When It Comes to Sleep, Play It Cool

If you’re having trouble sleeping, put yourself in a cave. Not literally, but you should create an environment that could very well be deep underground. Caves are naturally dark, with few (if any) noisy disturbances. But one of the under-appreciated aspects of caves—and your sleeping environment—is their temperatures. They’re cool, as should your bedroom be.

Ever had trouble falling asleep in the dead of summer, even when the sun’s long set? Do your feet never feel quite comfortable no matter how warm or cold the rest of your body is?

Temperature is almost as important to our sleep patterns as light and noise. Let’s explore why that is, and what we can do create ideal circumstances for our sleep lives.

Why Does Temperature Matter?

Balance is the keyword here. The body’s natural circadian rhythms dictate how its functions, from digestion to brain activity, fluctuate throughout the day and sleep-filled nights. And one of those functions is body temperature.

If you maintain a typical sleep schedule, your internal temperature falls throughout the night, eventually bottoming out at around 5 a.m. and rising again as the morning progresses and you wake up. Throwing off this part of your cycle by sleeping in a too-warm environment can cause some serious insomnia. If the room is too warm, your body may not be able to decrease its core temperature enough to maintain healthy sleep.

What’s the Ideal Temperature?

Despite how cozy a warm room or a sauna can feel, those environments aren’t conducive to prolonged periods of sleep. Most experts agree the ideal temperature range for sleep is between 60 and 67oF (16 and 19oC), with the happy medium at around 65o. This range is perfect for your body’s natural rhythms because it allows your temperature to fall gradually when it comes time for sleep. The temperature decrease facilitates the beginning stages of sleep, and your environment makes sure you stay asleep. Basically, think of your cave being set near the end of spring, and your body will thank you.

Some Extra Steps

Now that you know just how cool your cave should be, are you wondering if there are any other steps you can take to get your body temperature where it needs to be for a perfect night’s sleep? Then try these out.

Something as simple as wearing socks to bed can help your body regulate its core heat. On the flip side, if you feel too warm in bed, something equally simple like sticking one of your feet out from under the covers works well.

There’s also some wisdom to taking a hot bath or shower before bed to regulate your temperature before you crawl under the sheets. Just the act of leaving the bath tub plummets your body temperature and gets it on the right rhythm to maintain its balance overnight.

You owe it to your body to put yourself in a cave and play your sleep patterns cool.

Happy hibernation!