervous system. So taking bananas and kiwi fruit two or three hours before going to bed helps you get a good night's sleep."

One banana and one kiwi fruit are blended together in a mixer and the juice serves as a natural sleep inducer. Sweltering nights leave people sleepless and eventually exhausted. The tips we shared today will surely help you beat the heat and get a good night's sleep.