Which is better for your health, sleeping in a cold or warm room? The answer is actually a little more complicated than just one or the other. According to a study done at Stanford University, the temperature of your sleeping area and how comfortable you feel in the space affects how well and how long you snooze.
When you go to sleep your body temperature goes down. If your room is too cold or too hot, your body will struggle to achieve this temperature that helps you fall asleep. “If you are in a cooler [rather than too-warm] room, it is easier for that to happen,” says Ralph Downey III, PhD, chief of sleep medicine at Loma Linda University. If the room becomes uncomfortably hot or cold, you are more likely to wake up
If your bedroom is too cold or your blankets aren’t thick enough your blood vessels in your skin can narrow. This locks in heat and increases your body temperature to the point where your sleep is disturbed. However, sleeping in a cool room can also have some calorie burning benefits. Dr. Francesco Celi at Virginia Commonwealth University found that sleeping in cold rooms helps your body burn calories and release excess blood sugar.
Everyone’s body is different, which means you have to play around with the temperature of your room before finding the perfect balance to catch some Z’s. Try starting at 65 degrees and go from there.
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