The Best Temperature for Sound Sleep

Waking up in the middle of the night and not knowing why – tossing and turning for hours, sleeping with one leg inside the comforter and the other hanging out – we all know the struggle of not feeling comfortable temperature-wise when it’s time for bed.

What you may not realize is that the secret to a better night’s sleep might be less about your mind, and more about your body temperature. Believe it or not, the room temperature while you sleep could make all the difference for your health—and your waistline.

Too cold, and we shiver all night. Too hot, and we sweat it out. Neither is good for our sleep.

Ultimately, if you sweat too much during sleep, it means your body is trying to tell you something, and it could mean several things, from benign to more serious.
It is also important to note that our sleep is especially susceptible to tactile stimuli, particularly changes in heat. This stems from how our body responds to our circadian rhythm. As we transition from periods of wakefulness to periods of deep sleep, our body temperature drops. Like clockwork, our body temperature rises as sleep draws to an end. It’s apparently an important part of our brain shifting gears between the two states.

The problem is, your environment has a dramatic impact on your ability to regulate body temperature. While we can do something about the heat and the chill during the day (even if that’s just complaining about it,) we’re pretty vulnerable to it at night.
As we sleep, an environment that’s too warm or too cool can thwart our body’s efforts to keep our temperature steady. When it’s warm, our body starts to think it is time to get up. When it’s cold, our body starts to think we’re going to freeze to death (it certainly feels that way, at least.) In both cases, our brain reacts by switching on the lights until we’ve addressed the problem.

What is the best temperature for sleep?

Maintaining ideal sleeping temperature is key if you want to sleep soundly, and the best temperature for sleep is between 16-18°C. Temperatures over 24°C are likely to cause restlessness, while a cold room of about 12°C will make it difficult to doze off.
What you can do is check the temperature of your room and make sure that you aren’t succumbing to the effects of an overheated bedroom.
However, everyone is different and may have their own optimal temperature based on the needs of their body. Experimenting with gradually cooler temperatures could help you find your ideal personal sleeping environment.

A cool temperature can help to pump up your metabolism

The benefits of keeping a cool room don’t end at a great night’s sleep. A study showed that a lower bedroom temperature can lead to an increase in the brown fat (considered “good fat”) that helps boost metabolism–even during the day.
Research shows that sleeping in a room with cool temperatures can boost your metabolism almost instantly, and those who sleep in rooms that have temperatures of 19 degrees burn over seven percent more calories than those who sleep in warmer rooms.
This is because, in a cool space, our bodies have to work harder to raise our core temperature to the normal 37 degrees. More work means more calories torched. And that seven percent can add up fast, burning an extra 100 calories over 24 hours of sleep.
Also, dozing in cool temperatures could protect you from metabolic diseases like diabetes.

Anti-aging effect

Sleeping in a cold room could even combat aging. Research shows that we release more melatonin when sleeping at cooler temperatures rather than warmer ones.
Melatonin is one of the body’s anti-aging hormones and is released naturally with a drop in body temperature. This drop cues your body to release growth hormones that also help you to look and feel more alert and energized.

The science of sleep

The reason behind the sleep benefits of cooler temperatures has to do with your body’s core temperature, which follows a circadian pattern throughout a 24-hour period. This pattern reaches its peak around late afternoon and its bottom around 5 a.m.—a few hours before most people rise. A declining body temperature induces sleep, and a study of insomniacs showed that the inability to shed heat and remain cool could have been prohibiting their sleep.
While insomnia is a very real condition that deserves treatment, it’s possible that you aren’t giving your body a chance to properly cool down at night. If you think that might be the case for you, try turning down the thermostat and finding a cool sleeping temperature that works for you.

Choose the right mattress

For many sleepers, sleeping warm is a nightly frustration that is a perpetual detriment to restful and comfortable sleep. Your weight, home, climate, age, and personal preference can all impact how hot you sleep. These factors play into the bed you’re sleeping on as well. The combination of your mattress, mattress protector, and pillow are all involved in how cool or warm your sleep experience is.
The WHISPER mattress is composed of an open-cell foam that allows it to breathe and channel warm air away from your body and out of the sides of the mattress. This dissipates heat away from you and keeps your mattress from becoming excessively warm.
The WHISPER is covered with a high tech fabric that captures the moisture your body gives off while you sleep and accelerates evaporation in order to maintain a stable microclimate. The silver yarn component helps to protect against moisture, mildew, sweat, can be hypoallergenic and can aid in reducing symptoms of eczema, asthma, and severe allergies, especially to dust mites.

Colder is not always better

While the majority of us benefit from a decrease in temperature at night, it’s important to keep in mind that colder is not always better.
By altering your bedroom’s temperature you’re trying to help your body reach its predetermined optimal sleep temperature.
If your room is either too hot or too cold it would make this process more difficult and negatively impact your sleep.
You should always feel comfortable.

And remember, shivering is no better than sweating.

We guarantee that our WHISPER mattress will maintain a perfect temperature for your body and we back this up with a 100 night risk-free trial. Click the link below to check it out: