It’s already been proven that sleeping in a relaxed and cold room aids sleep. You may prefer the sound of climbing into bed in a warm room or cozying up to an electric blanket during the winter months.
The fact is, sleeping in a cold room is going to improve your sleep quality.
For some people, entering a cold bedroom at night isn’t ideal, and you might struggle to get used to the concept, but once you’ve managed to conquer the cold, your general sleep quality will be significantly improved.
If you’re a snuggly sleeper who likes the central heating on full and thermal bed sheets, after reading this guide and learning about all pros and cons of sleeping in a cold room, who knows, you might just be convinced to change your habits and test your tolerance.
Of course, I am not talking about sleeping with a wide-open window during a snowstorm; it’s not that extreme. But, dropping the temperature even by just a few degrees than you’re used to could have a notable impact.
Let’s look at the facts.
The Pros of Sleeping in a Cold Room
There are more pros than cons regarding sleeping in a cold room. So, let’s learn more about how it could enhance your sleep.
1. Sleep Quality
I’ve already mentioned how sleeping in a cold room can significantly improve your sleep quality, but you want more evidence than that, right?
The science behind this fact is that your body temperature is higher when you’re awake, so as you fall to sleep, it drops, much like it rises again when you wake. It’s why it makes sense that falling asleep in a cold bedroom will be better for regulating the body’s natural nightly temperature cycle.
If your sleeping environment is too warm, your body temperature will take longer to drop, resulting in challenges when falling asleep.
Being too warm while you sleep is also likely to disturb your sleep, waking you up throughout the night, thus resulting in a broken sleep. Disturbed sleep usually leads to irritability, oversleeping, and fatigue the following day.
2. Increased Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone the pineal gland emits essential for sleep. Studies taken out by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index in 2021 proved that treatments using exogenous melatonin considerably enhanced sleep performance.
Sleeping in a cold room balances melatonin levels, promoting optimal sleeping conditions in all respects.
3. Helps with Insomnia
There are many causes for insomnia, whether stress, environment, or a medical condition.
Studies show that people with sleep conditions like insomnia usually have a higher body temperature. Sleeping in a cold bedroom provides a more comfortable environment, allowing you to fall asleep quicker, possibly curing insomnia.
4. Reduces Stress
Sleeping in a cold bed might be stressful if you’re used to sleeping in a toast warm space. However, sleeping at a lower temperature has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety.
Going to sleep stressed increases the risk of disturbed sleep and can lead to several sleep disorders. Sleeping in a cold room lowers cortisol secretion, a hormone known to increase stress levels. This results in an all-around better chance of a refreshing night’s sleep.
Downsides of Sleeping in a Cold Room
So, after reading about the pros of sleeping in a cold room, it sounds like a good prospect. Well, it’ll sound even more appealing when you learn there aren’t any cons to sleeping in a cold room.
Of course, this is provided you have yet to take things to the extreme and add an ice pack to your pillow or are sleeping outside in the winter, but you knew this.
Lowering the temperature in your bedroom will likely only positively affect your sleep routine and quality. Keep reading to learn more about the temperature in your room and have a more peaceful night’s sleep.
How to Make Your Room Cool for a Good Night’s Sleep?
If your room is naturally warm, below are some ways to decrease the night’s temperature to get more out of your night’s sleep.
1. Open Your Window
Providing it’s not -14° outside, opening your window before you go to bed is the most effective way to cool down your sleeping area for a good night’s sleep. Opening the bedroom window around an hour or two before you go to bed cools the room down perfectly.
However, you can use some draft excluder for your bedroom door to not chill down the rest of your house, primarily middle of winter.
2. Use a Fan or Air Conditioning Unit
Air con is the second best way to reduce the temperature in a room. However, for many, it’s an expensive investment and often a luxury way out of reach.
A fan can have just as much of an effect on the room’s temperature. Sleeping with one point toward your bed can help you feel more relaxed while you fall asleep.
However, be mindful of having them too close to your body throughout the night. A constant draft on your body for long periods can cause stiff joints, aches, and pains.
3. What to Wear to Bed?
What you wear to bed can alter how warm or cool you are while you sleep. A lot of this is down to the types of material you choose. The same goes for your bed sheets.
Materials like polyester, wool, nylon, and fleece will make you feel warmer and cause uncomfortable night sweats. Recommended materials for the ample temperature would be linen, cotton, silk, and bamboo.
4. Turn off Electronic Devices
Electric devices such as televisions, computers, and lights emit heat even when left on standby. Unplug any electronics at the mains where ever possible instead of simply switching it off.
It also goes towards sleeping in an entirely dark room free of distractions, and light [8], both of which will promote a good night’s rest.
What is The Best Temperature for Sleep?
The best temperature for sleep varies widely depending on age. But, if we’re talking about the average adult, the advised temperature for a good night’s rest is around 55°F.
If you’re like me and have always been used to sleeping in a chilled, cold room, this won’t apply to you. However, if you’re more accustomed to sleeping next to a warm radiator, you’ll want to introduce yourself gradually to cooler sleeping temperatures; otherwise, you’ll be uncomfortable, which can negatively reflect how well you sleep.
One Last Look
Let’s examine the pros and cons of sleeping in a cold room.
The bottom line is that there aren’t any downsides to sleeping in a cold room. Only good can come from lowering the temperature in your sleep environment. Of course, this is provided you don’t take this to the extreme and start sleeping in arctic temperatures.
Suppose you live in a naturally hot building. In that case, you can do some quick and easy things to bring down the temperature, such as cracking a window, changing to more suitable sheets, wearing fewer bedclothes, or investing in air conditioning or a simple fan.
If you have insomnia or any other form of sleep disorder, dropping your bedroom temperature will drastically improve your sleep, and you’ll find drifting off a much calmer operation.
