Researchers Found A Surprising Sleep Pattern Above 80°F
Some people swear they sleep best in a chilly bedroom, while others can't get comfortable without an extra blanket.
But is there actually an ideal temperature for a good night's sleep, or does it depend more on what your body is used to?
A new study explored the relationship between indoor temperature and sleep quality in adults with type 2 diabetes, tracking more than 1,300 nights to see whether warmer or cooler conditions made a difference.
About the study
Because indoor temperatures can fluctuate from night to night, researchers wanted to see whether those changes were linked to sleep quality.
They followed 108 adults with type 2 diabetes and collected temperature and sleep data over 1,307 nights.
Participants wore wrist-based activity trackers to monitor their sleep patterns. Separately, temperature loggers recorded each participant's personal indoor temperature at night.
These small devices measure and store temperature readings over time, and researchers averaged the readings across each participant's sleep period.
Researchers looked at four measures of sleep quality: sleep efficiency (the percentage of time in bed actually spent asleep), how long participants stayed awake after initially falling asleep, total sleep time, and how often they woke up.
They also compared each person's warmer and cooler nights with their usual nighttime indoor temperature, rather than simply comparing people who lived in warmer homes with those in cooler ones.
Sleep efficiency was higher on warmer-than-usual nights
On nights that were warmer than participants' personal average, they had higher sleep efficiency and fewer awakenings.
Total sleep time didn't show the same link, and comparing participants' average nighttime indoor temperatures with one another revealed no connection to any sleep measure.
The relationship also wasn't a straight line.
Sleep stayed largely the same across moderate temperatures, but above approximately 80.6°F (27°C), sleep efficiency rose and participants spent less time awake during the night.
However, relatively few nights in the study were that warm, and the pattern weakened when researchers removed those nights from their analysis.
Finding a comfortable temperature for better sleep
So, should you turn up the heat? Not necessarily. The research doesn't establish an ideal bedroom temperature or show that deliberately sleeping in a warmer room improves sleep. And, we've seen other research promoting cooler temps around 68°F as ideal for sleep, so there is conflicting evidence.
Instead, use your own sleep patterns as a guide:
- Pay attention to nighttime disruptions. Regularly waking up sweaty, throwing off your covers, or shivering could mean your sleep environment needs adjusting.
- Experiment with your bedding. Before changing the thermostat significantly, try lighter or heavier blankets and breathable sleepwear.
- Look at your overall comfort. Your bedroom temperature is just one part of your sleep environment. Noise, light, and your bedtime routine can also influence how well you rest.
The takeaway
Your best sleeping temperature may be specific to you. While this study doesn't give us a magic thermostat setting, it does offer a reason to pay closer attention to the conditions you sleep best in.
