If you’re having trouble falling asleep, you’ve probably tried the obvious tricks — a pitch-black room, limited water intake, and not eating too close to bedtime.
But experts say there’s one crucial thing most people overlook: the temperature in your bedroom.
Neurologist and sleep expert Dr. Chris Winter told DailyMail.com that keeping the room cool at night “makes a huge difference”.
The Sleep Foundation recommends keeping the temperature in your bedroom between 60 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit to help your body fall asleep faster. For comparison, the average home is typically between 75-80F.
You may have noticed when you woke up that your feet were sticking out from under the covers. Your body tries to regulate its temperature naturally.
The Sleep Foundation recommends keeping the temperature in your bedroom between 60 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit to help your body fall asleep faster
According to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about a third of Americans don’t get enough sleep — at least seven hours a night.
Lack of sleep is consistently linked to chronic health problems such as heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity and depression.
By lowering the temperature in the bedroom, you can reduce these risks.
“I think a lot of people will be surprised if they keep their work or home environment relatively warmer during the day and cooler at night… it makes a big difference,” said Dr. Winter.
In a 2021 report by OnePoll, 31 percent of Americans surveyed said that weather that was too hot or too cold was the top reason they weren’t getting enough sleep.
Sleep is regulated by the circadian rhythm, which is made up of physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle. It acts as the body’s internal clock, receiving signals from the environment to regulate vital functions such as body temperature.
Neurologist and sleep expert Dr. Chris Winter recommended using temperature-controlled mattresses and cool pillows to lower bedroom temperatures at night
Just before you fall asleep, your body temperature drops, signaling that it’s time to sleep.
“The place where the temperature drops the fastest is usually when people are falling asleep,” said Dr. Winter. “If you’re a type of night owl, your temperatures might stay a little higher for longer. If you’re more of a morning person, your temperatures may drop a little earlier.
“The support of a colder bedroom usually helps with sleep.”
Keeping the bedroom cold keeps the temperature cooler, making it easier for you to fall asleep.
However, warmer temperatures are more likely to keep you awake longer as they lead to restlessness. During REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, the body naturally stops controlling behaviors like sweating and trembling. Excessively hot rooms therefore result in less time spent in REM sleep.
Not getting enough REM sleep could lead to forgetfulness and make it harder to get up in the morning.
Data from the United Health Foundation showed that around a third of adults by the age of 65 are unable to get at least seven hours of sleep a night. From there, levels drop to 26 percent — but that’s still more than a quarter of older adults who sleep less than seven hours a night
The same data set showed that men are more likely to suffer from insufficient sleep compared to women
A Study in the journal Environmental Researchfound out, for example, that a bedroom that is too warm impairs the body’s temperature regulation and leads to tiredness.
Turning down your thermostat has numerous health benefits.
A Study in the journal Diabetes found that sleeping in a 66-degree room boosted metabolism. This is because brown fat, also known as brown adipose tissue, increases with temperature. This is a specific type of fat that activates in response to cold temperatures. It helps generate heat and maintain body temperature, which in turn helps burn calories.
This could also help reduce stress. Although anxiety can keep you from falling asleep, an elevated body temperature is a physical sign of stress, so a cool room can counteract it.
Additionally, a 2018 study in the journal Molecules found that lower temperatures can stimulate melatonin production, a hormone directly related to sleep.
“We live our lives at 73 or 68 degrees, no matter what our thermostat is set to, and that doesn’t change,” said Dr. Winter. “You can really manipulate and enhance people’s sleep by manipulating temperature.”
The Sleep Foundation recommends keeping the room temperature between 60 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cooler temperatures could be helping millions of Americans who don’t get enough sleep get a few extra Z-sicknesses.
The CDC also says that 8.4 percent of US adults are taking sleep pills, more than double those who were taking them 10 years earlier.
Similar to warm temperatures, these could rob the body of REM sleep.
The Agency Also, all Americans are recommended to get seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Children aged six to twelve need nine to twelve hours a night, young people should get eight to ten hours.
If you’re used to keeping your bedroom at a certain temperature, Dr. Winter, turn down the air conditioning gradually. For example, if you keep it at 70 degrees, try 67 degrees for a few days.
Some mattresses and mattress pads also have adjustable settings. However, you don’t even have to buy something new to cool the room.
dr Winter recommended putting extra pillowcases in the freezer until bedtime to keep your head cooler. “If you can keep your head cool, the rest of your body will also feel a lot cooler,” he said.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone do these things who didn’t find it really helpful.’
