Best Temperature To Sleep At Night – Best And Useful Sleep Tips
Best Temperature To Sleep – Living in a comfortable environment is essential for healthy sleep. Ideally, keep the litter temperature around 65 °F (18.3 °C), a few degrees or so.
Your body temperature drops when you sleep, and a cool but cool room will help you stay calm and sleep through the night.
Babies may need a slightly higher room temperature to sleep, but you shouldn’t turn the thermometer up more than a few extra degrees to prevent their little bodies from overheating.
The Science
There’s a scientific reason why a room temperature of 65°F (18.3°C) is optimal for a good night’s sleep. It has to do with regulating your body’s core temperature.
Your core body temperature fluctuates over the course of 24 hours. This is known as the circadian rhythm. Your body begins to generate heat during sleep and continues to cool until it reaches its lowest point around 5 am.
Your body cools itself by dilating the blood vessels in your skin. As your temperature begins to drop at night, you may notice your arms and legs warming up first. This is because your body is releasing heat to lower your core temperature.
If the temperature of the room you sleep in is too high or too low, it can cause your body temperature to drop and disrupt your sleep.
A 2012 study found that the temperature of the room you sleep in is one of the most important factors in ensuring quality sleep.
Another study analyzed data from 765,000 respondents and found that most people experience abnormal sleep during hot summers, when it’s more difficult to keep the bed at the ideal temperature. This can affect the body’s ability to cool down at night.
Is it different for children?
You don’t have to create a completely different sleep environment for your baby. You might consider turning your thermostat up a degree or two, but a room temperature of 60 to 68°F (15.6 to 20°C) will be fine as long as you’re dressed well.
In general, you should avoid warming your baby, as this can increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
There are several reasons why a child may need to sleep in a room that is slightly warmer than their own:
- They cannot regulate their temperature conditions as easily as in adults.
- To reduce the risk of SIDS, don’t sleep in multiple hiding places.
You should sleep your baby only in breathable pajamas and a sleeping bag. Sleeping bags can be made from cool or warm materials and you can change them depending on the weather. Your child should not wear a hat indoors as it affects their core body temperature and can prevent them from catching a cold.
You can make sure your baby doesn’t overheat by touching the back of his neck or belly while he’s sleeping. If the skin is hot or sweaty, remove several layers of clothing.
Your baby should also sleep in a dark, quiet place to promote healthy sleep.
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Too Hot Or Too Cold (Best Temperature To Sleep)
Outside of comfortable sleep conditions, temperature can affect overall sleep in several ways.
Very Hot Or Too Hot
When your bedroom temperature is higher than your ideal sleeping temperature, you can have restless sleep. Restless sleep in a warm room can be caused by slow wave sleep or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
Humidity, in addition to heat, can also contribute to sleep problems.
Very Cold Or Too Cold
A 2012 study looked at partially nude participants and found that their sleep was more affected by low temperatures than high temperatures. However, these participants did not have blankets or other bedding to keep them warm.
A cold usually doesn’t affect your sleep cycle, but it can make it difficult for you to sleep and affect other aspects of your health. If you feel too cold while you sleep, your body can change the heart’s autonomic response.
Other Sleeping Tips
Good sleep is essential for your body to function properly, so preparing for healthy sleep is crucial. Here are some tips to create an environment conducive to quality sleep.
Set Room Temperature
There are several ways to keep the room temperature between 60 and 67°F (15.6 and 19.4°C) at night:
- Set your home thermostat to turn off when you sleep. For example, you can set the thermometer slightly warmer during the day and lower at night.
- Open a window or turn on the air conditioning or heating if the temperature rises or falls outside the ideal range for sleeping.
- You can also install a thermostat in your bedroom to control the temperature of your bed.
- In warmer months, turn on the air conditioner or fan to lower the temperature and allow air to circulate.
Change bedding as the weather changes
The cozy fleece blanket you used in January may not work in the summer. Keep a light blanket on your bed during the warmer months to keep yourself warm.
Similarly, severe cold may require you to layer another blanket over the blanket for days or weeks for extra warmth.
Avoid caffeine in the evening or at night
Drinking coffee, tea or soft drinks day and night makes it difficult to sleep at night. Instead, drink decaf beverages at specific times of the day to avoid unwanted sleepiness.
Make sure your room is dark
Think of your bedroom as a cave at night when you go to bed. Cover windows with blinds or curtains to block street lights or sunlight from entering your room.
You can also remove light-emitting electronic devices from your bed, such as flashing lights, computer monitors, or phones.
A silent hug
There should be no noise in your room that can keep you from falling asleep or waking you up in the middle of the night. Keep devices that buzz or beep away from your bedroom, and if you can’t block out other people’s noise, consider a white noise device or earplugs.
Set sleep mode
Your body’s circadian rhythm sets the normal routine for your body and you must stick to it for healthy sleep. Try to go to bed at the same time every day.
Turn off your device or other screens that emit blue light a half hour to an hour before bed.
Before turning off the lights for the night, read a book or do something relaxing, such as breathing exercises or meditation.
The Bottom Line
Before you close your eyes at night, make sure the temperature of the room you sleep in is cool. This will increase your chances of getting healthy, uninterrupted sleep every night.
Ideally, your bedroom temperature should be between 60-67° F (15.6-19.4° C) for healthy sleep. Babies should also be able to sleep at this temperature in appropriate sleepwear. You may consider raising the temperature a degree or two for babies, but don’t let them get too hot.