Achieving Better Sleep with Room Temperature
As we age, prioritizing our sleep becomes increasingly important for maintaining good health and energy levels. Dr. Kelvas, a sleep expert, emphasizes the significant role room temperature plays in our ability to fall and stay asleep.
When the room is too hot or too cold, our bodies struggle to regulate the hormones needed for quality sleep. This can lead to difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep throughout the night. According to the Sleep Foundation, the ideal room temperature for optimal sleep is between 60 °F (15.5 °C) and 68 °F (20 °C).
Understanding the connection between temperature and our body’s sleep processes is essential. Our bodies are equipped with a thermoregulatory system that helps maintain a stable internal temperature, regardless of the environment. Sweating and shivering are two key mechanisms our bodies use to either cool down or generate heat, and blood vessels also play a role in temperature regulation.
Temperature continues to affect our sleep cycles as well. Over time, temperature has evolved as a signal for when to sleep and when to wake. As our core body temperature drops, we enter slow-wave sleep, a phase critical to our overall health. On the other hand, a room that is too warm can negatively affect both REM sleep and slow-wave sleep. Humidity levels also impact sleep quality, with higher humidity reducing the quality of REM sleep and slow-wave sleep.
Sleeping in a cooler room offers numerous benefits. It aids in the release of melatonin, the sleep hormone, while preventing the rise of cortisol, the stress hormone that can disrupt sleep. A cooler room also promotes quicker sleep onset and more time spent in restorative sleep stages like REM and deep sleep. Additionally, sleeping in a cold room can activate brown fat, which supports weight management, boosts insulin sensitivity (helping reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes), and may even lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
If you don’t have access to a thermostat, there are still ways to optimize your sleep environment. Taking a warm bath or shower in the evening can lower your internal body temperature, signaling to your body that it’s time to wind down. Research shows that water-based passive heating can improve various sleep metrics, such as sleep onset, total sleep duration, and sleep efficiency.
By prioritizing sleep and adjusting your environment to the optimal temperature, you can significantly improve your health and well-being. Tonight, consider lowering the thermostat and enjoying the many benefits of a cool room for a more restful night’s sleep.
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