The Best Temperature to Sleep: Everything You Need to Know
Sleep is essential for keeping our bodies healthy. Not getting enough sleep can make it hard to think and remember things. It can also make us more likely to get sick. We need quality sleep so we can concentrate and stay healthy.
Most adults need around seven to nine hours of good sleep each night to have a proper brain and bodily functions. Older adults might need more sleep than younger adults. Teenagers and young children need a lot of sleep – more than most adults. Toddlers need a lot of sleep to keep growing. Each age group needs different temperatures to get the best sleep possible.
Should a Bedroom Be Warm or Cool?
The temperature of your bedroom can affect the quality of your sleep. Research has found that sleep quality is mainly affected by how long you sleep and how deeply you sleep. The ideal bedroom temperature will vary from person to person and depend on what makes you comfortable. In most cases, a cooler bedroom temperature is often associated with improved sleep.
How Room Temperature Affects Sleep
When the temperature is not ideal, your body has to work harder to stay at a comfortable temperature. This can mean sweating if it’s too warm or shivering if it’s too cold. These are both ways your body tries to keep its core temperature stable. While these are necessary functions, they can make sleeping difficult.
Your body goes into a deeper sleep cycle during which its self-regulating mechanisms are impaired. This means that the body has to adjust to the external temperature. As the body enters a lighter sleep cycle, it will notice if you are too hot or cold. If this is the case, your body may start sweating or shivering, causing you to wake up.
What Temperature Should a Bedroom Be?
The temperature of your bedroom should be cool so you can have a good night’s sleep and recharge. While warm and comfortable are important, cooler bedroom temperatures are often associated with better sleep quality. Warmer bedrooms tend to decrease your overall quality of sleep.
Effects of Warm Bedrooms
Uncomfortable warm bedrooms can keep you from sleeping well at night. You may prefer a room that is a little warmer than others. Still, it is important to find a balanced temperature to sleep comfortably.
The effects of a warm bedroom may include:
- Increased wakefulness: It may be difficult to fall asleep if you are too warm. Most people feel restless, sleepless, or more awake when it’s hot and find it hard to fall asleep. If you can manage to fall asleep, you might wake up frequently or not reach a deep stage of sleep.
- Decreased rapid eye movement sleep (REM): REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement. This is the stage of sleep when your eyes move around quickly. Dreams typically happen during a REM stage instead of a non-REM stage. REM sleep is an important part of your sleeping pattern and helps stimulate areas of your brain that are important for learning.
- Decreased slow-wave sleep (SWS): SWS is the deepest sleep phase. It is thought to be important for memory consolidation. This type of sleep usually includes dreaming and, less commonly, sleepwalking. SWS is considered to be important for proper daytime functioning.
- Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep: Heat can be uncomfortable and make it difficult to sleep. When this becomes a problem for many people, it is called insomnia. Research shows that insomnia affects 10% to 30% of the population.
Effects of Cool Bedrooms
A cooler bedroom can provide many benefits, including helping you fall asleep more quickly and comfortably throughout the night. The role of temperature is an important aspect to consider when improving your sleep quality. A cooler bedroom is generally recommended because it can provide the following benefits:
- Falling asleep quicker: During the evening, our body temperature naturally decreases. This happens because our body is telling us it is time to rest. A cooler bedroom can help you fall asleep quicker and more comfortably by reinforcing your core body temperature.
- Improved sleep quality: Cooler temperatures can help improve your sleep quality. This is because cooler temperatures can help support healthy melatonin levels in your body. Melatonin is a hormone that your body produces, and it plays an important role in sleep.
- Enhanced mood: Your mood can be affected by how well you sleep. When you have a good night’s sleep, you’re likely to be in a better mood the next day. Researchers have found that people would be happier and healthier if they got more sleep.
- Healthy melatonin levels: Having higher melatonin levels in your system can help you fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night. Melatonin doesn’t make you fall asleep directly, but it can help create a quiet and peaceful mood that will make it easier for you to drift off.
What Is the Best Temperature for Sleep?
Your bedroom’s temperature can be an important factor in how well you sleep. Both the room’s temperature and your core body temperature play a role in making you comfortable and helping you sleep through the night. It is important not to get too cold and turn the thermostat too high, making your room too warm.
There is the right temperature for sleeping. This is the temperature that is the best for you. You should be comfortable and not too hot or cold. Different age groups might like different temperatures.
Sleep Temperature for Infants
Ensuring your baby’s room is at the right temperature is important for their safety and comfort. The ideal temperature range for a baby’s room is 68 degrees F to 72 degrees F. This will help keep them from getting too hot and ensure they have a good night’s sleep.
One way to see if the baby’s room is at a comfortable temperature is to think about how you feel in the room. If you feel too warm under many blankets or feel chilly with just a few blankets, the baby will probably feel the same way. If you are comfortable in a room, the temperature is good for the baby.
Sleep Temperature for Kids
Most children sleep best in a cool room with cozy blankets. The temperature should be between 68 degrees F and 72 degrees F. You can ask your child if they are comfortable with the room’s temperature.
Many children feel more comfortable in a quiet space with a dark room and a nightlight. You can make them feel more comfortable by letting them choose their favorite bedding. This will help them relax and get a good night’s sleep.
Sleep Temperature for Adults
The ideal sleep temperature for adults is typically lower than for children. Some experts suggest a range of 60 degrees F and 67 degrees F, but this low will be very taxing on your a/c system. We don’t suggest trying to cool your bedroom below 66° F without a secondary cooling system.
Some ways to make your home more comfortable are using insulation and a fan. Most adults feel better when their bedroom is cooler with comfortable blankets. While this range may be ideal for most people, some prefer a warmer room temperature. Having an ideal bedroom temperature can help you get a good night’s sleep and feel refreshed.
Sleep Temperature for Older Adults
Generally speaking, the best sleeping temperature for older adults is between 66 to 70 degrees F. Older adults may need a slightly warmer bedroom temperature to sleep comfortably. If your entire house is at a consistent temperature, you may experience better sleep.
You should not sleep in a very cold bedroom because it can negatively affect your health. You can raise the thermostat and keep an extra blanket close by if you feel chilly.
Tips for Reaching the Best Temperature for Sleep
There are many things to think about when creating a comfortable sleeping environment. Temperature is important, but you should also think about your bedding, curtains, ventilation, and humidity.
1. Regulate Room Temperature
Installing a high-quality air conditioning unit can help you regulate the temperature in your room. This is especially helpful in the summer when it is very hot outside. You can also use air conditioning to fix problems with your air conditioning. Air conditioning is a good idea if your bedroom or home does not have good ventilation and feels stuffy or stale.
2. Swap out Bedding
Swapping out your bedding for each season can be a useful way to ensure you are not too warm or cold during the night. For summer, using comfortable quilts or lightweight blankets can ensure proper ventilation and keep your bedding from trapping too much heat. Many breathable sheet sets are also available to provide adequate airflow.
You may need a heavier or warmer comforter during winter. It is important to create a warm space, but you don’t want the bedding to be too heavy and make you feel hot or sweaty.
3. Install Curtains
Curtains, drapes, and blinds can all help keep the temperature in your bedroom comfortable. Curtains can help stop warm air from escaping through windows in winter. They have a thermal lining to keep the heat in. Blinds and curtains can also stop too much heat from coming into your room through windows on a hot day. When it is hot outside, closing the curtains can stop some extra heat from coming in through your windows.
4. Provide Ventilation
Proper ventilation and circulation can help you sleep better and more deeply. Research has shown that proper ventilation in a room can reduce carbon dioxide levels, helping you sleep more soundly. Ventilation may play as important a role in a proper night of sleep as your bedroom temperature.
Having good air circulation in your home or bedroom will help keep it from feeling stale or stuffy. When the air is circulated well, it helps you sleep better at night. Lower ventilation levels are typically associated with lower-quality sleep and difficulty falling or staying asleep. However, when ventilation is combined with an ideal room temperature, you are much more likely to experience a night of deep rest.
5. Control Humidity
The humidity level in your sleeping environment is important. High humidity levels can make you uncomfortable and restless. They can also shorten your time in SWS sleep and REM sleep. These are essential for proper health, so it can have negative effects if you spend less time on each.
There are different opinions about what the ideal humidity level is. However, many people find that they need a humidifier or dehumidifier to make their bedroom more comfortable. A humidifier can increase the humidity in a dry room. At the same time, a dehumidifier can reduce the humidity in a naturally wet room.
6. Clean Your Air Vents
If there is a lot of dust or other debris in your ventilation system, the cool air may not be able to get through properly. This can mean that your bedroom will not be as cool as you need it to be. You can prevent this by getting regular maintenance services for your HVAC system. When you need your vents cleaned or serviced, it is important to call a professional contractor.
Learn more: The Claim: Cold Temperatures Improve Sleep
Frequently Asked Questions About Best Temperature to Sleep
The best temperature for sleeping is about 65°F (18.3°C). This is the ideal temperature because our body temperature naturally drops during sleep. A cool environment will help us have a good night’s sleep. If it’s too hot, we’re more likely to toss and turn, which will disrupt our sleep.
If you want to sleep well, the bedroom temperature at night should be below 72 degrees Fahrenheit. This is true for most people. If you like it cooler, aim for a lower temperature.
It is generally accepted that the safe temperature range for people over 65 is between 68 and 74 degrees Fahrenheit. You should make sure that your home’s temperature never falls below 68 degrees Fahrenheit, as this can increase the risk of respiratory disease and even hypothermia in some cases.
The lower the temperature inside the home, the slower the rate of thermal energy loss. To achieve optimal comfort, it is recommended for homeowners to set their thermostats between 68 to 72 degrees while people are inside the home.
The best bedroom temperature for sleep is about 65 degrees Fahrenheit. This may be different for different people, but most doctors recommend keeping the thermostat between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit to get a good night’s sleep.
There is a recommended temperature for your house that is comfortable for both you and efficient. In the summer, the temperature should be 78 degrees Fahrenheit. In the winter, it should be 68 degrees Fahrenheit to save energy.
Sleeping in a room with the air conditioner set to a comfortable temperature is important for getting a good night’s sleep. The ideal AC temperature for sleeping is around 65°F (18.3°C). However, this may be different for different people, who might find their ideal AC temperature is between 60 and 67°F (15.6 and 19.4°C).
The ideal temperature for living spaces is 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This is because it keeps your body comfortable. However, bedrooms should usually be a bit cooler at 68 degrees Fahrenheit. This is because your body temperature fluctuates when you are sleeping. You can improve your sleep by keeping your home temperature lower at night.
