The secret to a good sleep? Don’t let things hot up in the bedroom…. Researchers discover the ideal temperature for a restful night
According to a new study, it’s essential that your bedroom is between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius at night.
Researchers have found that sleeping at a certain temperature can be most efficient and restful for older adults.
Sleep quality declines at higher and lower levels — highlighting the importance of making sure the bedroom isn’t too hot or too cold, they said.
The team from the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research in the US asked fifty people aged 65 and older to wear sleep monitors for a year and a half.
The study was conducted in Boston, a coastal city with hot and humid summers and cold and stormy winters, and the participants slept in their own homes.
(Stock Photo) Making sure your bedroom is between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius at night is the key to a good night’s sleep
Scientists collected data on a total of 11,000 nights of sleep, as well as information about the participants’ sleep environment.
Analysis showed that participants had the most efficient sleep when the bedroom temperature was between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius.
They were also the least restless during this temperature range, while 20 degrees Celsius seemed to be associated with the longest sleep time.
The team found a 5 to 10 percent drop in sleep efficiency as nighttime temperatures rose to 30 degrees Celsius, with participants being most restless at this level.
Previous studies suggest that this drop is large enough to affect cognitive performance, stress, activity, anxiety, mood and fatigue.
(Stock Photo) Quality of sleep declines at higher and lower levels – highlighting the importance of making sure the bedroom isn’t too hot or too cold
And the effect on sleep was comparable in magnitude to that of drinking alcohol in the evening or experiencing chronic pain.
The researchers wrote in the journal Science of the Total Environment: ‘Overall, our findings indicate an optimal temperature range, where sleep was most efficient and restful when the nighttime ambient temperature was between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius.
“Our observations point to an exciting opportunity to potentially improve sleep in the older adult population by creating a more comfortable home environment.”
Lead author Amir Baniassadi cautioned that the findings “underscore the potential impact of climate change on sleep quality in older adults.”