Waking up the middle of the night with the sheets sticking to your body on a hot night is a familiar scene in many people’s bedrooms. Sleeping cooler in temperatures is known to increase the quality of sleep but why?
Sleep and thermoregulation, the body control of temperature, are intimately connected. Over the course of 24-hours, core body temperature is linked with the sleep-wake rhythm. In the sleep phase your body temperature decreases and rises in the wake phase. You are more likely to get sleepy when your core temperature goes down. Peripheral parts of the body, our hands and feet, allow the heated blood from core parts of the body to lose heat through the skin surface to the environment.
Environmental heat can disrupt the balance between sleep and body temperature as the ideal temperature is between 63- 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Major variations in environmental temperature, reduces slow wave sleep (sleep stage where the brain’s electrical wave activity slows) and results in less time spent in dreaming sleep (the rapid eye movement or REM stage of sleep). This combination causes restless sleep with negative effects on mood and alertness upon waking up.
It is important to stay cool at night in order to get a good night’s sleep. Try using a fan, keeping ice cold water next to your bed or sleeping on your side to cool down your body.
We want you to be at your absolute best to prepare for tomorrow, and every morning! Employ those couple of tips to ensure that you feel comfortable and well rested every morning this summer!
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