You probably don’t need me to explain that room temperature can play a big part in how easily we fall asleep. If our bedroom is too hot, then most of us will have a restless night’s sleep, tossing and turning in an attempt to get cool. If our bedroom is too cold, then shivering can keep us awake.
If you share a bed with a partner, then arguments over the thermostat might also be a common theme. After all, some of us sleep hotter than others, and in the quest for how to sleep better, differences in opinion over the bedroom temperature can cause tempers to fray.
However, sleep experts have revealed that there is an ideal room temperature we should all be aiming for to get a more comfortable night’s sleep. I asked them to reveal all.
What’s the best room temperature for sleep?
The Sleep Foundation recommends keeping the bedroom thermostat somewhere between 15.6 to 19.4°C, and sleep expert and founder of The Sleep Site, Dave Gibson, agrees.
‘The ideal temperature for the bedroom is around 16-18°C or 61-65F with the optimum often quoted at 18.3°C,’ explains Dave. However, Dave adds that ‘it’s important to note that individuals vary in their heat sensitivity.’ For instance, ‘the elderly and young babies, whose bodies have difficulty regulating temperature, are especially vulnerable to the negative effects of overheating during sleep.’
The same goes for avoiding getting too cold. As Louise Wright, physiology national lead at Nuffield Health explains, ‘for those over 65 or with pre-existing medical conditions, a review by Public Health England in 2014 stated that maintaining the 18°C (65F) threshold overnight may be beneficial to protect health, alongside the use of sufficient bedding, clothing, and thermal blankets or heating aids as appropriate.’
For a lot of us, the best way to find the ideal bedroom temperature within that 15.6 to 19.4°C range is to set the thermostat at 19°C to start with, and then experiment by gradually dropping the temperature down 1°C at a time until you hit your ideal warmth level.
After all, the warmth of your duvet will also play a big part in your sleep setup, and what tog duvet to buy can be influenced by how cold or warm your house is.
Why is the right bedroom temperature important?
So now we know what the best room temperature for sleep is, but why is it so important to stay within this temperature range?
‘Along with decreased levels of light, a decrease in body temperature is one of the main cues for sleep,’ explains sleep expert Dave Gibson. ‘Our body clock is tuned to a 24-hour rhythm in line with day and night, and as the sun sets, light and temperature naturally decrease.’
‘We know from research with modern hunter-gatherer tribes that it’s this decrease in environmental temperature, typically about three hours after sunset, when the air temperature drops, that causes humans to seek sleep. Then, our bodies naturally wake before the dawn sunlight, triggered with vasodilation from the colder body temperature and cortisol triggering our wake-up cycle.’
‘However, if our bedroom is too hot or too cold, this natural sleep process is disrupted. That’s why on hot and humid summer nights, we find it hard to fall asleep as our core temperature can’t drop. Similarly, if the temperature in the room drops to below 12 degrees, it will cause us to wake up as we shiver.’
So there we go, aim to keep your bedroom between 15.6 to 19.4°C and our experts agree you’ll be setting yourself up with the best chance of a good night’s sleep. Happy snoozing!
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