Do you toss and turn at night or wake up periodically? Are you too hot or too cold when trying to go to sleep? For most people, the temperature has to be set just right in order to sleep well. If you didn’t know, the thermostat can either make or break your good night’s sleep. The suggested sleeping temperature is between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit for the best night’s sleep. The best temperature to sleep is in a cooler environment. Sleeping cooler can encourage a deeper and sounder sleep. But why is this the case? Let’s find out.
Why Sleep Cold?
When lying in bed trying to fall asleep, your body temperature decreases to initiate sleep. Having a temperature between 60 and 67 can help to facilitate this. The best temperature to sleep is cooler rather than warmer. Temperatures above 75 degrees and below 54 degrees can disrupt a person’s sleep. A cooler temperature is the ideal environment to fall asleep and remain asleep throughout the night.
Over a 24-hour period, our body temperatures naturally peak and decline. Our internal temperature is usually at its highest in the early afternoon and lowest around 5 in the morning. When we fall asleep, our bodies naturally cool off. As we help our bodies get to that lower temperature faster, we encourage a deeper sleep. Typically, about one to one and a half hours before we fall asleep, our bodies begin to lose its heat from the central core. In average and healthy adults, this tends to bring on increased feelings of tiredness. These physiological changes occur way before we even go to bed and most of the time happen before we even realize what is going on.
Sleeping cooler is the best temperature to sleep because it can benefit your health in a variety of ways. Here are some reasons why you should sleep in a cooler temperature:
Fall Asleep More Quickly
When you provide a more comfortable environment for your body to fall asleep, you will fall asleep faster. If it is too hot or too cold, your body will end up wasting energy trying to regulate itself, which can leave you tossing and turning throughout the night.
Get A Better Night’s Sleep
You can fall into a deeper and more restorative sleep when your body isn’t trying to regulate itself at night. Sleeping in cooler temperature can help reduce certain types of insomnia.
Look More Youthful
When sleeping between the temperatures of 60-68 degrees, your body can release more melatonin, which is one of the best anti-aging hormones.
The Best Ways to Stay Cool for Sleep
Keeping the air conditioning on throughout the year is not the most affordable option. However, there are many other ways you can keep your house cooler without having to spend a lot of money.
Here are some other ways to help keep your cool:
- Freeze your top sheet and put it back on the bed right before bedtime
- Sleep with less clothes on
- Use a fan to circulate air around the room
- Purchase a cooling pillow to help naturally draw the heat away
- Soak your top sheet in cold or ice water and ring out well. As it dries, it will help to keep the heat away
- Stick one or both feet out from under the covers
Treatment with Dr. Shukla
Dr. Shukla of Brooklyn New York has been in practice for more than 15 years. He has provided the answers and treatments to many children suffering from asthma, allergies, sleep apnea. Here at the Asthma, Allergy and Sleep Center of New York, we provide you with a personalized, boutique approach to health care and pediatric pulmonology all under one roof. We emphasize prevention and use our advanced diagnostic technologies to give you and your child the best possible care. Whether you have more questions about the best temperature to sleep, need allergy treatment or have questions about common causes for chronic coughs, contact Dr. Shukla’s New York offices today for an appointment.
