Tips for Finding Your Optimal Sleep Temperature
There aren’t many things more annoying than waking up in the middle of the night sweating through your sheets or freezing your tail off. Sometimes, it can seem difficult to find the right temperature for you to sleep peacefully. Fortunately, we’re going to share what happens with your body at night and how you can use this information to find the right temperature to get a good night’s rest.
Our Bodies Naturally Get Colder in the Evening
You’ve probably heard about the circadian rhythm that humans have, which helps to regulate their natural sleep cycle. One of the factors that regulate this circadian rhythm is the temperature of your environment and your core body temperature.
Most people don’t realize that their body temperatures actually drop about two degrees Fahrenheit during the evening hours. A person who follows a regular sleep schedule will experience this drop in core body temperature about two hours before they go to bed. During this drop in temperature, the sleep hormone known as melatonin is released into the body. This helps you to fall asleep naturally.
Your Extremities Naturally Warm Up
After learning that your core body temperature drops before bed, you may think that you’ll need to have a warm room to stay comfortable. In reality, this isn’t the case because of the process of vasodilation. This process works to send signals to your extremities to increase their blood flow. This helps to pull heat away from the center of your body and out to your hands and feet. It’s necessary to have a colder room temperature to help ease the discomfort of overly hot extremities just before you go to bed.
Colder Is Better for REM Sleep
When it comes to getting optimal sleep, you want your body to spend enough time in restorative slow-wave sleep. Unfortunately, your body is unable to alter your core body temperature via sweating or shivering whenever it’s in this REM or restorative sleep cycle.
If your body is too hot, your brain will simply end your REM sleep cycle early so that your body can properly sweat to cool down. In the same manner, if your body temperature is too low, your brain will also exit REM sleep early. This translates to poor quality sleep that will leave you burnt out and fatigued the next day. Staying at a comfortable temperature during the night allows your body to stay in the REM sleep cycle for longer, which means more restorative sleep for an awesome upcoming day of energy.
What Temperature Should I Choose?
Just as everybody’s natural body temperature is going to be slightly different from the next, your optimal sleeping temperature is going to vary. Most experts recommend placing your bedroom thermostat between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit to get optimal sleep.
It’s a good idea to start at the highest temperature of 67 degrees and to see how your body responds. If you don’t feel rejuvenated in the morning, it’s likely that the temperature is too high and needs to be set lower. Simply move it down a degree or two each night until you find that you are well-rested.
Tips for Cooling Your Bedroom
While you can definitely alter the temperature of your bedroom with your home thermostat, you may not always want to rely on using its energy to get the ideal bedroom temperature. You can easily help to promote a cooler bedroom environment by keeping your blinds closed during the day, controlling the humidity level, and even choosing breathable sheets that allow you to feel cooler while sleeping.
A Note About Elderly Individuals and Infants
The standard recommendation of setting your bedroom thermostat between 60 and 67 degrees holds true for most of the adult population. However, those in their golden years may find that they need a higher temperature to be comfortable. These temperatures usually run between 66 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. When it comes to babies and toddlers, you’ll want to stick anywhere between 65 and 70 degrees.
Quality Heating and Cooling Services
Alps Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. offers quality heating and cooling services in the Anaheim, CA, area. We specialize in the installation, maintenance, and repair of heating and cooling systems. We also offer indoor air quality, zoning systems, ductless systems, ducting design, water heater, attic insulation, thermostat, and home energy efficiency services. Call us today to set up a consultation.