Ever found yourself tossing and turning all night, only to realize you’re either sweating like you ran a marathon or shivering under the covers? That’s because temperature plays a huge role in sleep quality. Too hot, and your body struggles to cool down; too cold, and you’re too uncomfortable to fully relax.
So, if you’re waking up groggy, your thermostat might be the sneaky culprit. Time to fine-tune that bedtime climate for the best snooze of your life. According to Psychology Today, the body’s natural circadian rhythm regulates core body temperature, which signals sleep time two hours before bedtime.
The publication further explains that a warm sleeping environment disrupts this cooling process, leading to fragmented sleep and frequent awakenings. The Cleveland Clinic adds that excessive heat or cold exposure in a bedroom can lead to increased wakefulness and decreased REM sleep. The clinic emphasises the importance of thermoregulation for maintaining restorative, slow-wave sleep stages, which provide the most rest.
The above publication states that the avarage sleeping temperature is 15.6°C to 18.3°C, however, it mentions that this might differ from person to person due to several reasons. For example, Cleveland states that this temperature might be too low for infants and older people.
To ensure a good night’s sleep, the Healthline publication suggests that you set your home’s thermostat to drop between 15.6°C to 18.3°C sleeping hours, open windows or use air conditioning or heat when the temperature rises or falls outside the ideal sleeping range, run an air conditioner or fan during warm months, and switch out bedding as seasons change, such as using a lightweight blanket for hot months or another blanket for cold snaps.
