Table of contents:
- Room temperature affects the quality of your sleep at night
- What is the ideal room temperature for sleeping?
A night's sleep is more comfortable in a dark, cool room. But are you curious about how much room temperature is right for sleeping so that you are kept away from complaints of waking up in the middle of the night - either because you are dying to pee cold or because you are hot? Research answers it for you.
Room temperature affects the quality of your sleep at night
As long as you sleep, your body temperature will also decrease from normal because it is influenced by the work of the brain. This drop in body temperature helps you feel sleepy and then stay asleep. That's why experts claim that the right bedroom temperature can help you sleep better.
Ralph. Downey III, PhD, head of the Sleep Problems Treatment division at Loma Linda University states that the drop in body temperature will occur more quickly in a room with a cooler temperature. However, if you are in a hot room, you are more at risk of waking up in the middle of the night because of the heat or feeling stuffy while sleeping.
However, H. Craig Heller, Ph.D, professor of biology from Stanford University stated that if the room temperature during sleep is too hot or too cold, the body will struggle to reach this common ground so that it can also interfere with your comfort.
Room temperature also affects the quality of REM sleep (dream sleep phase). This sleep phase usually occurs 90 minutes after you fall asleep. The brain and other body systems remain active during the REM sleep phase, while the muscles relax. The body's ability to regulate its temperature is also hampered during this phase, so room temperatures that are too hot or cold can interfere with your sleep.
Therefore, you need the right room temperature so that the quality and comfort while sleeping is maintained.
What is the ideal room temperature for sleeping?
Dr. Rachel Salas, MD, a neurologist at Johns Hopkins University cites a study from the National Sleep Foundation which states that the best room temperature for sleeping is around 18-22º Celsius. Downey and Heller also agreed with the statement by saying that the temperature range 18-22ºC can be your reference when setting the right room temperature before bed.
Maybe some of you are wondering why the temperature is that low? Experts say that your core body temperature naturally decreases during deep sleep and will increase towards the end of your sleep cycle. The increase in body temperature becomes a kind of signal to the body to wake up immediately.
Therefore it is important to keep the room temperature low so that the body does its job properly while sleeping. In addition, room temperature that is too cold and too hot can also interfere with the body's natural temperature adjustment and make you restless throughout the night which will be bad for your health.
In addition, an expert from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine also suggests making your bedroom as comfortable as possible. Try to keep it cool and away from noise. In addition, you can also use socks to keep your feet warm so that you can sleep comfortably.